this is a great time
Once Upon a Time in the North: His Dark Materials
By Philip Pullman
Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grades 5 - 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
In this 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.
Book Reviews (2)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH By Philip Pullman The main character Lee Scoresby and his Deamond Hester: Lee is an aeronaut that travel in the north. His Deamond Hester is a female arctic rabbit. This story took place in a world that every one have a Deamond. A Deamond is a part of a person that took form in a shape of an animal. A can be any thing from butter fly to a lion. Deamond can speak in human language too. If your Deamond die you will die and if you die your Deamond will die, or if your Deamond is separate to far from you both you and your Deamond will die. When Deamonds die they will turn in to golden dust and disappear. Lee is a service aeronautic in Antarctica. The story start by lee’s balloon crashing down in a town. At that time he is still a learner so he is still not good at landing. There in the town he rent room to stay in. Then he a bar near by, there he meat with poem writer. He learn that the town is electing a Mayer, there are two candidate in this election. The old Mayer and a new candidate, the poem writer which is the new candidate helper said that the new candidate will by elect because he win the citizen heart by telling them that he will take care of the bears that are in the town. The white bears in the Antarctica are very good blacksmith. And, they can also speak! In the same moment in the bar, there is a ship captain complaining. So Lee ask the poem writer what is he complaining about. He learn that the captain can’t get the cargo in to his ship, because warehouse manager wouldn’t let him. Before Lee have the conversation with the poem writer, he is talking to a beautiful woman name Lone. And he fell in love with the woman but he does know if the woman like him or not. After he left the bar the poem writer invited him to mayor election with him. Because he think the new candidate would like to hire Lee. But when Lee are speaking to the new candidate which is now the mayor. He saw a man that he once know, he won’t except the offer to be hire. Because the man that he notice is a killer. So he knew that the new mayor is a bad man, and he notice a big strange canon in the room too. That night he can’t sleep and he heard Mrs. Lone crying so he went and comfort her. And she ask him for his advice in a problem that she is having. So he ask her does she want to do it, and will her decision hurt some one. And she said that she want to do it and decision might hurt some one. Later Hester told him that she is asking if she should marry a guy or not. In the morning he went to look at the ship of the captain, and the captain caught he looking. So Lee said he want to help the captain get the cargo in to his ship. While they are talking a white bear come out behind them and said that he want to help too. Because if they don’t get the cargo on to the ship on time the new mayor will take it and that won’t be good for the bears. So later Lee trick the warehouse manager to open the warehouse. Then they went in and get their cargo. Lee got shot in the shoulder while fight with the killer in the warehouse (he killed the killer). When he got out the captain already load the cargo and leave the dock. The mayor’s goons are near by and going to kill him. But soldiers come and said that they are going to arrest him. Then the soldiers took him on a ship, but when they stop the soldier let him go. A soldier told him that he marry Mrs. Lone and she told him to help Lee. Then the soldier take him to his air balloon. There the white bear is waiting. So they took on the balloon before the new mayor found out. THE END