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Loading... The child thief (original 2009; edition 2009)by Brom (Author, illustrator)
Work InformationThe Child Thief: A Novel by Brom (Author, illustrator) (2009)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 4.5 stars. Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZr1hlyMxQ The blurbs about The Child Thief describe it as a dark re-imagining of the classic children’s tale of Peter Pan. This is true as far as it goes, but distinctly understated. Brom’s version dials the Dark up to eleven. He takes the story of Peter the Puer Aeternus, adds the Fae and a great deal of Celtic mythology, a group of puritan settlers turned monster, and throws in a large glug of Lord of the Flies and cooks it all up into an entertainingly nightmarish story, ably accented by his artwork. I like dark re-imaginings of fairy tales and such, and enjoyed this one. But I found I had to consume it slowly, in rather small bites. I haven't read the original Peter Pan, but there didn't seem to be many links to the movies/cartoons I've seen other than Peter and a group of kids who never age. There was a Captain, but he really didn't come off as Captain Hook, and there was no Tinkerbell, though there were fairies that were kind of in the background. It was a bit too long for what it was, but it was a cool story. A mix of modern times and medieval folklore. It was dark, as you would expect from Brom, and there's some great art in the book (if you're reading the dead tree version instead of listening to it). no reviews | add a review
Awards
The acclaimed artist Brom brilliantly displays his multiple extraordinary talents in The Child Thief--a spellbinding re-imagining of the beloved Peter Pan story that carries readers through the perilous mist separating our world from the realm of Faerie. As Gregory Maguire did with his New York Times bestselling Wicked novels, Brom takes a classic children's tale and turns it inside-out, painting a Neverland that, like Maguire's Oz, is darker, richer, more complex than innocent world J.M. Barrie originally conceived. An ingeniously executed literary feat, illustrated with Brom's sumptuous artwork, The Child Thief is contemporary fantasy at its finest--casting Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, even Captain Hook and his crew in a breathtaking new light. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This book pulls you in with the 1st chapter. I was so horrified by it in the sample I downloaded to my Kindle that of course, I immediately went to purchase; I didn't even bother to read the rest of the sample.
There was little in this book that I anticipated before hand, unfortunately, what I did anticipate were large plot elements. While this didn't take away any enjoyment of the book for me, it might for some. Other elements were totally surprises. This is not a good guys against bad guys book although when bad, the bad guys are baad. And the good guys are never just good.
At every crossroads, be assured that the author took the opportunity to take turns down the dark road. If I had to think about that prior to reading, I would guess that it would make for a depressing book. And while some parts of the book are depressing, there was always a tiny thread of hope; after all, we were in the mind of Peter Pan. And whatever else that he is, he is the eternal child.
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