"This book contains a story and several other things."So opens this slim and quiet little volume of Lyra's Oxford, a book that truly contains a story and several other things, but maybe Other Things is how we should think of these latter objects for: "They might have come from anywhere. They might have come from other worlds. That scribbled-on map, that publisher's catalogue -they might have been put down absent-mindedly in another universe and been blown by a chance wind through an open window, to find themselves after many adventures on a a market-stall in our world."(This quote, these ideas, they are perfect to me for they talk of the split between our world and the world of the literature, the ephemeral nature of reading, identifying and *living* a text, the shift between fiction and fact, the blurred edge of books, the cliff-edge of reading...)The central story of this rich volume concerns Lyra and Pantalaimon. It is set after the events of His Dark Materials and so certain things have occured. Certain shifts in the world have happened. And for every action there is a reaction. For every pebble dropped in the water, there is an echo upon the shore. This is that echo. This is that reaction. The fascinating edge of this story, this collection of thoughts and ideas and of fragments, is the idea of literary space and place here. Pullman's Oxford is a wild-edged space, shifting through identities with the effortless skill of something very old and wise and powerful. It is as much a character in the books as Lyra and Pan and Will and all. And the thrilling and terrifying edge to this Oxford is that it is visitable. One can drive up the road and into this city full of story and richness and of the darkest edges. This is something acknowledged in Lyra's Oxford as the book provides you with a map to the centre of the city. The tangible joy of folding out this map is not to be underestimated. And the conceptual groundbreaking of such a move! To unfold this map of Lyra's Oxford is to lay this Oxford (accessible by Train and River and Zeppelin) against *our* Oxford - or is it our Oxford? Are the two not one and the same? Is our Oxford simply a face of the city; a reflection caught in glass, and is this its true face? A city full of museums and of zeppelins and colleges and Botanic Gardens with one lonely bench underneath a low-branched tree?And even now as I write this, I am drawn back to my memories of Oxford and of walking those streets, and seeing a glint of something fly across the roof and of seeing a small girl in the doorway of one of the colleges. I am pulled back into this space of Other Things; this edge, this cliff-edge, and I am lifting my arms and I am flying, I am gone.
When I finish a good book, it can take ages for me to stop thinking about a character, a scene, a feeling I got from the book. After consuming the His Dark Materials trilogy in the span of only a few weeks, I was a little fixated on Lyra. Lyra had courage and an adventurous spirit that I admired. My husband is reading The Golden Compass now and I am truly jealous of him as he gets to meet Lyra for the first time. And if I haven't been able to shake Lyra, what of the author, Philip Pullman? When an author writes a book, or a series, or even a short story, he or she lives with the character for some period of time. Perhaps the idea of the character ruminates in their head for years before being expressed on paper. And so it seems obvious that publication would not cause an end to that relationship. In my mind, Lyra's Oxford is one little scene that Pullman kept replaying and felt he need to get down on paper. Loyal readers, wanting for more, would of course buy it. Pullman published Lyra's Oxford after His Dark Materials and it is nothing more the endearingly sweet. My copy of the story is hardbound and no more than 4 inches by six inches. There are illustrations on the pages and a fold-out map. The 49 pages detailing Lyra's adventure with a witch are a quick read. While in no way as satisfying as any part of His Dark Materials, Lyra's Oxford does quench a little of your thirst thirst for more of Pullman's creation.
What do You think about Lyra's Oxford (2003)?
Is there such a thing as literary roots? If so, this series is part of mine. This particular story is an easy, short and very enjoyable read - that is, if you've formerly enjoyed His Dark Materials books (and why wouldn't you have? they're fantastic). Perhaps this short story (novella?) isn't deserving of 4 stars in itself, but it filled me with nostalgic longing and I was reminded of the immense love I have for this series and how much it still means to me. We forget these things sometimes, because other books happen and time with them, but this was a great reminder of a world I - if I have any - keep in my soul.
—Kirstine
Este livro é uma pequena e simples história protagonizada por Lyra e Pan. E Lyra foi uma personagem que deixou saudades! Se você gostou dos três principais livros de Fronteiras do Universo, provavelmente vai gostar deste livro. Mas tenha em mente a simplicidade do livro. Não espere uma continuação de A Luneta Âmbar nem nada grandioso. Este livro está mais para um colecionável. Ou como passei a vê-lo, um pequeno presente para aqueles que sentem falta da Lyra da Lingua Mágica.O livro acontece dois anos após o desfecho de A Luneta Âmbar, então não indicaria para quem ainda não leu os três principais livros, por razões óbvias.
—Italo André
"Everything means something," Lyra said severely. "We just have to find out how to read it."Lyra the little liar is back in full force. she gets to use her special power of super-lying at least twice, so it's clear that despite the amazing and horrible and life-changing adventures of the preceding trilogy, some things will never change. a witch and an alchemist cameo, and naturally her daemon Pantalaimon remains by her side. all is well in Golden Compass Land, at least for this reader. things are actually especially well, now that I know the author is working on a couple follow-up books that promise to be elephantine in size and scope. yay for elephantine! and yay for little liars and adorable little daemons who are quite handy at sneaking up on other daemons and quickly grabbing them so that Lyra can do some impromptu interrogation.yay for Philip Pullman too. he really is the best. it's great how a slim children's book like this one is able to cast such an all-encompassing spell on its reader so quickly. the combination of idiosyncratic heroine and perfectly chosen details of her Oxford world all worked out just right. plus some sweet bonuses such as a map and snippets of a catalog, a guidebook, a postcard, etc. overall this was a trifle, but such an appealing one.oh and the moral of the tale: see first paragraph.
—mark monday
