Lyra's Oxford :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Lyra's Oxford

2008-03-08
This book is a continuation of Philip Pullman's books The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; and The Amber Spyglass. It's a short story of an event that takes place 2 yeares later. It is good, but leaves you wanting more. Which leaves the door open for the author to write more, and hopefully he will.

Older Fans, Don't Waste Your Time

2008-03-07
I loved the Dark Material series and was excited to see another book featuring Lyra. Have to say I was disappointed. The book is fine, but only about 50 pages and starts a story the just stops. Not really worth the time.

This felt less like a "tease" and more like a broken promise

2008-03-03
I'm honestly a little bit unsure of what to make of "Lyra's Oxford". It drops a large number of references to the larger universe of the His Dark Materials stories without really developing any of them ... I especially feel for poor Will, whose presence in Lyra's psyche is reduced to a "WWWD" (What Would Will Do?") catchphrase. It takes place a few years after the events of the trilogy but Lyra shows no newfound maturity, falling yet again into the most obvious of traps. It spends considerable time on the rather contrived and uninteresting mystery of the witch's daemon and leaves us groping for answers to more interesting ones ("What is Mr. Makepeace up to?", "What/who really protected Lyra?", "What is the cruise ship flier a reference to?", etc.). The ending is cheesy as well ... I mean, "the city is looking out for us"? Come on ...

And that's the problem--my gut reaction upon finishing this story was "What the hell was that?" There's little substance here, and just when the reader is starting to re-form the bond with Lyra's world, the story ends. It felt like a prologue or first chapter to a much better story, but there's no indication that that's what it is. Pullman is coy: maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I felt a bit duped--not just for spending $7 on a story that took about 15 minutes to read, but for spending that time on a story that felt like mediocre fan fiction. Lyra's Oxford was a disappointment, and Pullman missed a great opportunity to draw upon the magical worlds and interesting characters he developed in the His Dark Materials trilogy.

B-

2008-03-01
Giving just a taste of the former glory that was the His Dark Materials Trilogy, Pullman unfortunately disappoints the reader with this near-gimmick of a short story. Taking up space with what should have been words are (albeit charming) black prints depicting some of the scenes described, as well as (again, albeit charming) postcards and maps that have the ability of confusing the reader. Luckily, the actual story line is decent, and whilst in the middle of it, found myself getting pulled right back into the fantasy world he created. The ending hints at something more to come, and the entire tone of the piece is quite suspicious, as if the clever author had something hiding up his proverbial sleeve. The descriptions lacked the luster of his previous work, and one finds themselves wishing for the insanely visual imagery that he is known for. The characters were a bit flat, but the story still gripped. We all know Pullman is capable of so much more - so why this interlude?

Lyra's Oxford

2008-02-29
This was a very good addition to the Dark Materials series. I enjoyed it very much. The only bad thing I can think of, was it was way too short.

Lyra's Oxford

2008-05-02
Kind of a disappointment. The story was good but way too short for the $$$$

Really charming after "His Dark Materials"

2008-04-14
After seeing "The Golden Compass," I had to read the trilogy "His Dark Materials." It was a thrilling fantasy that left me thirsting for more, but--guess what?--that is all there is right now. But there was this little jewel of a book. It really is just a short story/chapter and a charming map of Oxford, but it was what I needed to decompress and wait patiently for "The Book of Dust."

Disappointed

2008-04-05
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.

LYRA'S SMALL ADVENTURE

2008-03-28
I loved this little book. It took me back into Lyra's world for a short visit without having to delve into the large books. I could accompany Lyra and Pan on their small adventure, this time without her friends Will and Roger. I love Philip Pullman's descriptions - he transports you to the place in time and you can actually see the characters. His Dark Materials features prominently in my collection and I am pleased to add Lyra's Oxford to it. Just for the record I am 69 y.o. I think there are different facets in Pullman's books to appeal to all ages.
This is a great little quick fix for Philip Pullman fans.

?????????

2008-03-24
I purchased this book with the high hopes of giving me the closure I felt I needed after reading the awesome Golden Compass trilogy. Unfortunately, this did not deliver. In reality, it was a big let down and I was disappointed...very disappointed...

I felt this short story was more of an "extra" that fitted no where in the trilogy, and to turn it into a quick buck, the author titled it after the original main character to trick people into buying it... Well... he got me! =D

I read the entire darn thing while I was in my doctor's waiting room.

Simply put, it's a very short story, nothing really to do with the original trilogy, and required no further thought process: you just read the story and is left with nothing to ponder over.

Although it was not "terrible," I would not recommend it.

As a matter of fact, I gave the book to the friend that made me read the trilogy so he wouldnt waste his money! It's one of those books (and I have many!) that isn't even good enough to stay in my library.