The Strega Borgia Chronicles is a series of black comedy novels for older children by award-winning Scottish writer and illustrator Debi Gliori. Pure Dead Magic was Gliori's first novel. The chronicles follow the Strega Borgias, a quirky, bizarre, Italian family: Signor and Signora Strega-Borgia (Luciano and Baci) and their four children, Titus, Pandora, Damp and Nieve, who live with their mythical companions in their fictitious home StregaSchloss, in Argyll. It consists of two trilogies: Pure Dead and Deep. The Strega-Borgias share similarities to The Addams Family. Characters The family Signor Luciano Strega-Borgia - The sometimes hot-tempered husband of Baci and father of Titus, Pandora, Damp and Nieve. He is very fond of his family, despite leaving them in a temper in the first book and frequently arguing with Baci. Enjoys coffee, especially cappuccino. Signora Baci Strega-Borgia - Luciano's wife, mother to Titus, Pandora, Damp and Nieve. She dislikes being pregnant. Baci attends a witch academy, although she is absolutely appalling at magic. Titus, son of the above. Twelve during the series Titus is something of a computer geek. His laptop has been used for, amongst other things, growing rather a lot of small pink clones, and receiving video clips from the future. Titus loves food, especially raspberry muffins. He has/had a band. Titus is terrified of spiders but unlike most arachnophobics seems willing to tolerate them when he has to. Pandora - Titus's younger sister, ten or eleven during the series. Pandora is occasionally obsessed with makeup, much to the distress of her father who believes her far too young for it. She believes that technology is dreadful and loves her pet rats, Multitudina and Terminus. Pandora is probably the most observant and intelligent of the Borgias. During the series she gains a card for the Library, an assortment of magical items, and run by the centaur, Alpha. Damp - The youngest Strega-Borgia up till the final book, the aptly named Damp is a baby magus who constantly keeps her nanny on her toes preventing Damp's magic from being discovered by her parents. Damp has a bat familiar called Vesper. She is a messy little girl who loves colours and glitter but in Pure Dead Brilliant she is revealed to grow up to be an arrogant and haughty individual. (This may change, seeing as that was the future in which Titus died, and was changed before the events starting to