<P> The Book of Dust takes place before, during and after the original trilogy; Pullman described it as an "equel", rather than a sequel, which "will begin and end with Lyra". The plot focuses on a battle for free speech and thought against a totalitarian organisation . The books will touch on research into Dust, the cosmic matter that governs consciousness, as well as the portrayal of religion in His Dark Materials . Pullman said the trilogy addresses consciousness: "Perhaps the oldest philosophical question of all: are we matter? Or are we spirit and matter? What is consciousness if there is no spirit? Questions like that are of perennial fascination and they haven't been solved yet, thank goodness ." </P> <P> The first book, La Belle Sauvage, was published on 19 October 2017 . Set ten years before the His Dark Materials trilogy, the story follows 11 - year - old Malcolm Polstead, his dæmon Asta, a village girl named Alice and her dæmon Ben who become the protectors of the infant Lyra Belacqua and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, in their canoe, La Belle Sauvage, after a flood . The novel introduces the alethiometer specialist Hannah Relf, allied with the secret organisation Oakley Street, and a new villain, Gerard Bonneville, allied with the Consistorial Court of Discipline (CCD). Returning characters include Lyra's father Lord Asriel and mother Mrs Coulter, and the Gyptian elder Farder Coram . </P> <P> The second book, The Secret Commonwealth, begins with Lyra as a 20 - year - old undergraduate and involves her journeying to the Far East via the Levant . No publication date has been officially announced, but at the launch of La Belle Sauvage, Pullman announced that it was complete and has said that he hopes it will be out a year after La Belle Sauvage . As of September 2017, work on the third book had not commenced . </P> <P> The Secret Commonwealth takes its title from a compilation of folklore by Robert Kirk that Pullman has said is one of his favourite books . </P>

When will book of dust volume 2 be released
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