Now That You’ve Finished His Dark Materials Season 2, Dive Into the Books

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The ending of a show’s season can be a bittersweet moment, especially for those who love HBO Max’s His Dark Materials. There was so much that happened in the last episode and now that we know the show is coming back for a third and final season, it means we will have to be patient until that season arrives. If you feel like you cannot wait, but don’t know how to fill your fantasy obsession, try reading the books.

Since the first and second seasons have been released, which follow the first two books in the series, and an impending third is on the way, now is the time to read the books. So many shows have been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic so we might not get to see the third season until 2022.

The show His Dark Materials is based on a trilogy of books by Phillip Pullman. The HBO Max show utilized all three books by divided each one into a season.

His Dark Materials Series

Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in North America)

This book follows Lyra’s journey as she tries to save her friend Roger from the “Gobblers” who are run by Mrs. Marisa Coulter and her uncle, Lord Asriel.

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The Subtle Knife

Lyra meets Will in a new world filled with dangers ahead. They are both searching for things, Lyra for more about Dark Matter and Will for his father, but will end up discovering so much more.

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The Amber Spyglass

I won’t spoil the third season for you, but suffice it to say, Lyra and Will have a perilous journey ahead of them as they make decisions that affect more than just themselves.

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His Dark Materials Box Set

The books have also been into a box set so you don’t have to wait to start the next book.

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Extra Reading: The Book of Dust Series

The Belle Sauvage

Set before the His Dark Materials series, this book follows a young boy named Malcolm Polstead. He happens upon a mysterious object with an equally odd message. He has always noticed things, but now he is noticing more. He sees Lord Asriel on the run and muttering about a baby girl named Lyra.

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The Secret Commonwealth

This book jumps ahead to events after the His Dark Materials series ends. Twenty-year-old Lyra is at Oxford studying when her daemon, Pantalaimon, sees the murder of a man who entrusts with a secret that sends them on a journey far beyond. There is to be the third book in the series, but there are no announcements about it so far.

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