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Most Helpful Reviews
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Liked It “IT was perty good” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “I love Lee. He is my favorite character in the Dark Materials Trilogy. I liked this but, it wasn't great..could have been a lot better.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“IT was perty good”
Julie wrote this review Thursday, November 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Good”
Dawn D wrote this review Saturday, September 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I listened to this on audio, read by the author and a full cast, and must admit it was quite the enchanting adventure! It's a prequel to "The Golden Compass," about the characters of Scoresby and Iorek, and how they came to be allies. It has romance, political intrigue, gun fights, talking animals, and a hot air balloon. Really, what more can one ask for? Very nice compliment to Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series, although I personally could have done without the appendix of ephemeral material at the end.”
Tess wrote this review Wednesday, September 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I love Lee. He is my favorite character in the Dark Materials Trilogy. I liked this but, it wasn't great..could have been a lot better.”
Senica M wrote this review Thursday, August 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book really highlighted the relationship between Lee and Iroek. ”
Hopelaa93 wrote this review Monday, July 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Decent short story. Really meant for kids, but not bad.”
am91962 wrote this review Saturday, July 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Eloquent and Well-Written”
Brandon M wrote this review Sunday, June 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a wonderful book and if you like the dark materials series you'll love this. short and sweet with a great western style gun fight. Super read.
Ian B wrote this review Friday, June 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I especially liked the included fold out maps and board game in the back, nice little touch.”“Good little add-on to the series. I enjoyed the sort of flashback type of writing. I thought it was interesting to read about how Iorek Byrnison and Lee Scoresby met after reading the trilogy. Great book!”
yourhomedogmer wrote this review Saturday, April 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“"Once Upon a Time in the North" tells of the first meeting of two characters from Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy.
Coffee and a book wrote this review Saturday, August 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I loved the physical qualities of the book itself. The small size, dark, old-fashioned looking cover, and woodcut illustrations made me feel like I had unearthed it in an old bookstore somewhere, and enhanced the mood of the book as I read it. It's as if the move towards digital reading has created an enthusiasm for books with tactile interest.
This story introduces us to a young Lee Scoresby who has just become the novice owner of a hot air balloon. Landing in a far North town, he finds himself quickly forced to take sides in a political/corporate battle. Lee's combination of simple decency of character and intelligent decisiveness quickly lead to a showdown, and he finds an ally in a bear named Iorek Byrnison.
This book is for the many fans of Pullman's trilogy who are hungry for more stories about the characters. It will emotionally resonate with readers who already have a background with daemons, bears and Scoresby. It is a little too spare on characterization for the uninitiated. The concept of daemons is mostly assumed and new readers may be confused by Scoresby's relationship with his daemon, Hester.
For those who have read at least part of the trilogy, it should be a very enjoyable foray back to the world of "The Golden Compass".
This book will most easily fall into the Young Adult reader category, but younger fans of the series will read it too.
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