When I first watched Pan’s Labyrinth, I became a Guillermo del Toro fan. Sure, I had already watched Mimic and Blade II, as well as immensely enjoyed Hellboy by then, but Pan’s Labyrinth was a different kind of special. It’s mix of historical fiction and fantasy that swept me away and left me with wonder at its end, even if its horrible antagonist angered me to no end and I ended up dreaming about the monsters that del Toro brought to life on screen.
I was surprised when Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun appeared as a recommended audiobook title on Scribd. I didn’t know they made a book adaptation based on the film, with Guillermo del Toro sharing author credits with Cornelia Funke (Inkheart). Surprised I may have been, that wasn’t going to stop me from diving back into its strange, beautiful and terrifying world.
Ofelia travels with her mother Carmen to a forested area in Spain, where her stepfather Captain Vidal is tasked to eradicate rebels. He intends for Carmen to give birth to their child wherever he is, which taxes the already weak woman. Ofelia struggles to like and be liked by her stepfather, and uses her fairy tale books to escape their new reality. At her new home, she not only meets housekeeper Mercedes, who is secretly aiding the rebels, but also encounters a fairy and a faun. The Faun informs her that she is the reincarnation of Princess Moanna of the underworld, who visited the human world, where she became a mortal, lost her memories and eventually died. The Faun tells Ofelia that she must perform three tasks in order to return to the underworld and become immortal once again.
I will admit that my reading is most likely enhanced by the fact that I remember the visuals provided by the film version. But I don’t think it would lessen the overall enjoyment you can gain from reading the book. Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke described the events and creatures in great detail, making it easy to visualize Ofelia’s journey, both the ones grounded in reality and those coated in fantasy.
The book’s true strength, however, is in its story. The mix between real world and fantasy elements is deftly handled, giving both much weight in Ofelia’s journey. There is a desperation in Ofelia to escape her life, with her mother’s difficult pregnancy causing much concern and the cold anger directed at her by Captain Vidal. And the nearness of the civil war her stepfather is fighting makes it all the more dire. It’s not hard to understand why she would readily choose to believe the Faun’s promises of immortality and escaping to a different world. In order to get it, though, is to embark on a secret adventure to fulfill the three tests that pit her against truly horrific creatures. This is not an adventure that will exempt you from having nightmares. Everything is scary, and even the Faun sounds terrible when described and a terrifying figure when its emotions run high.
I found the side stories scattered across the book to be a wonderful addition. Myth or fable-like in telling, the stories shed a bit more light into the origins of some of the characters and foes that are involved in Ofelia’s journey. There are parallels in the characters in the real and fantasy worlds that I found interesting, because when I first watched the film, I was struck with the thought that all the fantasy elements could just be in Ofelia’s head, borne out of her desperation to escape her life. It gives the ending an even more bittersweet note than it does when watched or read at face value.
Whether you’ve watched the film or not, Pan’s Labyrinth is a world to dive into. It’s not just the fantasy elements that make it fascinating, but the exploration of gender roles that were given more highlight this time around and the struggles of war that affect even those who are not doing the physical fighting. It’s a story worth revisiting for me, and one that I wouldn’t mind continuing to do so in the future.
Happy reading.
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