''Lyra's Oxford'' is a 2003

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

depicting an episode involving the heroine of ''

His Dark Materials ''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), '' The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and '' The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follo ...

'', Pullman's best-selling

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

. ''Lyra's Oxford'' is set when Lyra Belacqua is 15, two years after the end of the trilogy.Lyra's Oxford, page 30: "Since she and Will parted two years before" The book consists mainly of an illustrated

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

, "Lyra and the Birds". A fold-out map of "Oxford by Train, River and Zeppelin" is bound in the book, a fictional map of Oxford that exists in Lyra's world. It also includes some advertisements for books and travellers' catalogues. Two pages from a '' Baedeker'' published in Lyra's world (including entries for the Eagle Ironworks, the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in southern central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to th ...

, the Fell Press and the Oratory of St Barnabas the Chymist, all in the

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

area of Lyra's Oxford), a postcard from the character Mary Malone, and a brochure for the cruise ship ''Zenobia'' are also included. The postcard contains four images of sites in the ''His Dark Materials'' trilogy: the physics lab in which Mary Malone works, the house occupied by Lord Boreal, the row of

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

trees where Will first discovered a window between the worlds, and the bench where Lyra and Will have pledged to visit each other in spirit once a year. The preface by Pullman begins:

"Lyra and the Birds" plot summary

Lyra is looking at a flock of birds from the tower of Jordan College in her Oxford, when she notices that the birds are attacking what turns out to be a dæmon in the shape of a fellow bird. This dæmon must be a witch's because there is no human near. Lyra saves the dæmon, called Ragi, from the flock, and he urges Lyra to help him find a man called Sebastian Makepeace. Lyra cleverly figures out where to find him and that he is the last remaining alchemist, and promises Ragi to bring him to the alchemist after school. In the evening, Lyra escapes from St Sophia's School and leads Ragi from outside Jordan College ( Turl Street) to Juxon Street where Sebastian Makepeace lives. Ragi flies above Lyra and hides on roofs to avoid suspicion. On the way, Ragi is attacked by some pigeons, but manages to save himself. Ragi also tells Lyra why he needs Sebastian Makepeace's help: his witch, Yelena Pazhets, is seriously ill. This new illness causes witches to die while not affecting their dæmons, leaving them alive and lonely after their witch's death. Lyra is shocked by this. Reaching Makepeace's house at the end of Juxon Street, near the

, Lyra's dæmon Pantalaimon manages to look through Makepeace's window without being noticed by Ragi. Pan sees the alchemist lying on the floor and witch's instruments nearby. Sensing something is wrong, Lyra continues walking, past Makepeace's house, at which Ragi cries for his witch. Lyra realises it was a trap and now finds herself being attacked by the witch. She moves towards the canal and decides to fight the witch, because this is what Will would do. When Yelena charges, a swan rushes past Lyra and attacks her. Yelena dies shortly after. Lyra carries the swan back to the canal, after which a recovered Sebastian Makepeace takes her into his house and explains that Yelena wanted to kill Lyra and blame him for the murder: Yelena was once Sebastian's lover and their son died in the war that was waged in '' The Amber Spyglass''. Yelena blamed Lyra for her son's death. The dead witch Yelena in the middle of the street caused some consternation; Sebastian helps Lyra to get away unnoticed. Lyra returns to St Sophia's. Back home, Lyra and Pan contemplate the day's events: the birds were actually helping her, and, looking for some meaning behind the events, Lyra feels that Oxford is protecting her.

References

{{Philip Pullman 2003 short stories His Dark Materials books Short stories by Philip Pullman Fantasy short stories Novels set in the University of Oxford Alfred A. Knopf books 2003 children's books es:El Oxford de Lyra