Inkspell (Inkheart Trilogy, Book 2) (2)

In the follow-up to the wildly successful (and enjoyable) Inkheart, Cornelia Funke delivers the second book in her trilogy, Inkspell, with grace and confidence. And suffice to say, this book gladly does not suffer from the sophomore slump syndrome, but takes the next leap forward in terms of conventional children's storytelling. Funke's story within a story takes the next step up from the first book where the true wonder of reading was displayed in a fashion never done before; the ability to read characters out of their own story! In Inkspell, Funke does the exact opposite and throws her characters into the Inkworld; the world of Inkheart. Meggie and Farid, after Dustfinger returns to the Inkworld, follow him only to discover the wonderful world they imagined is ruled with an iron fist by the cruel Adderhead and his gang of cruel servants. Meggie soon finds Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart, who is now living in his own creation. Fenoglio believes that with his words and Meggie's voice, they can finally give the story the happy ending that Fenoglio originally intended for it. The plot is complicated, and Funke weaves a story of multiple characters with the true ease of a master. Instead of repeating Inkheart, Funke has captured the true grit of the Inkworld, where it is populated by horrible people who live for death and despair. Getting to the point, this story is not as light and fluffy as its spot in the children's book section would imply. Funke, who some call the German J.K. Rowling, is similar in the sense that she matures her story along with her characters. Themes of love, hate, death, murder, and the occasional curse word populate Funke's story. Not for the light-hearted, this masterpiece of children's literature surpassed my expectations not only as a sequel, but as a great read in general. Funke grows her characters; makes them feel, cry, and hate convincingly. With a shocking ending, I eagerly await the third and final installment with anticipation and wonder at what Funke will throw us next. Highly recommended to all ages who appreciate true literature when they see it.

It is very difficult to find words to describe the impact this book had on me without giving anything away. I've never known a book to induce such a complex series of emotions as Inkspell. This book is the sequel to Inkheart and yet the two books have very little in common apart from the characters. Where as Inkheart is a beautifully written story, Inkspell is a dark, gritty book, far more hard-hitting than it's predecessor. The style is mature and sophisticated, both powerful and moving. Cornelia Funke delves far more deeply in to the emotions and feelings of her characters, exposing their faults and their fears. Proving herself to be extremely talented at her craft. And with none more so than Dustfinger. I do believe he is one of the most human, and consequently one of the best characters I've ever met in a book. I don't think I've ever come across an author who writes with such love and care, and that is apparent both in Inkheart and Inkspell. Inkspell leaves the reader with a very different feeling to the one Inkheart leaves behind, but it is a brilliant book in it's own right. I've never read a sequel like it. It is truly unique. The audio version is not read by Lyn Redgrave who read the first one, but instead by Brendan Frazer who has also read Cornelia Funke's novel Dragon Rider. It does annoy me when companies don't stick to the same reader through a series, but Brendan Frasor is an excellent narrator, so I shouldn't complain. I sincerely hope there will be another book, the ending of Inkspell certainly suggests as much, and if you're desperate to unravel my many hints, why then read the book yourself.

It would be difficult to avoid the obvious comparison of the Ink books to the Harry Potter and the Narnia series; both deal with fantasy worlds and a select group of adolecents that are the primary leaders of the good versus evil struggle. Like J.K. Rowling / Harry Potter and C. S. Lewis / Narnia, Cornelia Funke is supremely sucessful in enticing us to enter the world of Inkspell. Funkes' characters are unusually well developed and realistic, she allows her heros to have faults and weaknesses; she also offers a limited insight to the behavior of the villins. The action is well paced with only rare passages of insignificant verbage and her descriptions manage to convey a complete picture while still allowing for personal interpretation. The beginning chapters set the stage, the middle moves the action forward and the ending chapter resolve major issues; all these tasks are accomplished without padding or rushing the story. While Inkspell is the first of two books, this sequence comes to a satisfactory conclusion and can stand alone with or without the second volume. Although originally written for youth, these books have a wide appeal and would be an excellent addition to any library. Inkspell is enjoyable when read by the chapter or when read completely through in one sitting.

Great book, loved it, was in good condition.

Great

love love love!!

I think that this is the best fantasy trilogy of all time. Sure, it's not quite as amazing as the Lord of the Rings (which is actually just one extremely long book) or as charming as the Chronicles of Narnia (which are 7). However, I loved it for 3 reasons: it was imaginative, it was engaging, and it was long. A book being long, yet gripping, is very important to me because I read very quickly and I love a story that just keeps going on and on that takes me more than an hour or two to finish. This book took my 5 hours nonstop the first time I read it. Inkspell is even better than Inkheart, probably because it almost completely leaves this world behind and immerses us in an enchanting new world that combines elements of mythology, the Middle Ages, and Cornelia Funke's superb imagination. The book combines elements of happiness, suspense, intrigue, romance (yay!), magic, and tragedy for a perfect, delicious balance. I also delight in the little quote at the beginning of each chapter that gets you guessing as to what's going to happen next. I am practically dying waiting for the 3rd book to come out so I can see what happens to Dustfinger and Meggie and Farid and Eleanor and Mo. I can't wait till the movie comes out in March! The one thing that concerns me is that since this is a children's book, it would be considered childish. However, I find it's just as complex as many adult books I've read, and as for the content? I don't think that everybody has to be swearing and sleeping around and killing each other messily for a book to be interesting to adults. I'm 14, and I loved it, but even better, my dad thinks it's "real literature". Like the book back of Inkheart, I dared to read Inkheart aloud to my dad, and now we're almost completely through Inkspell. While I'll never be able to read aloud as well as a professional actor such as Brendan Frasier or Lynn Redgrave, it showed me how fun it can be to read a book that you love aloud. I know that when I have children, I will share this book with them. (Note: Since you're only allowed to post one review of each thing, I'll have to make my review of the Audio CD a postscript. Brendan Frasier didn't read Inkspell the way I imagined it at all. I read one person say that he totally ruined Elinor; ironically, she was the only character I thought he read the way I imagined. Also, his good if at first alarming voice for Farid influenced the way I did mine in reading aloud. Other than that, I thought he majorly messed up many of the characters. Dustfinger was okay, but the bad guys sounded more Eastern European than evil, Meggie seemed whiny, and giving the Italian author Fenoglio a Brooklyn accent? Utterly confusing, jarring, and frustrating. He sounds more like a thug than a gruff, quirky grandfather and world creator.

This was much better than the first book, Inkheart. There is much more character development and I loved that the setting was the world Fenoglio created rather than our own world. I fell in love with his world just as the characters in the book do. I love the transformation that takes place in Mo. I highly recommend this book, just make sure you have some time when you start, because you won't be able to put it down!