FullReviews Index

The Golden Compass
In Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, readers meet for the first time 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Jordan College in Oxford, England. It quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our own - nor is her world. In Lyra's world, everyone has a personal dæmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This is a world in which science, theology and magic are closely intertwined.

Trinity Blood: Rage Against the Moons
Created by the late Japanese writer Sunao Yoshida, the Trinity Blood series targets the young adult market and has spawned an international manga and anime franchise. Translated into English for the first time, the novel is wholly engrossing and highly entertaining. Yoshida created a bleak, post-Apocalyptic world populated by humans and vampires who are locked in an eternal struggle for power.