Ink Heart: An Intriguing, Imaginative Tale About What Happens When Books Come To Life, Literally

Ink Heart By Cornelia Funke Smoothie Review

A couple years ago, I watched this fantasy movie. It was something I rented having no idea of what it was. It wasn’t the best movie in the world, but it was so imaginative that no matter how much I try to forget it, it will just hang in my head because it was just so original. It was called Ink Heart. And when I found out it was based on a book, I just had to read it. I actually went out of the way to buy Ink Heart by Cornelia Funke.

The book is a story about a man named “Mo.” It is short for Mortimore who can actually read objects out and into books. And it actually begins one peaceful night when Mo and his wife Teresa are cuddling by the fire place. Mo decides to read a bit out of a story that Teresa likes called Ink Heart. But when Mo reads, objects appear like they typically do. But his wife and two house cats were sucked into the tale of Ink Heart and as a result three characters appeared in the living room. Two of them were villains and the other is a fire wielding street performer named Dustfinger. Baffled and shocked, he tells the three that he can not control the power to send them back home. As the villains and Dustfinger leaves to this brave new world, Mo rushes to his daughter’s room and is relieved that she’s still in his world and not trapped in Ink Heart.

The book picks up many years later where things have certainly changed. The villains Basta and Capracorn are glad that they are out of Inkheart and want to control this new world. They became accustomed to. So they are desperately searching for a Silvertounge (some one who can bring things out of books), Mo in particular. They had found some that can bring people out of books in a distorted fashion. They read out many soldiers to help Capricorn. Basta and Capricorn wants one who can do it perfectly like Mo did. Knowing this Mo and his daughter Meggie are on the move never staying in place too long to elude these villains. He works as a book who, along the way, is desperately hoping to find a way to get his wife back. Dustfinger meanwhile is following Mo in the distance hoping there is a way Mo can send him home even though he told him “no” many times before. Then one day Capricorn finds Dustfinger and makes a deal. If Dustfinger tells him where Mo is, then he will command Mo to read him back into the book. Desperate to go home, he agrees and sets Mo and Meggie up to be caught. Wow. That was a whole lot of exposition. Sorry about it all that. But I didn’t know how else to explain it.

So what is good? Well first I will start with the story itself. The concept is something I never seen before. It is original and kind of brilliant. Second, I have to say Dustfinger. He is just a great character. He’s not a good guy and not a bad guy either. He just wants to go home. He feels that he doesn’t belong in this world. He doesn’t want any one hurt. He just wants to go home. And he prefers to be alone. He’s the only true anti hero I have ever seen in a book. And he’s so complex. He’s a double/triple crosser with a heart that is somewhat hidden. And he wants to desperately return to a story where
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He dies at the end. Only he doesn’t know it.
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The bad? Not much to say. Well maybe a couple tiny things. One mainly being that compared to Dustfinger, Meggie and Mo are very boring characters. He literally does steal the show. And secondly Meggie and Mo are book worms. I get that. I mean I’m a book worm too, or else I would not be writing this. But their love for books was so strong that it appeared the characters have an OCD disorder. But the again it is aimed at all audiences, especially children, so I guess that this was for them. I just thought that it was kind of weird.

But with all said and done, I recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy. It’s fresh, new and well worth the read.

4 smoothies out of four

Overall rating: An intriguing, imaginative tale about what happens when books come to life, literally

P.S. Check out my book and ebook website at Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/