Lyra's Oxford: His Dark Materials

It is after the events told in the HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy. Lyra Belacqua (now Lyra Silvertongue) is back in the Oxford of her world -- the one with Jordan College and a zeppelin station and personal daemons.

While relaxing on the roof of Jordan College she espies a large flock of birds aggressively pursuing a lone bird who appears to be a witch's daemon. (You may recall that witches' daemons could be separated from their people and perform errands many thousands of miles away.) Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon manage to draw the bird into the building and protect it.

The bird is on an errand from the witch Yelena Pazhets who is seaking a local alchemist named Sebastian Makepeace. Lyra and Pantalaimon locate the alchemist, upon which there is a surprise ending which I will not reveal. And there is an interesting lesson that Lyra learns from her experience.

LYRA'S OXFORD is essentially a short story that will take only an hour to devour. The book contains a foldout map of Lyra's Oxford, plus a postcard from Mary Malone (the scientist introduced in THE SUBTLE KNIFE) and 1930-ish ads for cruises to various ports. The map and illustrations are nicely drawn, but do not contribute materially to one's enjoyment of the story.

One gets the feeling that LYRA'S OXFORD consists of materials that Pullman didn't quite know at the time how to integrate into a larger structure. Not to worry, however, because the book is fun anyhow. If some day Pullman gets the full Tolkien treatment, there will be less expensive editions incorporating other short stories, but let's hope that doesn't happen for a long time. I want to see Pullman live for many more productive years. After all, I am addicted to his stories.

This short story (only 64 pages) shows Lyra a couple of years older than at the end of the His Dark Materials trilogy, and a couple of years more mature. Her daemon has (as it did in "Amber Spyglass) settled on a form, she's at an Oxford school for girls, and Will seems more a source of inspiration than sadness. The story begins (I won't give away very much) when a witch's daemon arrives and demands help finding a person unknown to Lyra . . .
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.

I found _Lyra's Oxford_ to be excellent, but some close reading is a must if you want to enjoy it. The story itself, "Lyra and the Birds," was somewhat mediocre--it wasn't bad by any means, but it was very straightforward, had no notable plot twists, and wasn't nearly as thought-provoking as the original series. It does tie into the other items in the book in a limited way, but even so, the story by itself would probably not be worth the price of the book.

However, the "pieces" really made this book shine. There's a map, a page from a city guide of Oxford, a postcard from Mary Malone, and a flier for a cruise line, along with Pullman's introduction, which raises hundreds of unanswered questions. I've read the book five or six times, and I still catch new references every time. I could probably spend twenty minutes looking at the map and still be making connections and thinking of even more unanswered questions. (For instance, this map is clearly from Lyra's world, but then what are we to make of the annotations that point to Mary Malone's flat--how would Lyra know the location of it, and why would she have written it on the map?) And then there's the epigraph, containing (among other interesting things) the words, "...where Paradise is lost under a pumping station." (Take another look at the epigraph in _The Golden Compass_.)

If you haven't read the original _His Dark Materials_ trilogy, you will probably get nothing of substance out of this book because you don't have the background to catch the many carefully placed references to both past events and possible future ones. But if you have, it's a surprisingly deep and interesting read, provided you take the time to really think about it. The book may be short, but there's no shortage of things to think about.

His Dark Materials is a hard trilogy to follow up with. Another book in the series would not come close to touching it.
Lyra's Oxford was a good short story, but it left many questions open. I hope that when his new book comes out in 2008 some will be answered. It is supposed to be a collection of short stories that are loosely pertaining to His Dark Materials.
Overall, it was a good short short story that kept people interested in HIs Dark Materials to give him time to write another book. It was interesting to see Lyra more mature and so alone, even with Pan there. It had extra things in the book that the author described as something that could potentially be related to the storyline.
I'm just adding this part for the people who are dissatifiedwith the book. You can't blame an author for writing short stories for lots of money to see how much you could get for it anymore than you can blame McDonald's for selling junk food, but however illogical it is to blame them some people still do.
cdm

I'm surprised about the bad reviews for this book. It is a short story and frankly, there just isn't the time to build all the rich depth like he did in the His Dark Materials books. However, I don't think this book is geared towards people who are new to this world (otherwise, you would surely be very confused).

As you have already read from the other reviews, this is a quick story about Lyra several years after the events from the trilogy have taken place. She is visited by the bird daemon of a witch. They have an adventure, but there is a unexpected and interesting twist at the end. I really enjoyed the story and I would recommend picking up this book if you are already fan of His Dark Materials. Yes, it leaves you wanting more, but isn't that the mark of a good book?

fiishing his dark material trilogy about 6 month ago, and still missing lyra and will, i was very happy to learn this book came out, i've read all the reviews saying it's a cach-in and not as good as expected, and you know what? they are correct. it's a very sweet book, tiny story that you read in an hour along with a beautiful map and a few other semi realistic items. but the story, exept for a few interesting points, and a beautiful opening note, is really too short and uninteresting to make you feel like you are turly meeting lyra and her world again.
i do hope phillip pullman would write more books in this series, but i can't really call this one a book, it's rather a promo for somthing that might be worth reading in the future.

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.

As an avid lover of the Dark Materials, I was excited to see this book on the shelf. I picked it up immediatley.
I have to admit, yes the book is short, containing a story of approx. 49 pages. It is a quick read and not to the depth of the Dark Materials trilogy... HOWEVER, upon reading the introduction this leads me to believe there is something more on the horizon (or at least I'm hoping so). I believe that anyone who is a fan of the Dark Materials will enjoy this little tid bit for what it is. It takes place after the trilogy and shows how life has gone on for Lyra and Pan. It leads me to the conclusion that more is to come...
Pullman is a delightful writer. His words are wonderful and picturesque. I highly recommend this to any fan of The Dark Materials.

This little treasure of a book was like getting a letter from a loved one abroad. Something to let us know that Lyra's okay, Pantalaimon's settling into his new form, and that there is more to come.

The various "extras" within the book make the world of Philip Pullman seem all the more real and attest to his thoroughness and attention to detail. Lyra's Oxford, I'm now even more convinced, really is another world moving along in parallel to ours, and I'm glad Pullman let us peek through one of his windows, even if it was briefly. I hope we'll hear more about Lyra soon, though in the meantime, I'm glad she's staying out of trouble.

I started this book with anticipation of an interesting story with interesting undertones. I didn’t get that. It might be seen as a short story but it isn’t even that really. There are some interesting bits but on the whole, it was quite disappointing.

Philip Pullman, Lyra's Oxford (Knopf, 2003)

Lyra's Oxford is a short story and the odd attachment or two published for, essentially, the sole purpose of giving readers one last shot at immersing themselves in a certain universe (or, if you're more cynical, giving the authors one last shot at leeching money from said universe). (cf. A. M. Homes' Appendix A, reviewed here in March, 2004.) It's an attractive, small-format hardcover (cf. A. M. Homes' Appendix A, etc.) that's, for how much actual meat there is in between the covers, horrendously overpriced. (cf. etc.). Still, those who were as enchanted with His Dark Materials as I was will no doubt me more than happy to have one last chance to visit Lyra. This is just as well-written as the trilogy, and is a fine little story. It would go better in an anthology of some sort, however, so more fans could have access to it. ***

"Lyras Oxford" is not what I had expected from Philip Pullman, one of the main reasons being it's length. The book is only about fifty pages long, which gives you no chance to become reaquainted with Lyra and Pan and actually care too much about what is going to happen next. This book has a lot of potential, but compared to the other works of Philip Pullman, it definately didn't reach it.

Lyra never really seems to have any of that fiesty personality that was uniquely hers in the other "His Dark Materials" books, she seems like any other young teenager. However the reason for that may be because[SPOILER for people who have not finished the Amber Spyglass] of the great loss that happend when she had to leave Will and know that she would never see him again. I can imagine that that would have an effect on her personality and outlook on life, perhaps making her loose some of that fiestiness that pulled readers in in the first place. Whatever the case, this book never really gives you a chance to find out. It does, however, have the atmosphere of a teaser for more books with Lyra and Pan. Dare we fans hope for anymore books to join the Dark Materials saga?

The story of 'Lyra and the birds' is fairly well written and does explain more about Lyras life after saying goodbye to Will. Unfortunately, though it is not particularly bad, it doesn't live up to the expectations readers of the His Dark Materials trilogy will have. It is simply a short story with a rough, vague ending. Most people reading the other books in the series will no doubt be good at reading (as they can be tough going sometimes)and this addition seems almost patronising.
An ok book overall but if you wish to keep your opinions of Lyra and Will as they are left in the last book then I would discourage you from spending this much money.

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.

Lyra and Pan back again to their mischief and adventure.
This story is cute and brought back all the adventured of the duo.
The language was simple , and straight.
Would have loved to know more about the swans and birdies
why were they protecting the duo.
May be this is coming up in the next installment or as a new short story.

Overall 4/5

This is a short sequel, of sorts, to Philip Pullman's His
Dark Materials. It picks up the story of Lyra who is presumbably in her mid-teens and still attending the lady's college in Oxford. No other characters from the series expect for the reliable Pan make an appearance. The simple plot involves a stray daemen that Lyra rescues from a flock of birds. An seemingly innocent daemon attacked by a mad flock of starlings or this the situation at all? It is one of those stories where things are not always what they first seeem. A cliche but very well done in this story. I loved to see Lyra in a story again!
The book includes some extras like a map, a postcard from Dr. Malone to her sister, and some travel brochures from Lyra's universe. Supposedly they provide clues to the upcoming sequel to the series. You can looked them over and decide for yourself what they mean.
Personally I loved the little book and the extras were very interesting too, although I can't quite figure out their significance. My only fault is the books shortness. Please Mr. Pullman, give us a whole book next time!

Ok, so heres the beef. The story was really bad, let alone short. I used my own money to buy it and now I want a refund. Anyways, this is what I'm going to do. Or what I did. I'm timeing how long it takes me to read the book, and write down what happens in it.

Okay, it starts off with Lyra and Pan watching some birds beat up a witches daemon. The witch is sick and will die if the daemon doesn't get an elixer. So Lyra and Pan help him find the man that has the elixer. More birds bat up the daemon. When they get to the mans house the witch had knocked out the man. The whole thing was a trap to kill Lyra and blame it on the man. Another birds attacks. The witch dies and the bird is hurt. The bird heals quickly and leaves. The man talks to Lyra and Pan and then the two leave. When they get home they eat some pie and gives the crumbs to the birds. The end.

See? Wasn't that a simple story? Anyway, the time I got was 8 minutes. Fairly fast wouldn't you say? If I could write it that fast, how fast could a pro author do it? Sure, all I had to do was reafd it and then write it down, were as Philip had to think of what was going to happen, but my point is still there. Seems like he rushed alittle.

So hopefully, unlike me, read at least one semi-realistic review before you bought it. In summary, do NOT buy this sad excuse of a book.

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!

I'd heard about LYRA in a discussion on handmade and altered books, so I bought it for its physical attributes exclusively. I knew nothing about the story.

The book itself is beautiful (sturdy, compact, good print quality) but the real value is the wonderful tale of a student, Lyra, and her daemon, Pan. I read this quickly, then went back to savour the illustrations and uncover clues. I soon realized I needed the whole trilogy, "His Dark Materials", to really get it. Back I went, to the beginning!

So while unconventional, the fact that I could buy this book for all the wrong reasons (image) only to fall in love with the story (substance) suggests this is a story worth telling and an author worth reading. Engaging characters, terrific plot, strong visual writing. Highly recommended.

(BTW, I'm not sure I understand the complaints about the cost of this book. Mass market paperbacks average USD$7.99 and they fall apart overnight; this is an illustrated, fabric covered, hardcover volume.)

It is a condensed version of Lyra's thrill-seeking mannerism. She is still the same girl that was caught in a turmoil caused by her own parents some years back - an aggressive child with a lot of wits about her. The story is simple and there are extra materials that come with the book that will keep a child's curiosity honed and satisfied. Even with a tiny adventure Mr. Pullman succeeds in entering enough trickery to hold his readers' attention. Not including the additional reading material, the book could be finished under three hours. Nevertheless, the narration is still interesting and the book fits in a pocket easily.

I love HDM to itty bits, and I was thrilled with the story 'Lyra and The Birds'. It's a fantastic story, a little picture of Lyra's life, encompassing an idea very much connected with the trilogy, and raising about a dozen questions to add to the hordes we already have.
There were some things I disliked about The Amber Spyglass which were improved in this story. For instance, I got annoyed with how much Lyra admired Will all the time, and I felt it was more balanced here: in her most frightened moment, the memory of Will helps her to be strong, but she doesn't harp on about him.
The reason I gave three stars has nothing to do with the story, but the package it came in. It was very dissapointing. The main feature - the map - was nice, but a little lacking. Half the important points of the story are indicated with arrows pointing outside the map. The adverts were sort of pointless - they didn't say anything about Lyra's world; they could have come from a point in THIS world's history, and they lacked imagination. Apart from that, you didn't get much for your money. Couldn't all this have waited until The Book of Dust? Was it all just a cynical publisher's cash-in?

Unfortunately it seems many authors are willing to sell themselves out in order to make a few more dollars. Lyra's Oxford is just that. The first three books in this series where well written, continued to grow upon a larger idea, and kept the reader mesmerized. Lyra's Oxford is merely a very very short story, at a full novel price, that is lacking in everything, except the authors willingness to squeeze an additional 6-7 dollars out of his loyal readers. My recommendation is to not waste your money or time, you will be dissapointed.

As much as I knew from my obsessive searching on the internet that this would be a short story, I was initially disappointed in the actual size and length of Lyra's Oxford.
First, the story:
I enjoyed this short story about one incident in Lyra's life. I have been curious to see how Lyra adjusts to life after the BIG EVENT at the end of the first trilogy. It was nice to have a little story instead of an entire novel in which to do this. My burning question was how Lyra adjusted to the loss of her relationship with Will and it was answered quietly and succinctly in just a few sentences. Will is only mentioned a few times in this short story, which is perhaps as it should be. How would Lyra get any work done or really live at all if he was more often foremost in her thoughts?
I know from some of the things I've read elsewhere that the materials in this piece of work are supposed to connect to others to be published later on. I am eager to see how they do connect. We now have artifacts such as a map of Oxford and a postcard from Mary Malone to add to this new installment in Lyra's life, in a way that reminded me a bit of Nick Bantok's Griffin and Sabine series. If you are going to put out short little books with interconnected clues, however, they need to have publishing dates close together. I gave up on the Griffin and Sabine books when too much time between them made me loose momentum. I doubt this would happen with Pullman's work as I am more dedicated as a fan to this material, but I could see too little published too far apart turning off potential new fans.

Readers who enjoyed the HDM books may be tempted by this one, but as the HDM books themselves teach, some temptations are dangerous. Giving in to this one will lighten your wallet and perhaps diminish your respect for Pullman, who really owes his readers better than the thin (to put it kindly) bit of a story he offers up here. The story is a simple one: Lyra gets a message, responds to it, is confronted by apparently inexplicable danger, the danger is explained. That's it. The mystery isn't very mysterious, the danger and suspense aren't very well developed and the explanation is as contrived as the story. All the depth and polish and tremendous storytelling that made HDM almost impossible to put down is missing here. I don't know what to make of it. Was it a sketch published too soon?
If there was a way to give it zero stars I would because people are going to buy it based on their experience of the HDM books and are going to be bitterly disappointed or, worse yet, people are going to buy it to see if they'd like the HDM books, read it, think that this is like them, and miss the terrific experience that they offer.
Whoever convinced Pullman to release this should be ashamed of himself, as should he for allowing it to happen. It looks to me like pure exploitation of readers.

Short but sweet - maybe it could be seen as a piece of overpackaging (nice packaging at that!) but Pullman is on such good form here that, even though it left me wanting for more, it was in a nice way. It's no wonder that there is such a growing movement of people creating stories and characters on-line based on Lyra's world and it is a true tribute to the scale of Pullman's achievement. I am happy to have even these small crumbs, for all that they are so tantalizing.

First of all, the actual story is ONLY 47 pages long, and to add to that the print is HUGE, and there are pictures on the pages. I had just finished reading the His Dark Materials and loved it so I thought this book may be interesting enough to read. The story isn't very good at all. There's no excitement, I do understand that this is a "stepping stone" book, leading up to the "The Book of Dust" however, it's hardly worth reading. I gave it 2 stars because it does include some interesting "artifacts" which may be useful once "Dust" comes out. I just wish Mr. Pullman would hurry up with it! I can't imagine the wait some people (who got this book back in 2003) have endured. Hopefully the new book will be out soon. Overall, this story took about 15 minutes to read, but I would recommend it to anyone who plans on reading the next book, solely for the materials it comes with.

I had fallen in love with His Dark materials when I was around 11 or 12, and still am. I aslo read Lyra's Oxford with delight thinking that it was going to be as deep and complcated as the trilogy, I was wrong. And for a long time I really diddnt like it, when I was little I diddnt even finish it! But now, 10 years later, I picked it up again with very easy hopes of somthing to interest me, and my mind was blown. If you coe into this with simple excpectations you will love it. I think everyone was like me and expecting another miracle to follow the seriies, but it isnt, so you will be disapointed. Now if you look at this as a brief glimpse into Lyra's post breakup adult life, you will be so happily surprised.

Although it was a very short story, I was captivated by its many layers of meaning. It isn't only what it seems to be (as Pullman reminds us at least twice in his comments of Baedeker). The introduction of an alchemist -- who understands what alchemy is really about -- pleased my Jungian soul. And the transformatioin in Lyra -- though it seems small -- is a profound one, as she begins to learn what it means to be home.
The artifacts are intriguing. Who wrote the note about Mary Malone's home? Was Makepeace on that cruise and, if so, who did he meet and what happened? While I am yearning for the length and detail of The Book of Dust, this little book gives me more than enough to contemplate while I wait for it.

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.

I absolutely loved Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series so I was thrilled when I discovered he had created another story in that universe. Lyra's Oxford has a truly beautiful cover of red cloth and a colored woodcut illustration. The book also has many such "goodies" included inside. The actual story inside; however, was extremely disappointing. We learn only the tiniest bit more about Lyra's life after The Amber Spyglass. The plot was not developed or intricate. What did I expect out 49 pages? An enjoyable story, that's what, not a turnabout mystery easily explained at the end like Scooby Doo cartoon. I will read Pullman's works in the future, but I advise other readers not to buy this book before checking it out from your library first.

Lyra's Oxford is an enjoyable read for fans of the His Dark Materials trilogy, and whets the appetite for the upcoming 'Book of Dust'. The story is entertaining (though maybe too short for the price) but only if you have already read the main trilogy.. it simply won't make sense if you don't already know who these people are, as this is a book definitely for the fans. The extra tidbits were interesting to read through, though I thought the map was disappointing, and none of it met with the publisher's claim that it would look like it had "fallen through from another world". But I won't fault Pullman's storytelling because of that. If you enjoyed HDM and want to go deeper into Pullman's world, buy Lyra's Oxford.
[...]

There is not much story value to this book, but I am greedy for anything His Dark Materials. If you are like me and cannot get enough, go ahead and get this book. But don't expect too much, and don't pay too much I found it online for less than $5 total. This may be a gimmick by the author to make more money, but I am a sucker for this series and I will buy anything related to the masterpiece that is "His Dark Materials".

Three kinds of people will enjoy this book. First, those who after the three-course feast of HDM are anxious for any crumbs (or should one say coffee & liqueurs) that Pullman has to offer. They will find a precious glimpse of Lyra and Pan at 14, and feel encouraged that their story is far from over.
Second, the book will delight anyone who knows, loves, or has visited Oxford. With its absence of cars and urban sprawl, Lyra's city has much to recommend it over ours. It is what the imaginative may still sense on a Sunday morning in the Botanic Garden.
Third, the book will charm the bibliophile and connoisseur of literary curiosities. Beside the story, there are wonderful pages from a Baedeker's Guide, and advertisements in the quaint style of Lyra's world. The wood engravings by John Lawrence are in the best early 20th-century tradition. He and Pullman must have had fun putting this together.

Written by Luke/Challengers

The book I read was Lyra's Oxford, Written by Phillip Pullman. The main characters are Lyra, and Pan. Lyra and Pan were friends who lived in Oxford, England.

At the beginning of the story Lyra and Pan were trying to figure out bird signs. For example, how the birds were flying and why they flew in a "V" shape.

Lyra has a daemon and the daemon want Lyra to find Dr. Polstead, an alchemist. I think this because the daemon wanted to know the secret of how to turn lead into gold. At the end of the story Lyra and Pan found Dr. Polstead and ask him how he turns lead into gold. He said he doesn't turn lead into gold. The book is easy to read but in some parts of the book it is hard to understand.

If you like to use your imagination this is a great book for you. I think if you like birds, this is a good too! On a scale from 1-5, I give it a 2 because it was not very good. It wasn't that interesting and it didn't have have enough detail to hold my attention.

This is just a missing chapter to end the series. If you are an obsessed fan you may like it, however, it doesn't answer any unanswered questions if that is what you are looking for. It's not a bad book, it's just very short and not very exciting like the rest of the series.

This short story and accompanying pictures are a brief taste of Lyra as a young adult, a slight glimpse into the aftermath of the Great War. If you missed her, you'll enjoy visiting her again in this story.

I don't exactly get the point of this book. I mean, it is an okay read, but even if you are a big fan of the His Dark Materials series like me, this book is hardly necessary to read. It's just a little tiny story that only took me about half an hour to read. I just really don't get why this book was written. I doesn't really tell me anything new and only focuses on the story at hand. I was hoping they would tell me more about Lyra now, and everything that has happened over the past two years, or even some new piece of information. Whatever the case, read away. It's not disappointing, I just thought it would be more useful.

I bought this book hoping to see lots of old characters. i absolutely loved the map, the adds, and the postcard but thought that the story was pretty pointless. It didn't seem to do much and I was able to read it within the night. I think I had worked myself up for a much grander companion novel to HDM so was a bit dissapointed. I think that it all could've waited until the book of dust because it didn't really have much to it. I think the part I was most excited about was the travel guides section, and seeing the one by Mrs Coulter. Otherwise I was pretty unimpressed. I think over all although I loved the cover, adn the extras, the story was pretty bad. I have to get over this and re work my self up for the book of dust. Something which I don't think I should've had to of done.

Pullman is a genius in his writing, and this small tale is such a great tease after the Dark Materials work. But, the combination of the illustrations and other knick-knacks are just clever and fun. If you liked His Dark Materials, you will enjoy this as well.

I have read Philip Pullman's HDM trilogy, and they are the most gorgeous books I have ever come across. Lyra's oxford I love too, but for a whole different reason. It's not so much the story I cherish, but the actual book. I brought it to school with me for the first day of high school, clutching it protectively to me. It was like having every single page of HDM with me. And that was the most enormous comfort I could ever ask for. Even though I'm not superstitious in the least, I must say, it's grown to be my talisman. I refuse to sleep without it in my room.

I enjoyed the "His Dark Materials" trilogy as much as anyone, however this product just isn't a good value for the money. It consists of a short story, and not a particularly great one, along with a corny, uninspired map, postcard, and cruise leaflet supposedly from "Lyra's Oxford".

The short story advances the "related universe" philosophy of the trilogy only a small bit, and not in a particularly ground-breaking direction.

None of the three pieces of paraphenalia advances the "story line" of the trilogy at all (although there is some unimaginative humor hidden in them).

I would suggest looking for this book in the library or borrowing it from a friend, if you are worried that you might be missing something. It only takes a few minutes to read it anyway.

This book offers information about the "real" Oxford as well as the Oxford of Pullman's imagination in which he has placed Lyra. It expands one's comprehension of the Oxford in which Lyra's early adventures take place. With Pullman's marvelous ability to enchant the reader, the book adds to the "His Dark Materials" experience. As someone completely captured by the trilogy and one who is eager to explore the ideas behind the story, I found the book quite interesting .

This extremely short story takes place in the universe of "His Dark Materials." Buy it if you must own the pull-out map and other accessories of alternate places, but don't expect it to sweep you away as the trilogy did.

First of all, this not a His Dark Materials-style book. Just a short story about Lyra and Pantalaimon, two years after the events of HDM. If you have read HDM, sure you felt quite sad about the ending, and you gonna feel relieved with Lyra's Oxford, as you see her keep going with her life. Don't expect a long story about something completely new, because it en't near HDM in any way. Just a 64 page book about a short story happening to Lyra. I loved it, as I loved HDM since the first chapter. And you gonna love Lyra's Oxford too.

I went out and bought this book at a local book store. I had been anticipating it's arrival for weeks, being a huge HDM fan. (I've read the trilogy at least 8 times.) I picked it up, and was suprised. I was expecting something much much larger. But I took it home, read it, and promptly took it back. It was awful. It was almost like someone else wrote the book. I think I'll just re-read the trilogy if I get to missing Will and Lyra.

This book is really weird. It is only 50 pages long and dosnt really mean anything. But it might have to do with another book coming out soon, and some of the things might be made clear later, I don't know. The writing isn't anywhere near as good as the other books. But if you are a real HDM fan, you might find the many extras interesting.

If you're already obsessed with Pullman's Dark Materials you need to see the awesome little map of Lyra's Oxford + other random ads/materials found in Oxford. You should definitely read this little teaser/short story about Lyra (only downside... you'll probably finish it in about 20 minutes...)

even at the discounted price, the book still felt quite small, relative to cost. however, it is indeed necessary for all fans of his dark materials. while the story is ... small, the included materials do give us hope for the upcoming book of dust. and the illustrations are beautiful.

I like all Philip Pullman's works but this one was only

49 pages which is a pretty lame book even if you're the best author in the world. this book is at the price of $.20 a page which is pretty expensive to me i would only recommend this book to a rich person, an enemy, or some obssesed with his dark materials like myself

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This story is so small that it will not become a chapter in the three book series written by the same author.
This book is not for a serious reader. Someone looking for a collector item can buy this book. If you are looking for serious reading avoid this book.

I really enjoyed Pullman's Dark Materials and so when I saw "Lyra's Oxford" I was excited to read a new one. I neglected to look at the page length. When it came and it was a very small book, I was immediately disappointed. The story itself was okay, but it was so short I just felt short-changed. Pass this one up.

until then, this will have to do! the people who complain about it's shortness and the apparant randomness of it's contents need to read the beginning of the book where it is explained that these things may have something to do with things to come.

i think it's a nice little book, and worth having if you are a die-hard hdm fan, but i can see how others might be confused by it.

The design of this book is so elegant it feels like a treasure slipped out of Lyra's world and into ours. The story is concise and intriguing, but perhaps more suited to Pulman's grown-up fans, as it doesn't have a lot of plot.

Much too short. (...) I suggest not buying it. The story is so abbrieviated that not much happens. The best thing about this book is its interesting size and colour. The binding is so thick its gunna last for ages. (...)

pay no attention to this reviewI haven't read this book. If Philip Pullman's previous books are anything to go by, this one will be good but i'm only typing this in case once i have the website will let me read other reviews of it

This atheistic diatribe, along with other so-called fiction books like Harry Potter Boxset Books 1-7 and Rabid: A Novel, will destroy the soul of America if not stopped immediately. I call upon the store to stop selling them, for they are teaching people that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does not exist or is not relavant to today. This is wrong! Protect your children from these books!