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Lyra and Pantalaimon (now a pine-marten) are back at Oxford, but their peace is shattered by Ragi, the daemon of the witch Yelena, who is searching for a healing elixir to cure his witch.Tags
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rosylibrarian Both books are related to Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and reference many of its beloved characters.
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I wasn’t particularly impressed by this short novella when I first read it (see my review of the standard edition for an examination of the major narrative and themes), but I hoped that Chris Wormell’s woodcut-inspired illustrations would enliven the story. I still remain disappointed with the lack of Oxford exploration in the story (seriously misleading title!), but thankfully the accompanying pictures did a decent job of brightening the narrative. The cover in particular is a luscious introduction, depicting Lyra and Pan overlooking the sunset-drenched Oxford in which they run rampant, which shows a particular care by Wormell to set the restive but eventually action-packed tone of the forthcoming story. Within the pages, the bulk show more of his illustrations are mixed format, some being interleaved as full-page pastiches and others being inset with the margins, with a final few scattered artfully within the text. All of the imagery ties in neatly to the story and Wormell’s signature style accents the slightly antiquated narrative tone well, which makes for a much more engaging read than the straight-text version. In particular, I found the full-page images to be the stunners of the volume, as the careful composition and action depicted therein allowed for a fully immersive visual experience, but even the smaller images utilising imagery from the natural world (birds, greenery, etc) were a lively visual treat. Concluding the volume were a selection of admittedly random “other things” that may or may not be connected to the story told in the book. Considering the large scope of Pullman’s worldbuilding, the concept of gathering some literary and visual detritus (if you will) is actually a calculated and neat move; will we end up travelling alongside Lyra to the North again, who is Angela Gorman, and what events are occurring in the Levant? These places may be closer off than they first appear, and for those of us who continued on reading with the (still forthcoming) Book of Dust series there are some tantalising clues to be gathered! show less
This is a spin off novella set in the world of the author's His Dark Materials series, between the end of the original trilogy and The Book of Dust. Lyra and her daemon Pantaleimon rescue a witch's daemon who claims to be seeking a cure for a sickness from which his mistress (but not he) suffers. But all is not as it seems. The story is brief, but quite dramatic, and as for Once Upon a Time in the North, the book also includes some snippets of interesting and amusing documents from Lyra's world). The book is also slightly annoyingly padded out with material from other related works taking up around a third of its length.
I was totally expecting this mini companion book to be a Lyra's diary or her thoughts about her life in Oxford, but much to my disappointment it proved to be a simple adventure story. Lyra and Pan (her daemon) are beset by a frantic witch's bird-daemon who insists that they visit an alchemist who lives a few neighbourhoods away in the hopes of helping his mistress. Little do Lyra and Pan realize, they are walking into a trap and are only saved by their own (smart) hesitation about rushing into the situation headlong and by good timing by a brave swan. Who knows why the witch is after the two of them (her daemon was very insistent, so clearly they were the target of the ruse), but clearly Pullman has some alternative ideas about the show more Witch clans than what was expressed in the Dark Materials trilogy. Some clans may have allied with the humans then, but clearly some are as evil as prejudiced people assume. I don't think Pullman quite had his ideas put together for this story, because it really doesn't give us much to work with in the long term. It doesn't really add to the previous story lines (as did the other companion novella, which gave us a character's back story), and really didn't develop the idea about the complexity of the witch clans or the new character of the alchemist. This could have been the start of another great novel (Lyra going to school, while balancing her adventures, learning more about the witches, dealing with the aftermath of the wars, learning magic, etc), but Pullman didn't quite give it enough space to grow into its potential. show less
I've given this a mediocre rating. It was a nice little story about Lyra and Pan, but didn't feel particularly necessary. Either there's very little substance here, or Pullman is being so clever (and the included postcard, maps etc etc certainly imply he's trying to be clever) that I don't get it. I'm left feeling a bit disappointed, stupid or possibly both.
I liked the story about Lyra, but the thing we learned from this short tale doesn't seem worth the effort. Yes, it might be important, but for us the readers to see that Pullman will need to write more books, something he hasn't yet given any indication he plans to do. And if he did, that tiny scrap of information could just as easily, and probably should be, included in that.
I show more guess I feel vaguely cheated. I was looking forward to more about favourite characters and while I did get that, it was a short tale without the strength and substance I know Pullman can write. It read like a prologue for a book but there's no book and while this story is complete, it doesn't feel finished. show less
I liked the story about Lyra, but the thing we learned from this short tale doesn't seem worth the effort. Yes, it might be important, but for us the readers to see that Pullman will need to write more books, something he hasn't yet given any indication he plans to do. And if he did, that tiny scrap of information could just as easily, and probably should be, included in that.
I show more guess I feel vaguely cheated. I was looking forward to more about favourite characters and while I did get that, it was a short tale without the strength and substance I know Pullman can write. It read like a prologue for a book but there's no book and while this story is complete, it doesn't feel finished. show less
Don't read this expecting the epic grandeur of the final battle in The Amber Spyglass. Instead, take this for what it is: as the title suggests, this is a glimpse of Lyra Silvertongue's home town. So, we get a map, which it is instructive to compare with its modern fold-out, full-colour relief counterpart in this world. We get the deliciously realistic post-cards and brochures and cruise timetables that support what we know from the trilogy and hint at what we don't. And we have, almost incidentally, a short dream-like story that shows that, for Lyra back in her own world, things aren't as happy ever after as we might have expected.
Yes, it is a mild disappointment if you were looking for more action. But, on the plus side, the hardback show more is a handsome volume to own, to hold, to peruse; and, along with Once Upon a Time in the North, it shows that Pullman has not abandoned the worlds that, God-like, he has created and that in time we may hope for something a little more substantial than these tasters. show less
Yes, it is a mild disappointment if you were looking for more action. But, on the plus side, the hardback show more is a handsome volume to own, to hold, to peruse; and, along with Once Upon a Time in the North, it shows that Pullman has not abandoned the worlds that, God-like, he has created and that in time we may hope for something a little more substantial than these tasters. show less
I'm not quite clear on why this is called Lyra's Oxford when it only contains a short story called Lyra and the Birds. The introduction implies that the other inserts are what changes the title, but I'm not convinced. Anyway, this takes place a couple years after The Amber Spyglass. It's a nice addition to the series, and the ephemera - the map, the postcard, etc. - are a very nice touch. I'd probably appreciate them even more if I was at all familiar with the real Oxford, but that's okay. They're still charming. Definitely recommended for fans of the original trilogy.
A new tale of Lyra, set sometime after her adventures in the multiverse. The story was interesting, but the real meat of this volume is the map of Oxford in Lyra's world, and the reproductions of various collected ephemera of characters from His Dark Materials.
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ThingScore 75
In this tiny, tantalizing sequel to the trilogy ''His Dark Materials,'' Philip Pullman is flying without a net -- or, rather, without the help of such flamboyant creations as a knife that can cut through worlds and a machine that can reveal truth from lies.
added by Shortride
The 49-page story is cut from the living wood of the author's imaginative world and comes instantly to life in its own right. . . .What I expect to remember longer is a new image from the story, of all the animate creatures of the city striving clumsily to protect this obdurate girl, in gratitude for what she has done for their universe.
It is one of those grand narrative strokes that Pullman show more can sometimes pull off with such casual-looking ease and faith. This book is that gift working in miniature. show less
It is one of those grand narrative strokes that Pullman show more can sometimes pull off with such casual-looking ease and faith. This book is that gift working in miniature. show less
added by lilithcat
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Author Information
89+ Works 150,708 Members
Philip Pullman was born in Norwich on October 19, 1946. He graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English. He taught at various Oxford middle schools and at Westminster College for eight years. He is the author of many acclaimed novels, plays, and picture books for readers of all ages. His first book, Count Karlstein, was published in show more 1982. His other books include: The Firework-Maker's Daughter; I Was a Rat!; Clockwork or All Wound Up; and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. He is also the author of the Sally Lockhart series and the His Dark Materials Trilogy. He is the author of The Book of Dust, volume 1. He has received numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Fiction Award for Northern Lights (The Golden Compass), the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for The Amber Spyglass, the Eleanor Farjeon Award for children's literature in 2002, and the Astrid Lindgren Award in 2005. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Lyra's Oxford
- Original publication date
- 2003
- People/Characters
- Lyra Belacqua; Pantalaimon; Sebastian Makepeace; Yelena
- Important places
- University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK; Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK; Oxfordshire, England, UK
- Epigraph
- '...Oxford, where the real and the unreal jostle in the streets; where North Parade is in the south and South Parade is in the north, where Paradise is lost under a pumping station; where the river mists have a solvent and vi... (show all)vifying effect on the stone of the ancient buildings, so that the gargoyles of Magdalen College climb down at night and fight with those from Wykeham, or the fish under the bridges, or simply change their expressions overnight; Oxford, where windows open into other worlds...'
Oscar Baedecker, The Coasts of Bohemia - First words
- Lyra didn't often climb out of her bedroom window these days.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And before they went to bed, they put the crumbs out on the windowsill, for the birds.
- Original language*
- Anglais (Royaume-Uni) (Royaume-Uni)
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 823.914 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction 1900- 1901-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ7 .P968 .L — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
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- ISBNs
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- ASINs
- 19