Once Upon a Time in the North: Illustrated Edition

In this prequel to the His Dark Materials trilogy, the young aeronaut Lee Scoresby and his dæmon Hester land in the Arctic town of Novy Odense, where they find themselves caught up in a deadly confrontation involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and a hired killer. Pullman spins a tale of adventure and a fascinating background story of Scoresby's first meeting with the armored bear, Iorek Byrnison.