Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman

Once Upon a Time in the North (His Dark Materials, #0.5)

by Philip Pullman

When Lyra is studying at Oxford University, she comes across the story of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnisson's first meeting, many years ago, along with much evidence of the adventure that brought them together. When a young Texan balloonist, Lee Scoresby, comes down to earth in the harbour of an Arctic town in the North, little does he realise that he is about to be embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. Lee and his daemon, Hester, find themselves the target of political factions trying to take over the running (and oil) of the town. And also resident in the town are huge arctic bears, ignored and patronised by the people and treated like second-class citizens. When Lee and Iorek first meet, they cement a friendship that will continue throughout their lives, as the tensions and pressure in town lead to a deadly conclusion...Another wonderful tale from a master story-teller, giving us more extraordinary insight into the world of His Dark Materials. Includes a thrilling board game!

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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Three and a half stars.

Once Upon a Time in the North is a short story prequel for His Dark Materials (AKA the Golden Compass series) that tells us of how Lee Scoresby comes to be friends with Iorek Byrnison (love him). For those that haven’t read His Dark Materials in ages (like me), Lee Scoresby becomes friends with Lyra during their time together. Seeing his origin story was actually pretty interesting, though I’ll admit to having forgotten what his daemon’s form was, or her name for that matter. Having it all refreshed was ideal – with the Book of Dust due to release shortly.
This short story has a bit of a slow start, but once it gets going it’s really quite hard to put down. Even knowing that Lee is safe in the end (logically he must be, in order to show up in later novels) I still felt myself afraid for his safety at times. Seeing Hester (Lee’s daemon) again reminded me of just how cute she is.
I absolutely loved seeing Iorek again, even better was seeing how he became a part of the series. I’ve always loved his character, so noble and stoic. So I’ll take any excuse to get a bit more information about it.
If you’re looking for a few extra details about the series, or just a refresher before the new book drops, this short story is perfect for you.

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 September, 2017: Finished reading
  • 14 September, 2017: Reviewed