Inkspell (Inkheart Trilogy) [Hardcover]

Cornelia Funke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2005 | Series: Inkheart Trilogy

Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of the extraordinary events of Inkheart, and the story whose characters strode out of the pages and changed her life forever. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater created from words, the need to return to the original tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the magical ability to read him back into the story, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges back into the Inkworld of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and soon they find their way inside the book too. There they meet Fenoglio, the author of the original "Inkheart", now living within his own story - but discover it much changed, and threatening to evolve in sinister ways he could never have imagined. But can Meggie, Farid and Fenoglio 'write' the wrongs of a charmed world about to be fought over by rival princes and rebels?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Just a few chapters into Inkspell, Mo (a.k.a. "Silvertongue") sagely says to his daughter, "Stories never really end, Meggie, even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on. They don't end on the last page, any more than they begin on the first page." A fitting meta-observation for this, the unplanned second installment in Cornelia Funke's beloved now-trilogy.

Of course, it's that sort of earnest, almost gushing veneration of books and book-loving that made the absorbing suspense-fantasy Inkheart so wonderful in the first place, with that lit-affection getting woven integrally into the plot (Inkheart being both Funke's first book in the series, and the fictitious book within that book, authored by the frustrated Fenoglio, now trapped within the book, er, within the book. Fenoglio, perhaps not surprisingly, self-referentially wishes in Inkspell that he had written a sequel to Inkheart.) Inkspell should serve as a special treat for fans of the first book, as characters from Inkheart who have found themselves in the "real world" (if there is such a thing) find themselves read back into their own mythic, word-spun world--along with some of our favorite "real-world" characters. As with the previous book, Funke's greatest accomplishment here is telling such a rich and involving (and fun!) story, while still managing sweet, subtle commentary on the nature of words and meaning. Expect a tantalizing finale, too--as Funke says, "No reader will forgive me the ending, though, without a part three." (Ages 8 and up) --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up–This sequel begins a year after the conclusion of Funke's popular Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003). In this fantasy world, certain readers have the power to bring characters out of books–and send them back. Meggie and Farid, apprentices to the fire-eater Dustfinger, follow him to the Inkworld, the land of the book-within-a-book, Inkheart, after he has been read back into its story by a mysterious man named Orpheus. Orpheus uses his powers to read Mortola and Basta, some of the villains of the first volume, into the story, along with Meggie's parents. In Inkworld, Meggie enlists the help of Fenoglio, the original author of Inkheart, to help create a new future for her parents and herself as palace intrigues, war, and the Silver Prince threaten. The story moves along at a rapid pace, from Farid and Dustfinger's original meeting with Orpheus to Farid's warning of Mortola's return to the shift of action to the Inkworld and the heightening conflict in both worlds. Expanding on the ideas behind Inkheart, Funke explores what might happen if authors try to change the world they have created. Familiar characters and those new to this volume are clearly drawn. This is an involving story that will draw readers smoothly to its conclusion and leave them waiting for the final volume in this projected trilogy.–Beth L. Meister, Pleasant View Elementary School, Franklin, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: The Chicken House; First Edition edition (October 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904442722
• ISBN-13: 978-1904442721
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (282 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,191,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cornelia Funke is one of today's most beloved writers of magical stories for children. She is the author of The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, Inkheart, Inkspell, the Ghosthunters series, When Santa Fell to Earth, and Igraine the Brave. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California, in a house full of books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Successor To Inkheart, December 3, 2005

By 

Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inkspell (Hardcover)

Meggie. Mo, Dustfinger, and Farid return, and for some the return is to the land the characters sprang from in Inkheart. Clever to the point of confusion, there are warring princes, fire giving fairies, and pet grizzly bears to contend with as well as a vengeful Mother out to destroy her son's killer. Three quarters of the way through I had no idea how this was all going to wrap up, and the answers are surely still out there since the book ends in less a cliff hanger and more a simple stop. Extremely engaging as the first book was, and a must for any young person or adult who believes in the power and the magic of the written word.

111 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Characters Have a Love For Books Just Like Us, September 23, 2005

By 

Angela J. Thorpe "desertprincess" (Alamogordo, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Inkspell (Hardcover)

After reading "The Thief Lord", I was truly hooked by Cornelia Funke's style of writing which led me to "Inkheart" and "Inkspell". Very absorbing and deep. She truly takes you into her world with words and imagery.

"Inkspell", as with it's predecessor "Inkheart", is a love for both books and reading. Many of this book's characters are also characters in the book in their own universe. The characters that come to life for us also come to life in the book.

A slightly confusing concept to explain. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful fantasy aimed for a slightly higher age group (12 and up). I was happy to learn that this is only the second book in a Trilogy. There's one last installment planned.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Plot Thickens ..., October 10, 2005

By 

Chapati (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Inkspell (Hardcover)

I heard a lot about Cornelia Funke's Inkheart book just a few weeks ago, and quickly went to the library and got it. The book was great, though in my opinion it did not live up to the hype that people gave it. I decided to read the sequel, though. And, in my opinion, Inkspell does the job amazingly.

In this second book, Funke makes the story she began in Inkheart startlingly more complex, and gives every character so much depth and so many dimensions that it is difficult to form a firm opinion about anyone. I got this book from the "Young Adult" section of the library, but the themes that are prevalent throughout the book- life and death, fate vs. free will- and the characters that grow so significantly in its 600+ pages are ones that can keep an adult fully occupied and thinking well into the night.

In Inkspell, Funke brings the characters from Inkheart back to the Inkworld Fenoglio had created. Eventually, almost all of them end up back there, from the evil Mortola and Basta to the beloved Mo and Meggie. The character who takes the shine from everyone, though, is Dustfinger. He is far and beyond the most complex character in the story, and I loved every page he was on because so many subtle nuances were added to his personality. For him alone, Inkspell is worth reading.

But if he isn't enough for you, then perhaps a conscience-stricken Fenoglio, or a lovestruck Farid will draw you in. Or a princess nicknamed Her Ugliness who promises to be very important as the series continues. Or the new reader, with the most beautiful voice of all, Orpheus.

Whatever it is that draws you in, I think you'll be hooked very quickly. Cheesy as it sounds, Inkspell really does weave a spell around you, and I am really, really looking forward to the next books in this series.