The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

[katekintailbc]

The Thief Lord
by Cornelia Funke
(Audio)

Disappointing. Okay, don't get me wrong, I really liked and enjoyed the book. The problem was, after reading the Inkheart series by the same author, I expected it to be just as complex and amazing and phenomenal. So I was disappointed when it turned out to be great but not astounding.

The characters were certainly fantastic. I really enjoyed getting to know them all, even the "bad guys". I certainly fell in love with the scrappy orphans and wanted Prop and Bo to find a good home amongst them.

Story-wise, the plot was a little simple and strangely done. Most of the book is about Prosper & Bo escaping their awful aunt & uncle and thwarting the private detective hired to track them down (he is one of my favorite characters in the story). This part of the book establishes the Venice in which they live, including the cast of characters, the hideout, and the Thief Lord, Scipio. The boys spend some time fitting in and having some fun with the Thief Lord, an older boy shrouded in mystery for a while (who was possibly my very favorite character).

Then, suddenly, a real plot appears out of nowhere, involving a magical carousel and people who will stop at nothing to get it because it will allow children to age and adults to de-age. The characters find themselves caught up in this magical tale... and a few have a chance to see the carousel in action. I felt this part of the story should have been handled a little better in a few ways; for such an important, supernatural/magical element I could have used more mention of it throughout, even as just a fable/fairy tale so it didn't come right out and hit me. The ending seems too quick compared to the rest of the book. And a few things at the end rather shocked me!

The story/book is delightful and thought-provoking and satisfying in several ways. But it's clearly for a younger audience and the whole thing isn't as complex as Inkheart. It's just written much differently as it's a different kind of book.

I definitely enjoyed it, just not as much as I'd expected to. I'd certainly recommend it.

And the movie was pretty darn faithful to the book AND and kids weren't bad at all (sometimes I don't like kids' acting). There were a few weird name changes that threw me. But otherwise, the movie's good. Book was better though :-)