A Book Lover's Dream

The best stories are the ones we become a part of.

Every fantasy reader has yearned to jump smack-dab into the familiar lands of a fictional universe, to enter a beloved story and interact with our favorite characters, to join the epic adventures that have so vividly captured our imagination. When it comes to bringing fiction to life, there is one fantasy world to outshine all others: Inkworld.

Written by children's author Cornelia Funke, the Inkheart series chronicles the adventures of teen Meggie Folchart and her father Mo, who, Meggie learns, both possess the unique ability to read characters from books into the real world. The catch: whatever leaves the book is replaced with something from our world (guess who Mo and Meggie lost in the pages of Inkheart 🙄).

It isn't that Inkworld is necessarily better than all of the other fantasy worlds; the books are actually set in our ordinary one, which I like, because it feels more realistic. What makes this tale so good is that the premise of this series encompasses every other. Meggie could theoretically read herself into Hogwarts (or read Dobby, chocolate frogs, or a golden snitch into the real world). She could become a part of Alice's adventures in Wonderland or bring forth the Cheshire Cat from the worn pages of her book. Inkheart described every reader's dream: the ability to really enter the fictional worlds we love and become a part of the story.

I loved these books growing up, and I still enjoy them as an adult. There's a magic to them, a sense of comfort and familiarity. This series has it all—romance, suspense, humor, adventure. It has plot twists and scary bad guys and references to classic literature. The world of Inkheart was written specifically for kids who love to read, and it checks every box.

As if it couldn't get any better, the 2008 movie adaptation stars Brendan Fraser. (For those who don't know, we're currently in the midst of a much-needed Brenaissance.)

It also features Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany (with a horned ferret sidekick), Andy Serkis, Eliza Bennett, and Jim Broadbent (a nice mix of Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee, Lord of the Rings, and Avengers actors in there to amp up the fantasy feels).

The book series currently consists of Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath. To my utter amazement, in researching for this story, I have learned that a fourth and final book, The Color of Revenge, is expected to be released literally next month, fourteen years after the publication of Inkdeath. God bless Vocal Challenges—I had no idea, and I am psyched.

While it did receive some recognition in the early 2000s, Inkheart never attained quite the level of popularity as better-known franchises like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. That another book is being released seems to indicate continued interest in the series. They made a (kinda trash) movie out of it, so I assume there's a fandom out there.

And it turns out that we have some Inkheart lovers right here on Vocal! Check out Rachel M.J.'s excellent Fan(dom) Favorite Challenge entry about the series, which puts this measly little entry of mine to shame:

(I'm honestly just thrilled to have imparted my knowledge of the upcoming sequel to someone who got as excited about it as I did, so thank you, Rachel! Maybe this next book will bring some much-deserved attention to this classic series.)

I'm excited to re-read the first three books in preparation for this next one, which will reportedly take place five years after the events of Inkdeath. I honestly can't remember a thing about how the story left off, so I'm really looking forward to experiencing it all over again.

Inkheart is the story that brings all others to life. There's no need to choose between visiting the Shire or Hogwarts, Terebithia or Narnia. In this universe, you can enter every story you choose and take the best parts home with you. Inkworld is the gateway to every other fantasy world, which makes it the best of them all.

Thanks for reading! Check out the Inkheart book series and watch Inkheart on Amazon Prime!