Inkdeath

September 22, 2008
This concluding volume in Funke's bestselling trilogy picks up where Inkspell
left off, but sputters for a hundred pages filling in backstory. (Even then, an addendum is needed to identify a cast of 114 characters.) The Inkworld, full of dark magic, is under siege; the savagery of the Adderhead and his minions now extends to taking all the peasants' children until somebody delivers, as ransom, the Bluejay, a Robin Hood–style character whose identity has been assumed by Mo, Meggie's father (it was Mo who started all the trouble by reading several villains right out of the book-within-a-book, Inkheart—
don't even consider reading this series out of order). The Inkheart
author, Fenoglio, now living in Inkworld himself, has turned to drink; the odious Orpheus, when he's not under a maid's skirt, rewrites Fenoglio's work (editors!) to benefit himself. The interesting metafictional questions—can we alter destiny? shape our own fate?—are overwhelmed by the breakneck action, yet the villains aren't fully realized. More disappointingly, the formerly feisty Meggie, barely into her teens, has little to do but choose between two suitors. Funke seems to have forgotten her original installment was published for children. Ages 9–up.

Listeners new to Funke's trilogy, who might be overwhelmed by this hefty book's dizzying number of characters and their extensive history, will be particularly grateful to narrator Allan Corduner, who does an admirable job leading them through the story. At the trilogy's heart is Funke's premise that certain people have the magical ability to bring characters from books alive by reading aloud. With meticulous pacing and deep insight into the story, Corduner sets listeners at ease while drawing them into the world of Funke's story-within-a-story. His particular flair for dramatizing exchanges between characters is of great use, as much of the plot is carried on through dialogue. Corduner's bright, artful distinctions between the many voices help listeners keep confusion at bay. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine