Inkheart 4: The Colour of Revenge

By Cornelia Funke

Reviewed by Helen Gearing

With over twenty-five million copies of her books sold worldwide, Cornelia Funke is one of Germany’s most celebrated children’s authors. ‘The Colour of Revenge,’ exquisitely translated into English by Anna Achmitt Funke (Cornelia Funke’s daughter) is a thrilling fantasy returning readers to the Inkheart world for the first time in almost twenty years.

In book four, the heroes of the Inkheart world are being vanished by an embittered Orpheus, who hasn’t forgiven Dustfinger for refusing his friendship years ago. Determined to make Dustfinger suffer, Orpheus has commissioned magical portraits of everyone Dustfinger loves – portraits which will destroy their subjects if the process isn’t soon reversed.

In a mad race against time, Dustfinger must work with old friends and his estranged stepson to track Orpheus down and rescue those who have vanished. But with every challenge they overcome, Dustfinger loses ground with his own inner demons – and his long-held secrets threaten to subsume him.

Like the rest of the Inkheart series, this is a lyrical, compelling story which tackles big themes including the power of books, which person gets to tell the story, and authorial intent versus reader interpretation. Funke even writes herself into the story, sharing the preface narration with her story’s antagonist, Orpheus Gemelli. And each chapter begins with a quote by a famous author (from Voltaire through to Ursula Le Guin and Margaret Atwood), increasing tension and demonstrating the power of words to evoke emotion.

An extensive character list covering four pages makes it possible for readers who are unfamiliar with the Inkworld series to dive straight in, but it will take some work to navigate the story so far. Complementing the evocative cover illustration by Karl James Mountford are beautiful black and white vignettes at the end of each chapter, drawn by the author, which also help the reader immerse themself in the Inkheart world.

‘The Colour of Revenge’ will delight readers ten years and older who love fast-paced, beautifully-written fantasy reminiscent of Tolkien and other classics, especially if they are already familiar with the Inkheart world.

The Chicken House 2024

Cornelia Funke