Companions Quartet
#2174.15 adjusted 4.13 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Unfinished 2006–2011 Reading commitment Medium Julia Golding Last reviewed 2026-11-05
Overview
British author Julia Golding wrote the Companions Quartet for Oxford University Press between 2006 and 2008. It is set mostly in the English town of Hescombe, where eleven-year-old Connie Lionheart goes to live with her aunt and learns that mythical creatures are real and that a secret society protects them. Connie turns out to be a rare Universal Companion, able to bond with every kind of creature, and the shapeshifter Kullervo wants her power to wipe out humanity. The four novels follow Connie and her friends through sirens, a gorgon, a minotaur and a chimera. A later book, Water Thief (2011), follows George, the youngest Universal Companion.
Urban fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
Companions Quartet Julia Golding
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Secret of the Sirens | 2006 | 1 | core | 4.06 (5,241 ratings) |
 | The Gorgon's Gaze | 2007 | 2 | core | 4.10 (3,244 ratings) |
 | Mines of the Minotaur | 2007 | 3 | core | 4.22 (2,607 ratings) |
 | The Chimera's Curse | 2008 | 4 | core | 4.30 (2,586 ratings) |
Connie Lionheart, a Universal Companion, protects mythical creatures from the shapeshifter Kullervo.
Universal Companions Julia Golding
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Thief; Listed as the first book of the Universal Companions series. | 2011 | 1 | core | N/A |
A continuation set after the quartet, following George, the youngest Universal Companion.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Companions Quartet? Companions Quartet's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for Companions Quartet? Publication order, starting with Secret of the Sirens. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Companions Quartet finished? Unfinished (2006–2011).
- How much reading does Companions Quartet take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books).
- How is Companions Quartet ranked? #217 in this site's official ranking, based on 13,678 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #217?
Ranked #217 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.15 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (13,678 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #216, Dragonriders of Pern (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
One Core Canon book here doesn't have a recorded rating yet and isn't counted above: “Water Thief” (awaiting ordinary reader-rating data collection. It will be folded back into this universe's ranking once its rating is recorded.).
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 5 books · Unfinished · 14k ratings · Ranks #217 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- Secret of the Sirens (2006)
- Mines of the Minotaur (2007)
- The Gorgon's Gaze (2007)
- The Chimera's Curse (2008)
- Water Thief (2011)
Documented internal/story order
- Secret of the Sirens (2006)
- Water Thief (2011)
- The Gorgon's Gaze (2007)
- Mines of the Minotaur (2007)
- The Chimera's Curse (2008)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.15 across 13,678 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. 1 additional Core Canon book hasn't been rated yet, so it isn't counted here. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 22 universes from the candidate register; Cursed Bunny ruled out; open synopses for Anna Strong, Allie Beckstrom and Alex Craft accepted 2026-11-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Companions Quartet Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Julia Golding Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-05
Rule: Core Canon = Secret of the Sirens (2006), The Gorgon's Gaze (2007), Mines of the Minotaur (2007), The Chimera's Curse (2008) and the sequel Water Thief (2011).