Fatal accidents, terrorism, gruesome deaths and a trio of boys with mysterious origins -- there's more than enough plot swirling around in "Unraveling." Except for the stuff about high school, this gritty sci-fi romance actually feels more like a novel for adults, with lots of death, destruction and a situation that might end the world.

Walking back from the beach, Janelle Tenner is hit by a car. She dies. But mere seconds later, she is brought back to life by the mysterious stoner Ben, with all her injuries healed.

Unsurprisingly she wants to know how Ben did this. But she's also distracted by something even more serious -- the FBI has found a mysterious device that is counting down to' something. And bodies are cropping up all over San Diego, hideously melted by some kind of mysterious radiation. Janelle and her friend Alex suspect that it's some new kind of terrorism.

But when tragedy hits Janelle's life, her quest becomes much more personal. She continues searching for the terrorist, only to find that Ben and his friends Reid and Elijah might be involved -- and when she finds out the truth of why they are in San Diego, she realizes that this is far bigger than a terrorism threat. Unless they stop what is happening, the entire world has only days left.

I was expecting a pretty standard paranormal romance in "Unraveling," and was pleasantly surprised with the sci-fi novel I got instead. It's a strong fusion of contemporary thriller and sci-fi adventure, although we don't see nearly enough of the sci-fi. And Norris also doesn't skim over the more painful aspects of the characters' lives, such as the aftermath of a loved one's death.

Instead she winds together the various plot threads into a steely, tightly-wound rope, so that pretty much everything ends up being interconnected. Her writing is strong, smooth and very natural, and she slowly raises the stakes as the story unwinds. There IS some romance, but it's actually secondary to the main plot instead of BEING the main plot.

And given how many Bella Swans currently populate teen fiction, it was nice to read about someone like Janelle -- she's strong, capable and unafraid to confront others (whacking a would-be rapist over the head with a beer bottle). She also has genuine problems, such as having to care for her mentally ill mother, which leaves her with conflicting feelings of love and resentment.

The weakest character, sadly, was Ben. He's too broodingly tormented; occasionally you just wanna smack him and tell him to lighten up. But the other characters -- such as Janelle's loving dad, his buddy from the FBI, the foul-mouthed Elijah and the delightfully nerdy Alex -- are beautifully drawn and well-developed.

The biggest problem is that the end left me unsure whether there was going to be a sequel. There were some dangling plot threads -- such as Janelle's mom -- but otherwise it feels very final.

"Unraveling" is a powerful, suspenseful sci-fi novel, much more intelligent and emotional than your average teen romance, and it has an excellent heroine to boot. Absolute must-read.

"The Avengers" is brilliant. This is the "Lord of the Rings" of comic book movies -- colorful, epic and emotionally powerful.

This is one of those rare movies that just gets it RIGHT in every way, weaving together half a dozen superhero movies into one shining whole. You need to have seen some of them to understand what's going on ("Captain America: The First Avenger," "Thor," "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2") but it's well worth the effort.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) suddenly teleports into SHIELD headquarters, and immediately steals the Tesseract before the entire compound collapses. He also brainwashes a bunch of people -- including master archer Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) -- into being his minions.

So Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) decides to call in a group of people with very special skills to stop Loki and get back the Tesseract. -- Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Thor (Chris Hemsworth) also LITERALLY drops in on them, and reveals that Loki is commanding a monstrous army that the Tesseract will allow into our world.

But even after they barely manage to capture Loki, they soon discover that the trickster god is always a few steps ahead of them -- and he's even manipulating them against each other. This fragmented group of volatile heroes must learn to fight together, or face a world where Loki and his Chitauri army reign supreme.

"The Avengers" is the movie that Michael Bay would make if he weren't a racist misogynist hack. It has massive explosions, a flying battleship and a city-smashing finale that involves giant armored eels.... but it also slows down sometimes to allow us quiet moments where the characters can grow, like Barton and Romanoff's talk. It's understated, but powerful ("I have red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out").

But since Joss Whedon wrote AND directed this, it's also a witty, tight script with lots of deliciously funny lines ("Doth Mother know you weareth her drapes?") and moments (the Hulk's assault on Loki). He knows how to intertwine action and character development, and his explosive, kinetic battle sequences always end with a sense of bittersweetness. There are losses, and there is pain.

Jackson, Downey, Johansson, Hemsworth and Evans all slip smoothly into their familiar roles; the white-hot Renner gets fleshed out nicely as the quiet, stoic Barton, and Ruffalo is surprisingly good as the nerdy, fragile man with a "rage monster" seething under the surface. And Hiddleston is devastatingly good as Loki, who is now desperate to make himself a god-king, but still shows occasional flickers of regret and uncertainty.

There are a few changes to the familiar characters, and they work -- particularly Captain America, who is a bit angsty about the loss of his old life. And it's a nice touch that the Avengers don't really get along at first, since all their personalities are so different. It takes a massive shock for them to realize, "We NEED to work together, or everything is lost."

If I had to criticize something, it would be that the first ten minutes are rather rushed, and Captain America's costume looks more cartoonish (unlike his grittier WWII uniform, which combined patriotism AND practicality).

"The Avengers" joins together a bunch of separate stories into one wild, explosive epic -- a brilliant story that sets a new benchmark for superhero movies. On to the next round!

Prepare to say a fond farewell to Sookie Stackhouse, because "Deadlocked" is the penultimate volume of the Southern Vampire series.

But even if there's only one more book, the twelfth book about the telepathic waitress and her vampire and/or were connections is a pretty solid one. It's a rather sad book in places, since Sookie's relationship to Eric seems to be cracking into pieces, but it has that lovable balance of unpretentious Southernness mixed with vampire/were stuff.

A conference between Felipe and Eric goes horribly awry when a young woman (whom Eric had taken blood from) is found dead outside Eric's home. Unsurprisingly, Sookie and Eric are both suspects, and Sookie suspects that Eric is keeping something from her. Even odder, her death is linked to the fae -- and Sookie is sure that she was hired to lure Eric.

As she juggles family matters, a nosy were, a birth and a forthcoming wedding, Sookie also starts investigating the girl's death. She also has some other problems to deal with, like a stranger's interest in the cluviel dor and the arrival of a vampire queen who wants Eric. But unraveling these conspiracies will reveal some of the nastiest betrayals Sookie has ever encountered.

As always, Charlaine Harris' writing is like slipping into a soft, well-worn sweater that smells vaguely of magnolia trees. There's just something very pleasant and homey about her prose, and this novel is somewhat smoother than the last few book -- the narrative can switch fluidly from descriptions of the fairy world to "House Hunters International." Trippy.

However, "Deadlocked" has a sharply bittersweet flavor as well, with Sookie finding out the hard way that lots of people can leave you heartbroken (not just lovers!). A few parts of the book are depressing, particularly since Sookie's relationship with Eric is clearly crumbling -- she even admits that while the sex is great (not that we see any), they're not doing so well emotionally.

It also has the feeling of a transition book -- lots of people are getting engaged and producing babies, and a few actually leave. Harris seems to be wrapping up various ongoing subplots, including a massive one close to Sookie's own heart.

So unsurprisingly this is a wrenching novel for Sookie. She's still a tough, confident woman, but she also has to grapple with the semi-conscious knowledge that her romance with Eric is under attack, and that people may be trying to get to the cluviel dor. Eric is strangely distant in this story even when he appears; Sam seems to have taken a more central role. I call romance!

"Deadlocked" is a solid penultimate chapter to the Southern Vampire series -- and while the mood is sadder than in the last few books, Charlaine Harris injects plenty of charm into her story.

A lot of fantasy books end with the defeat of the evil Emperor/King/Dark Lord. Everybody celebrates, and everything is all puppies and flowers.

What most authors don't address is what comes AFTER the bad guy's defeat, and how the good guys rebuild. But that is what Kristin Cashore's "Bitterblue" is all about -- a teenage queen struggling to heal a kingdom still traumatized by her father's rule, with wrenching emotions and likably quirky characters all over the place.

For thirty-five years, Monsea was tormented by the evil King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen, but the kingdom is still haunted by her father -- from the bizarre (a clock with fifteen hours) to the horrific (his kidnapping of children). And every night she sneaks out of the castle to mingle with the commonfolk, including a young Lienid "thief" named Saf, who has an unknown Grace.

But despite Bitterblue's efforts to heal the scars left by Leck, someone is trying to stop her. She's digging too deeply into old crimes committed by her father, and someone -- for some reason -- wants those secrets kept buried. And to stop the queen, this conspiracy will not only strike out at her, but Saf and his friends....

Moral dilemmas, ciphers, rebellions and a quest to find the ugly truth -- "Bitterblue" is very much a thinking person's fantasy novel. It's all about the aftermath of a tyrant's rule, and all the secrets and treachery that are left over once the good guys finally take over... assuming they do. There are always more bad guys waiting, and sometimes there is no good guy to take over the government.

And that is what Bitterblue has to grapple with. This is the kind of heroine we need more of -- she's strong and intelligent, but she's also haunted by memories of her cruel father and her fear of being like him. And she has the right balance of insecurity, strength, fear and determination to make her feel like a real teenage girl who has been thrust into a royal role, not a whiny "rebellious princess."

And the supporting cast is just as good. Katsa and Po are both here, older and a bit wiser, but with plenty of passion and fire -- and we have fun characters like Teddy the truthseeking dictionary-maker, or the snappish librarian Death.

Cashore's elegant, polished prose ("her heart was a bright burst of sadness and shame") has just the right amount of grittiness, with moments of sharp horror when someone reminisces about the bad old days under Leck. And she underlies the slow-burning suspense with a sense of bittersweetness, which sometimes flowers into outright sorrow.

"Bitterblue" is a wrenchingly beautiful piece of work, bringing readers back to the darkly brilliant world of the Gracelings. It was a long time coming, but worth the wait.

Every year, twenty-four teenage "tributes" are brought to the Capitol of Panem, and sent out into the arena to kill each other on live TV. Only one will survive.

This chilling premise is at the center of "The Hunter Games," the brilliant, powerful first book of Suzanne Collins' bestselling trilogy. It's a slow-burning, brutal, chilling thriller twined with some barbed satire (reality TV!) and an oppressive government -- but at heart, it's an uplifting story about a young woman fighting to be free.

Katniss Everdeen lives in the impoverished District 12, hunting food to provide for her mother and her beloved little sister Prim. But on the day of the reaping, Prim is selected. And Katniss does something no one else has done in a long time -- she volunteers to go instead. Along with the male tribute, Peeta Mellark -- a boy who once helped her at her lowest point -- she is swept away to the Capitol.

Once there, the tributes are pampered, tutored, styled and turned into celebrities -- until they're released into the arena, and start killing each other to survive. Katniss must evade murderous gangs, traps, and genetically engineered beasts.

But after their triumphant first appearance at the Capitol, the audience has taken a shine to the impoverished young "lovers" and are rooting for them to triumph. But if both Katniss and Peeta are to survive, they must learn how to play the game that the gamemakers and polticians are playing -- and use the Hunger Games against them.

A lot has been made of "The Hunger Games'" resemblance to the Japanese franchise "Battle Royale," but honestly the only real similarity is the core concept. Suzanne Collins' world is a far stranger place, set in a futuristic North America where rebellion is brewing against a tyrant. And it seems more to be a barbed, glass-sharp satire on reality TV and how easily people are swayed, either for evil or good.

Suzanne Collins' writing style here takes a little getting used to -- she not only writes everything in the first person, but in the present tense. It's.... a little strange, and it takes some getting used to.

But once you do get used to the odd style, Collins' writing is on fire. She writes in an intense, slow-burning style that is speckled with bittersweet scenes (Katniss singing to Rue) and colorful descriptions (the superficial, sparkly Capitol). But it's also brutally violent at times, with various teens being killed in some truly gruesome ways (broken neck, countless stings, arrows) -- and though Collins doesn't go into graphic detail, it's still pretty shocking.

But at heart, "The Hunger Games" is about one young woman's struggle. Katniss is a struly striking heroine -- she's strong, tough and fiery, as you'd expect of a girl who has been supporting her family, but she has the right amount of vulnerability and kindness. Peeta is a very sweet, sensitive love interest who complements her perfectly, and there's a strong round of supporting characters -- the clever stylist Cinna, the drunken ex-tribute Haymitch, the birdlike Rue, and many others.

"The Hunger Games" is one of those rare books that strikes a deep chord in people's souls -- and it's a beautifully (if oddly) written story with a brilliant heroine. Spellbinding.

Every year, twenty-four teenage "tributes" are brought to the Capitol of Panem, and sent out into the arena to kill each other on live TV. Only one will survive.

This chilling premise is at the center of "The Hunter Games," a brilliant, powerful movie adapted from the first book of Suzanne Collins' bestselling trilogy. It's a slow-burning thriller twined with some barbed satire (reality TV!) and an oppressive government -- but at heart, it's an uplifting story about a young woman fighting to be free.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in the impoverished District 12, hunting food to provide for her mother and her beloved little sister Prim (Willow Shields). But on the day of the reaping, Prim is selected. And Katniss does something no one else has done -- she volunteers to go instead. Along with the male tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), she is swept away to the Capitol.

Once there, the tributes are pampered, tutored, styled and turned into celebrities -- until they're released into the arena, and start killing each other to survive. Katniss must evade murderous gangs, traps, and genetically engineered beasts.

But because Peeta publicly declared his love for Katniss, the audience has taken a shine to the impoverished young "lovers" and are rooting for them to triumph. But if both Katniss and Peeta are to survive, they must learn how to play the game that the gamemakers and polticians are playing -- and use the Hunger Games against them.

I'm not sure why so many people compare "The Hunger Games" to the Twilight movies, because it literally has everything that "Twilight" does not. It has plenty of action, adventure, a subtle romance, and some barbed social commentary -- and it has a raw, passionate quality that easily matches its strong-willed heroine.

The movie also shows us what a rotten place Panem is, whether it's the sleek, colorful superficiality of the Capitol or the faded squalor of District 12. But "Hunger Games" is at its best when it's in the forests of the arena -- there's a primal, wild quality to Katniss' adventures there, tempered with tenderer moments (such as when she cares for the gravely wounded Peeta).

The romance with Peeta is also refreshingly uncliched, leaving the audience unsure of how much of their love was for the audience's benefit (although we glimpse some flickers of real love between them). The biggest problems are that a lot of the violence seems rather toned down, and the shakycam becomes rather annoying at times.

But Jennifer Lawrence does an excellent job bringing Katniss to life, imbuing her with strength, fear, brains and a fiery temper -- exactly what the "girl on fire" needs to have. Josh Hutcherson is equally good as Peeta, and there are a string of great performances by Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks and Amandla Stenberg. There's a lot of passion in even the minor actors' performances.

"The Hunger Games" successfully mingles dystopian sci-fi, romance and a tale of rebellion, giving us a brilliantly raw, passionate movie. A must-see.

Many urban fantasy writers include werewolves, fae and vampires revealing themselves to the world, but only a few actually look at how people would realistically react. Patricia Briggs' "Fair Game" gives us both a sobering portrait of how things might unfold AND a solid serial-killer thriller. The third Alpha and Omega novel has a suspenseful story at its core, but Briggs also provides quieter moments so her characters can breathe.

After having to kill several werewolves, Charles is beginning to crumble mentally; he's seeing ghosts and starting to give in to his bloodthirsty instincts. So he and Anna are sent to Boston on a special mission -- assist the FBI on a serial-killer case that has lasted decades. The killer initially had a straightforward pattern (Asian teenagers), but began including werewolves and fae. Each one was carved with witch symbols, raped, and finally murdered.

Now the human daughter of a high-ranking fae has been kidnapped, and the FBI/werewolf team has only hours to find her. But the case becomes particularly strange when they discover that a long-dead witch and a bizarre kind of fae may be involved in it. And unless they figure out who the killers are fast, Anna might be their next target.

"Fair Game" tries to tackle a lot of heavy topics -- prejudice, the cost of killing, and the way normal humans would see the "monsters." And honestly, Patricia Briggs does really well. She doesn't dip into any heavy-handed gay/racial symbolism, and she doesn't depict ALL humans as slavering racists or groupies either. Laurell K. Hamilton should take notes.

The plot is a heavy, fast-moving affair with a feeling of creepy, overhanging suspense, marred only by a few scenes where the characters seem to forget the crisis. It's heavy, dark stuff, made of blood, black magic and killers who are complete unknowns, winding up into a bloodsoaked, genuinely freaky finale. It also has a finale that is both satisfying and realistic, altering the dynamic of human/supernatural relations. Things won't be the same again.

But Briggs also inserts scenes that allow her characters moments of quiet and reflection. And occasionally, there's some gentle humor -- the chapters from Brother Wolf's POV ("No taxis for werewolves!", or Charles and Alistair singing a Welsh folksong after the rescue.

This book also addresses something that perplexed me about the previous Alpha and Omega books: how can a guy like Charles be okay with being an enforcer/executioner, and how can Bran be okay with sending his son to kill? Turns out they aren't -- Charles is haunted by the ghosts of those he killed, and at times Brother Wolf has to take over to keep him from losing control. Fortunately, Brother Wolf is adorable.

Meanwhile, Anna has developed a lot from the frightened, timid creature she used to be -- she's now stronger and more assertive than before. She even faces off against the Marrok. And Briggs populates Boston with a solid cast of characters -- the strong, capable Leslie, the feisty local Alpha Isaac, and the elegant ancient fae Alistair.

"Fair Game" took a long time to arrive, but it was worth it -- this is the sort of urban fantasy that we need more of. And it leaves you wishing you knew what would happen next.

In urban fantasy, human beings are usually the pathetic losers - we don't get any cool supernatural powers that witches, werewolves or vampires get, and we're usually depicted as ineffectual racists. At best, we're just oblivious.

Kim Harrison is among the few authors to tackle the subject with any real depth. "A Perfect Blood" is a smart, witty, fast-paced book where a small but clever cabal of humans humans are the enemy. While the plot gets a little bogged down in Rachel's woes as a new demon, the main plot is tense, taut, and genuinely scary at times.

Rachel is furiously treading water in the government bureaucracy when an old, powerful vampire (via a young one named Nina) offers her a deal -- if she helps solve a bizarre crime, he will arrange for her to be declared "alive" again.

But the crime is more than merely strange: a young man who was ritually murdered, and partly transformed into a hideous beast-man. Even worse, he's not the first. Rachel realizes that someone was trying to transform him into a demon. And the perpetrators seem to be HAPA (Humans Against Paranormals Association), a hate group that wants to destroy all Inderlanders, and is now using magic to do it.

And since Rachel's demon blood makes her a huge blinking target, she begins worrying about the people she cares for -- and what will happen if she finally removes the elven bracelet. But soon she begins to realize that has members hidden in the IS and/or FIB -- and everyone around her might have their own agenda. To keep herself and her friends safe, she might have to trust

I honestly have developed a leetle pet peeve at how humans are depicted in urban fantasy -- usually it's as frothing racists who have no chance against the overpowered supernaturals, but for some reason they're able to oppress the poor Metaphorical Minorities. Ugh.

"A Perfect Blood" is one of the few that DOESN'T annoy me. It's tightly written, burning with dark intensity and filled with taut action scenes and some genuinely scary foes. The scariness of HAPA is not just that they're fanatics using magic, but that they're SMART. And, well, that the authorities don't want to acknowledge that they exist.

With such an intense plot, Kim Harrison spends a lot of time weaving dark plot threads and spidery twists into the story. But she also includes some of her trademark wit and humor (Jenks' stormy love life with Belle) and some touching moments (Rachel has Kisten's pool table refelted), and some genuinely suspenseful mysteries (who is Felix?). The one downside is that for some chapters, the HAPA crisis gets shoved on the back burner so Trent and Rachel can deal with her demon problems.

Rachel spends most of this book being crippled by her fears and her denial of her new demon nature -- and she won't be able to trounce HAPA unless she overcomes them both. And her relationship with Trent is growing by leaps and bounds. While she still doesn't fully trust him, Rachel is starting to see that the stately elf is not the monster she once thought he was, and that he might feel more than friendship for her. It's actually rather cute, in a Lizzie-and-Darcy way.

"A Perfect Blood" isn't quite perfect, but it's close enough to be one of the best books in Kim Harrison's series yet. It's dark and intense, but threaded liberally with humor and a tinge of romance.

"Vampire Journals" is a wonderful movie. An awful movie. This is a WONDERFUL, AWFUL movie that takes every romantic vampire cliche in existence and squashes them into a big velvet-and-lace disaster.

In fact, watching this movie is kind of like diving headfirst into the fanfiction of a 13-year-old Anne Rice fan, with lots of lace, velvet, classical music, marble pillars and flowing hair. It moves very slowly and there isn't actually a lot going on, but the serious, melodramatic tone of every scene makes it unintentionally hilarious ("I have no wish to violate your flesh!").

The story follows Zachary (David Gunn), a melancholy vampire with a conscience who seeks to destroy all vampires of his bloodline. Fortunately, he has the Sword of Laertes, which has the power to kill vampires... just like every other sword.

Zachary's latest target is Ash (Jonathon Morris), a master vampire with a love of classical music -- and he's fixed his gaze on Sofia (Kirsten Cerre), a talented young pianist. Zachary manages to rescue Sofia from Ash at first, but it turns out Ash has invited her to perform at his personal abode, Club Muse (which is a sort of casino/brothel/vampire restaurant).

Well, you can probably guess exactly what Ash has in store for Sofia -- he wants to immortalize her musical skills by turning her into a vampire. So he entraps her in his bedroom, slowly breaking her will so that she will accept him as her master. Zachary has only a short time to save her, but doing so might lure him back to the darkness.

"Vampire Journals" is one of those baroque/gothic/romantic slabs of vampire fantasy -- graveyards, wrought-iron, classical music, silk and satin and lace, old world aristocrats and vast shadowy mansions filled with marble. Supposedly this is a spinoff of "Subspecies," but it has a completely different atmosphere and storyline.

And it's HILARIOUS. The entire thing is very ponderous and melodramatic, with lots of talk about the torture of being immortal and so on and so forth. The dialogue is often silly ("Take me out into the Great Night, Master! I crave the hunt!") and there are long, slow-moving parts where we have people just sort of drifting around looking off into space and/or biting people. And it's handled SO seriously that it's difficult not to giggle.

Also, there are breasts. It's actually hilarious, because they just sort of appear randomly. For instance, the movie opens with a woman in a gauzy dress dancing slowly in a dark, misty mansion... and then when a vampire chases her down, her boob pops out. Very unintentionally funny.

Compared to "Subspecies 4," Jonathon Morris is actually quite enjoyable here -- Ash is refined, manipulative, and always talks like he's in mid-swoon. Gunn does as well as anyone can with the "vampire with a heart" cliche; Cerre is required to do little more than cry, scream and twinkle at Gunn; and Ilinca Goia says every single line in a breathy pseudo-erotic whisper.

"Vampire Journals" is a bad movie, but in a hilarious MST3K way -- it's so melodramatic and full of vampire schlock that it ends up being fun by accident. It's like overdosing on Anne Rice fanfiction.

Where is Psyren? What IS Psyren? And what is Psyren's connection to our own troubled world?

Those are the questions that litter "Psyren Volume 1," one of the few manga I was eagerly awaiting even before it arrived on American shores. It's hard to see why this series has been completely overshadowed by lesser manga/anime series -- it has a deliciously nightmarish world where ordinary people must fight to survive, a mysterious figure pulling the strings, and a rough-diamond hero.

Strange things are happening in Yoshina Ageha's life: Masked apparitions, ringing phones, and his old friend Amamiya pleading "Save me!"... just before she goes missing. In fact, a lot of people are going missing, and the only clue Ageha has is a calling card with "Psyren" printed on it. But using the card only attracts more trouble -- and Ageha ends up being whisked into a strange desert world with ruined buildings.

And after monstrous creatures kill most of the people there, Ageha joins forces with an exhausted Amamiya and a very tall, tough teenager named Asaga. Their only hope for survival is to find the gate leading out of Psyren and back to their own world. But when Ageha learns what Psyren truly is, he realizes that there may be no escape for anyone...

"Psyren Volume 1" is one of the best introductions to a manga series that I have ever seen. It introduces the first three main characters, it's got plenty of wall-smashing action, and author Toshiaki Iwashiro tosses a KILLER twist into one of the chapters. I won't reveal what it is, but it adds an entirely new spin on a seemingly ordinary "through the looking glass" tale.

It's also a very lean, fast-moving story, with compact fight scenes that feel grittier and more realistic than most shonen series. There are a few bleakly humorous moments (Amamiya getting all weird and smiley), but Iwashiro's skill is in how passionately he evokes deeper emotions. There's a nightmarish, haunting quality to Psyren itself, and the death of a kid Ageha tried to save is all the sadder because of his words before he turns to ash and blows away.

Oh, and the monsters? Friggin' creepy, especially the grinning helmeted one that almost looks human, but not quite. Even the mysterious "Nemesis Q" is kind of eerie.

Ageha himself is a really likable character. He's brash, temperamental and prone to fisticuffs -- he even SELLS fights on behalf of other students! -- yet has a heart of gold. He doesn't quite stand out from the pack of spiky-haired shonen heroes, but he's getting there. Asaga is mostly a dark horse at the moment, but Amamiya seems to be a new twist on the action girl -- she's bespectacled and studious, but also a sword-swinging monster-slayer.

"Psyren Volume 1" is a solid kickoff to one of manga's more underrated series. If you like "Bleach" but wish the fight scenes weren't so prolonged, then this might be your cup of tea.