The prequel companion volume to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
This is 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. Lee Scoresby, Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua, recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he becomes entangled in a deadly plot. It’s only after Lee forms an alliance with one of the island’s reviled armored bears that he can fight to break up a conspiracy.
Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby becomes embroiled in local politics when he lands his balloon in the Arctic town of Novy Odense in this prequel to THE GOLDEN COMPASS. The audiobook will, of course, be more resonant for listeners who have heard the His Dark Materials series--and who will recognize returning characters--but it's an entertaining, well-produced adventure regardless. Nigel Whitmey and Liza Ross are a perfect, often hilariously comic team as Lee and his daemon, the jackrabbit (or is she?) Hester. Author Pullman gives a skilled, poised reading of the narrative, and the rest of the cast is equally good, with Sean Barrett's booming armored bear, Iorek Byrnison, a standout. The tense, violent shoot-out at the end will keep listeners glued to their earphones. J.M.D. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
