Serpentine: His Dark Materials
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Short gift book with lovely art is meant for series fans.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In SERPENTINE, Lyra visits the consul to the clans of witches while on an archeological dig in the northern lands. Dr. Lanselius invites her in and Lyra waits for her daemon, Pantalaimon, to explore the yard before she asks the consul what has been bothering her. She's worried about her connection with Pan after they were separated in the world of the dead. Dr. Lanselius tells her how the witches, who separate from their daemons on purpose, deal with this trauma. On a truck ride back to the dig site, Lyra and Pan finally open up to each other about what happened.
Is It Any Good?
If you're looking for a gift for a true Philip Pullman fan, you've found it, but if you're just a casual fan, you can read this in the aisles of a book store in about fifteen minutes. The black-and-white illustrations by Tom Duxbury evoke a lovely melancholy mood that matches the tone of the brief story itself. In only a few scenes you grasp what Lyra is coping with after she and her daemon had to separate in the world of the dead at the end of The Amber Spyglass. It foreshadows the deeper themes of the second Book of Dust, The Secret Commonwealth.
What will be fascinating to fans is that Pullman wrote this in 2004 when he hadn't even planned on writing the Book of Dust series. It was already somewhere in his head and perhaps this small volume was a catalyst to bring it forward into his consciousness. That idea alone makes Serpentine a worthy endeavor.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about who Serpentine is meant for. It was comissioned for an auction and now it's on sale to the public. It takes a large fan base to sell such books, and author Philip Pullman has one. What other books are sold specifically to series fans?
Do you read other novellas or short stories from your favorite authors and series? Many authors offer their shorter stories online, sometimes for a limited time. Why do you think they do that?
Would you read more about Lyra during this time in her life? What do you think the author left unexplored?
Book Details
- Author: Philip Pullman
- Illustrator: Tom Duxbury
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Knopf
- Publication date: October 15, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 12
- Number of pages: 80
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 26, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Thrilling Books for Teens Who Love Fantasy
Best Fantasy Movies
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate