Judge A Book By Its Cover
Book Reviews and Synopses
Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart. Tintenherz. Hamburg, Germany. 2003.
Inkheart, by the German master author Cornelia Funke, is a fantasy/adventure book placed in the early Renaissance. Written from the view of a child in 1376, Inkheart has rightly been a staple of literature since its first publishing in 1998. From the same author of the international bestseller, The Thief Lord, Inkheart gives the reader a shallow glimpse of what the Renaissance was really like.
Inkheart is about a twelve-year-old boy named Elmker. His father, King Schoener Wynne XVII, is the ruler of a kingdom that is slowly, but surely, dissipating through wavering loyalty and constant misfortunes. Having ruled as King for more than half a century, Elmker’s dad’s health was not faring so well.
Not even a week after the King suffered through a massive heart attack, a catastrophic storm hit the already crumbling castle of the kingdom. The north-west wall fell after an almost constant pouring of rain for two days. The King’s slaves immediately went to repair the castle in order to help keep the kingdom safe. Through constant tyranny and slacking security, over half of the slaves escaped their position under the King and fled. Naturally infuriated by this news, King Schoener Wynne XVII ordered tighter security along the outskirts of his kingdom.
Elmker, on the other hand, sees this as a chance to impress his father more than his brothers Werner and Schoener Wynne. He asks his father if he can help keep the slaves under control but the King refuses immediately saying that he is still too young. Crestfallen at this news, Elmker still goes out, disobeying the King’s wishes and treks along the forest edge bordering the kingdom. Little does he know that what his dad was really protecting him from is the mythical creatures that are supposedly living in the forest. While in deep thought, Elmker hears an inhuman braying sound off to his left...
Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart not only reenacts the Renaissance almost flawlessly, it also does a great job of keeping the reader in tune with the situation. Ending with a cliff hangar, Cornelia Funke compels the reader to want more and succeeds in doing so throughout the book, too. From one of the world’s most popular authors, Inkheart will be the favorite of many for the years to come.
4 out of 5 stars
Contributed by N. Zhu
Apr. 21, 2011