When Lyra is studying at Oxford University, she comes across the story of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnisson's first meeting, many years ago, along with much evidence of the adventure that brought them together.
She discovers that when a young Texan balloonist Lee came down to earth in the harbour of an Arctic town in the North, little did he realise that he is about to be caught in a war between the residents of the town and the huge arctic bears that also live there.
And when Lee meets one of these bears - Iorek - for the first time, they cement a friendship that will continue throughout their lives, as the tensions in the town threaten to erupt.
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[The battered cargo balloon came in out of a rainstorm over the White Sea, losing height rapidly and swaying in the strong north-west wind as the pilot trimmed the vanes and tried to adjust the gas valve]***
(@DoubledayUK, 20 September 2018, first published 2008, hardback, 112 pages, bought from @AmazonUK)
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I'm a huge fan of His Dark Materials and the new The Book of Dust series so I had high hopes for this story. I was not disappointed. This tells the story of Lee, the balloonist who helps Lyra in Northern Lights and how he became the best of friends with the armoured bear, Iorek. This story does assume prior knowledge of the books so you'd be lost reading it if you'd never read any of the books. I loved the illustrations scatted throughout as they add a depth to the story. I found Once Upon A Time in the North a real treat to read. I plan to read the second spin-off Lyra's Oxford next and cannot wait for the second Book of Dust, The Secret Commonwealth later this year.
