Lyra's Oxford
by Philip Pullman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Philip PullmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-25
ISBN: 0375843698
Number of pages: 64
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780375843693
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Lyra's Oxford
Book Review: This felt less like a "tease" and more like a broken promise
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm honestly a little bit unsure of what to make of "Lyra's Oxford". It drops a large number of references to the larger universe of the His Dark Materials stories without really developing any of them ... I especially feel for poor Will, whose presence in Lyra's psyche is reduced to a "WWWD" (What Would Will Do?") catchphrase. It takes place a few years after the events of the trilogy but Lyra shows no newfound maturity, falling yet again into the most obvious of traps. It spends considerable time on the rather contrived and uninteresting mystery of the witch's daemon and leaves us groping for answers to more interesting ones ("What is Mr. Makepeace up to?", "What/who really protected Lyra?", "What is the cruise ship flier a reference to?", etc.). The ending is cheesy as well ... I mean, "the city is looking out for us"? Come on ...
And that's the problem--my gut reaction upon finishing this story was "What the hell was that?" There's little substance here, and just when the reader is starting to re-form the bond with Lyra's world, the story ends. It felt like a prologue or first chapter to a much better story, but there's no indication that that's what it is. Pullman is coy: maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I felt a bit duped--not just for spending $7 on a story that took about 15 minutes to read, but for spending that time on a story that felt like mediocre fan fiction. Lyra's Oxford was a disappointment, and Pullman missed a great opportunity to draw upon the magical worlds and interesting characters he developed in the His Dark Materials trilogy.
Summary of Lyra's Oxford
An exciting new tale set in the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials saga. This collectible hardcover volume includes a short story by Mr. Pullman, plus a fold-out map of Oxford and various "souvenirs" from the past. The book is illustrated throughout with woodcut illustrations by John Lawrence.From the Hardcover edition.
Attention all serious book collectors and fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. This undoubtedly beautiful package--cloth-bound in a classy red and adorned by numerous illustrations by master engraver and illustrator John Lawrence--is a must-purchase. A pint-sized pocket volume, Lyra's Oxford packages together a short story set in the same universe as his famous trilogy, a fold-out map of the alternate-reality city of Oxford, a short brochure for a cruise to The Levant aboard the S.S. Zenobia, and a postcard from the inventor of the amber spyglass, Mary Malone. Pullman, in his introduction, suggests that the peripheral items within "might be connected with the story, or they might not; they might be connected to stories that haven?t appeared yet. It's difficult to tell."
A very sumptuous and lovingly crafted but tantalizingly brief book , Lyra's Oxford begins when Lyra and Pantalaimon spot a witch's daemon called Ragi being pursued over the rooftops of Oxford by a frenzied pack of birds. The daemon heads straight for Lyra (the creature was given Lyra?s name as somebody who might help) and is given shelter. Together Lyra and Pan try to guide the daemon to the home of Sebastian Makepeace?an alchemist living in a part of Oxford known as Jericho--but it is a journey fraught with more danger than they had at first anticipated. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay
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