So, I picked up Once Upon a Time in the North on a whim the other day, and you know something? It's really good.
I was a little unsure about buying it, since Lyra's Oxford was a bit of a let-down, but I ended up really enjoying this one. It centers on how Lee and Iorek ("York Burningson," as Lee calls him) met for the first time, but it also tells the story about how Lee got his balloon and his gun (and gives tantalizing clues about when the main story takes place, something I've always wondered about). I'm probably a little biased, because Lee & Hester are my favorite characters, and it's not as good as the original trilogy, but if you liked His Dark Materials, I'd recommend reading this.
