When I first put down my copy of Inkheart in December 2008, I knew it would be one of those books that I'd remember for a long time. It had me captivated. The novel surprised me in so many ways and its creativity was so ridiculously good that I immediately listed it as one of my favourite children's books.
However, for some odd reason, I have never paid much attention to the book's author, Cornelia Funke (pronounced foon-ka). I listened to the audio book of The Thief Lord but have not gone further than that. But now, having read her new book Ghost Knight and met her, I feel I have really missed out, as she is a brilliant writer and also a lovely woman.
Despite that, Ghost Knight, to me, is still a bit of a step down from Inkheart. The latter was full of brilliant and inventive characters, a driving plot and a wonderful setting. Only one of these is as strong in Ghost Knight - the setting – and perhaps this is to do with the book being aimed at a slightly younger age group.
The main characters are 11-year-old Jon Whitcroft and his soon-to-be best friend, Ella Littlejohn. Littlejohn is his first friend at his new boarding school (after being promptly sent off there against his will by his mother in favour of her new partner whom Jon dislikes and nicknames, "The Beard"). After a midnight outing with some creepy ghosts, Jon rushes to his new friend, Ella, for help. Conveniently, her grandmother, Zelda, is the local ghost tour guide. Zelda gives the pair some advice; they must summon the ghost of William Longespee. William Longespee was a real historical character, something Funke has avoided in her previous work.
Longespee, or at least his remains, currently reside at Salisbury cathedral. The cathedral itself is featured so heavily in the novel that you could even call it a character in its own right. Inside the main space in the cathedral, in the same position it is described in the book, is the tomb of William Longespee, the 3rd Earl of Salisbury.
The best thing about using a real location in a book is the joy people get from actually being able to go to see it. I believe the use of real places works in many forms of media. Say, for instance, you saw the London Eye in a movie as a central location, many people will feel a sense of glee when they go to the London Eye and think, "here's where so and so stood". The same goes for this book.
When I went down to visit Salisbury cathedral to attend the launch of the book, I found out that the friendly people who work there have made a ghost trail. This is a path you can take where you visit most of the locations in the cathedral and its grounds used in Ghost Knight. It felt really weird looking at the effigy of Longespee atop his tomb, as I frequently glanced at the lovely illustrations of Andrea Offermann and compared the two. I saw practically no difference but it was still wonderful.
For the book, Funke did a lot of research, visiting the adjacent cathedral school and researching the Crusades (a series of religious battles in which many people died around a thousand years ago). Longespee, in fact, lost a son during on one of these battles in Egypt. She said herself that they were very chivalrous and brave but could also be terrifying killing machines. I think those words sum up knights pretty well. She also said that she found it really interesting to build a story around a knight as children, especially boys, found them fascinating.
You may be wondering why Cornelia Funke chose Salisbury cathedral as the location for a book. Well, just about 10 years ago, she, her husband and their two children visited the cathedral "almost by accident". Funke said that as soon as she entered the cathedral the place almost "talked to her". She felt there was a story there that must be told and when she took a tour the guide told her of Longespee and his amazing life and she realised then that she had found her story.
To sum up Ghost Knight is a rather energetic book, with countless historical references and lots of good fun characters. Definitely worth reading.