Review: When a mysterious merchant accosts Professor Charles Mortenson some 150 years ago, he discovers the man has slipped him a locket (the locket of fire and water) that is the key to another world – Zartarbia. Many years later a young girl, Isabella Zophie goes to visit her great aunt and discovers the locket in an attic. She finds herself transported to Zartarbia, an ever-changing jigsaw of territories. She is taken under the wing of Le Cirque de Magique, a bizarre group of circus performers headed by the roguish ringmaster Mr Krock ODile. The Zartarbia Tales are a series of seven books all together and as such are written in a way that certain aspects of Zartarbian history are revealed over a period of time. But for this first installment, the writings and illustration are captivating enough to make us patiently await the following episodes of this marvelous epic tale into a mysterious and magical world.