Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

 

  

Synopsis:

The Adderhead--his immortality bound in a book by Meggie's father, Mo--has ordered his henchmen to plunder the villages. The peasants' only defense is a band of outlaws led by the Bluejay--Mo's fictitious double, whose identity he has reluctantly adopted. But the Book of Immortality is unraveling, and the Adderhead again fears the White Women of Death. To bring the renegade Bluejay back to repair the book, the Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, dooming them to slavery in his silver mines unless Mo surrenders. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story?

Review by Patrick:

This book did not let you put it down, until the climax was completed. From the end of the second book, this one picked right up and was intense from the get go. I can't believe it took me as long as it did to finish this book. Mostly because it was an audio book and I didn't have my car at times.

The performance by Allan Corduner was good. I don't think it was as good as Brendan Fraser, but he did a better Orpheus. He did a wonderful job with the Readers in the book.

The book itself was great. I think that the book came to a good conclusion and was intense and good and... I'm flustered. I don't know how to describe it.

It was so good, that I don't know if I have any critiques, other than give us more books. The whole time I listened to the story, I felt like I was sucked in to that fantasy world. I loved the power of words. This author knows what it feels like to tell a story and how to cherish it, but not only those things, but eloquently express those ideas into a story of it's own.

Apparently, with no negative feedback, I think I must rate this novel a 5 as well. This series is now one of my favorites, and I can't wait to go back and reread the paper copies.

Up Next:

Sphere by Michael Crichton, and whatever audiobook I find next at the library.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Synopsis:

Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.

Review by Patrick:

Wow. This book was amazing. I had the pleasure of listening to it in audio book format performed by Brendan Fraser. I thought Inkheart was good, but it is rare to find a sequel that is better than the first in a series. I believe Cornelia Funke has accomplished this. At first I wasn't excited that the performer was changed, but Brendan Fraser did an excellent job. The sound of Orpheus' voice was wonderful.

The story was amazing, and so real. When the characters go to the "Inkworld" as it is affectionately called by all of the characters not belonging to the book itself, the sheer descriptions and feelings of the characters is astounding. I believe she did an excellent job describing what a medieval world would be like, and the disparity between the rich and the poor (and the middle class, who just owns a few more cloaks than the farmers). I love it when the little details become real in the mind.

It got a little mind bending when I was thinking about all of the levels of intricacy. At one point I realized I was reading about a reader who was reading the words of an author to change a story that they both were currently inside when their real world was full of other characters who were stuck outside that world. Then outside of that I thought about what Cornelia Funke had been thinking about when she wrote, and what she would think of finally me the reader, reading her book, in which another book was written, and subsequently being changed by the author of that book. Talk about another layer of Inception.

There were so may twists and turns in this book. Nothing went how I expected it to. All of it went better. Everything wrong that could have happened did. It was amazing to see the darkness being unfolded before your eyes, and you had no idea what horrors would be in the next chapter, but you knew that you had to keep reading to find out.

I am stoic by nature. My own wife has seen me cry maybe a handful of times that we have been together. I. Do. Not. Cry. When the story took a turn for the worse, I was actually with her in the living room with headphones on (I couldn't wait for the commute the next morning). I closed my eyes and put my face in my hands, and she knew instantly that something was wrong. *Spoiler* How could I be so attached to a character? I was ready for death, but when it came, it still hurt like a knife in the back. I can't believe she did that. *Spoiler* But then again, I hadn't seen anything that was coming up in this book.

And the ending wasn't so much of an ending, but rather a springboard for the last book. The board is set, chess pieces moved, and some have fallen, but the characters must play out the story of the words that is written. You learn that in this book. If it is written, then destiny and fate must play out to the end. But I don't know what to do with the fear, excitement, and hope that the last chapters gave. What will happen in the last book? I do not know, but I will find out soon.

There is only one rating I can give for this book. 5. It was phenomenal. Enough said.

Up Next:

I'm still reading Gideon the Cutpurse and plan on finishing Catch 22 soon. If any of my other reserves come in from the library, I'll be reading those too.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Synopsis:

One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART-- and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.

This is INKHEART--a timeless tale about books, about imagination, about life. Dare to read it aloud.

Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

Review by Patrick:

I got to listen to this book driving to and from work in audio book format. The book was read by Lynn Redgrave, who did a fantastic job with it. I wish I could make my voice do that many impressions and accents. I always envy the performers of audio books. They always do a great job.

From the first chapter, you know that the author is a lover of books. The words chosen are very carefully picked from a field or possibilities, but like a florist, each word is carefully placed in its proper place, giving the whole arrangement a beauty that no single word could have on its own. Every book lover's dream is come true with this book. It made me want to giggle and show everyone, "This is why I love books. Right here. Read it."

Fantastic story. Who would ever think about a tongue that could bring words to life. The story was great. I felt a part of the world that was created. And these characters that were plucked by their own story was in shock, but stayed true to their book character, no matter what world they were in.

This work was pure genius. I loved it. I can't wait to read/listen to the rest of the trilogy. I give it a 4.5.

Up Next:

Book 2 of this trilogy: Inkspell.