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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Lyra's Oxford

17:08 / 26.10.03

Just a reminder to all the Pullman fans on the list that 'Lyra's Oxford' should be out on 1st November. No idea what's in it, but it's more Dark Materials and for that we should be thankful.

18:08 / 26.10.03

Sounds very much as if it could be a map to me...

But more importantly i would question your assertion that it's more Dark Materials and for that we should be thankful.

Do we really want his dark materials socks, happy meals and novelty marzipan flavoured condoms?

06:47 / 27.10.03

Yes, and boiled-sweet-aleitheometers, and beany daemons.
Come on, Pullman seems to have much more integrity than Rowling. I doubt he'd put out something unless he believed in it.

13:00 / 27.10.03

Little bit of information here. sleaze is right about the maps but there's a "short story" too. Shall have to suss it out once it's on the shelves.

Discover Lyra's Oxford, 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. Coming in October.

14:22 / 27.10.03

Inevitable, really. And wait until the film gets made. You'll be drowning in Dark Materials shite.

But a pair of Mrs Coulter stockings. I'd go for those.

16:54 / 27.10.03

Sorry, what's all this "Golden Compass" tosh? What's wrong with Northern Lights? It's not a compass!

01:42 / 28.10.03

Yeah, well, technically speaking it's neither amber nor a spyglass, either, now is it?

I actually prefer the US title: it makes the series titles all of a piece.

06:24 / 03.11.03

OK, it's in, and it's veeeeery pretty. Lots of woodcuts and LoEG style fake adverts. Looking forward to reading it tonight!

Psycho Doughboy

10:37 / 03.11.03

It's good. Definatly bears up to a couple of readings. Once for the story and then once again, to pick up on all the nice little touches. I suppose it's really a teaser for the forthcoming Book of Dust, and it certainly had me intruiged (sp?). I'm guessing the map belongs to lyra, considering the annotations, but what I really want to know is, who does the cruise itinerary belong to, and what the circled date means?

18:39 / 03.11.03

Rattled through it carelessly yesterday before surrendering it to my niece. Felt a bit like coitus interruptus, the brevity of the thing and not being able to linger over it. Must buy another copy to spend more time on it.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

17:46 / 04.11.03

Well, I hope that if Lyra's in any new stuff that Will isn't. I'd spend my time worrying that Pullman was trying to rewrite the ending of Amber Spyglass to give them both a happy ending.

18:36 / 04.11.03

No revision of the Amber Spyglass plot. All happens two years after those events and refers to them congruently. It seemed an unexceptional little story but I presume that, on more detailed reading, it gives clues to the way Pullman may take the storyline in future, should he revisit Lyra in depth. There would certainly seem to be some teases in the brief pages of annotated Guide to Jericho.

The arc was so well plotted in His Dark Materials that I'm not sure about Volume 4 or whatever, but he is a very clever man. Both Lyra and Will had a lot more growing up to do, so there's a rich vein there he might tap I guess.

Psycho Doughboy

07:23 / 05.11.03

As far as I know, The Book of Dust isn't going to be a direct continuation of the trilogy. I think Pullman has enough sense to leave that alone. It's going to be a collection of essays and stories set in the same universe, about other characters and subjects that appeared in HDM. It's going to be more an exploration of the universe instead of a straight story. Which I think is the best way to go. Lyras Oxford served as a nice teaser for that though...

06:01 / 01.12.03

It's nice to meet some other HDM fans, it's not too big where I'm from.

I enjoyed Lyra's Oxford, but of course you can't expect the same depth from a 30 page short story. The extra stuff seemed kind of, well, just extra with no real purpose. Maybe it'll all make sense later with The Book of Dust. Did anyone else think the Map was a little... unimpressive? I mean, it's pretty and all, but there's NO detail into the actual layout of the city. I do need to read it all again, though. I read it once and loaned it to a friend.

10:49 / 01.12.03

For those who haven't read it yet:

Attention all serious book collectors and fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. This undoubtedly beautiful package--cloth-bound in a classy red and adorned by numerous illustrations by master engraver and illustrator John Lawrence--is a must-purchase. A pint-sized pocket volume, Lyra's Oxford packages together a short story set in the same universe as his famous trilogy, a fold-out map of the alternate-reality city of Oxford, a short brochure for a cruise to The Levant aboard the S.S. Zenobia, and a postcard from the inventor of the amber spyglass, Mary Malone. Pullman, in his introduction, suggests that the peripheral items within "might be connected with the story, or they might not; they might be connected to stories that haven’t appeared yet. It's difficult to tell."

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 Lyra’s name as somebody who might help) and is given shelter. Together Lyra and Pan try to guide the daemon to the home of Sebastian Makepeace—an 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

LYRA'S OXFORD opens in the thrilling comfort and familiarity of Jordan College, where Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon sit on the sun-drenched roof looking out over all of Oxford. But their peace is shattered when a strange bird—a witch’s daemon, on its own—tumbles out of the sky. It is Ragi, daemon of Yelena Pazhets, and he seeks a healing elixir from an infamous Oxford alchemist (and rumored man slaughterer) to cure his witch of a strange new disease from the South. Lyra and Pan decide to help and guide him—witches are friends, of course—but the closer their winding walk leads them to the alchemist’s house, the stronger Lyra’s sense that she’s walking into a deadly trap.

12:49 / 01.12.03

Spaulding old chap, I think we'd rather hear what you thought of it than read cut-&-pasted blurb...

... unless I suppose you actually wrote the blurb yourself. But even so it reads as if you're trying to flog it to us rather than telling us why you enjoyed it.

I haven't read my copy yet but have had a peek at the map and it is quite accurate as to the layout of the city - but perhaps I only think that because I live in Oxford and know what's real and what's missing, different, etc. I wish all our tourist maps looked more like it though. It would be the most terrific improvement... (actually, it would be a terrific improvement if Oxford in general was more like that, but there you go).

16:09 / 01.12.03

fair do's - new here. "It's a nice christmas present for my mum"... hows that?

20:56 / 01.12.03

There is a fun idea I heard about recently where you do fictional tourism. Not just visiting places in fiction. Oh, no.
Take a book or play and visit somewhere completely unrelated. See if you can follow parallels of the journey of characters around the fictional place in the place you're visiting. The idea is to force you to visit or find places (with some sort of connection to the text) you would never think of going even in well-guided locations. Odd idea, but I think it could be worth a shot. Must see if anyone has written this up properly.