A review by mozbolt
Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke

5.0

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm so happy I found the novelization first. First of all, the design of this book is phenomenal. This hardcover, magically blue book is filled with magical illustrations that reveal more detail the longer you examine them. The pages and font are perfect and the paper used is that soft yet crisp type. Secondly, I absolutely love Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy, and her writing style did not disappoint. While this story is not hers, she brought such emotion to life through her descriptive style. The story itself... full of heartbreak and courage in the face of evil, this is so important right now and I feel like this book found me during the dark times we are in. The vanity and ugliness of fascism is so eerily depicted in this story, making me fear what may be to come in the US. There is violence and protest in this book but endurance despite all odds. I found the magical realism and blurred lines between life and death to beautifully compliment the raw reality of Ofelia's experience at the hands of Videl's cruelty. This book really struck home with me in another way as a new mother, since so much of the story revolves around Ofelia's mother's late pregnancy and the birth of the son who is so valuable to the antagonist. I am experiencing much anxiety and worry about the world my own son is being brought into, as this little boy was born in such turmoil. Finally, the depth of creativity in this story is absolutely astonishing. The "tasks" the faun sets to Ofelia are intricately woven in tandem with her reality, challenging her courage, endurance, and resilience in ways that are ethereally imaginative, starkly real but also warped in the way a child might perceive and cope the trauma happening around them. I felt completely enveloped in this story, more than I have in a book other than faithful re-reads (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Jane Austen), for years. I cannot and will not stop raving about this story and I CANNOT wait to watch the movie.