Inkspell

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Title Inkspell

First Eng. edition cover
Author	Cornelia Funke
Original title	Tintenblut
Translator	Anthea Bell
Country	Germany
Language	German
Series	Inkheart trilogy
Genre(s)	Young adult novel
Publisher	Chicken House
Released	2005
Released in English	October 2005
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	635 pp (first Eng. edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-439-55400-4 (first Eng. edition, hardback)
Preceded by	Inkheart
Followed by	Inkdawn

Inkspell (original title: Tintenblut) is a young adult novel by Cornelia Funke. It was named the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Children's Literature category.

Inkspell is the second novel in Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy. The first novel, Inkheart, (2003) was critically acclaimed and is being made into a major motion picture to be released sometime in 2007, now confimed on the date of Easter 2007. The third novel, which was recently renamed Inkdawn( first claimed Inkdeath), will be released in 2007 in Germany. This second part of the trilogy, Inkspell, published October 1, 2005, was originally unintended by the author. But as she states in the author's note, it was as her characters in the first book suggested: a story is never fully retained within the covers of a book, and she found herself wondering what would become of her characters after the somewhat ambiguous ending of Inkheart. Its German title, 'Tintenblut', literally translates: 'Inkblood'. However, the Americans didn't like the original title and changed it, although its first title seems more appropriate for its dark plot.

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Characters in "Inkspell" 3 Film, TV or theatrical adaptions 4 References

[edit] Plot summary

In Inkspell, a year has passed since Meggie discovered her ability of reading aloud like her father. Dustfinger has located a megalomaniac calling himself "Orpheus". Orpheus reads him back into the Inkworld, but keeps Farid on purpose. Then it is revealed that Orpheus has been working for Mortola, and Basta tries to kill Farid. He is stopped by a beast Orpheus read out to take the place of Dustfinger and flees to Elinor's, where Capricorn's old enemies are staying. He persuades Meggie to read him and herself into the book to warn Dustfinger that Basta is back.

Mortola, Orpheus, and Basta arrive soon after. Orpheus reads Mo, Resa (she actually was read in by accident), Mortola, and Basta into the book. Then Orpheus locks Elinor and Darius up in the basement. In the book, Mortola shoots Mo and nearly kills him. Resa regains her voice and Nettle, the renowned healer, helps heal Mo.

Meanwhile, Meggie has found Fenoglio, Dustfinger has found Roxane, and Farid has found Dustfinger. Fenoglio explains that he made up a series of songs about the Bluejay, a noble robber who torments the Adderhead, an evil ruler of the book. Dustfinger finds out his family has changed greatly.

The Motley Folk bring Resa and Mo to their Secret Camp. The Black Prince alloys the players' fears. Resa sends Cloud-Dancer to Meggie with a message about Mo. Unfortunately, the Laughing Prince, the last major opposition to the Adderhead, dies and Basta finds Cloud-Dancer, killing him just before he can deliver. Fenoglio finds the message and writes in an attempt to save Mo. Meggie reads it out loud. Fenoglio explains that he used Mo as a model for the Bluejay, which is why the Motley Folk were dubious about helping him - fear of retribution from the Adderhead. In a desperate move to turn the story around, Fenoglio writes of Cosimo, the dead prince that fought the Adderhead, returning. Meggie reads it, and the Adderhead's men are driven from Ombra. Cosimo quickly prepares for war on the Adderhead. At the same time this happens, Farid reveals that he is in love with Meggie, and kisses her, doing so a few more times throughout the book.

Capricorn's surviving fireraisers have joined the Adderhead and lead a brutal raid on the Secret Camp, capturing the Black Prince, Mo, Resa, and the rest of the Strolling Players. However, Dustfinger leads Farid and Meggie to the camp shortly after and they follow Firefox. They free the Black Prince and find out that Mo is still alive. Next, they go to a mill in the Adderhead's land to receive a message. There, however, Basta is waiting, having intercepted the letter. There is a brief fight, a large fire, and everyone survives, with Dustfinger and co. getting away to the Barn Owl, a physician who watched Dustfinger as a child. Farid has been burned and Dustfinger slashed on his thigh. Fenoglio, though, is following Cosimo's army of peasants. The Adderhead's troops massacre every one of them, including Cosimo, except for a mere dozen who flee. Fenoglio runs and hides. The Black Prince, when he finds him, expresses disgust and says "you seem to enjoy playing with death, Inkweaver." Meggie gets a letter from Fenoglio, carried by Roxane and begins to read it aloud. Unfortunately, she is captured by the Adder's men before she finishes.

Dustfinger and Farid make themselves invisible by mixing fire with water (and a little magic) to infiltrate Castle Adder. They soon find Resa and Meggie then Meggie tells the Adderhead that Mo, her father, can save him from death - he'll bind a book to hold it. The Adderhead agrees. Mo is sent to the library to make the book. He does so well and quickly. The Adderhead proves it works by testing it on Firefox, writing the words needed to kill Firefox (heart, spell, and death), and had Firefox's name scraped out. He then let his prisoners go. The prisoners meet with Dustfinger's small group but are quickly attacked by Capricorn's old men. Despite Dustfinger's best efforts, Basta's knife finishes Farid. Dustfinger brings Meggie Farid's body, and she weeps helplessly while Dustfinger kneels and mourns for the son he never had. Mo runs Basta through, ending him at last. The battle is won with few fatalities.

After the battle, Farid is laid to rest and Dustfinger uses his fire to call the White Women. He trades himself for Farid, who returns just as Dustfinger dies. Dustfinger wrote Roxane's name in the wall before the White Women came and took his life. Roxane was heartbroken that her lover that she thought was dead, is now dead for good which made Roxane even more bitter towards Farid. Meggie, on the other hand, was estatic that her love was now alive.

Fenoglio writes to bring Orpheus in so he can write Dustfinger back, but Roxane is skeptical and blames Farid for Dustfinger's death. The book ends with Farid's vow to bring back Dustfinger.

[edit] Characters in "Inkspell"

• Mortimer "Mo" Folchart: (also known as Silvertongue and the Blue Jay) A bookbinder who can read out characters from books. In 'Inkspell', he goes through a dark phase after Mortola shoots him, nearly killing him. At one point, he imagines himself killing the Adderhead's soldiers, something unlikely of him in 'Inkheart'. In the end, however, he succeeds in killing Basta, whom had just thrown a knife into Farid's back, killing the boy as well.

• Theresa "Resa" Folchart: Meggie's mother, Elinor's niece and the first person to enter and return from Inkworld. When she had been read back out to the real world by a stammering bookreader, she had lost her voice; however, when she was read back into the Inkworld by Orpheus, she regained her power of speech. She loves Mo more than any other.

• Meggie Folchart: Mo and Resa' daughter, who can read characters out of books. She also can read characters into books, demonstrated in the end of the 8th chapter, and the beginning of the 9th.

• Dustfinger: (also known as the Fire Dancer) A fire-eater that was once read out of Inkheart. He has three scars on his face made by Basta. Dustfinger is great friends with the fairies and water nymphs. He spent 10 painful years away from his world and family before finding a way to return. At the end of the book, he trades his life for Farid's to bring Farid back to life.

• The Black Prince: The leader of the strolling players and Dustfinger's best friend.

• Elinor Loredan: Meggie's great aunt, a bibliophile that houses Mo, Meggie, Resa, and Darius.

• Gwin: Dustfinger's horned marten. Dustfinger had tried to keep him in the real world, because in the novel Inkheart {by Fenogilo), he was to be the cause of Dustfinger's death.

• Farid: A boy read out of The Book of a Thousand and One Nights who falls in love with Meggie. He is also Dustfinger's apprentice in the art of fire-eating. He dies at the end of Inkspell but is brought back to life by Dustfinger.

• Fenoglio: (also known as Inkweaver) A good-natured old man, and the author of the Inkheart in the story. He was accidentally read by Meggie into the book at the end of Inkheart.

• Orpheus: (also known as 'Cheeseface' by Farid) A man who possesses the power to read things out of books. He works for Mortola. He calls himself by that name for the Greek god of the lyre, Orpheus. He is very vain and believes himself to be the best reader in the world, and superior to Mo and Meggie. Orpheus read Inkheart as a child and Dustfinger became his favorite character, so although normally self-centered and annoying he cares about Dustfinger's fate (this is later taken advantage of by Farid).

• Roxane: Dustfinger's wife. She is a former minstrel woman and now an herbalist. She holds great animosity towards Farid.

• Brianna: Dustfinger and Roxane's daughter. She is a maid to Violante and in love with the man who believes himself to be Cosimo the Fair.

• Rosanna: Dustfinger and Roxane's second daughter. She died from fever two winters after Dustfinger left. Roxane buried her behind the house where she used to play.

• Jehan: The son of Roxane and her deceased second husband.

• Jink: Another horned marten. Dustfinger caught Jink when he found him scaring Roxannes chickens, and keeps him to take the place of Gwin as his pet marten when he returned to the Inkworld.

• Darius: A man who can read out characters from books though often damages them when he stutters, called Stumbletongue by Basta.

• Mortola: (also called the Magpie) Capricorn's mother who seeks revenge against Mo for killing her son.

• The Adderhead: (also know as the Adder or the Silver Prince) An evil King of the Southern part of the Inkworld also known as Argenta.

• Basta: One of Capricorn's henchmen, now working under the Adderhead. He is superstitious and is never seen without his knife or mint leaves.

• Slasher: One of the Adderhead's assistants.

• The Laughing Prince: (since his son's death, known as the Prince of Sighs) He is the ruler of the Northern part of the Inkworld also known as Lombrica.

• Violante: The Adderhead's unhappy daughter, and Cosimo's youthful wife, nicknamed "Her Ugliness" for a birthmark on her cheek. However, the birthmark disappears after Cosimo the Fair is "resurrected." She is enchanted by bitter-sweet stories and is ridiculed for her ability to, and love for, reading. A clever character.

• Cosimo the Fair: Violante's deceased husband and Adderhead's archenemy. He is the son of the Laughing Prince. He is later revived by Fenoglio (albeit through creating a new Cosimo) only to be ultimately destroyed by the Adderhead's army.

• Jacopo: The spoiled son of Violante and Cosimo. He is the heir to both Argenta and Lombrica.

• Cloud Dancer: Dustfinger's old friend who helps Theresa by delivering a message to Meggie for her. He is also killed by Basta's knife at Fenogilo's house.

[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptions

In the year 2006, a play was produced in Germany of 'Inkspell', under its German title: 'Tintenblut'. However, the play strays from the book, including cutting out some characters and important details and scenes.

[edit] References