Did you love Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials? I got on the Golden Compass bandwagon a few years ago when the Amber Spyglass came out, and like so many others, I just loved it. This put Pullman on my radar screen, and I knew that he had written another series about a character named Sally Lockhart, but only recently did I finally take the time to enjoy the audio versions of The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, and The Tiger in the Well. I can't believe I waited this long.... boy are these great stories. They are gripping and imaginative just like His Dark Materials, but what is truly striking is how thoughtfully Pullman weaves historical and social themes into the story. I was not expecting to see characters participating in the early development of photography and motion pictures... or wrestling with drug addictions.... or fighting for the rights of workers and immigrants. One of the lighter motifs of the stories is the character Jim's love of penny dreadfuls: pulpy adventure novels published in serial form. Much like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's inspiration for the Indiana Jones stories, it's clear that Pullman had this kind of storytelling in mind when he wrote the Sally Lockhart stories. The fact that he adds so much thought to their telling is a testimony to what a good writer he is. Pullman says on his website that he will write more in this series, and I hope that he means it.

PS. The reader of the audiobooks, Anton Lesser is quite fantastic. He achieves the benchmark of good audiobook storytelling: he reads all genders and ages quite convincingly.