"My magic is training.. My strength is adaptability.. My enemy is carelessness.. My strategy is one foot in front of the other.." This is part of the Ninja litany, etched into your mind if you are lucky enough to defeat the opening character, who sets the scene for these Way of the Tiger books. They have the usual ingredients: magic, monsters, Ninja tricks and the most horrific and engaging death scenes, that will have you flicking to the 'eye' illustrations, which mark an unfortunate end (of which, thankfully, there are many) whenever you make a wrong turn in this exciting, engaging "magical world of Orb". But more than that, these books have heart and depth. You can see that the author's have spent countless hours pouring over the plot and creating an imaginary land that stays with me still. A fond reminder of a moment in my childhood, when I'd disappear into these books and take on the adventures of the orphan, a highly trained assassin on a quest for revenge. As if the text wasn't enough, you have it set against the amazing artwork of Bob Harvey, who became on of my favourite illustrators, even though I have never seen his work outside these books.