Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Summary: Peter and Molly thought that they and the Starcatchers had defeated Lord Ombra at Stonehenge. Peter, imbued with enough of the starstuff's power that he can fly, and no longer ages, has returned to Mollusk Island, and Molly has gone back to London. However, Lord Ombra is not gone, and upon his return he orchestrates the kidnapping of Peter and the Lost Boys from the Island. They're headed for the desert court of the King of Rundoon, where Peter will be forced to play an integral part in Ombra's plan, a plan with dire consequences, not only for Peter and his friends, but for the whole of humanity. Molly races to save him, but can she possibly get there in time?

Review: I'm almost certainly biased by my love of Peter Pan stories show more (Peter was the first boy I ever had a crush on, and it's never entirely gone away), but I find the Starcatchers books incredibly charming and fun, and this one was no exception. It's been four years since I listened to the first two books, but this book immediately immersed me back in the Victorian London of the Starcatchers, and reminded me of what had happened in the previous stories without unnecessary repetition. The book is packed with plenty of action and adventure, and keeps the plot for the most part moving steadily along; there is a subplot involving Mollusk Island being invaded by a tribe of brutal hunters known as the Scorpions, which comes into play nicely at the end, but distracts from the main storyline during most of the book. I also thought there a nice range of humor throughout; there are some jokes that are clearly aimed at the younger end of the target audience (the flying, pooping camel comes to mind), but there's also some subtle snarky humor that should appeal to more mature readers.

But really, my favorite part about these books is the way that they pick out various parts of the familiar Peter Pan story, and fill in the backstory in such a way that it's both clever and plausible. (Well, plausible given that one accepts the existence of Starstuff.) There are a number of such things that get explained in this book - the crocodile swallowing the clock, for example - but my favorite was watching the developing tension surrounding Peter and Molly's relationship: Tinkerbell's possessive jealousy, the enmity and posturing between Peter and George Darling, and the play of emotions as they all realize that Peter is never going to live the life of a normal boy. It's all handled very well, and with more depth than you might expect given the age of the intended audience.

Jim Dale, unsurprisingly, does a lovely job with the narration; I picked this book up in large part because I needed a narrator that I could rely on to be good. But I have to admit that there were points when Peter Pan sounded distractingly like Harry Potter, and Molly got more than a little Hermione-ish in places. Plus, who would have thought the word "dungbombs" (see above re: the camel) would have come up in more than one book? 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon is not a standalone, but the series as a whole is definitely recommended for anyone who grew up (or is growing up) (or will never grow up) loving Peter Pan and wanting to run away to Neverland. show less

I am charmed. Forget the Disney image of Peter Pan. The Peter in this book is a real boy, an orphan facing a hostile world with courage and loyalty to his friends. The story sails swiftly, with scarcely time for the reader to breathe while Peter moves from the orphanage to meet his destiny. And there's a sequel to look forward to!

This is the final book in the Starcatchers trilogy by Berry and Pearson. It was a satisfying and very complete conclusion. It was also a fast-paced, fun read.

Peter is back on Mollusk island and trying to get settled in after his adventures in London. Unfortunately he doesn't have long before things start to go awry. The Mollusks are attacked by a vicious band of tribesmen called the Scorpions. Back in London, the Aster family is having their own issues. The mysterious contact that used to tip off the Starcatchers of imminent Starstuff falls has gone missing and the Starcatchers need to figure out why the Others are making it to the starstuff falls before they do. As Lord Aster leaves to meet with the other Starcatchers, Molly and George show more find out some interesting facts about Peter's past.

This book was very well written, a fun read, fast-paced and creative. I would have rated it higher, but despite it's perfection the characters never really drew me in. Towards the end of the book I was finding myself wanting it to wrap up and be done. It did wrap up nicely leaving everything just the way you would expect from the classic Peter Pan story. Maybe that was part of the issue; I already knew where the characters would end up at the beginning of the story. While the journey to the ending was interesting, sometimes the story was written with maybe a little too much perfection. It was a very Disney-like story, not surprising since this trilogy was backed by Disney.

Still, it was an enjoyable read. I am glad the trilogy is wrapped up though. I am not sure we need a whole bunch more books about Peter Pan; this trilogy was perfect in setting up his past. It was a fun creative ride and I am happy to have read the series. I will enjoy reading it to my son when he is a few years older (only 20 months right now). A very good book for kids. show less

Book three in the Peter and the Starcatchers series, a Peter Pan prequel that gives us a very different version of the familiar tale, one involving secret societies and magical meteorites. (It mostly makes sense in context, honest.)

I was very much charmed by the first book in this series, which gives us Peter's origin story, but I found the second disappointingly dull by comparison. I'm thinking that maybe I was just in entirely the wrong mood at the time, though, because this third book was pleasant enough. A bit overlong, perhaps, and I did find myself rolling my eyes at the bad guy's "Let me tell you my evil plan!" speech. But basically it was a decent kids' fantasy/adventure story, with a good (if slightly out-there) plot, a lot of show more action, and some really nice illustrations. I do remember saying, after reading the first book, that it struck me as one of those stories that can be enjoyed equally well by children or adults. I think I've changed my mind about that a little; while I found it mildly diverting, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more when I was nine.

Rating: Adult me is stingily inclined to give it a 3.5/5 -- meaning it was OK, but didn't entirely do it for me -- but my inner child is insisting it deserves a higher rating than that. And since said inner child is closer to the book's intended audience, I suppose I really ought to listen to her. So I'll call it a 4/5. show less

In this action-packed finale to the Starcatchers series, Peter and Molly find themselves in the dangerous land of Rundoon, ruled by an evil king who enjoys watching his pet snake consume those who displease him. But that's just the beginning of problems facing our heroes, who once again find themselves pitted against the evil shadow-creature Lord Ombra in a struggle to save themselves, not to mention the planet. It's a wild desert adventure, with rockets, carpets, and camels all flying through the air, zooming toward an unforgettable climax...

The usual hijinks in this series, a prequel to the story of Peter Pan. We learn the secret of the starstuff, where it comes from, and its effect on the world. There are fight scenes, chase scenes, capture scenes, and everything is put into place for the actual Peter Pan.

Over the course of the series, the two co-authors' voices have merged somewhat. In the first book, you could see two fairly distinct writing styles (but which was Dave and which was Ridley was anyone's guess). It has been very interesting to observe the change in the writing style and the greater cohesion that has been achieved.

I quite enjoyed this book but wonder if I should perhaps have re-read Peter and the Shadow Thieves first, just to get back into the mood, as it show more was a very long time between books for me. Still, even if my attention wandered at some parts, I quite enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Peter Pan or has read the rest of the series. show less

The third book in Barry and Pearson's Peter Pan saga is a perfect continuation. A rollicking adventure, filled with plot twists, danger, mystery, and a dose of humor.
Lord Ombra, the evil creature Peter and Molly thought they had killed at the end of Peter and the Shadow Thieves, is reviving and on a new mission to acquire and use starstuff for evil purposes. Peter, Tink, Molly, George, Lord Aster, and the Lost Boys all work on the side of good, while Lord Ombra has got the wickid King Zarboff the Third of Rundoon, as well as a mad scientist on his side.
There is a secondary plot which is almost totally unrelated to the primary - a fierce tribe of ruthless warriors has attacked the Mollusk Island and enslaved it's people. The heroes who show more go a long way to saving the Mollusks are an unlikely crew.
Only complaint: that the primary and secondary plots were so completely unrelated. Both were good stories though. show less