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 surrends. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story?
Adults have an important role too! I would like to address the comments that frequently expressed concern about Mo taking a larger role in this book while Meggie takes more of a background role. First of all, why not? Isn't it wonderful that there is an author out there who portrays adults shining in their roles. Our society gets so bombarded with the idea that people can be shining stars when they're young and glamourous but then once you reach middle age, the media gives this impression that you need to somehow recede in the background, step back, and let the younger more glamourous take the scene. In this case, the adults are portrayed with bigger roles than you normally see in most books. Mo is the central character here and isn't it great that so many people were touched by these series even to the end. Some even said that Inkdeath was their favourite book. This makes a strong statement to our society which is that older people also deserve to have a chance to shine. Meggie got to shine in two whole books and so why not let Mo shine in the third one? This doesn't take away from Meggie in any way. Rather this teaches us a lesson in our lives that we should ALL be given opportunities to shine. Regardless of whether we're young or older, we can make a difference in this world in the lives of both children and adults and we can be a part of things. It's NOT all over for us once we pass our school ages! People like Cornelia Funke and George Lucas do such a great service to humanity and their work by portraying people of ALL ages as important central characters in their stories. Yes, young school age people and also glamourous people are given important roles but they aren't the ONLY ones given those roles. When authors like Cornelia Funke and the Star Wars authors constantly hit the bestseller list, this gives a subtle message to our youth worshipping media society that speaks to a longing deep within all of our hearts--the truth that ALL of us can be larger than life, and do beautiful and wonderful things.
Great Read! Keeps you in the book with a strong desire to keep reading to the last page.
Ink Spell Death! Having read the other two I was enticed by the story thus far. The ending of Inkspell left off on such a cliffhanger that i had to read on.
Right from the off this book pulled me in in way neither of the other two did. This book as a master piece of fantasy that did everything short of pulling me into its pages. You get so much more from the world of the book and so much more depth from the characters than the previous books. This is true for all characters, not just the main ones. You get into the minds of the diabolical Adderhead, the cheesefaced Orpheus, her ugliness Violante, and even the black prince. This book is full of dramatic twists and turns that not only keep you guessing, but also take you for an emotional joy ride along with the characters. Never in my life have I felt so close with the characters on the page and so at home in the words.
The book is fast paced and it never lags. This is truly a book for anyone who is a fan of the series and anyone who has ever loved books. I strongly recommend this book to own or to give as a gift to anyone. It is the stunning conclusion to the Inkheart series and even if you may not have liked the first two as much, you will love this ending.
Inkdeath - creative story with dark overtones Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I must say that the story was at times darker than I like for a children's novel and was also morally ambiguous. There was murder, gore, infidelity and betrayal and death among the primary characters. There was also a discussion of marriage in girls who were only about 13 years old, and engagement in some girls who were only 6. I also felt that the characters sometimes acted in a way that did not seem in line with the way that they were described by the author. For instance, Meggie, acts in a way that she knows will seriously hurt her father, even though Meggie and her father are portrayed as being very close in the story. On a positive note, the story has very good twists and turns, and is very creative and engrossing. The descriptions of the fantasy world are very colorful and enjoyable. I would not want to share this story with a pre-teen child and I would definately want to talk to my teenager about the way family and romantic relationships were portrayed in the light of my own personal standards. Despite the dark tone, this is still a good read for a teenage and older reader.
Fitting Finish to a Trilogy for Bibliophiles A satisfying finish to the Inkheart trilogy. Funke continues down the dark path that she began in Inkspell, and takes many characters into unexpected territory. Mo's inner conflict between his identities as a kindly father and the violent yet heroic Bluejay is the fascinating pivot on which the plot turns, as his decisions influence the actions of most every other character in the story. Resa and Violante are two characters in particular who, while left in the background in previous books, are brought to the forefront of the story -- Resa in an attempt to save the bookbinder, and Violante in an attempt to persuade Mo to let the Bluejay consume him.
Apart from Mo, other characters undergo both major and subtle transformations. Orpheus's ego becomes all the larger, and he aligns himself with the blackest of black hats. Nevertheless, Funke does not condemn him entirely, always hinting at the remnant of a hurt little boy who never fit into his own world. Farid and Meggie both slowly drift apart emotionally, as Meggie becomes increasingly concerned about Mo and Farid increasingly obsessed with bringing Dustfinger back from the dead. Their breakup is unfortunate but realistic -- Funke understands that most first loves do not last, and isn't afraid to convey that reality. And Dustfinger? He finally returns a man at peace with himself and those around him, providing a fitting cap to his character arc throughout the three books.
Unfortunately, there are a few characters who Funke seemed to think she needed to include who do very little to further the plot. Elinor and Darius, delightful as they are, have no purpose in Inkdeath. A couple chapters are devoted in the first 300 pages to their plight in the real world, before Darius finally reads them both into the Inkworld. After this, I was sincerely hoping each character would do something that would greatly impact their circumstances. Unfortunately, it never happened. Darius's power is never even put to use. He, and Elinor, are both amusing as always, but their presence was not justified.
Ultimately, Inkdeath provides the same sense of literary wonder that the first two books did, while providing a sense of bittersweet closure that is fitting for the final novel in a trilogy. Not every subplot is completely resolved, but I would count this as a strength rather than a weakness. Life is not neat and tidy, and Funke does not allow her world to be either.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
