Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman
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Book Reviews of Lyra's Oxford
Book Review: This felt less like a "tease" and more like a broken promise
Summary: 2 Stars
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.
Book Review: Too Short!
Summary: 2 Stars
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.Book Review: An Obvious Attempt To Make A Few More Dollars
Summary: 2 Stars
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.Book Review: Good Story but not worth the price
Summary: 2 Stars
I recently finish reading the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, and was still hungry for more when I came across Lyra's Oxford. Thinking that a short story might be fun I ordered the book. I suppose my expectations were a little too high. The story itself is OK, but it left me feeling somewhat empty. The details that Pullman used to fill out his other books just aren't there, and the reader is left feeling like it was a rush job. When factoring in the cost of the book, I'd say it just wasn't worth it.Book Review: Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
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.