Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This enthralling novel, inspired by the 2006 film, illustrates that fantasy is the sharpest tool to explore the terrors and miracles of the human heart You shouldn't come in here. You could get lost. It has happened before. I'll tell you the story one day, if you want to hear it. In fairy tales, there are men and there are wolves, there are beasts and dead parents, there are girls and forests. Ofelia knows all this, like any young woman with a head full of stories. And she sees right away what the Capitán is, in his immaculate uniform, boots and gloves, smiling: a wolf. But nothing can prepare her for the fevered reality of the Capitán's eerie house, in the midst of a dense forest which conceals many things: half-remembered stories of lost babies; renegade resistance fighters hiding from the army; a labyrinth; beasts and fairies. There is no one to keep Ofelia safe as the labyrinth beckons her into her own story, where the monstrous and the human are inextricable, where myths pulse with living blood ...

Love it. It made me cry

I'M IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION

Precise rating: 3.5 ⭐

This book was a big surprise for me. After reading the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke, I realised that I really dislike her writing style. This book though ... it was written so much better! And even though I knew the story already from the movie (that I really love), Funke added just the right amount of extra story to it. Here and there, I was reminded of her bad writing in Inkheart, but at other times, I was touched and even almost cried at the end.

I loved the movie, so I guess it's no surprise that I loved the novelization of the movie. Not to mention that this is one of the most gorgeous physical books I have seen in a long time! Seriously, the cover jacket is BEAUTIFUL and don't forget to take a look at the actual cover paintings on the front & back - stunning! AND each page has sketch around the text, as well as sporadic detailed sketches throughout! Sometimes novelizations of movies can be so dry and uninteresting, but Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke managed to make this one something special. Perhaps the story already lends itself to novelization, being after all a dark fairytale, but I found that although the story is basically the same, the descriptions manage to flesh it out and make it even more magical than the movie managed. The writing gives it an earthy, haunting and mystic feel that isn't as easy to convey on film. The main story is also diverted now and again by a fairytale-like stories that ties in with the central story, which gives it an even fuller feel and wider scope. It's not often I think movie novelizations are worthwhile, but this one definitely was, and was handled well. It was still the story that I enjoyed in the movie, but fleshed out in just the right ways to make it a rewarding read.