Once Upon a Time in the North

click here for more details, find new or used items	Philip Pullman Our price £4.94 (£9.99) New from £3.59 Used from £3.68 Pages: 112 (Hardcover) ISBN: 0385614322 Pub: David Fickling Books Pub date: 2008-04-03 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 30

Editorial Review:

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Reader Reviews:

Can we have more please? (0/0 people found this helpful)

As far as I'm concerned 'His Dark Materials' is the greatest work in children's literature - full stop. Therefore I'm pleased by any additions that Pullman wants to publish. In 'One Upon In the North' we are told the arly stroy of Lee and Iorek which, I must say, is a vast improvement on 'Lyra's Oxford', which, though enjoyable, was a little limp. "north' has an edgy side that the previous one lacks, it has action and suspense in spade. Again, this is arguably lacking in 'Oxford'.

I particuarly enjoyed the whole Western thing that was going on. I added a new dimension to the saga and freshened things up. Though, like a stuck record I'm going to echo the sentiments of everyone else. It is too short. From a personal point of view I really want Materials 4...this of course is rumoured to be in the pipeline...and am left disappointed whne I don't getit. But this isn't really fair. This is a one off, seperate from the trilogy and perhaps should be viewed as such.

All in all this is a solid book. It's engaging and well worth a read.

Sad (3/22 people found this helpful)

He's really milking this scrawny old cash cow for all its worth, isn't he. The original books are dull and derivitive. And this is in the same league as Rowling and her 'handwritten' books.

Don't waste your time on this or put money in this man's pocket. There are actually well-written and original books out there that are far more interesting and - ooh - controversial.

The greatest storyteller of our time! (7/8 people found this helpful)

If you ever doubted that Philip Pullman is the greatest storyteller of our time, here's the book to assuage those doubts. This tale of the first meeting of Lee Scoresby between Iorek Byrnison combines adventure, mystery, excitement and humour in one delicious package. Like the other reviewers my only complaint is that I was left wanting much, much more. Having said that, it is the brevity of the story that proves to my mind why Pullman is such a great teller of tales. This is a book for children and adults alike, and while you could read it to your children in the course of a rainy afternoon, you will return to it again and again when your children are in bed to enjoy time and again the richness of the descriptions and the humour of the dialogue and to delight in Lee's relationship with his daemon Hester.
The board game that is included with the book is another treasure which subverts traditional board games in that it is the "loser" of the balloon race (i.e the last player to reach the centre) who actually wins!

Its grim up north (2/27 people found this helpful)

Don't bother with this purchase Small Mercy by Tom Dawes instead, its the future of trashy literature.

Size Isn't Everything (7/8 people found this helpful)

Those that have read Pullman's trilogy will find this book an interesting expansion upon the character of Lee Scoresby; how he became an aeronaut and how he met Iorek Byrinson. It is the size of a child's storybook, perhaps two chapters' worth of a normal novel - so you will finish this within a couple of hours. As a stand-alone novel I wasn't left satisfied: it would be better included as an appendix text or supplement to a reprint of the trilogy. It's also very expensive in the shops for what you're getting - the price here is more realistic. Nevertheless, a nice supplement for collectors and fans.

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