Rating: - One for the fans, but better was to come
As someone who has recently finished reading His Dark Materials and considers it one of the best series of novels ever written, I eagerly bought both this and Once Upon A Time In The North together from Amazon and - considering them both together - I am glad I did. I love miscellanies and companion books and both of these books are both great for the serious fan, containing snippets of information deliberately out of context - the idea being to make you think and fill in the gaps with your own imagination.

But if you have only read the first book (or seen the film), I would advise buying Once Upon A Time In The North - as that is a great standalone story of reasonable length - and not this one until you have read your way to the end of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

The story in Lyra's Oxford - Lyra and the Birds - is great if you want to find out more about Lyra Silvertongue's life after the end of The Amber Spyglass, but as a standalone story it is - I have to sadly admit - a bit boring. I think Philip Pullman definitely learned a lesson from this though, because the next short story - Once Upon A Time In The North (out now) - sees him return to form with a genuinely exciting short story that requires no prior knowledge of the series to enjoy.

---

Rating: - Not really worth the bother
This was the first of two spin-offs from the superb His Dark Materials trilogy. This is a sequel set some time after the end of The Amber Spyglass. Unfortunately, what passes for action is rather insignificant. As Pullman himself says in the foreword, the "story" (such as it is at under 50 pages) hints at other things which may happen.

Worse still, this book includes a free map of Lyra's Oxford. I want my intellect stimulated by good writing. I can use my own imagination to create where the story is set.

This is almost like Pullman entered a contest to write the opening chapter to a book, because this is no more than an opening chapter, and the mighty work that put Pullman on the map deserves better.

---

Rating: - Give this a miss
I totally agree with Professor Paradox's review, except that it took me only 15 minutes to read!
I loved the trilogy but somehow this book has altered my view of His Dark Materials. Probably because I feel like I've been ripped off - this book offers nothing to extend the trilogy, rather it annoyed me that it is clearly a quickly-written, no-depth-to-it, money-making venture. Disgraceful!

---

Rating: - Worth reading, very short though!
If you've read the His Dark Materials books and enjoyed them you should read this.
There aren't very many pages but as it is set 2 years after the Amber Spyglass it will at least go some way to satisfying your curiosity as to what happened next with Lyra.
There's a map of Oxford (amongst other things) which i must say confused me as it indicated Mary Malone's house which if i remember correctly was in Will's universe rather than Lyra's, a red herring perhaps?
Anyway it's an enjoyable read though far too short, i look forward to "The Book Of Dust" and i think it won't be very long before i re-read "The Amber Spyglass" which for me was by far the highlight of the trilogy.
If you've not read the trilogy you shouldn't even attempt this book, but i suggest you should read those first three straight away!
Don't be put off by them being in the teens/childrens sections, the main characters may be in their early teens but the themes have more than enough depth for an older reader.

---

Rating: - Actually, more like four stars...
...but all the same with the current rating of just one star, I had to balance it out a little bit. To be sure, I can certainyl see the other reveiwers point of veiw; there isn't really much to this book. It's short, and perhaps feels a little gimicky on times... but then so what? It's fun! For as slight as it is it's certainly a worthy addition to His Dark Materials, and for the price, well. You can't go wrong. Philip Pullman on a bad day is better then 98% of authors on a good one.