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Once Upon a Time in the North (David Fickling Books) | 
 enlarge | Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $7.25
You Save: $5.74 (44%)
New (30) Collectible (2) from $7.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 7376
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0375845100
EAN: 9780375845109
ASIN: 0375845100
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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Product Description
In this new prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby--Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua--is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving oil magnate Larsen Manganese, corrupt mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country: Pierre McConville, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name.
It's only after Lee forms an alliance with one of the island's reviled armored bears that he can fight to break up the conspiracy in a gun-twirling classic western shoot out--and battle of wits. This exquisite clothbound volume features the illustrations of John Lawrence, a removable board game—Peril of the Pole—on the inside back cover, and a glimpse for Pullman fans into the first friendship of two of the most beloved characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy: Lee Scoresby and armored bear Iorek Byrnison.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Pullman Novella July 28, 2008
The two most recent novellas by PP are good, but not as engaging as the Dark Material series.
This prequel sheds light on how Lee and Iorek met and more specifically Lee's character. I'd really like to see a prequel focused on Lyra's father. The audience for this book isn't as vast as the Dark Materials series.
 Once Upon a Time in the North July 27, 2008
Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman: It's been some time since Philip Pullman has published anything set in the world of His Dark Materials; the last offering was a very short story called Lyra's Oxford. In Once Upon a Time in the North, Pullman returns with an original tale about Lee Scoresby the aeronaut, weighing in at just under a hundred pages - and while fans would wish for three times as much, it's certainly much better than nothing.
In a poker game in his native Texas, twenty-four year old Lee Scoresby has just won his very own hot air balloon and half an instruction manual. His first voyage takes him across the world to the Arctic waters where he lands at Novy Odense. Looking for a place to stay and a way to make some money, Scoresby is immediately embroiled in the complex politics of the town. Mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov hopes to take care of the bear problem, supported by the shady Larsen Manganese group. Taking no one's side, but not wanting the town to be exploited, Lee soon befriends a polar bear by the name of Iorek Byrnison - whom he mistakenly calls York - and finds himself in a fierce gun battle involving a hired killer with a familiar face on the other side.
Once Upon a Time in the North is a great adventure tale with - at first glance - an entertaining and straightforward story. But in Pullman's usual style, there is a deeper and more complex subplot that is not fully explained or resolved here. So fans can hope that there is more to tell in the world of His Dark Materials. And if that were not enough, Pullman also created a special board game for the book, which is included as an insert to the inside back cover.
For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com
An election and dangerous encounters mark a gripping fantasy July 12, 2008
Philip Pullman's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH provides another strong fantasy from His Dark Materials and is set in the frozen Arctic, where a series of clues and a board game becomes a dangerous quest for knowledge. A cargo balloon, an election and dangerous encounters mark a gripping fantasy perfect for older readers.
Good, but Weighed Down By Faults July 9, 2008
I recently read this over the course of an afternoon, and while the story was, for its part, entertaining and well-executed, I was let down in that it did not more thoroughly illuminate any of the events of the His Dark Materials trilogy.
In addition, while the concept of the book and its art are both exquisite, the execution was somewhat poor. On several concurrent pages, I had "ghosted" copies of the text behind the full printing, which made it difficult to read. For what is an otherwise well-designed book, this was a fault that detracted heavily.
The story is definitely worth reading, but not at the $10.xx I paid for it. See if you can find a used copy.
 A fair start to the epic trilogy June 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the His Dark Materials trilogy and had quite the high expectation for this prequel. While not terribly disappointed, I am a little let down after reading it.
It's really only a chapter in the life of Lee Scoresby. It ties up the loose ends about his life not mentioned later in the trilogy. It reads very fast, as the 'chapter' lacks the detailed plot development found in the later books. Like the credit card ad, "In, out and on with life" sums up this brief story.
Now, take my review with some salt; I'm a lot older than the target audience for the book. Unlike the trilogy, which can be read at many different levels, this is simply a short adventure story. Definitely read it at some point as it compltes the understanding of Scoresby, but don't rush to pay $10 for it right now.
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