Lyra's Oxford
by Philip Pullman
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1023)
Read in March, 2008
A quick glimpse back into the world of His Dark Materials. No need for a book mark, this can be achieved in one sitting.
I really liked this book, short as it was, though I know many didn't. They expected Lyra to have gone unchanged over the two years since her last adventure. But even in the final book of the trilogy, she'd changed. She'd lost some of her abilities as she matured. So I didn't expect anything less.
It still amazes me that Pullman knows his world so well that h...more
I really liked this book, short as it was, though I know many didn't. They expected Lyra to have gone unchanged over the two years since her last adventure. But even in the final book of the trilogy, she'd changed. She'd lost some of her abilities as she matured. So I didn't expect anything less.
It still amazes me that Pullman knows his world so well that h...more
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Read in January, 2005
I loved the His Dark Materials trilogy, it is one of my favourite book series ever. When I heard that there was a short story that follows the series, I was really excited and checked it out from the local library.... ugh. I really disliked the story, wish I had never read it- I felt like it took the character I'd loved through 3 books and ripped off all the interesting bits so that she was an ordinary and unexciting teenaged girl. Where was the Lyra from the earlier triology? I certainly di...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of His Dark Materials
Lyra's Oxford is a short story that continues, albeit briefly, Lyra's adventures. A map of Lyra's Oxford, a cruise brochure, and a postcard from Mary Malone are also included. In the introduction, Pullman writes that these items "...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 witch's daemon named Ragi is being attacked by birds when he is rescued by Lyra and Pan. The daemon begs ...more
A witch's daemon named Ragi is being attacked by birds when he is rescued by Lyra and Pan. The daemon begs ...more
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Although a days read is well worth the time out to read this fourth book in, "his dark materials" its so short and I'm still hopping for more in this series of books by Pullman. I've read that many readers and fans of the series don't like this book and feels that it doesn't fit into the others at all, that Lyra is far different. I would have to disagree with this statement being that Lyra does indeed go out of her comfort zone to find Mr.Makepeace. Also I think the readers who see Lyr...more
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Read in September, 2006
Two years after the conclusion of The Amber Spyglass, a daemon named Ragi asks Lyra and Pantalaimon to help him find an elusive alchemist who has the medical knowledge to heal his ailing witch. But Lyra and Pantalaimon have enemies; how can they know that Ragi isn’t leading them into a trap?
This is a charming new episode in Lyra’s adventures; it lets the reader spend time with beloved and familiar characters (Lyra and Pantalaimon) while also giving new insight into Lyra’s home city (...more
This is a charming new episode in Lyra’s adventures; it lets the reader spend time with beloved and familiar characters (Lyra and Pantalaimon) while also giving new insight into Lyra’s home city (...more
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Read in September, 2007
A sequel of sorts to the Dark Materials trilogy, this slim tome finds Lyra two years after the events of the Amber Spyglass back in Oxford and acclimated to her new life as a student. She and Pan are found by a witch's frantic daemon who is seeking help to his sick mistress. Things aren't always as they seem, of course, and that is the point of this short tale, that what we take for granted might be something else entirely. Also included are a map of Lyra's Oxford as well as a couple of other...more
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Read in June, 2008
I have read that many didn’t like the way that Lyra has changed in this book. I felt 2 things about this book
1) That it was just too short. I feel that that was just the plot and I kept waiting for more to happen.
2) I understood that Lyra changed, I took that away in book 3 but I wanted to find out more. Like if she still went the bench ever mid-summer for instance. I felt that the book just gave you a glimpse at what her life has became but didn’t tell you every thing.
I gave t...more
1) That it was just too short. I feel that that was just the plot and I kept waiting for more to happen.
2) I understood that Lyra changed, I took that away in book 3 but I wanted to find out more. Like if she still went the bench ever mid-summer for instance. I felt that the book just gave you a glimpse at what her life has became but didn’t tell you every thing.
I gave t...more
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Read in November, 2003
recommends it for:
people that read His Dark Materials
This is a fun little book, as long as you do not come in expecting the same depth and scope of His Dark Materials. Overall, the story delivers a satisfying glimpse into Lyra's post-Amber Spyglass world. It is short, very short. It is one-sitting-read short.
The story is just one piece of the overall package. The book comes a tiny, red hardcover with wood engravings, fold-out maps, postcards and more.
If anything it should hold us over until The Book of Dust comes out. Whenever that...more
The story is just one piece of the overall package. The book comes a tiny, red hardcover with wood engravings, fold-out maps, postcards and more.
If anything it should hold us over until The Book of Dust comes out. Whenever that...more
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Read in March, 2008
This short story is a sequel to His Dark Materiels Trilogy by Phillip Pullman. While I would have preferred to have a much longer work, this story is a well written, suspensful companion to Pullmans other books. It has an interesting message about connections in the world which we don't understand. The additional content of a map of Oxford, a drab postcard written by another character of the trilogy and one or two other little oddities add a wonderful sense of reality and cryptic meaning to thi...more
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Read in January, 2007
The very best thing about this book (at least from an Aspergerian perspective) is the map of Oxford, but hey, I'm quite partial to maps. The story itself was okay but somewhat disappointing after His Dark Materials. Then again, Pullman has said that he's not going to write another story with Lyra and Will together, as one could guess from the ending of The Amber Spyglass. To what extent The Book of Dust will be more satisfying than Lyra's Oxford is anyone's guess--we can always hope!
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Read in February, 2008
Seriously??? I was super disappointed with this tiny dancer after reading the massive Pullman trilogy: Golden Compass, Amber Spyglass, Subtle Knife. I'll be the first to admit I don't know the story behind why Pullman wrote this 20 page story, but either write a story or don't, this felt like i turned to a random page in a book and read for 20 pages and then put the book down. Not cool, Pullman, not cool at all.
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Read in May, 2008
This book takes place 5 years after the Amber Spyglass ends. Lyra is back in Oxford and regularly attending school. While she's at home, a witch's daemon comes to her asking for help. Though all of this short story takes place in Oxford, it evokes memories of Lyra's past adventures in the North. This book is really really short. It'll just make you wish there was more.
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Read in April, 2008
I thought this was completely unnecessary. The His Dark Materials series was great the way it ended. But then he wrote this side story to what happens after, and I gotta tell you it was not needed. It was like he just wanted to write something and was lazy with it, if he was going to write an after story he at least should have given it more then a one day's thought.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Paula
A fun story for those familiar with the excellent His Dark Materials trilogy. It takes place afterward, so don't read it before, but it's very good, though short...really not a book at all. But it does come with some cool things in it, like a fold out map and stuff, that relates to or references the trilogy, probably in many ways I just haven't figured out yet.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
His Dark Materials addicts
This was a bit disappointing, since it's too short to even make a real short story. I feel like there's some joke I'm not in on, like the rest of the book is published somewhere but it wasn't sent to me. It was off to a good start, and I got into just like with His Dark Materials, and that's when it ended. It's a chapter...so bizarre...
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Read in April, 2008
It was interesting to read a story about Lyra set after the ending of his Dark Materials. But, it was really pretty weird, and I think, unless I am missing something, most of the enclosed material was too confusing! I did appreciate the postcard included though that shows a picture of Will and Lyras bench in the botanical garden. *Sigh*
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Read in January, 2008
Eh. Decent story, if extremely short. Looks like an attempt to squeeze an extra $13 plus tax out of everybody who liked His Dark Materials. It's fun enough revisiting Lyra, and seeing small black and white pictures of the actual hornbeam trees and the bench in the Botanic Garden, but get this one from the library if you can.
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Read in December, 2007
If you don't have high expectations for this little book, you will be pleased. I find it hard to justify buying it (I did on Amazon, not realizing how small it is).
If you liked His Dark Materials, and want a morsel more, see if you can borrow this book for 15 minutes and you will have a delicious little tidbit.
If you liked His Dark Materials, and want a morsel more, see if you can borrow this book for 15 minutes and you will have a delicious little tidbit.
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recommends it for:
His Dark Materials fans
I read this book (is it really a book? it only took me about 15 minutes to read) after reading the His Dark Materials trilogy. I felt like I had to read it to be "done" with the trilogy. The story made little sense and I still have no idea what it has to do with the trilogy. It was bizarre and very un-Pullmanesque.
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Read in February, 2008
What the hell is this? I enjoyed Pullman's Dark Materials TRillogy so I bought this book. I read it in 1/2 an hour. Its barely a story and its packaged with a bunch of extra useless pages so you don't feel quite as ripped off when you buy it. As a 49 page story it wasn't horrible, it just wasn't anything at all.
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