Philip Pullman’s latest book is The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship, a graphic novel illustrated by Fred Fordham. Serena is sailing around the world with her family when a storm picks up and she is swept overboard. She’s rescued by the daring John Blake and finds herself on the mysterious ghost ship, the Mary Alice. Crewed by an assortment of sailors from different eras, souls rescued by the ship, they include a Roman engineer from 210, a slave of the Barbary pirates picked up in 1614, and Blake from an experimental expedition in 1939. And if adventures at sea and time travel aren’t enough there’s a present day villain, a wealthy tech mogul, who is out to find the Mary Alice and John Blake. What does Blake have that could be so important to a man who controls communications via his best-selling device, the Apparaptor? And he’s not the only person chasing the Mary Alice, awaiting sightings and news of a ship appearing in a strange fog and disappearing just as suddenly. Serena gets caught up in this high-stakes chase through time and across the seas. Can she help Blake and the crew of the Mary Alice overcome pirates, armed thugs and the crazed behaviour of a megalomaniac, and will she get back to her family? The Adventures of John Blake is a superb story filled with an exciting plot, conspiracy and mystery. Fordham's illustrations are excellent - with both nostalgic and modern elements, they fit the time-travel concept perfectly. Layered with intriguing characters, who we just get a glimpse of in this book, I’m sure there will be more John Blake adventures to come.     {Reviewed by STELLA} > Click here, here and here for some spreads.