Adventures Of John Blake Books in Order

The Adventures of John Blake is Philip Pullman’s first original graphic novel, a standalone sea‑going adventure that sits apart from His Dark Materials but shares its interest in courage, conspiracy and technology gone wrong. Illustrated by Fred Fordham, it has the flavour of a classic boys’ adventure comic crossed with a modern techno‑thriller.

At the story’s centre is the Mary Alice, a mysterious schooner that has slipped out of ordinary time after a scientific experiment went badly wrong. John Blake, a boy who should belong to another century, now sails with its oddball crew, appearing and disappearing across history as the ship jumps between eras in search of a way home.

In the present day, an Australian teenager named Serena Henderson is swept overboard during a storm while sailing with her family. Instead of drowning, she is hauled aboard the Mary Alice and finds herself in a world of period uniforms, strange instruments and secrets that span decades. As she adapts to life on the ship, she learns that John is carrying evidence that could expose the darkest secrets of Carlos Dahlberg, a ruthless tech magnate whose global communications network hides something far more sinister than smart devices.

On land, various people are closing in: an investigator trying to understand odd patterns in shipping disasters, John’s relative in the Royal Navy and operatives working for Dahlberg who are determined to hunt the Mary Alice down. The plot hops between perspectives and time periods until the strands knot together in a high‑stakes confrontation involving stolen technology, a doomsday weapon and some very resourceful teenagers.

Stylistically, the book is brisk and accessible. Dialogue carries much of the character work, while Fordham’s artwork handles the sense of wonder: fog‑shrouded harbours, storm‑tossed seas, futuristic laboratories and glimpses of past wars. The visual format makes it easy for slightly younger readers to dive into a fairly intricate plot.

You don’t need to know anything about Pullman’s other series to enjoy John Blake, and it doesn’t currently connect to Lyra’s world. For readers who mainly know him through His Dark Materials, this graphic novel shows a different side of his storytelling—leaner, more overtly pulpy, but still driven by the question of what brave, stubborn people do when powerful institutions abuse their reach.