A Review By Rebecca
The prologue of Reckless sets this book up to be a rather typical, if well-written and fascinating, children’s fairy tale – a new Narnia, one might assume from Jacob Reckless’ discovery of another world behind his father’s mirror.
However, this assumption is completely blown away at the start of the first chapter. Instead of detailing the years of adventures that Jacob has had beyond the mirror, it skips them, and in fact skips a large chunk of action, throwing us into the story directly after a fight that has gone disastrously wrong in a world that is entirely new and yet instantly familiar.
The world is that of fairytales, and, often without mentioning directly which fairy story she is referencing, Funke takes the reader on a journey through stories both familiar and unfamiliar. The tower surrounded by thorns and containing a sleeping princess is immediately recognizable; English readers may be less well-acquainted with the Tailor who roams the forest, dressed in the skin of his victims, but those who know their German children’s books may be reminded of Heinrich Hoffman’s long red-legged creation.
Beginning the story immediately after danger, and following the realization of an oncoming peril gives Reckless a somewhat refreshing feel. Funke wastes no time with tedious descriptions of characters: we are told their names – Jacob Reckless and his brother William, who is slowly turning to stone; Fox, a fox who is also a girl, and later William’s girlfriend Clara, – and learn about them over the course of the book.
Nothing is quite as it seems, of course: the villains – the Dark Fairy and the King of the Goyl, Kami’en – slowly become sympathetic characters, and some of the protagonists aren’t all picture-perfect. Jacob in particular, whose past is never properly delved into, is not a particularly likeable character – he hates the fact that he has to look after his little brother, and even as the story begins, has almost entirely abandoned the real world in favour of the Mirrorworld, leaving his younger brother to deal with their mother’s death alone. However, there is an aspect of the charming rogue about him, and the development of his love for his brother over the course of the book is perhaps one of the main reasons to read Reckless.
Many of the twists are predictable – it is a fairy story, after all, there are patterns that must be followed – but there were some genuine surprises, and the characters are well-built-up and for the most part believable.
As it is a translation from the original German, there are a few somewhat clunky sentences, but this tends to be overshadowed by the beautifully illustrative descriptions of the Mirrorworld and its inhabitants.
There are some frightening moments, so it’s perhaps not something you would want to read to small children, but Reckless is a fantastic, well-woven tale, and could be considered the masterpiece of the author of the Inkworld Trilogy and The Thief Lord.
