Line #7 Literature/Reckless


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reckless.png]]
2	A 2010 young adult novel by Creator/CorneliaFunke.
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4	''Reckless'' is essentially about [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold two]] [[DoggedNiceGuy brothers]], [[{{Animorphism}} a shape-changing fox]], [[MyFriendsandZoidberg and one brother's nurse fiancee.]] The older brother, [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Jacob]] [[MeaningfulName Reckless]] dropped off the face of the earth after his father died and his mom went...well. Anyway, turns out he's been off in a magical world behind a mirror in his father's old study. His younger brother, Will, winds up following him through, and Will's fiancee, Clara, follows ''him'' through. Will gets bitten by a Goyl, a living stone race that have recently begun to spread through bites (thanks to some DarkMagic from their leader's mistress). Now Jacob, Clara, Will, and Jacob's best friend [[MeaningfulName Fox]] must find a cure before Will becomes a BrainwashedAndCrazy statue with SuperStrength and a heart of stone( both metaphorical and literal). And then shit happens, like how once Will starts growing Goyl skin, the other Goyl declare him basically their Messiah, and how the humans of the Mirror World have signed a truce with the Goyl, including a wedding between the human princess and the Goyl leader, which his mistress, the Dark Fairy, isn't very happy with. They also run into Jacob's ex-girlfriend, a [[OurFairiesAreDifferent fairy]] with a thing for moths,[[note]] whose name is ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Miranda the Red Fairy]]'' of all things[[/note]] and Evanaugh Valiant, a {{Jerkass}} dwarf [[SmugSnake who knows more about the Mirrorworld than he is entitled to.]] There is also unlimited ShipTease, PurpleProse of the best and first order, and enough DarkerAndEdgier, written CostumePorn, SceneryPorn and MythologyGags to drown in.
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6	[[spoiler: They do find a cure, but Jacob is now cursed himself, and Jacob and Fox must find a cure for ''him. Within a year''.]]
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8	A sequel, ''Fearless'', was released on September 16, 2012, and ''Reckless'' (UK) or ''Mirrorworld'' (US) will be a five-part series.
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10	!!Provides Examples Of:
11	* ActionGirl: Fox, who holds her own on more than one occasion.
12	* AfterActionPatchUp: [[spoiler: Jacob re-bandages Fox's arm]] in ''Fearless'', and [[spoiler: we find out they've often patched each other up over the years.]]
13	* AllMythsAreTrue: Well, All Fairy Tales Are True, if DarkerAndEdgier. Even Sleeping Beauty shows up!
14	* {{Animorphism}}: Fox, who prefers her animal form [[spoiler:until she [[GreenEyedEpiphany sees Jacob kissing Clara]]]].
15	* AnotherDimension: The Mirrorworld is an alternate version of Europe with 1700s politics...cameras, railroads, and [[spoiler:airplanes]]. The primary mode of travel still appears to be horseback, though, and characters don't recognize modern guns or flashlights. Oh, and there's a whole range of supernatural races...
16	* AntiHero: Jacob Reckless, a questionably sympathetic professional treasure hunter satisfied with his grand total of one friend...who gets dragged into the middle of a war because he just wants his brother back.
17	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Jacob is shot in the chest, actually ''dies'', and is brought back to life by Miranda two pages later.]]
18	* BigBrotherInstinct: Jacob with Fox, [[spoiler: at least until the second book.]] And she increasingly doesn't seem to see him that way. [[spoiler: Later, neither does he with her.]]
19	* BittersweetEnding: Could also be a DownerEnding depending on which characters you actually sympathized with. Jacob [[spoiler: has managed to save his brother, but [[NiceJobBreakingItHero he's antagonized both the Goyl and the Empire in the process]] and unwittingly ends up cursed.]]
20	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Will]], who nearly [[spoiler: kills his own brother ''after smashing through a wall'' while unable to recognize him.]]
21	* DarkerAndEdgier: With its relentlessly dark tone, heavily implied sex, constant violence, and creatures, this is not your average children's novel.
22	* DownerBeginning: By the second chapter, Will is already turning into living stone. What happened in the twelve years since chapter one? [[{{Exposition}} You can catch up on that later.]]
23	* ComfortingTheWidow: Valiant shamelessly states his intention to employ this strategy with [[spoiler:Clara]].
24	* FalseProtagonist: The novel briefly appears this way, [[spoiler:but it's ultimately subverted.]]
25	%%* FantasyGunControl: Subverted.
26	%%* FemmeFatale: The Dark Fairy, and every other member of her race.
27	* GreenEyedEpiphany: Fox prefers her human skin to her fox fur only after she [[spoiler: sees Jacob kissing Clara. "She wanted skin, and lips, so he could kiss them as he had kissed Clara's lips."]] Proof of her jealousy in that she imagines Clara meeting a variety of terrible fates.
28	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Kami'en and the Goyl versus Empress Therese and the Imperials. The Goyl seem like the logical villains until you find out more about [[ManipulativeBastard Therese's]] ruthless tactics. Not to mention, their hatred of humans is a natural response to years of human aggression. Then again, Therese and Austrya aren't entirely unsympathetic either...
29	* HumansAreUgly: Most Goyl are repulsed by the softness of human flesh, even [[spoiler:Will]], who gradually becomes disgusted by [[spoiler:Clara]]. [[spoiler:Kami'en]] is a rare subversion, [[spoiler:the first Goyl to take a human wife]]. Other inter-breeding is mentioned in passing, though, suggesting that he's not the only one with an attraction to humans.
30	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The original titles seem to be following a OneWordTitle [word]-less theme, as seen with ''Reckless'' and ''Fearless''.
31	* InterspeciesRomance: It's all over the place, with occasionally [[{{Squick}} squicky]] implications. Jacob and Miranda. Kami'en and The Dark Fairy. [[spoiler:Kami'en and Amelie]]. [[ShipTease Jacob and Fox]] just might count as well, [[{{Animorphism}} depending on how you look at it]]. Valiant has a thing for human girls...
32	* ItDoesntMeanAnything: Jacob more or less says this to [[spoiler:Clara]]. She doesn't quite believe him. Neither does [[spoiler:Fox]]. Come to think of it, he has his own doubts on the matter...
33	%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Jacob.
34	%%* {{Jerkass}}: Evanaugh Valiant. And how.
35	* LivingAphrodisiac: Played straight with every single one of the Fairies. [[spoiler:Jacob ends up "spending the night" with his ex-lover Miranda, even though he's rapidly running out of time to save his brother.]]
36	* LovePotion: Don't drink the Lark's Water.
37	* MayflyDecemberRomance: Jacob, who is twenty-four, and Miranda, an immortal fairy. Probably a similar situation between Kami'en and The Dark Fairy.
38	* MeaningfulName: Jacob and John Reckless. Subverted by Will, who doesn't really seem to do anything at all.
39	%%* MirrorWorld: ...self-explanatory.
40	* MyGirlIsNotASlut: My Brother's Girl Is Not A Slut: Jacob and [[spoiler: Clara's]] mutual attraction is left nicely ambiguous, but they're both ashamed of [[spoiler:KissingUnderTheInfluence]]. Becomes vitally important seeing as [[spoiler: [[ThePowerofLove Clara needs to be Will's True Love for their quest to succeed]]]]...
41	* ParentalAbandonment: So, one day, [[{{DisappearedDad}} Dad disappeared]] and Mom hit the sleeping pills... This is probably a huge contributing factor in Jacob's emotional detachment.
42	* ParentalSubstitute: Chanute is this to Jacob.
43	* ThePowerOfLove: Employed with less than favorable results.
44	* PromotedToParent: Jacob, in that he brings treasures from Mirrorworld back to his own world to pay for his brother's school fees and his mother's doctor's fees. Arguable since Jacob was very much absent from Will's life.
45	* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: Sure, Jacob ultimately accomplishes what he set out to do, but then there are all those people who end up dead...]]
46	* RealMenGetShot: Jacob. He can't seem to go more than a few pages without getting sliced open. It never stops him from kicking ass, though.
47	* SecretlyDying: [[spoiler: Jacob in ''Fearless''.]] Eventually tells [[spoiler: Fox, but only when he's got mere months left on the clock]].
48	%%* ShipTease: Jacob and Fox.

Context Literature / Reckless