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Once Upon a Time in the North (His Dark Materials)
Another mesmerizing episode from the universe of His Dark Materials set in the far frozen Arctic, including the very first meeting of those two legends and friends Lee Scoresby, the Texan balloonist, and Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear.
From the Audio Download edition.
From the Audio Download edition.
Audio CD, 0 pages
Published
April 8th 2008
by Listening Library (Audio)
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"Nice piece of oratorical flamboyancy." (--Hester)
This book was a gift. I *love* the size and shape of it, its compactness, the cloth cover, the way it fits so perfectly with its companion book, Lyra's Oxford, which I perversely keep with my guidebooks rather than my other Pullman novels.
I am almost certain I would have liked the actual text better had I not been consumed with jealousy over the presentation. The story is less than 100 small pages long, directe...more
This book was a gift. I *love* the size and shape of it, its compactness, the cloth cover, the way it fits so perfectly with its companion book, Lyra's Oxford, which I perversely keep with my guidebooks rather than my other Pullman novels.
I am almost certain I would have liked the actual text better had I not been consumed with jealousy over the presentation. The story is less than 100 small pages long, directe...more
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Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman: It's been some time since Philip Pullman has published anything set in the world of His Dark Materials; the last offering was a very short story called Lyra's Oxford. In Once Upon a Time in the North, Pullman returns with an original tale about Lee Scoresby the aeronaut, weighing in at just under a hundred pages - and while fans would wish for three times as much, it's certainly much better than nothing.
In a poker game in his native Te...more
In a poker game in his native Te...more
Short and sweet. It was nice to read about Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison again. This time around, Scoresby seemed a bit brash and more quick-witted than I remembered but he was 30 something years younger so that might have something to do with it.
I’m sure everyone’s main complaint will be that the book is too short (and I admit I was hit with a ting of dread around page 50 knowing that I was already closer to the ending than the beginning). However; just like Lyra’s Oxford, Scores...more
I’m sure everyone’s main complaint will be that the book is too short (and I admit I was hit with a ting of dread around page 50 knowing that I was already closer to the ending than the beginning). However; just like Lyra’s Oxford, Scores...more
This is a fabulous yarn that tells how the characters Iorek Byrnison and Lee Scoresby from the His Dark Materials series first met. It reads like a Western set in the North and is just a nice, taut episode. Definitely not for kids, this is dark, political, and violent. Very enjoyable and helpful for getting our fix from Lyra's world.
Do yourself a favor, and read this quick little story.
A fantastic little read in a very well presented format. Pullman has a command of language not to be missed. In this little tale we get a beguiling introduction to Lee Scoresby and his dæmon Hester, and who doesn't love Lee and Hester--a wry Texan with a heart of gold and his delightfully sarcastic companion.
A sample-- after crash-landing his newly acquired air ballon:
The pilot gingerly untangled his fingers from...more
A fantastic little read in a very well presented format. Pullman has a command of language not to be missed. In this little tale we get a beguiling introduction to Lee Scoresby and his dæmon Hester, and who doesn't love Lee and Hester--a wry Texan with a heart of gold and his delightfully sarcastic companion.
A sample-- after crash-landing his newly acquired air ballon:
The pilot gingerly untangled his fingers from...more
I cannot quite figure out who would enjoy this volume: for those who have never read the His Dark Materials Trilogy, daemons and the world around them might be too odd, without explanation at all. I like the "western-gunslinger" flavor but don't see how that can hold the interest of most young readers. Then, it is not enough, not meaty enough, not enough Iorek, at least, for a fan like me. I wanted to know MORE about their past and their earlier personalities and hardship/happiness ...more
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This is the second prequel to Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy and is almost twice as long as the first prequel story. It's a nice novella featuring Lee Scoresby and I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the first, Lyra's Oxford. I listened to the audio version and, as usual, was impressed by the British method of producing audio books, with full casts to do the voices. Pullman himself does the narration and he has a very pleasant reading voice.
I suspect they had a Brit...more
I suspect they had a Brit...more
This prequel to Philip Pullman's classic fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, introduces some of the characters from those stories in this fast-paced short work. Set in the coastal Arctic town of Novy Odense, the drama quickly gets under way when 24-year-old Lee Scoresby, an airman from Texas who befriends Lyra Belacqua in later novels, lands there in a hot air balloon. With Scoresby is his "daemon," or animal spirit, Hester--everyone in this world has one. (Hester, by the way, discove...more
This short, little tale is a prequel to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, set decades before the events in Northern Lights. Here we meet Lee Scorsesby and the armored bear Iorek Byrninson, and learn how they came to know each other.
Once Upon a Time in the North is a lovely story, and the title suggests a homage to Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time in the West.
But the influence does not end there. Pullman's writing is fantastic and he conveys the steampunk atmosphere of a smal...more
Once Upon a Time in the North is a lovely story, and the title suggests a homage to Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time in the West.
But the influence does not end there. Pullman's writing is fantastic and he conveys the steampunk atmosphere of a smal...more
This little book is an add-on to Pullman's His Dark Materials series. The presentation is fantastic, and in the same style as Lyra's Oxford. It is a very small hardcover, about 100 pages long, with beautiful woodblock illustrations. It has a bunch of extra goodies inside: a shipping manifest, some notes between Lyra and her professors, a newspaper article. Instead of the fold-out map from Lyra's Oxford, there is a cool little fold-out boardgame featuring hot-air ballooners traveling to the n...more
This is another companion mini-novel to His Dark Materials, this time telling the tale of how Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison met. And it had more interesting inserts from Lyra's world. And a board game! Hee!
It's a great read! I mean, Lee Scoresby! And Hester! Lee and Hester are my favourite character (singular because really they're the same person) from the whole series, so I was very excited when I heard about this book. And it did not disappoint. (Except for the stereotypically m...more
It's a great read! I mean, Lee Scoresby! And Hester! Lee and Hester are my favourite character (singular because really they're the same person) from the whole series, so I was very excited when I heard about this book. And it did not disappoint. (Except for the stereotypically m...more
Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy may have some faults *cough*Book3*cough*, but it is surely a classic of contemporary fantasy fiction. The story arcs were complex and allegorical, the addition of personal animal daemons was flat out rocking, and he created some memorable characters in Lyra Belacqua, Mrs. Coulter, Iorek Byrnison (the armored bear) and Lee Scoresby (Texan gunfighter).
It’s these last two characters that are featured in an adventure novella prequel Once Upon a T...more
It’s these last two characters that are featured in an adventure novella prequel Once Upon a T...more
I've been grateful for these additions to His Dark Materials, packaged as hardbound, bite-size treats intended for a child. They are a way for Pullman to let his obsessed fans continue on journeys with characters they have come to know and love so well.
Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrenison both play leading roles in Once Upon a Tim in the North. The timing of their meeting and adventure is appropriately vague. Did this occur before the adventures spoken of in His Dark Materials? Afterward...more
Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrenison both play leading roles in Once Upon a Tim in the North. The timing of their meeting and adventure is appropriately vague. Did this occur before the adventures spoken of in His Dark Materials? Afterward...more
As I mentioned in my first review, of telling us to our, I've been reading/rereading some classic young adult fiction. There is a lot of wisdom there.
This one was a new one to me. I absolutely love the Golden compass series, and have read it through at least what. So when I happened upon this book in the library the other day, I was quite pleased. it's a short piece, more of a prologue really. In it, we learn the backstory of how that wonderful aeronaut, Lee Scoresby, (and his da...more
This one was a new one to me. I absolutely love the Golden compass series, and have read it through at least what. So when I happened upon this book in the library the other day, I was quite pleased. it's a short piece, more of a prologue really. In it, we learn the backstory of how that wonderful aeronaut, Lee Scoresby, (and his da...more
Read The Golden Compass last summer. With the other books on my shelf I wasn't sure if I was ready to tackle the next in the series, so this seemed like a nice way to revisit Pullman's world without too much of a time commitment. It was a nice little afternoon's read. Even if you haven't read Pullman's books, if you've seen the movie, you'll enjoy this book. Lee Scoresby is back in this one which, it turns out, is a prequel to the events of The Golden Compass. Scoresby is visiting Svalbard ...more
I loved listening to this book on tape because the author, Philip Pullman, and a full cast read it and they do a wonderful job. I loved the His Dark Materials trilogy and was excited to have another book featuring two characters from those books. However, the story was largely political and while very well written it wasn’t as engaging as I thought it would be. Had it not been for Mr. Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison being in it I would have probably stopped reading it.
The story is ...more
The story is ...more
A tightly written "pre" book to "His Dark materials. I hope Phillip Pullamn writes more stories placed in the Golden Compass universe.
It's by pure chance I read this book immediately after finishing "What's the Matter with Kansas" and it's deconstruction of the Conservative movement in the US. I found this passage in Once Upon a Time in the North:
"On one hand there are the properly constituted civil institutions, such as the Customs and Rev...more
It's by pure chance I read this book immediately after finishing "What's the Matter with Kansas" and it's deconstruction of the Conservative movement in the US. I found this passage in Once Upon a Time in the North:
"On one hand there are the properly constituted civil institutions, such as the Customs and Rev...more
An elegantly imagined Western tale, even though it is set in the far North, when a very young Lee Scoresby and the bear Iorek Byrnison meet and find they are on the same side. It unfolds like a movie, in grey and blue and ice tones instead of dust and dun and gold, but the pacing, spirit, and tone conjure up every great cowboy movie you have ever seen.
A coda offers a tantalizing glimpse into Lyra's life as a graduate student.
A coda offers a tantalizing glimpse into Lyra's life as a graduate student.
After reading Lyra's Oxford yesterday this was a more satisfying read in many ways. The story is a fair bit longer and more engaging, bringing a western gunslinging sensibility to the frozen north. Scoresby and Iorek are interesting characters and it's nice to see their first meeting. The story is swift, atmospheric and more fulfilling.
Better still is this hardcover version (I would love to have the previous story in HC too). It's a wonderful little hardcover, cloth bound with a fo...more
Better still is this hardcover version (I would love to have the previous story in HC too). It's a wonderful little hardcover, cloth bound with a fo...more
By far the weakest of the series - and not because of the shorter length - this text seems written solely to earn money from the His Dark Materials name. As a children's book, there is too much bad language and violence to make parents comfortable, and as an adult-oriented novel, the plot is rather thin. All we get is Old Western good cowboy moralizing against bad cowboys, and young characters moralizing against big corporations. The only female spares no talk except about marriage, and then ...more
Before Lee Scoresby, Texan aeronaut and adventurer, swung his way into Pullman's Northern Lights Trilogy in his dirigible he landed in the Arctic oil town of Novy Odensk. Scoresby being who he is it wasn't long before he was forced to fight his way out of the town with the help of his new friend, the mighty polar bear Iorek Byrnison. This is that story, beautifully packaged in a little blue fabric bound hardback illustrated with enchanting engravings by John Lawrence and sprinkled with intriguin...more
I was caught up in this short little prequel adventure about Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. At not quite 100 pages, this is a fast-paced read with a western style feel. There is an element of Frontier Justice, and I definitely felt a little "huzzah!" in my head as the scruffy aeronaut and the outcast bear completed their adventure.
Anyone who enjoyed the His Dark Materials series should appreciate this for the context it gives. I actually think that this story has wider appea...more
Anyone who enjoyed the His Dark Materials series should appreciate this for the context it gives. I actually think that this story has wider appea...more
Pullman is supurb! This story is a little gem and it was like being given just a forkfull of a fabulous dessert. I was left yearning for more by this fabulous writer.
I was excited when I learned that this book existed, mostly because it contains the backstory for two of my favorite characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy, Lee Scorsby and Iorek Byrnison. I was especially excited when I learned I could get it on audio and that it was narrated by the author. I love audio books read by the author.
It's actually a full cast recording, and Philip Pullman reads the parts that aren't dialogue. Works for me. I enjoyed the reading.
The b...more
It's actually a full cast recording, and Philip Pullman reads the parts that aren't dialogue. Works for me. I enjoyed the reading.
The b...more
After reading his trilogy of the Golden Compass, I felt bereft to be in our world again. After a little investigation on Phillip Pullman, I came across this smaller book, a "behind the scenes" story that ties in with the Hot-air balloon character and his familiar, the hare.
Though less complex than the trilogy, it painted a last frontier world that felt as if I was reading a book about the olden days of the Gold Rush in Alaska, yet in an alternate universe. It contains the ...more
Though less complex than the trilogy, it painted a last frontier world that felt as if I was reading a book about the olden days of the Gold Rush in Alaska, yet in an alternate universe. It contains the ...more
I loved this little book which gave a glimpse into the past of Lee Scoresby and Hester his daemon, and how he first met Iorek Byrnison. It was way too short (hence the reason for four instead of five stars) and I really wished it would've gone into more detail about Lee's early fights helping Iorek. It is Iorek that first identifies Lee as an "Artic Man" because Hester is an Artic Hare and not a jackrabbit like they originally thought. My favorite line in the book has to be when Lee me...more
Mini Review from my blog, http://rosesandvellum.blogspot.com/
I just finished reading Phillip Pullman's Once Upon A Time in the North this morning. It was a real treat, a short little adventure about Lee Scoresby, long before the events of His Dark Materials. I was always fond of Lee and his daemon Hester, so I really enjoyed this, as well as getting to know some of his past adventures. I would recommend reading this after His Dark Materials, as that is when Lee is first introduced, b...more
I just finished reading Phillip Pullman's Once Upon A Time in the North this morning. It was a real treat, a short little adventure about Lee Scoresby, long before the events of His Dark Materials. I was always fond of Lee and his daemon Hester, so I really enjoyed this, as well as getting to know some of his past adventures. I would recommend reading this after His Dark Materials, as that is when Lee is first introduced, b...more
This is a lovely quick read that tells the story of that fateful first meeting between the aeronaut Lee Scoresby and the armored bear Iorek Byrnison. It's a great read, but leaves me wondering about the definition of "children's books." What catgetorizes this as kidlit? None of the characters are children, and the political situation in the book is certainly very adult. Is it children's merely because the His Dark Materials trilogy was aimed for younger readers? Anyway. I recommend it ...more
Hi My name is Mazen and here is my review - I found it to be a great approach in engaging children with their imagination. It is a story about Lee Scrosbey who is an Aeronaut with his deamon Hester the rabbit and their travels into an island called Novy Odense. They come into clashes with a certain type of character McConville and his deamon the rattlesnake.He brushes against an unlawful characters whilst helping the Captain to load up his cargo. Its full of suspense and action. Throughly got en...more
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"I was born in Norwich in 1946, and educated in England, Zimbabwe, and Australia, before my family settled in North Wales. I received my secondary education at the excellent Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech, and then went to Exeter College, Oxford, to read English, though I never learned to read it very well.
"I found my way into the teaching profes...more
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"I was born in Norwich in 1946, and educated in England, Zimbabwe, and Australia, before my family settled in North Wales. I received my secondary education at the excellent Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech, and then went to Exeter College, Oxford, to read English, though I never learned to read it very well.
"I found my way into the teaching profes...more
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