★★★★★ Cornelia Funke still gots it

Die Farbe der Rache

Cornelia Funke

I first listened to Cornelia Funke's Inkworld trilogy (as it then was) beginning in 2004, and then as the audiobooks became available. They were among the very first audiobooks I ever listened to, and they were VERY good. The premise of the series is that some especially good narrators can, by reading a book aloud, read characters from the fictional world of the book into our own, and likewise read people from our world into the fictional world of the book. Versions of this idea are fairly common in fantasy fiction, and it's not hard to see why. If you are an avid reader, you feel that something like this happens when you read a good book: you enter into the book, and for a while you dwell in that fictional world. Aside from our own, the world in which most of the action of the Inkworld trilogy takes place is one created by a writer named Fenoglio in a fantasy novel called Inkheart. Although the series begins in our world, the principal characters eventually get read into Inkheart, and most of the action of the second and third books takes place in the Inkworld.

Earlier this year I was reminded of the Inkworld, and I learned that Funke had written a sequel, Die Farbe der Rache. At the time I learned this the book was only available as a hardback in German. (That is still true as of 31-Jul-2024, the date of this review. An English translation, The Color of Revenge, will be released 12-Nov-2024.) Fortunately, ich kann Deutsch, so I got it. Before reading I went back and listened to the initial trilogy (in English -- the only form I have them in) to bring myself back up to speed on the series. This was probably unnecessary. Funke has given us a four-page summary entitled "Was vorher geschah", ostensibly written by Orpheus Gemelli that does a good job. I would not recommend Die Farbe der Rache as a standalone. However, if like me you read the original trilogy 20 years ago, this reminder would be sufficient.

I was fearful as I began Die Farbe der Rache. It's been almost 20 years, and I suspect most of us have experienced authors whose powers diminished or dissipated as they got older, or who for some unaccountable reason felt the need to destroy their earlier accomplishment.

That didn't happen. I am pleased to report that Cornelia Funke still gots it. Die Farbe der Rache is a worthy successor, and even superior in some respects to the original trilogy.

It was of course to be expected that this new story would differ from the previous ones in significant ways. The main characters of Die Farbe der Rache are Dustfinger and the Black Prince, whose true names we learn are Nardo and Nyame. The main villain is a familiar figure, Orpheus, and a new one that I will not spoil. The magical world is also expanded. The magic of reading plays a minor role -- instead Funke makes magic of other arts. It makes an exciting and fast-moving story, with many unexpected yet satisfying turns.

If, like me, you have fond memories of the original Inkworld trilogy, you'll probably enjoy this new installment.

Die Farbe der Rache on Amazon

Goodreads review

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