FEARLESS

With time running out, aptly named treasure hunter Jacob Reckless returns to Mirrorworld, desperately seeking a way to prevent his own death in this riveting sequel to Reckless (2010).

To save his brother’s life, Jacob cut a deal with the Red Fairy, who cursed him by embedding a deadly moth in his chest, designed to destroy him within the year. Since then, Jacob has exhausted every remedy in Mirrorworld, including the All-Healing Apple, the Well of Eternal Youth and a northern Djinn’s blood. As the reality of his impending death sinks in, Jacob remembers Guismond the Witch Slayer’s crossbow, which, if shot into the heart, can kill many or heal one. With Fox, his devoted, shape-shifting female companion, Jacob embarks on what could be his final hunt through Mirrorworld, with Nerron, a ruthless Goyl treasure hunter in pursuit. As he tries to outmaneuver Nerron and outwit death, introspective Jacob gradually realizes he fears losing Fox more than his life, adding a poignant love note to the overall tone of despair. Adroitly building on layers of European fairy tale, Funke’s original, rapid-fire narrative fearlessly transports Jacob and a bevy of ominous, multifaceted fantastical characters through a dark, decaying landscape in which death waits and honor is rare.

Provocative, harrowing, engrossing.