History Literature / TheInkWorldTrilogy

* ArrangedMarriage: Violante and Cosimo. Violante's mother claimed this was the case for she and the Adderhead, [[spoiler: but really they fell in love and ran away together]].

Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and Meggie's bibliophile aunt and tries to force him into service. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. When she was three, he read aloud from [[TitleDrop a book called ''Inkheart'']] and released characters into the real world.

* BrokenPedestal: Violante is shattered when it turns out [[spoiler: Her mother wasn't really a trapped victim of her father, [[BigBad The Adderhead]], but actually fell in love with him and ran away with him. Sucks when your childhood hero and the person you are indirectly trying to avenge was lying to you all along.]]

%%* GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Death's "deal" with Mo.

* CrapsackWorld: The Inkworld as it has evolved from Fenoglio's original book definitely counts.

* DontFearTheReaper: [[spoiler:When the Inkworld's incarnation of Death shows up in the final books, she shows no anger at Mo despite that he's trying to defy the natural order by bringing Dustfinger back without making another sacrifice - mostly noting that her daughters will miss him. She is actually willing to make a (hefty) bargain - if she revives Dustfinger, Mo has to ensure the Silver Prince's death by the end of the coming Winter; if he fails, Dustfinger will die again ''and'' she will take Mo as well. While risky, she is upfront and honest about the deal, never reneges on it, and is perfectly personable throughout the conversation with him.]]

* EvilMatriarch: Capricorn's mother Mortola.
* EvilOverlord: Capricorn fits this (almost) to a "T" in ''Inkheart''. The Adderhead in the last two books.
* TheFaceless: The Shadow.

* MamaBear: Resa and Roxane both have their moments.
* ManipulativeBastard: Orpheus.
* MayDecemberRomance: Brianna not-so-subtly sleeping with Cosimo.

* MorningSickness: [[spoiler: Resa]] in book 3.

* RoyalBrat: Jacopo, Violante's son.

* TomatoSurprise: In ''Inkheart'': Meggie's mother's name.

* TraumaticHaircut: Implied with Resa after she tried to escape.

# ''Tintenherz'' (''Inkheart'')
# ''Tintenblut'' (literally "Inkblood", but translated as ''Inkspell'' for the English version)
# ''Tintentod'' (''Inkdeath'')
# ''Die Farbe der Rache'' (''The Color of Revenge'')

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Farid, who grew up in the desert setting of the ''Arabian Nights'' working for a band of thieves.

* DreamsOfFlying: Because his mother took the form of a swift while she was pregnant with him, [[spoiler: Resa's son]] dreams of flying like a bird with his mother. The dreams are so realistic he sometimes can't tell them from reality.

* ParentalNeglect: Elinor's father thinks books need more attention than children. He's absent so much that, after he dies, his daughter barely register any difference; it's just as if he's locked himself in the library as usual.

* ShapeShifter: Death, [[spoiler: Mortola]], [[spoiler: Resa]], and her [[spoiler: unnamed son]] at the very end.

TheFilmOfTheBook came out in late 2008, starring Eliza Bennett as Meggie, Creator/AndySerkis as Capricorn, Creator/PaulBettany as Dustfinger, and Creator/BrendanFraser as Mo.

* TrilogyCreep: Inkdeath was intended to be the final installment of the "Inkheart Trilogy". However, the book did not received positive reception, with Funke's writing likely affected by her husband's recent passing. In 2020, 13 years after Inkdeath was published, Funke announced a new sequel (The Color of Revenge) that would serve as a continuation and a new finale for the series.

%%* TheLostWoods: Wayless Wood.

* {{Refugee from TV Land}}: Dustfinger constantly complains about all of the bad aspects of the Real World and wishes for Mo to read him back into ''Inkheart'' all through the first book. Turned UpToEleven in the film, where he doesn't seem to have much of a personality outside wanting to go home.

%%* KnifeNut: Basta.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: To the point that the latter two books have several pages [[PreviouslyOn at the beginning]] to remind readers who is who.

# ''Die Farbe der Rache'' (''The Color of Revenge)

''The Inkworld Trilogy'' is a German YA novel series by Creator/CorneliaFunke.

* DynamicCharacter: Mo goes from a [[NonActionGuy peace-loving]] book binder and protective-but-fun single father to an almost unrecognizable Robin Hood-esque warrior/folk hero.

* AdultFear: The safety of your family. Being left all alone. Someone you love turning into a person you don't know any more. Loved ones keeping dangerous secrets. Being powerless to help the people you care about. While there are various dangerous magical creatures in all of the books, the scariest monsters are always people and the worst atrocities always done by human beings.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: There is an unintentional (as Funke wasn't planning on writing any sequels at that point) bit of foreshadowing near the beginning of ''Inkheart'' where Mo playfully threatens to cut Dustfinger into "very thin slices" if he continues to tell Meggie scary stories. This becomes something of a FunnyAneurysmMoment later on when Mo becomes [[spoiler: JustLikeRobinHood]] and starts regularly [[spoiler: cutting people to bits for real]].

* HypotheticalCasting: In the back, Cornelia Funke mentioned that she always imagined Mo to be a bit like Creator/BrendanFraser, and then the casting went like that for the movie.

TheMovie came out in late 2008, starring Eliza Bennett as Meggie, Creator/AndySerkis as Capricorn, Creator/PaulBettany as Dustfinger, and Creator/BrendanFraser as Mo.

* LargeHam: Orpheus, and Fenoglio at times. In TheMovie, Andy Serkis is clearly enjoying himself as Capricorn.

* ConsummateLiar: In TheMovie nearly everything that comes out of Capricorn's mouth is a lie. Even when he admits he was lying. It gets to the point where he mocks the heroes for being fooled... again.

* ParentService: In TheMovie, [[MrFanservice Dustfinger]]'s [[PlayingWithFire fire-breathing]] ShirtlessScene is absolutely this.

* TheQueensLatin: In TheMovie and the English audiobooks, all the characters are given various British accents despite all being explicitly Italian, implicitly German, or from an Italian FantasyCounterpartCulture. Or the Literature/ArabianNights.

* BreakTheHaughty: Averted. This nearly happened to both Elinor (in ''Inkheart'') and Fenoglio (''Inkspell'' and ''Inkdeath''), but after everything both bounced back to themselves perfectly.

** As the main point-of-view character, Meggie surprisingly doesn't get much, even though it is a kind of coming-of-age story for her.

* CreatorBreakdown: In-universe, some catastrophic attempts to right wrongs in his story ends with Fenoglio losing all confidence and vowing never to write again. [[spoiler: That doesn't last too long]]. And in real life. Cornelia Funke's husband died of cancer in 2006, which almost certainly accounts for the ''much'' darker tone of ''Inkdeath'' and its themes of death, loss, and grief.

** Also [[spoiler: Farid]] is brutally killed during a battle. He may be more of a subversion, though, because in that setting a boy of his age is thought of as a man anyway, and he doesn't actually ''stay'' dead very long.
** Lampshaded in the film.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas:
** Inverted. Capricorn doesn't love anyone but himself, least of all his mother, and even tries to hide the fact that his "maid" is even related to him. However, she loves him with an almost obsessive devotion that sends her over the edge when he is killed.
** Played straight, however, with Jacopo -- he is a rotten SpoiledBrat with a foul temperament and he looks up to his grandfather, wanting to rule... but he truly, utterly loves his (considerably kinder) mother Violante, and when ConflictingLoyalties start to (somewhat) come into play, he chooses his mother in the end. It's also hinted in the epilogue that LoveRedeems and he might grow into a better person thanks to her tempering influence over him.

* MoralDissonance: Farid is not just a loyal character, but shy and easily embarrassed. At the start of the third book it is established he is in a teenage relationship with Meggie... from Meggie's point of view. When we cut to the chapters from Farid's perspective, the various and numerous serving girls Farid makes out with (whilst still in this relationship) are mentioned casually by the author in passing without any explanation as to how this shy boy suddenly became such a stud... and never again!

* ARealManIsAKiller: Played with.

* ShipSinking: After two novels of setup, the back-and-forth Meggie/Farid Ship hit a reef. In the beginning of ''Inkdeath'': Meggie and Farid seem to be together, until a few chapters before the end... However, Farid and Meggie's relationship was gradually going downhill, with Farid constantly ignoring Meggie for Dustfinger's company, making out with countless other girls, and then expecting her to take him back the minute he happened to want her. Throughout the entire book, Doria was there for her when she needed someone most, so observant readers saw the shipwreck coming from the very beginning.

* TookALevelInBadass: Mo starts to show signs of badassery in ''Inkspell'', but there has been an obvious changed in the few months between the end of book 2 and the start of book 3.

%%* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Flatnose and Cockerel from Book 1.

%%* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: Resa]] in ''Inkdeath''.

* BadassBookworm: Mo.
* BadassUnintentional: Nearly all the protagonists.
* BalancingDeathsBooks: At the end of ''Inkspell''.
* BearsAreBadNews: Averted with the Black Prince's bear. True, he may be used mostly for intimidation, but he ''is'' a bear.
* BecomingTheMask: Mo becomes the Bluejay, much to the distress of his wife and daughter.

* {{Bookburning}}: This happens to every existing copy of ''Inkheart'' [[spoiler: save one]] in the first book.
** Capricorn's fireraisers burn all the books in Elinor's library.
* {{Bookworm}}: Elinor, Mo, Meggie, Resa, Darius, and Violante.

* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler: Dustfinger and Mo]], with powers and insight they had not possessed before meeting Death.
* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler: Cosimo and Basta.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: As the main point-of-view character, Meggie surprisingly doesn't get much, even though it is a kind of coming-of-age story for her.
** But Mo gets a whopping dose, especially in the last book. In the first book, he's a goofy and loving dad, if [[HiddenDepths sad underneath]], and while he may be [[TallDarkAndHandsome physically imposing]], he's a thoroughly [[BookWorm nerdy]] NonActionGuy. He starts to undergo some alarming changes in book 2, and by book 3 he is a complete badass, and sometimes just an [[JerkAss ass]]. He finally does find a happy medium, though, going back to his old life [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore as much as he can]].
** Dustfinger gets some--in a way--in ''Inkheart''. While the character himself really doesn't change, the way Meggie (and the audience) perceives him develops over the course of the story. He goes from mysterious and creepy in the beginning, to mysterious and treacherous, to mysterious and sad at the end.

* CynicalMentor: Dustfinger to Farid.
* DaddysLittleVillain: Even with no affection between father and daughter, this applies to the Adderhead and Violante.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Both sequels, the latter being a result of a case of Cornelia Funke's CreatorBreakdown.
* DarkIsEvil[=/=]LightIsGood
* DealWithTheDevil: Inverted. Death makes a deal with Mo.

--->'''Mo:''' Meggie, just pretend you're in a book. [[ImprobableInfantSurvival Children always survive in books]].
--->'''Meggie:''' [[AvertedTrope No they don't]]. Remember ''Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl''? They found her in that alley frozen to death.

** Nearly happens to [[spoiler: Mo in the dungeons of the Castle in the Lake]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Arguably [[spoiler:Capricorn's]] death at the hands of the Shadow.
** In ''Inkdeath'', [[spoiler: Mortola]] has been set up as a major villain, having tried to kill Meggie and [[TheLancer the Black Prince]]--and nearly succeeding with the Prince--only to be struck by an arrow from Orpheus almost at random. She then [[DisneyVillainDeath falls to her death]].

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Inverted. Capricorn doesn't love anyone but himself, least of all his mother, and even tries to hide the fact that his "maid" is even related to him. However, she loves him with an almost obsessive devotion that sends her over the edge when he is killed.
** Played straight, however, with Jacopo - he is a rotten SpoiledBrat with a foul temperament and he looks up to his grandfather, wanting to rule... but he truly, utterly loves his (considerably kinder) mother Violante, and when ConflictingLoyalties start to (somewhat) come into play, he chooses his mother in the end. It's also hinted in the epilogue that LoveRedeems and he might grow into a better person thanks to her tempering influence over him.

* EvilCounterpart: The Adderhead is this to the Laughing Prince.
* EvilGloating[=/=]JustBetweenYouAndMe: Orpheus when Mortimer is in the pit.

* FateWorseThanDeath: As several characters know, being dead is not unpleasant, so by the time of ''Inkdeath'', the definition of "a fate worse than death" is much broader than you might think.
** Especially the Adderhead's declining health, and [[BodyHorror literal decomposition]] while still alive.

* FourEyesZeroSoul: Invoked by Orpheus in order to intimidate people.

* GentleGiant: The Strong Man in the third book.
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* [[GiantRobotHandsSaveLives Giant Hands Save Lives]]: Fenoglio falls out of a tree and is caught by a giant.
* AGodAmI: Fenoglio and Orpheus both have attacks of this, and it's hard to tell which man is worse.

* HappilyMarried: Mortimer and Teresa.

* JustLikeRobinHood: The Bluejay.

* KnifeNut: Basta.

* LeParkour: Farid's specialty.

* TheLostWoods: Wayless Wood.

* LoveMakesYouDumb: Orpheus thinks so, and [[FlawExploitation uses it]] against his enemies.
* LoveTriangle: Poor Meggie is such a teenage girl. "How can you love two boys with just one heart?"
* MacabreMothMotif: Used on the cover art.

* MenDontCry: Averted.
* MindRape: Orpheus does this to [[spoiler:Mortimer]].

* OurGiantsAreBigger: Actually not; they're smaller than some of the trees. They're definitely different from most fantasy giants, however.
* PalsWithJesus: Dustinger and Mo are pals with the White Women.
* PapaWolf: Mo and Dustfinger both have their moments.

* PityTheKidnapper: Discussed. Fenoglio says that one solution to their problems is to give Elinor to the Adderhead and let her “talk him to distraction” until he [[RuleOfFunny just gives up]].

* PlayingPossum: How Fenoglio escapes from the giant in book 3.
* PlayingWithFire: Dustfinger, Farid, and Sootbird.

* PowerPerversionPotential: Come on, they can read the written word aloud and make it happen. Surely, at some point, someone with this power would write some self-insert fanfiction or something and just ''read it aloud''...
** Shown in-universe with Orpheus [[spoiler: making changes to the Inkworld as he sees fit.]]
* PrideBeforeAFall: This pretty much sums up Fenoglio's character development in ''Inkspell''.
* {{Psychopomp}}: The White Women.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The robbers in book 3.

* RomanticRunnerUp: [[spoiler:Doria becomes Meggie's boyfriend in ''Inkdeath'' after the harsh ShipSinking Meggie/Farid went through.]]

* ScaryShinyGlasses: The first time the Adderhead ever feels “fear of another man” is when the fire reflecting off Orpheus’s glasses obscures his eyes for a moment.
* ScrewDestiny: “It’s not a pleasant feeling to read the words that guide your actions--no one knows that better than I do--but they didn't come true for me either. They have only as much power as you give them.”

* SelfMadeOrphan: Violante plans to become one.

* SlidingScaleOfFateVsFreeWill: Type 2, where “fate” is the story written. The story maps out what each character will do, but the characters can defy it (''Inkdeath'') if they try or if outside events prevent the story’s regular course from continuing (''Inkheart'').
* SoulJar: The White Book.

* StoicSpectacles: Violante.

* TheresNoPlaceLikeHome: Dustfinger in ''Inkheart'', very much so.
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Flatnose and Cockerel from Book 1.

* TreeTopTown: The fugitives escape to one near the end of ''Inkdeath''.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: Violante's crush on the Bluejay.

* [[spoiler: [[IChooseToStay We Choose To Stay]] ]]
* WelcomeToTheRealWorld
* WhamEpisode: The finale of book 2.

* MundaneObjectAmazement: Duct tape!

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Considering the books are geared at children, it's surprising how many times they say words like "damn", "hell", and "bastard", especially in ''Inkspell''. The reason is probably that the works were translated from German, and Germans have a greater tolerance for these cusswords, even in works for children.

* OurAngelsAreDifferent: the White Women who appear to people before they die, whispering their name and taking them to the land of death.