Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I loved the film version of this and was excited to read the book. It works really well as a novel and is a perfect spooky creepy fantasy book.

What a glorious, sweeping novel . . . Richly imagined, WOW, WOW, WOW. I absolutely loved this book. It completely blew my mind and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished reading it!

I loved the original film of this book (with the same name), so the thought of a book intrigued me, especially as it was written afterwards. And let’s face it, anything with fairytale connections is on to a winner where I’m concerned.

This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.

Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.

The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!

While I LOVE this movie, I was a little disappointed in the book. It is WONDERFUL, but it's to all intents and purposes a novelisation of the movie with very little extra material. If you go in expecting that, you will not be disappointed.

I’ve tried a few times now to read this book but unfortunately it’s not a book for me which I’m disappointed about premise sounded amazing.

(Ignore the star rating - star ratings are an overly-simplified method of art commodification (lol))

Title: Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of The Faun

Author: Guillermo Del Toro and Cornelia Funke

Genre: Media Tie-In, Horror, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tales (-ish,) Magic Realism(-ish,) Young Adult (Maybe? Maybe just adult with YA appeal. It's kind of difficult to gage the age range here!)




A Few Starting Notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides reviewers with review copies as an opportunity to provide a fair and honest review.

I love the film Pan's Labyrinth, a Spanish-language film first released in 2006, from Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro.

It enjoys the niche status of a foreign-language film that's highly regarded by English-speaking critics, and loved and adored by a relatively small but very dedicated English-speaking audience.

And while I'm naturally wary of novelisations of films -

because they have a tendency to not be very good quality and be a cynical cash-grab of fans' hard-earned money

- I figured that the combination of Del Toro and Cornelia Funke (who wrote Inkheart and a bunch of other fantasy) made it worth a shot.

(I think I was right.)


The Premise:

The premise here is, basically, the premise of the film Pan's Labyrinth - but extended and expanded upon.

Our heroine is Ofelia, a small child who moves with her pregnant mother to the house that her step-father, an officer in Franco's fascist army, is occupying.

In the woods near the house (because there's always a woods, isn't there?) she finds a mysterious labyrinth, ruled over by Pan, the faun.

The magical Pan sends Ofelia on quests - and Ofelia, a lover of fairy-tales, feels like she's in an adventure story.

The quests, though, are increasingly dangerous and horrifying, and Ofelia begins to doubt that the seemingly-benevolent faun has her best interests in mind...


The Best Bits:


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*ahem*

Sorry, I just had to get that out.

Because this book is... WOW!

Like, the film was already wow, but somehow the book manages to expand on it and vividly conjure these images which were so striking from the movie.

And we get more depth.

We. Get. More. Depth!

Because interwoven with the main plot is some of the stories from Ofelia's fairy-tale book, which weave in so neatly and give more layers to the symbolism and events of the main narrative.

And they're deliciously off-key.

- Gothic and creepy in that slightly wondrous way that only fairy-tale-style stories can really accomplish.

And we still have that simple-but-complex, everything-is-not-as-it-seems edge that keeps you on your metaphorical toes.

What is real here?

The two worlds - or is it the two halves of the world? - that we inhabit are so entirely different to each other that, as the edges blur, things whip up to a Gothic fever-pitch.

The illustrations are breath-taking and retain that edge of questioning reality and off-key perceptions.

And the writing!

This is a film novelisation that is well written!!!! Really!!!!!

As in, I would have read this as a book in its own right. Honestly - cross my heart. It was good.


The Not-So Great-Bits:


This is gonna be way too dark for a lot of readers, ok?

There's blood, gore, and very bad things happening left, right, and centre.

There are horrible people who live in the European fascist dictatorship that the world left unpestered both pre, during, and post WW2.

The Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship are things which Europe and the West like to collectively brush under the carpet, but here in this dark fantasy we also have the even darker reality.

Because of that darkness, I honestly have no clue what age group this book was aimed at.

It's not Middle Grade, it's far too dark for that (unless your kid is a little gremlin who reads the original bloodthirsty versions of fairy-tales like I was - then you're probably OK.)

Honestly, I don't know what audience the original film was aimed at either - which kind of stays consistent, at least.

The British age rating for the film is 12, if that helps - which honestly seems a little low to me, but maybe they were just as confused as I am.

It's the kind of thing that defies neat classifications (and I'm totally on board with that!


Content Warnings:

- War and fascism
- Torture (graphic!)
- General violence and murder
- Horror elements pretty much everywhere
- Blood and gore
- Child abuse
- Child neglect
- Child murder
- Children being eaten
- Domestic abuse
- Bereavement
- Pregnancy problems
- Childbirth problems
- Inferred threat of sexual assault and violence


...I think that's everything, if I missed something please let me know!


The Verdict:


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...I loved it.

If creepy and/or Gothic stuff is your thing, especially if you're a fan of the film, read it! I reckon you'll love it too.

I’m slightly biased as I loved the film. But this book is wonderful. It captures all the suspense of the film, and weaves a wonderful tale with magic and wonder. I fell in love with the storytelling, although in some places it did feel a bit too simple for the situation.

As I said before, it really captured the magic of the film. You will really, really loathe the Wolf, and be terribly afraid of him. The big bad antagonist with more vitriol in him that is humanly possible. He is every bit sickening and Ofelia is sweet, and wonderful, and innocent, and everything we were as children.

The dual storytelling is fantastic. A fairytale retelling runs concurrently with the main plot, which is enchanting and makes things fall into place. It really is spellbinding; there’s no other way of putting it.

If you haven’t watched the film or read the book, just be aware as it can get quite gory.

A vivid and haunting dark fantasy, interspersed with fairy tale and myth. This was beautifully written, and although I already knew the storyline from the movie, I was on the edge of my seat, desperate for Ofelia to overcome the perils that await her and escape from the brutality of Captain Franco. The book managed to add a new level of realism, desperation and hope - it has many layers that the movie does not, and in the end, even though I loved the movie, I liked the book even more!

Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun is a fairy tale for adults. It’s a dark, gothic fantasy that draws you into a magical world.

Here, Ophelia discovers the labyrinth and fairies help and support her as she meets Pan himself. He tells her a secret, her birthright that she must fight to reclaim….

Full of war, magic and marvellously dark beasts and monsters as Ophelia begins her fight. Beautifully written, almost poetic at times, with a creepy atmosphere throughout. A perfect Halloween read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for for an eARC of Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of The Faun.

A well written book adaptation of the popular movie - I would recommend this to any fans of the film.

I don't know why this book is described as an Alice in wonderland but dark. Is definitely a girl who loves fairy tales, but it's setting is not glamours, and it's not one massive adventure, so please be cautious when reading this book as it's a piece set in Franco's Spain, plenty of sexism, back stabbing, blood, and misogyny and bare in mind is a YA book so not big history lessons and not much of explaining the character's behaviour.

Being so familiar with the film I couldn't imagine my own characters and that really bothered me, but that's what you get when you read a Film to Book adaptation I guess.

I didn't like much the writing style, as it felt off whenever we changed POV, Vidal is supposed to be tough and yet we read more about his little habits and weaknesses, we know he is a horrible human and he will go to lengths to protect his offspring, but somehow he feels childlike rather than a grownup.
The other characters we just don't get to see enough to be able to make up our own minds about them. I thought it was a character driven story given the diffent perspectives we read from, but at the end I felt it was more story driven as the important part was the outcome, for that reason it fell flat sometimes, and I got distracted.

Nevertheless I still like the story and that we get to revisit Guillermo del Toro's world with a few added bonus that you can't take from the film, so if you like magic realism, fairies and blood this book would be for you.

☆☆☆☆ worth reading
A good written version of the movie that kept a creepy atmosphere. A good read for anyone who enjoyed the movie.

What a great read! I enjoyed every single page of this book and I wish I could read it again for the first time. I’m definitely pushing this to everyone I know!

Once upon a time, a little girl called Ofelia was born to a beautiful mother and a caring father, who were very much in love. Unfortunately, by the time this story starts, that happy time is long gone. Now Ofelia's father is dead and, in the volatile Spain of 1944, a young widow and a little girl need protection. Ofelia's mother has made a dangerous gamble and chosen to marry again, to the brutal Capitán Vidal. She is already heavy with his child and now, like a monster in a fable, he's waiting for them in the old house he uses as his base, deep in the middle of a forest. Ofelia can't resist drawing comparisons with fairy tales. She loves them. They help her make sense of the world around her, and now, as Spanish men kill other Spanish men, and evil digs its tendrils into her life, Ofelia will need her imagination more than ever. Darkness awaits her at Capitán Vidal's farmhouse, but something else awaits her too. An extraordinary discovery: a labyrinth, a faun, and a promise - and a quest, which Ofelia must undertake to prove her worth. Based on the 2006 film, this is a deliciously dark homage to the magic of books and fairy tales, emphatically not for children (except grown-up ones). 

Ofelia doesn't really understand why they have to go and live with Vidal in the forest. She doesn't understand why they couldn't just carry on as they were, or why her mother is so frightened nowadays, or why her mother has less and less time for the stories Ofelia loves. As they settle into their new home, Ofelia realises that everyone is frightened of Vidal, who casually wields the power of life and death, not only over the guerillas hiding in the forest, but also over his servants, his men and, needless to say, his new wife and stepdaughter. Ofelia learns to hide, to keep small, and to creep around for fear of provoking Vidal's unpredictable cruelty. She finds sanctuary in the books she loves, believing that her mother is no longer able to appreciate these fairy tales. Little does she know that adults, too, have fairy tales, to which they cling desperately in times of trouble; and Ofelia's mother is no different: 'Carmen Cardoso believed the most dangerous tale of all: the one of the prince who would save her'.

But the prospect of salvation comes from the most extraordinary place. Ofelia discovers a labyrinth in the forest near the house, a curious maze full of ancient carvings and mysterious symbols. She'd already spotted a fairy on their car journey to the house - though her mother hadn't been able to see it - and now she encounters a creature stranger still: a towering faun, an ancient being who tells her a fantastical tale. Ofelia is not a crushed little girl living a hopeless life in a country that's tearing itself apart. On the contrary, she is the princess of the great underground realm that lies beneath the labyrinth. She has been lost for many years, while her grieving parents waited for her to return, and now the faun - their court official - offers Ofelia the chance to restore her birthright. Like all heroes, she must complete three tasks to prove her wit and her identity: only then will she be returned to her true life with her living, loving parents. Ofelia agrees - who doesn't dream of being a lost princess? - and the quest begins.

What is true, though? Who is seeing clearly? Can Ofelia, the unspoiled child, see the ancient forces of the world which the adults around her are too jaded to notice? Is the magic real? Or are the faun, the quest, the royal blood, just the products of an overactive imagination stuffed with too many fairy tales and traumatised by the cruelty of a new stepfather? Is life, as Thomas Hobbes would have it, just nasty, brutish and short? While Ofelia embarks on her great quest, watched over by the enigmatic servant Mercedes, her mother Carmen struggles to adapt to her chosen life. Terror has become her constant companion: 'She didn't remember how it felt to look at anything without despising it, without being afraid of it. All she saw was a world that took what she loved and ground it to dust between its teeth.' And what of Vidal, the evil villain of the piece? Even he has his personal story, his dream, his grandeur. Even as he inflicts death and mutilation on others, he does so from a twisted sense of honour: 'Death was the only love in Vidal's heart. His greatest romance. Nothing compared to it. So grand, so absolute, a celebration of darkness, of finally giving in completely.' Everyone has their own fairy tale.

The book is written with the same almost sing-song storyteller's simplicity that defined the film. Horrible things happen, but we dance between worlds, never quite sure whether we are in brutal reality or a dreamlike fairy-tale. I'm not quite sure how the division of labour worked, between Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke, but it's a treat to have the latter involved in bringing the former's world to life, and it's remarkable how accurately they manage to capture the essence of the film in prose. With del Toro's signature twisted fantasy, and Funke's literary flair, it's a match made in heaven, resulting in a book that stands triumphantly alone as a work of fiction, quite independent from the film. Brooding, ominous, nightmarish and beautiful.

There's an obvious question that needs to be asked, isn't there? If you've seen the film, do you really need to read the book as well? I'm not sure you do. The book adds a few extra dark fairy-tales, and is beautifully written, but it doesn't offer anything substantially different from the film. In fact, it's largely a scene-for-scene recreation of the film, which is why I've only given it four stars, because for all its impact it isn't original. I also find it odd that the book has been released so long after the film, with so little to differentiate it, save the medium. Perhaps it's simply meant to extend the reach of the story, and to find a different audience among those who haven't seen the film at all, and in that sense it works brilliantly. Perhaps there are lots of people out there who won't contemplate a film with subtitles, even one as brilliant as Pan's Labyrinth. Newcomers will find this a captivating, magical, grim story, as dark as the forests surrounding Ofelia's new home. But I'm not sure the book adds all that much for those of us who have seen, and loved, the film - except perhaps as a reminder that we really should go and watch it again.

This review will be published on my blog on Sunday 15 March at the below link:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/03/15/pans-labyrinth-guillermo-del-toro-cornelia-funke

Based on the 2016 movie "Pan's Labyrinth" by Guillermo del Toro, it's an adaptation of the movie to a book for a change.
Odd, creepy and a f*cking cult classic in the making!

Read It!!!, simple as that!

The cover of this book is what attracted me straightaway and when I looked in to it more I realised it was actually quite a popular film that had somehow seemed to bypass me so I at least entered it with no preconcieved ideas.
I noticed it was a collaboration by two very acclaimed authors/a director so at least thought I could be in for a good tale and that I certainly was!.
The story is sent in 1944 Spain. Ofelia's Mother has remarried the sadistic Captain Vidal who is only interested in the unborn child she carries. He forces Ofelia in to his sickening abusive facist regime but whilst deep in the woods she meets Pan a faun who sets her tasks in order to prove his suspicion she is actually the lost princess of the underworld labyrinth.
I thought it clever how a War ravaged Spain was the setting for such a magical fantasy tale but yet that event could also inject haunting brutality. It contained one of my favourites, magical realism.
This well crafted World sucked me in, its dark and twisted but mythical and enchanting.
I would certainly highly recommend this for anybody searching for adult fairytale.

I was so excited when I got approved for this eARC. Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my favourite films. The book was enjoyable, and follows the same storyline. Ofelia’s story was dark and magical but also tragic.

There was something missing from the book version of this story though and I can’t even say what it was. Somehow there was a disconnect. Maybe it was the stories within the story that made it a little slow in places? Or too much time spent in Vidal’s POV? Either way, I did enjoy it even though it had a slow middle.

<i>Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.<i>

This was a stunning book, filled with beautiful illustrations and retaining all of the ethereal beauty of the film. It tells the story of Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her heavily pregnant mother to live with her stepfather, a general in Franco's army. What follows is a dark fairy tale that alternates between the real horrors perpetrated by the Capitan, and the otherworldly horrors of the Underworld as Ofelia completes a quest in order to reclaim her place as princess of the Underworld. We meet fairies, the Pale Man, a once human toad and the Fawn, who seems benevolent but you are never 100% sure of his motives. What I was sure of throughout was a sense of dread and fear for Ofelia, forced to survive under truly horrific circumstances and subject to the whims of both an evil man in the Capitan, and an ambiguous one in the Fawn. I loved the way the story was interspersed with snippets of tales from the Underworld and I thought the whole narrative had a really dream-like quality to it, which was perfect. I flew through the novel and thought that it did a fantastic job explaining certain things that weren't immediately obvious in the film. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the film but also to anyone who loves a good Fae tale.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Essentially, this is a straight retelling of the 2006 Guillermo del Toro film El Laberinto del Fauno, but with all the extras a good book should have: everything that’s going on in the minds and hearts of its characters. It’s also interspersed with fairy tales which cleverly reflect and interweave with the main tale.
It’s 1944, and 13-year-old Ofelia is travelling with her mother to an old mill, deep in a forest, to be with her stepfather, Capitan Vidal. On arriving, she discovers a fairy who leads her to a labyrinth, at the centre of which she encounters a faun who sets her three gruelling tasks. Only by passing all three can she prove she is truly the princess from the Underground Kingdom, and return to her rightful place by the side of her father, the king.
It’s a book of contrasts: fantasy against reality; innocence against violence; the power of magic against the brutality of post-civil war Spain. A fairy tale, but absolutely not for children. Peopled with brutal monsters, not all of them fantasy, heroines and heroes, none of them perfect, this richly woven story will linger long in the mind.
Is the fantasy real? Is it all just Ofelia’s imagination? Like all magical realism at its best, it is both. This is a dark, exquisitely told fairy tale for adults.