If you’ve never heard of Cornelia Funke, you must find this book and read it. Funke has been called the German J. K. Rowling. Both women have written a fantastical series featuring a child protagonist. Funke’s is a trilogy: Inkheart (2003), Inkspell (2005), and Inkdeath (2007). The “ink” is a clue that these are stories about books and people who love books—people like me and you. This translation from the German by Anthea Bell is quite well done.
“Only in books could you find pity, comfort, happiness—and love. Books loved anyone who opened them, they gave you security and friendship and didn’t ask anything in return; they never went away, never, not even when you treated them badly.”
Funke was working as an illustrator and social worker in Germany when her son asked her to write a story about people who come out of books. We readers love to slip inside stories ourselves—in a figurative way—but imagine having Hermione Granger or Katniss Everdeen suddenly standing beside you? Or worse, imagine the Death-Eaters hovering over your bed!
Meggie is a twelve-year-old girl Funke named after her daughter. She gave her a wonderful father, who Meggie calls “Mo” (short for Mortimer) with a fantastical gift. Mortimer Folchart is a Book Doctor, a bookbinder/restorer and great lover of books. These words are etched on a metal plaque on the door to his workshop:
Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.
But Mo is also something else. He was nicknamed Silvertongue by the characters he read out of Inkheart.
“Mo could paint pictures in the empty air with his voice alone.”
His gift comes with a price.
While reading Inkheart aloud nine years before, Mo accidentally pulled out three eccentric characters created by Italian author, Fenoglio. Capricorn is one of literature’s nastier villains. Basta is a superstitious, knife-wielding thug. And Dustfinger is a loveable fire-eater with a strange horned marten.
But, at the same time, Mo read Meggie’s mother, Theresa, INTO the book, and they lost her. After that horrific mistake Mo’s refused to read aloud ever again. He fears losing his daughter too. Capricorn destroyed all copies of Inkheart except the one he keeps for himself. He does not want to be read back into the book.
Like any good villain, Capricorn has his own agenda.
The tale begins in Germany where Mo and Maggie live. Dustfinger arrives with a warning: Capricorn is hunting Mo. He’s discovered another third-rate reader who’s read out some characters, but all have flaws. His reading is just not up to snuff. Capricorn has enough thugs and now wants treasure. Unflawed treasure. Pirate treasure. Gold. Mo and Meggie flee to northern Italy to take refuge at Meggie’s great aunt Elinor’s mansion full of books. Elinor is a collector and books are her world.
“A famous writer once wrote, ‘An author can be seen as three things: a storyteller, a teacher, or a magician—but the magician, the enchanter, is in the ascendant.”
Mo is so obsessed with finding a copy of Inkheart and reading his wife home, they track down old Fenoglio to see if he has some stashed away. The charming old man joins them on their journey.
“Inkheart.” Fenoglio rubbed his aching back. “Its title is Inkheart because it’s about a man whose wicked heart is as black as ink, filled with darkness and evil. I still like the title.”
Eventually, they all end up imprisoned in Capricorn’s village in southern Italy. When Meggie reads Tinkerbell out of Peter Pan, she realizes she’s inherited Mo’s gift.
Unfortunately, so does Capricorn.
Allusions to classic literature paint the story along with much talk about books and reading. Wonderful quotes from our favourite children’s stories begin each chapter. This is a story to sink inside—not literally, of course—but to fall asleep with while you’re wrapped safely in words and soft quilts.
Is there anything in the world better than words on the page? Magic signs, the voices of the dead, building blocks to make wonderful worlds better than this one, comforters, companions in loneliness, keepers of secrets, speakers of the truth … all those glorious words.”
Cornelia Funke with her children
Inkheart was made into a movie featuring Brendan Fraser in 2008. Although it was produced by Cornelia Funke, I really don’t want to spoil things by watching it. This story is all about the written word and I can’t see how a film could do it justice.
I recently found a used hardcover of Inkspell, with Funke’s illustrations, in my local Indie bookstore, and now, like Mo, I’m searching for the rest of the trilogy. I just read Inkheart on Libby so I’d be ready for book two. If you see any other hardcover copies in thrift stores, do let me know. Like Elinor, I’m beginning to build my library of book loves.
Wouldn’t you love to own a curiosity shoppe crammed with all sorts of treasures, perhaps some that are even magical? This is what our feisty seventeen-year-old hero, Willow Stokes, inherits when her father dies. The problem is, nothing seems the least bit magical so nothing’s been sold for decades, and Willow’s about to lose the shoppe. She can’t pay the rent. The townspeople of Ardmuir regard her as a charlatan, all except for her kind and handsome best friend, Finlay Barrow, and her affectionate “storm-cloud gray kitten” Argyle.
This all changes the day the mythical wolpertinger warns: “Beware the girl in the oxblood cloak!” and then that very girl appears in the shoppe looking for a very particular grimoire. Is the outlander, Brianna Hargrave, bad news or the answer to all Willow’s problems?
I dare you not to get hooked on the opening of this cozy fantasy.
“Always heed the warning of a wolpertinger. Those words became something of a refrain in the weeks after the girl with the wild hair and strange accent entered my shoppe and spun everything arse over teakettle.”
Character-driven cozies are trending these days, whether they’re mysteries, romances, or fantasies. This one blends a little of all three. Scots-talk tampers the swearing into bollocks, arse, and shite. There are clans and tartans, weans and dragon’s eyes, pony carts and magic thimbles. There’s a sweet love story with a first kiss that leaves you cheering for the happy couple, minimal violence, and creepy bad men get their comeuppance. Even the “ravenous cats” can be beat.
The brilliant cover features artwork by Vera Drmanovski—thistles, magic mushrooms, and the fantastical wolpertinger. I’ll be reading more of Mara Rutherford YA books. This one is a treasure trove—a whimsical coming-of-age story brimming with magic and adventure, that reminds us what’s important in life: friendship, love, and loyalty. I want to crawl inside the Cabinet of Magical Curiosities and stay there. Perhaps, there’ll be a sequel. One can only hope.
Mara Rutherford is something of a curiosity herself. A triplet born on Leap Day in California, she studied journalism before dropping into YA fantasy, married a marine who turned diplomat, is raising two sons, and currently lives in Rome. If that’s not a cozy fantasy, nothing is.
I read A Discovery of Witches years ago but it wasn’t the right time for me. Reading can be like that. Something you read and love today might not work for you five years from now. In my case, it was the opposite. I consumed this lengthy, detailed novel—almost six hundred pages—in a matter of days and emerged amazed by Dr. Deborah Harkness. But how can you not be impressed by this teacher, scholar, creative writer, and cancer survivor?
Harkness describes herself as “a student and scholar of history, with degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, and the University of California at Davis. For my doctoral degree, I researched the history of magic and science in Europe, especially during the period from 1500 to 1700. The libraries I’ve worked in include Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the All Souls College Library at Oxford, the British Library, London’s Guildhall Library, the Henry E. Huntington Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Newberry Library.” Oh, to walk in those footsteps.
Indeed, when we meet Diana Bishop in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, it’s clear that Dr. Harkness has walked there herself.
I watched the series on AMC+ last month and quite enjoyed it, but reading the novel gave me a different sense of the characters, especially of Matthew and Diana. As much as I love the handsome Matthew Goode, the French vampire Matthew Clairmont appeared in my imagination more like my own protagonist, Estrada.
“In his black trousers and soft gray sweater, with a shock of black hair swept back from his forehead and cropped close to the nape of his neck, he looked like a panther … (19).
This dark man, this ancient vampire, is well over six feet tall, with considerable height and bulk, with intense gray-rimmed black eyes. He wears a long coat (but of course) and performs yoga like a gymnast. What’s not to love? This, apparently was the author’s inspiration for his character—a portrait miniature by Nicholas Hilliard (1547 – 1619). I repeat myself: What’s not to love?
What’s most astounding about this book in the author’s world building. In the beginning there were four races: humans, witches, vampires, and daemons. The first, humans, relegated the other three to myth and, over time, their numbers dwindled. Their political world is determined by The Congregation, a council of nine (three of each race) whose main task is to enforce a covenant that prohibits inter-species relationships/mating. Matthew and Diana’s forbidden love puts them on the Congregation’s hit list. Not only that, The Dreaded Congregation want Diana for her power. She’s the only witch in centuries to call up a much-coveted manuscript, Ashmole 782, from Oxford’s Bodleian Library.
Watch a video here to learn about the library. Oxford, and the Bodleian, are definitely on my bucket list, though I’ll need a good reason to be admitted.
Second to world building is the author’s fascinating knowledge of history, of alchemy, of science, and her ability to explain concepts in a way that readers can absorb and understand.
A Discovery of Witches is Book One of the All Soul’s Trilogy. There are now five books in this series. This is a romance with the breadth and depth of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and the couple as noteworthy. I can’t wait to slip into Book Two and time-travel back to Elizabethan England with Matthew and Diana.
In 2023, Deborah Harkness survived ovarian cancer with the support of Karen, her partner of twenty-six years, whom she married four days before her surgery. We send them blessings. Having escaped ovarian cancer myself in 2014, I understand the terror of hearing those words.
I’ve adored Holly Black’s books since her Valiant Series in the early 2000s. This book is similar in language and story—the collision of humans and otherworldy beings in a lavish natural world. There are several cruel princes in this book: Balekin, Dain, and the youngest and most handsome, Cardan. I imagine the title refers to Cardan who despises and terrorizes our protagonist—good fodder for a love match, don’t ya think? That’s where the romantasy comes in. What a kiss.
“But kissing Locke never felt the way that kissing Cardan does, like taking a dare to run over knives, like an adrenaline strike of lightning, like the moment when you’ve swum too far out in the sea and there is no going back, only cold black water closing over your head” (chapter 26).
If you read enough Black you’ll learn how to write, how to sculpt a phrase, twist a plot, put a character in peril and take her to the edge of death before a miracle occurs. Beautifully layered. Lavish. Captivating. And as comfy as a feather bed. I’m ready for #2, The Wicked King.
Oh, and the cover is stunning, as is the map of The Shifting Isles of Elfhame.
I’d like to spend a night in Holly Black’s head. What dreams are these?
Can you believe it? I found this book sitting on the very end of the free shelf at my local library this morning. I’d checked it out and returned it last week, which means, that I was the last person to read it. How do libraries decide what ends up in the slush pile? I don’t understand. I mean, this series is amazing. Blue’s story is the focus of book three–this book. I actually finished The Raven King, which is book four, and realized I’d forgotten to write anything about this book. So, it’s come back to me. You see how that works? It’s not that I don’t have anything to say about it; in fact, I was so tucked into the characters, I didn’t really realize what was happening plot-wise. Urban fantasy doesn’t really work like that. It’s more about characters and emotions. And these characters are some of the best characters you’ll ever meet. So, what do I remember about Blue Lily, Lily Blue?
-the illicit love between Blue and Gansey. Illicit only because Blue kind of had a hand-holding thing with Adam to begin with and, Gansey and Adam are best friends, and well, there’s a social rule being broken
-her funky home with her psychic mother and aunts
-something tasty evolving between Ronan and Adam
-a ton of angst occurring at Gansey’s political mansion in Washington, DC. This is not the best space for trailer-park-son-of-an-abusive-father Adam. Or maybe it is.
-the elusive Cabeswater . . . What the hell is it, anyway? And when they finally get there, will Gansey find his Immortal Welsh King? And why a Welsh King? Is this the orphaned child of a real mythological legend? Damn. I wish I’d thought of this.
-details of Gansey’s horrific hornet experience. Have you ever been bitten by vicious meat-eating hornets with giant stingers and long, wispy legs? I have. When I was seven or eight, I climbed into my father’s old black pick-up truck. We started rumbling down the road. The hornets had build a nest under the bench seat on my side. Before we hit Dixie and Finch, they flew up my pant legs. I went so ballistic, my father pulled over, dragged me out of the truck, and ripped off my pants. I was horrifically embarrassed—I mean, there I was standing on the side of the road in my white cotton undies in front of my father. Now, I think, how did he have the presence of mind to do that? I mean . . . child-eating hornets? Did he get stung?
-something horrible happening at 300 Fox Way which I will not divulge
-some nasty-pants villains developing, of course.
Do I recommend this series? Yes. In fact, it’s in my Amazon Wishlist. Just sayin’. There may come a day when I pass this hardcover on to a little library somewhere in the world. Oh Maggie, what have you done?
Fantasy sometimes gets a bad rap, but good fantasy ushers us through the hearts and minds of beings we can identify and sympathize with because it’s driven by the human condition. Affected by forces both benevolent and evil, the protagonist often fights to restore justice. Exceptional fantasy is a keystone, offering us insight, adventure, and escape while leaving us better people in its wake. Way of the Argosi is such a book.
To put it in its place, Way of the Argosi is a prequel to de Castell’s Spellslinger series and branded Young Adult Fantasy; though as is the case with most YA, this book will be as well-received as Lord of the Rings by adult readers. And good news, a sequel, Fall of the Argosi, is on its way.
Sebastien de Castell (this is his real name by the way) introduces us to an extraordinary orphan. Following the dark path of the mythic Hero’s Journey, first conceived by Joseph Campbell, eleven-year-old Ferius Parfax sets out alone after her tribe is massacred by a band of mages. This is a book about power, politics, and genocide and, most importantly, how to not only survive against adversity but change the world for the better. Ferius’s people, the Mahdek are the victims in this vicious war.
Along the way, Ferius meets Durrall Brown, a “meddling frontier philosopher” who is in my humble opinion, one of the greatest characters ever written. Durrall Argos, the man in brown, is a cowboy Buddhist who carries a razor-sharp Tarot deck that can cut you as easily as cure you. Brown instructs Ferius, and us, in the Way of the Argosi. Are you hooked yet?
This is a beautifully produced book with a stunning Tarot card cover that features mirrored images of Ferius Parfax and Durrall Brown. Other intricate full-size black and white images drawn by Sally Taylor separate philosophical sections. And there is a detailed map that reminds me of Ireland, as all maps do. Skip the e-book and buy this book in print. It’s a keeper and one you will return to read again and again if only to learn to be a better human being and savour the feel of slipping inside a velvet cloak by a fire on a rainy day.
Sebastien de Castell’s lyrical prose, brilliant world-building, and exceptional dialogue will keep you turning pages long after your candles have burnt low. “I was tired of living like a wandering ghost, punished by the sight of the hideous, scrawny, sexless creature I glimpsed in grimy pools of street water. I wanted to be clean again” (65). I hear echoes of Tolkien and Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. Another bonus is that de Castell was a fencing choreographer; something evident in the cracking fight scenes that take us directly into the fighter’s mind. Did I say I love this book?
Here you will enter a society like many in Earth’s history where cultures exterminate cultures only to be wiped out themselves. But within the violence are those who illustrate compassion, courage, and wisdom; those who walk with the Way of Water.
Sebastien de Castell
*published in the Ottawa Review of Books, October 2021
