(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.)

I have read this book before so I am already familiar with the story, but I requested this new illustrated edition and it was great! I really liked seeing the special illustrations. They really helped bring the story to life.

Aghhh love this! Prequel to the beloved “His Dark Materials” books by Philip Pullman! I have always enjoyed this series and was ecstatic to have the opportunity to read about Lee Scoresby and the beloved Lorek Byrnison! I truly enjoyed being placed back into this world P. Pullman has created and would recommend to those who already love the series! Those who may be new, this is a great place to start as if you enjoy this shorter version, you will love the Dark Materials series!

This was another great story by Philip Pullman! The prequel to His Dark Materials follows Lee Scorseby (undoubtedly one of my favorite characters in the series) as we learn how he meets and becomes friends with Iorek Byrnison and wins his infamous hot air balloon in a poker game.

After traveling north, Lee and his daemon Hester get caught up in a tricky situation with some bad characters! Teaming up with the armored bear, they work on the side of good in an action packed short story.

The illustrations are lovely, as is the writing (as always). So happy to have gotten this glimpse into Lee’s character. If you’re a fan of His Dark Materials you should definitely read this book.

I received a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of His Dark Materials: Once Upon a Time in the North, Gift Edition written by Philip Pullman and illustrated by Chris Wormell from the publisher, Random House Children's, via Netgalley.

His Dark Materials: Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman is a prequel of sorts to the His Dark Materials series. If you've read the books or watched the show, you'll know these characters. If you haven't, there's no reason you can't start here. While this is classified as a children's book, it can definitely be enjoyed by adults. Pullman's writing is always a pleasure to read. This is a short story but every bit as good as the rest of the books in the series. The gift version has beautiful illustrations and some extra bits that make it feel like you picked up a book that someone else was reading and stashing clues in. You can definitely finish it in one sitting. If you are like me and look for any chance to immerse yourself in this universe, you will want to pick this up.

This is such a fun and atmospheric novella featuring two of my favorite characters and one of my favorite settings from His Dark Materials.

I’ve read this story before, but this new gift edition is gorgeous and the illustrations really flesh out the
story. The whole book—cover to cover and everything in between—is beautiful, and evocative of the northern setting for Pullman’s stunningly crafted world.

The epistolary materials included are also a delightful enhancement to the story. Generally I don’t think gift versions are worth acquiring if you already own a copy of the book, but this one is an exception and worth getting whether the story is new to you or an old HDM favorite.

I am a long-time fan of His Dark Materials and this was not my first reading of Once Upon a Time in the North, but for me, this story holds up to an occasional re-reading. It is a great short introduction to the series if you have never read any of the books or a nice backstory for those who want to know more of Lee Scoresby (and Hester) and Iorek Byrnison. There is a sprinkling of steampunk, frontier adventure, aeronauts, and polar bears in this well-paced story.
The illustrations in this edition are in the spirit of the original (block prints, I believe). But they are colored and larger in size giving some visual kick without making it too childish. This looks like it would be a great [holiday] present for adults and pre-teens, for Philip Pullman fans who want to complete their collection as well as those new to this world of His Dark Materials.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.