(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

Originally published in 2008, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH is a prequel to the HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy. The novella recounts how a twenty-four-year-old Lee Scoresby meets and befriends an equally young Iorek Byrnison. (When this story takes place, the future king of Svalbard's only piece of armor is a helmet.)

Freshly in possession of a balloon he won in a poker game, Lee lands on the small island of Novy Odense in search of work - and quickly stumbles right into the middle of a political scandal. Disgraced former Senator and current Mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov is running on the wedge issue of purging Novy Odense of its Panserbjørne population. ("Vagrants [...] Scavengers, drunkards, many of them. Degraded specimens every one.", as one of his supporters rails.) But inciting bigotry is just a cover - for consolidating and privatizing power. Poliakov is a close ally of Larsen Manganese, and together they've conspired to strip a shipping merchant of his ship and cargo. Honorable to his core, Lee decides to help Captain van Breda escape with his vessel. Enter: Iorek Byrnison, who's no fan of the anti-bear Poliakov.

I think I originally listened to the audiobook of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH, and enjoyed it more in that format. Some of the nautical descriptions went over my head, and I guess that's a little easier to take when someone's reading the descriptions to you. Also, young Lee is a little creepier (in a mildly lecherous way) than I remembered, so I docked the story one star for that.

That said: Hester and Iorek!!!!

This gift edition features illustrations by Chris Wormell, which are lovely and do add another dimension to the story. He also did the cover for Helen Macdonald's H FOR HAWK, and the artwork in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH has the same vibe.

(The original hardcover edition has much smaller, black and white engravings by John Lawrence, which are also nice. I received a pdf copy of this book for review, so I can't say how the physical copy compares in terms of tactile sensation. The original has a kind of cloth cover that feels expensive. I'm not really sure why the publisher decided to release a "gift" edition, since the original seems perfectly gift-able, but hey, I'm not complaining! More HDM is always a good thing imho.) ( )

Texan aeronaut, Lee Scoresby and his daemon, Hester, land in Novy Odense with the aim to find work and replenish their empty pockets. But instead of work, they mainly find trouble. Luckily they also find a lifelong friendship with bear, Iorek Byrnison.

This is a short novella telling the story of how Lee, Hester and Iorek meet and become friends and the trouble they get into while they do.

I enjoyed this a lot. I loved Lee and Iorek so it was fun to revisit their first meeting. The plot was enjoyable - I liked the political drama surrounding the town and the nosiness of Lee. Lee and Hester were amusing and I loved how they looked after one another. My favourite bit would have to be the advice given to Ms Lund and resulting discussion though.

‘I am most grateful,’ she said.
‘Happy to help, miss, and I wish you very well,’ said Lee. ‘I truly hope you can stop worrying about this.’

A few chilly seconds later he was in his own bed, with Hester beside him on the pillow. ‘Well, Hester,’ he said, ‘what was that all about?’
‘You don’t know? She had a proposal of marriage, of course, you big fool.’
‘She did? No kidding! How about that. And what did I advise her to do?’
‘To say yes, of course.’
‘Sheesh,’ said Lee. ‘I hope I got that right.’

Pullman, Philip. Once Upon a Time in the North (His Dark Materials) (p. 42). Penguin Random House Children's UK. Kindle Edition.

I especially liked that her fiance helps him out because he's grateful Lee advised her to say yes. Although to be fair he did just say to do what was best for herself and would make her happy.


A fast paced and enjoyable fantasy tale - I only wish that I got to see more of Iorek. 4 stars. ( )

C+ (Okay).

There's not much more to it than a shootout, but it's reasonably entertaining for what it is.

(Oct. 2023) ( )

A prequel to His Dark Materials, although it does well enough as a stand-alone book. If you’re not familiar with Philip Pullman, he’s been described as a sort of “Anti-Tolkien, Anti-C.S.Lewis, Anti-J.K. Rowling” fantasy author, based on his atheism. I’m not sure I buy that; Pullman’s world doesn’t come across as anti-religious as much as anti-totalitarian.

In Once Upon A Time In The North, we’re introduced to Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison, both of whom figure prominently in His Dark Materials. I can’t go much further without introducing spoilers, but I found this a quick and enjoyable addition to the Pullman canon. ( )

Last read it in 2010, around the time when I started properly recording what books I read and when. It's longer than I remember.

Pullman's writing is sharp as ever. His world(s) are hard to stay away from! Looking forward to the new book this year. ( )