Over twenty years after its publication, Inkheart deserves far more love now.
Though decades later the hype about Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia is still strong, little is ever mentioned about Funke's Inkheart. This is unfortunate as, after all these years, the brilliantly written trilogy still merits love. The National Education Association voted Inkheart and its successors the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" in 2007 and bestowed several honors upon them. Early in the new millennium, Inkheart was being pushed practically everywhere. Still, many less current young readers would identify Inkheart in the same manner they would other successful Children's Fantasy book series, despite these honors.
Notwithstanding these honors, significantly less contemporary young readers would identify Inkheart in the same manner as they would other prominent Children's Fantasy book series.
Why Was a Children's Fantasy Book by Cornelia Funke Exceptual?
Inkheart deserves greater attention today not only because of its 2000s fame. Funke's book series was unique and something different for the children's fantasy genre; nothing like it has come along since. The narrative centers on young Meggie, who finds out her father and she have an ability that, when read aloud, brings the characters in storybooks to life. Although this is a variant of a somewhat typical fantasy cliché, the surrounding narrative was written to feel like a love letter from Funke to books in general.
Meggie's narrative is rich in a quite obvious love of books. Funke's account of reading is how a chef would explain savoring their favorite food. Easter eggs abound in many well-known literary works, odes to the craft of bookbinding and illustration spattering all around. All of this is accompanied by a wonderful narrative that brilliantly conveys the joyous humor and delectable gloom that is sometimes so crucial for classic high fantasy. The Inkheart series is all about a strong love of Fantasy Books, hence this should have let the trilogy to stay at the forefront.
The Source Material Justice: Inkheart's Movie Adaptation Did Not
Like many successful fantasy book series of the early 2000s, New Line Cinema purchased the rights for an Inkheart film adaptation, producing a 2009 release film. With a great ensemble including Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, and more, the fantasy movie was undoubtedly something Inkheart buffs would be thrilled about. Given such great talent, the Inkheart film ought to have been a shoo-in. The movie fell short of the source material, sadly.
The lifetime in popular culture of a children's book series seems to be much influenced by Movie Adaptations. The events of Inkspell and Inkdeath were dropped completely, and Inkheart was changed to be a stand-alone movie finishing the narrative at the end. This meant that the cutting room floor housed a great lot of the magic Funke stitched throughout her narrative. The performance of the Inkheart movie suffered as a result of this lost taste, which is particularly regrettable since the durability of a children's book series in popular culture seems to depend on the performance of movies adaptations. Maybe one day Inkheart will get the recognition it deserves, maybe with a fresh movie or TV show that can at last fulfill Funke's fantasy book justice.
A Retrospection on the Inkheart Book Series
Though it was acknowledged with a movie adaptation, the 2003 fantasy book Inkheart was a stunning work of Children's Literature that loses the attention it merits. With shows like The Chronicles of Narnia still immensely popular and honored for the better part of a century, young adult and children's fiction has always had the ability to influence popular culture. Though they have tragically becoming less common, there have over the years novels and series deserving of every bit of respect.
Children's fantasy books include Harry Potter, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, James and the Giant Peach, The Wizard of Oz, and many more have become clear mainstay of the genre. Often even included into the curriculum, school teachers actively encourage them. Among others who have helped to produce these ageless masterpieces is author Cornelia Funke Following two sequel books, Inkspell (2005) and Inkdeath (2007), her 2003 book Inkheart ranked among the top 100 for Children's Literature at one point. These stories sadly go mostly unappreciated nowadays.
The Inkheart Series: Threefold Fantasy & Adventure
Another novel added by Cornelia Funke to the Inkheart series is The Colour of Revenge, projected English publication date sometime in 2024. The gripping adventure known as The Inkheart book series chronicles the journey of Meggie, a small child who finds her father able to bring characters from books life. Beautifully created, the series offers magic, peril, and a strong passion of books.
For readers of fantasy, adventure, and children's books, the Inkheart series is absolutely essential. The show provides evidence of Cornelia Funke's gift for narrative, building an enchanted and exciting environment. Readers of all ages will definitely remember the fascinating trip the Inkheart books present.
