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 Lyras name as somebody who might help) and is given shelter. Together Lyra and Pan try to guide the daemon to the home of Sebastian Makepeacean 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

Product Description
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.

Well written, and well done within its boundaries. The "artifacts" (a map, a postcard from Mary Malone (showing, incidently, Oxford sites some of which are significant in Pullman's works), a cruise brochure) are interesting, and contain some inside jokes, such as adverts for books written by characters we met or heard of in the trilogy. The map is of course most useful in tracing Lyra's footsteps across Oxford in this short story.

I am a little preturbed (and withhold a fifth star) about the fact that such a short story bears a rather high price. At about fifteen cents a page, it is only worth it because of the quality of Pullman's works. And if the other artifacts (there's an annotation on the cruise brochure which might be significant) play a part in "The Dust" (the forthcoming, longer book), I really, really hope that the artifacts are republished with that book.

Recommended. But you might want to think about sitting down in Barnes and Noble or Chapters and spending an hour reading this one, rather than buying it.


disappointing   December 3, 2003
 76 out of 98 found this review helpful

Considering how good Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy was, and considering how much I loved those books, I had high expectations for anything that would be published as part of that universe. I was excited to find out that Pullman was publishing a little story featuring Lyra. The book weighed in at about 60 pages, so I knew it wasn't going to be epic, but the expectations were there.

I was disappointed. The story is that Lyra is back at Oxford several years after the events of His Dark Materials. She, and her daemon, see a daemon bird flying in being chased by a huge flock of birds. She rescues the daemon who tells Lyra that she needs to help the daemon find a professor, one who can help the daemon's witch. It is a very short story, and while there is a wee sense of adventure, this slim volume has none of the charm and wonder of His Dark Materials. Other than our familiarity with Lyra, we are given no reason to care about anything that happens.

This book feels like a teaser. In the introduction, Pullman writes that the extras (there is a map, a post card and sundry extra information besides the story) may be from a different world, may be from stories already told, and may even be for a story yet to be told. He is teasing us with a larger story, a grander tale than Lyra's Oxford. It raises my expectations that Pullman will deliver a story large in scope, reminiscent of His Dark Materials. But, even that hint of something to come only deepens my disappointment with this book. Simply put, there is nothing there. As a story, it is weak. As an continuation of His Dark Materials, it does not live up to the past greatness. All this book does is serve to remind me how good the main series is, and how much I would love to see a new series. Skip this book.


Really disappointing   October 30, 2003
 19 out of 23 found this review helpful

I don't know...I would say that I am one of the number 1 fans of philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials"...I have read all three books 5 times each and listened to them twice...They are amazing. Maybe I was just expecting another Golden Compass out of this short story about Lyra and The Birds. I expected vivid details, to be able to see what was happening. Maybe It is really hard to get that in a short story, or maybe Pullman is just not a short story writer...but either way, this story is disappointing. It is boring and has no detail. Lyra and Pan just seem like boring charecters and don't react to things the same as they used to...(maybe that is due to the time between TAS and this story) I don't know if Pullman just lost his passion, or if maybe when The Book of Dust comes out, it will all make sense and I will be relieved...but either way, I wish it could have been better

NOW don't get me wrong...I still absolutely Love HIS DARK MATERIALS and Philip Pullman...but it just wasn't what I was hoping for.


The Little Red Lyra Book   October 21, 2005
 19 out of 21 found this review helpful

While Philip Pullman is working on the Book of Dust, the new novel set in Lyra's world, this short story may help to ease the pain of all the readers who are desperately needing a Lyra fix.
You should not expect anything other than a short story: it's well written, makes certain small scale revelations about Lyra's fate and hints to the new developments in her life, but overall this is more of a beautifully designed coffee book, rather than a full scale work. As long as you are willing to accept this fact, you will be very happy with Lyra's Oxford. The insert with maps, list of books and catalogues and many other treasures is very interesting, and I am glad I got this little red book for myself- and it would certainly make a great gift for any Pullman fans.


Not as worthless as you think...   August 27, 2005
 18 out of 25 found this review helpful

Well yes, this book may be expensive, but if you are a fan of the series, I would reccommend it to you.

The story, 'Lyra and the Birds', is quite short and will only take about 15 minutes to read, but it is the curious little extras that will grab your attention if you are familiar with the books.

There are clues leading to the next book in the series, The Book Of Dust, such as a strange postcard from Dr Mary Malone.

I do advise, though, that you read this book VERY carefully, otherwise you will miss the clues I was talking about.

For example, look at the dates on the SS. Zenobia schedule.
You may notice something odd about the dates for Famagusta and Latakia. But that's all I'll say!

All in all, quite a good book, and worth the price if you use it properly. Happy Reading!