The last dragons of Europe, holed up in a valley of Scotland, are about to be driven out by humans. The eldest dragon tells them of a hidden
sanctuary, the Rim of Heaven, which no human may ever find, but most of the dragons don't believe such a place exists except in the elder's dreams.
The young male Firedrake believes in the legendary valley, and with his brownie friend Sorrel he sets out to find it. They pick up the orphan human
boy Ben in the city where they stop to get a map (created by a clever rat), and together set out for the Himalayas to seek the Rim of Heaven.
They aren't the only ones searching for the legendary dragon sanctuary. A golden beast called Nettlebrand, created by a long-deceased alchemist for
the sole purpose of hunting dragons, also wants to find it, so he can continue the hunt he was designed for so long ago. Does the Rim of Heaven even
exist? If they find it, will Firedrake and his companions find salvation there, or will they lead an old, unstoppable enemy to the last dragon
stronghold on Earth?
Review
This reads like an old, classic children's book. Aside from the mapmaking rat's laptop, it could have been written thirty or more years ago; there's
a nostalgic feel to it, not in a bad way. The characters don't have much depth or background, but come to life in their own way, having memorable
encounters and adventures. Funke creates some nice mind's-eye candy here, with her dragons who live on moonlight and the fierce beast Nettlebrand and
other creations. Nobody is excessively stupid or whining deadweight, and everyone has to pull together to lend their own talents to the climax.
The many short chapters and ink illustrations make this an ideal book for bedtime reading, a book kids might well pick up and try rereading on their
own. Enjoyable for young and old alike.
During the site transfer process, I found mention of a sequel, Dragon Rider: The Griffin's Feather. Much as I don't think the story needs a sequel,
it might be fun.
Twelve-year-old Meggie's father, Mortimer, is a "book doctor," restoring old volumes damaged by time and wear, so she has always been surrounded
by printed words and the worlds they contain. While Mo actively encourages her love of the written word, hehas never, ever read aloud to her. Meggie
never though too much of it, or her own mother's unexplained disappearance when she was only three years old, until the night she sees the stranger
outside her window, a stranger who seems almost familiar. The man, Dustfinger, has a peculiar interest in Mo, as do some far less savory characters.
Characters they are indeed, for Mo read them to life out of a fantasy tale called Inkheart, with Meggie's mother vanishing into the pages
of the book at the same time. Aside from Dustfinger, Mo also read to life, on that fateful night, a black-hearted villain named Capricorn and his
servant Bascha. Settling into his new world quickly, Capricorn continues his evil schemes, creating a new network of followers with Bacha's help.
Now, the foul man wants Mortimer to read more wonders to life. He's used to getting what he wants in any world, and is willing to do anything to
anyone to get it - even young Meggie, who may have inherited her father's special talent.
Review
This book is about books; the love of books, the love of stores within books, the love of worlds within stories. From the actual printed ink on
paper to the images conjured by the written word, Inkheart shows a true devotion to the magic of stories and the power of books, a power some
people seem to fear. Everyone here is bound to books or stories in some way, and most of them must re-evaluate those bonds over the course of the
story, as reading about (or writing about) evil things is a much different thing than encountering them in person. Anyone, young or old, who has ever
had a world leap to life in their minds as they read a beloved tale, or who ever wished to enter that world themselves, should love this story. Of the
three Funke books I've read thus far, this is the deepest, and the best.
A year ago, Meggie and her father, the bookbinder Mo, used their gifts for reading stories to life to defeat the foul Capricorn, himself lifted
from the pages of the ill-fated book Inkheart. In creating his nemesis, they inadvertently sent the book's author, Fenoglio, into the story.
The Inkworld-born fire-dancer Dustfinger was left behind in the real world, though at least he is no longer alone. His new apprentice Farid, was once
a background character in A Thousand And One Arabian Nights until Mo accidentally read him to life. Still, Dustfinger yearns to return to his
homeworld and the people he left behind; for all the wonders of Earth, it is not and never will be home to him.
After much searching, Dustfinger found another gifted reader named Orpheus to read him back into the Inkworld. Farid, left behind, discovers that
Orpheus was in league with Dustfinger's enemies Bascha and Mortola, fellow Inkworld natives with a score to settle with Meggie and Mo and Dustfinger
himself. Farid must warn his beloved teacher of the trap they have set for him. To save Dustfinger, he and Meggie manage to read themselves into the
Inkworld.
Here, things are not going as they were intended. The Laughing Prince has become the grief-consumed Prince of Sighs after the death of his beloved son
Cosimo, the terrible Adderhead stands ready to crush the entire land under his iron fist, and not even the author Fenoglio's best efforts can keep the
story from trying to tell itself in a way he never intended. Meggie and Farid, and eventually Mo and his wife Resa, find that their own stories are
inextricably intertwined with those of the characters - the people - of the Inkworld.
Review
First off, a warning: there is one more book in the series, and the ending is a cliffhanger. That said, I greatly enjoyed this book, for all that I
didn't think Inkheart needed a sequel. Whereas the first book was about bringing stories to life in the "real" world, this one moves the action
mostly into the Inkworld created by Fenoglio's fantasy... but does his written word truly hold sway in this world, especially now that the author himself
is caught up in the middle of a story he didn't intend to write? Fenoglio seems particularly at a loss, at once the supposed creator of this domain and a
helpless pawn of powers greater than him, a flow of events that has gathered its own momentum. It's not a dry philosophical debate, but the theme
underlies everything that happens, as people rely on written words and their own wits in an attempt to give the Inkworld a happy - or happier - ending.
The concept of fate verses free will, or will versus words, takes on a whole new meaning when one is actually walking in a world created by ink and paper,
a world that is every bit as real as the one Meggie and Mo came from, a world like the one Fenoglio wrote and yet deviating from the original story, because
of - or in spite of - the effects of the "outsiders" wandering through it. Whereas Inkheart explored the power of the written word to create
worlds and characters that seemed so real they came to life, Inkspell turns the idea around as "real" people find themselves walking through a
beloved story, not in the skin of a character or in their imaginations but in the flesh-and-blood waking world. Both are very much about a love of books
and the joys and perils of the stories contained in them. If you are at all familiar with those joys, you owe it to yourself to read both books.
When the bookbinder Mortimer first read the fantasy Inkheart years ago, he had no idea that his skilled voice would read to life the
villianous Capricorn and the hero Dustfinger… or that his wife Resa would be pulled into the Inkworld. With Capricorn dead and his wife returned,
life should have gone to normal, but now he’s in Inkworld himself, along with Resa, his daughter Meggie, and Fenoglio, Inkheart’s author.
Thanks in no small part to their interference, the Inkworld is in shambles. The Adderhead, dread ruler of Argent, has conquered the peaceful land
of Ombra, placing it under the rule of the foppish Milksop. Worse, the evil man might well rule for eternity: he forced Mo and Meggie to bind him
a magical book that keeps him forever safe from the White Women, daughters of Death. The hero Dustfinger lies dead, but his loyal apprentice Farid
refuses to give up hope of resurrecting his fire-taming master; after all, Mo returned from the White Women's clutches, and he's not even a native
of the Inkworld. Now, another “silvertongue” has arrived: Orpheus, who has learned the trick of writing his own wishes to life by stealing
Fenoglio’s words and usurping his world. As Fenoglio drinks away his misery, Mo takes on the dangerous alter ego of “the Bluejay,” robber-hero of
the downtrodden people, and Orpheus sets himself up as a sorcerer granting the Milksop’s extravagant wishes, it looks like the Inkworld is headed
toward a very bad ending, indeed... and if the Inkworld’s tale ends badly, so will the tales of the real-world visitors stuck there.
Review
As promised, the trilogy concludes in cataclysmic fashion in this volume... eventually. The wash of names and places and alliances and rivalries
from the first two books grows exponentially more tangled here. Characters old and new spend chapter after chapter whining and moaning about their
given situations, burdened under pages of flowery language and metaphors, without actively advancing the plot. When things actually moved forward, I
felt an almost ecstatic rush of elation, like creeping another half-block in a rush hour traffic jam. I remember some of that in Funke's previous
volumes, but it seemed more blatant here; I don't remember having to consciously will myself to keep reading before. She also ramps up the story's
sexism, though she defends it by blaming it on Fenoglio's prejudices. Even when the women step up and prove instrumental in saving things, they get
short-shafted. I found it all the more annoying because Funke kept having Meggie, Resa, and Aunt Elinor (who turns up in the Inkworld for no reason
other than to be irritating) harp on the fact that women never get strong roles in Fenoglio's works. Beyond that, the Inkworld continues to be a
fascinating place to visit, full of magical details, and Funke continues to play with the idea of writers and readers wandering through fictional
realms that may not be so fictional after all. Unfortunately, a neat setting and some interesting background ideas can't bail out this sinking ship.
As for the ending itself... without getting into spoilers, I can't be specific, but I found myself less than satisfied with how it all wrapped up. It
also smells supiciously ripe for future volumes. Overall, while Inkheart's still worth reading if you've ever loved a story, I can't say the
same for the trilogy on the whole, much as I wish I could.
Twelve-year-old Prosper and his five-year-old brother, Bo, ran away from their rich, snooty aunt and uncle. Their late mother told them wondrous
stories of Venice, lending it a magical air, so the boys have come to the city of canals in the hopes of finding sanctuary. They do, in a way, falling
in with Hornet, Riccio, and Mosca, homeless Venetian children who survive partly on thievery and partly due to the benevolence of their mysterious
leader, the Thief Lord. Little more than a boy himself, the Thief Lord has his own secrets to hide.
One day, a wealthy count offers the gang a very tempting commission to steal a seemily worthless wooden wing, a wing that may once have belonged to a
long-lost magical artifact. Prosper and Bo's relatives have also come to Venice, hiring the softhearted private detective Victor to help find the boys.
Between them all, great secrets will be uncovered... putting them in danger.
Review
This seemed to drag more than once, and I occasionally found the characters irritating, but on the whole they had more depth and realism than those
in Dragon Rider. Funke writes Venice as a magical, yet dangerous place, transforming it from real-life city to an ageless fairy-tale land of
bridges and canals and backwaters; it almost becomes a character in its own right. The story moves slowly at times, but it takes some interesting turns
and wraps up its loose ends fairly well. All in all, a decent read.
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