Philip Pullman’s second “little book” to accompany His Dark Materials trilogy provides the backstory for Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. While the story of how these two fellow adventurers meet will be of interest to those who hold the series in a Harry Potter-esque cult status (where every word out of J.K.’s mouth holds biblical worth), the simplicity will leave those who appreciate Pullman’s carefully constructed novels wanting more.

December

This is basically a short story that takes us to two years after the events of His Dark Materials. It’s always cool to take a look at the life of a deeply loved character after the story is done. But here Philip Pullman adds new elements to Lyra’s world raising my hopes that he will take us back there again as there are so many new avenues to explore.