Musings of a Bibliophile

It's a little heartbreaking to give a Cornelia Funke book such a low rating. Though the Mirrorworld is certainly intriguing, the characters don't feel entirely fleshed out, and the plot rushes by at such a pace that it is all to easy to lose your bearing. The writing has none of the fluidity of the Inkworld series - it's almost difficult to believe the author is the same, though the themes and characters are similar - and Jacob is no Dustfinger. Such comparisons may seem unfair, but the fact remains that the similarities to Inkheart are too great to ignore, and inevitably, when compared, Reckless falls short.

Strangely enough, the book feels devoid of description - a little skeletal, no matter how crammed full of odd, stunningly unusual creatures it may be. It's a shame - there is so, so much potential, and Funke has proved herself more than capable with previous works. The stone-skinned Goyl, the wonderful shape-changing Fox, the dark Mirror world growing more and more like our own, the unusual (sometimes humourous) fairy-tale twists...

I strongly believe this is largely down to the translation. Though I know Funke has a big role in choosing the english words that finally make it to the page, the fact remains that this translation lacks the grace of Anthea Bell's (translator of the Inkworld series, and of Dragon Rider) work.

I will happily read the rest of the series in case the english settles into itself better otherwise I really will have to brush up on my German and try this in its native language.