The Child Thief

by Brom

Book Overview

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,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061671347
• ISBN13: 9780061671340
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Harper Voyager
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Amazing.

This book is truly amazing. I didn't want to put it down nor it to ever end. I want to recommend it to as many people as I can, but this is a particular book that I don't think all would love. It is raw, gruesome, violent, emotional, magical, gripping - absolutely fascinating. This is the second book I've read by Brom, and I think he is an incredibly gifted artist - whether it's painting, illustration, writing. I especially enjoyed the last portion of the book where Brom discusses his reasoning for writing the book and the inspirational research he conducted to create this mythical world of Avalon. And I frickin' LOVE an illustrated map in a book so I know where things are taking place. If you are up for this dark adventure and can handle the above mentioned adjectives - ENJOY!!!!!!!

Amazing Retelling

There are a whole host of mythologies and faerie tales at play here. My first thought was that this was a dark retelling of Peter Pan, which is not all that far off the mark. This is a twisted gory ode to Peter Pan and Avalon and other faerie stories. If you really think about Peter Pan, even the Disney version, he's basically I child predator--a kidnapper. Then if you think on the original, non-watered down version, Peter is pretty cruel, he kidnaps children and sends them to war against his enemies. His lost boys are frequently killed in battle, or put out to pasture if they begin to "grow up". That's really messed up! All that being said, Peter, is a child thief who tricks runaways, or kids from bad situations into following him into the mists of Avalon. And if they manage to make it through the mist, they're trained as soldiers in his personal army. Everything Peter does is for the Lady Modron and to protect Avalon, but it all comes at a cost. The child thief has lead countless children to the deaths. This story had loads of deaths, battles, magic and just general craziness. All-in-all I really enjoyed it.

A very dark read

This book is a real page turner. It's a very dark story, a twist on the character of Peter Pan. It's a great read. I couldn't put it down.

Much More Than a Dark Retelling

As I sit here and stare into space, it dons on me that this is going to be a very difficult review to write. The release seemed to have come out of nowhere-a book written by an artist that I had scarcely heard of before. There was interest though, despite reading a short excerpt that left me rather uncertain of the whole thing. After reading the first chapter I felt the prose was workmanlike, a factor that can push me to put down a novel faster than anything else, but the story was interesting. Then there was the art. Just seeing the samples that Brom had up on his sight was more than enough to make me want the book. So I took a chance and ordered it, knowing full well that I might just end up with a rather expensive and very slight art book. I am glad I took a chance. It is highly like that you have watched Disney's version of Peter Pan at some point, either as a child, with a child, as a fan of Disney cartoons, or just bored out of your mind on a rainy day. At some point you may have watched another version of it released in the nineties, Hook. The Child Thief has nothing to do with those. Instead it is based off the original-and darker works-by J.M. Barrie, but Brom has not created a simple dark retelling of the tale. Brom blends Celtic myth with the concept of Barrie's child thief and from this combination springs a setting that is brimming with imagination, wonder, and foreboding. This is a setting where not everything is as it seems, where the line between good guy and bad is blurred, and where old gods frolic and die. Though I did have my reservations going into the novel because of the prose, they were quickly dissolved. Instead of the workmanlike prose I encountered in the first chapter, I was instead faced by a prose that was near-lyrical and filled with just the sort of imagery I would expect from an artist-turned-writer. The Child Thief is extremely readable, not because the prose is simple, but because it-and the story-grabbed me and refused to let go. I almost expected the novel to be bogged down with description, but thankfully that turned out to be a biased assumption and little more. Brom manages a balanced description that paints just enough of a picture-spiced with vibrant colors-to let the imagination run with it. As such, the novel is never bogged down by excessive description, nor does it skim over details. The best part of the novel though, what I feel deserves the most praise, are the characters. Like all books you have primary characters and you have secondary characters and, like most books, the secondary characters here are not given any extraordinary amount of focus. This is so common these days that I do not bother to mark it as a negative-it has become par for the course. Still, there are secondary characters throughout the novel that are focused on, if only briefly, and when this happens... well, it managed to change my perspective of the novel completely. The main characters seem to be Peter, the iconic wild boy

Peter Pan, Lord of the Flies of Avalon

This wickedly distinctive re-telling of the story of Peter Pan is certainly well beyond the Disney version. Mixing parts of Arthurian legend with the story of Peter Pan and a spoonful of Lord of the Flies, the tale weaves itself around the Devils of Deviltree, those "rescued" children living now in the remnants of Avalon while the Lady of the Lake withers in her haven and the darker creatures of the world bore down into the heart of the land. Filled with violence and ambiguous moral certitudes, the story wends it's way from Peters' sad infancy to his unintended arrival in Avalon. Skipping between the here and now to the past with a deft hand, Brom manages to keep the reader engaged and curious. The artwork is sprinkled liberally enough throughout the chapters, although I would have liked to see color prints, (I have an advanced readers edition so the actual book may have been colorized) The drawings are done with much skill and patience to detail. Let me just add that though this book is filled to bursting with action and violence, none of it seems out of place or gratuitous. And even if it is a little light on humor I did laugh pretty hard at the escalator scene near the very end of the book. (when you get to it you will too) Not for the weak of constitution or any expecting a fluffy Disney-esque tale, but still a very good read for those willing to make their way through the mists.

Great Artist, EXCELLENT AUTHOR

Is there anything Brom can't do?! I loved this book. I love the fact that he read the original Peter Pan story, and explored the darker perspectives of the tale that Disney turned into a "happy fairytale." Peter lures runaways - usually kids who have already been through hell (abuse, rape, etc) - by offering them sanctuary away from the grown-ups that have hurt them...but he doesn't tell them about the dangers of the Mist, or the war he is waging for his Lady (Brom's version of the Lady of the Lake). He promises them a new family, but he doesn't discuss how brutal their new life will be, or how many lost children have died before them. If I didn't know any better, I would think that the "pirates" were the lost colonists of Roanoke. In any case, they are New World colonists who were trapped on Avalon by the Mist. During their time on the island, they have been twisted both physically and mentally, so that there's barely any humanity left among the Flesh-Eaters. Even the fairies associated with Peter are not creatures of light and joy, but mean-spirited pixies that torment anyone that lets his or her guard down. For example, Peter's Devils have to sleep in cages to protect themselves at night from the pixies. It's tempting to think of Peter and the inhabitants of the island as evil tricksters, but when we catch glimpses of Peter's past, such as his separation from his mother, you soon realize that nothing is as simple as good or bad. Most of the story is told through the experiences of Nick, a kid who thinks he has no choice but to follow Peter into the Mist. However, the longer he stays in Avalon, the more Nick wonders if his previous life was as bad as he thought. Apparently, Brom has also written The Devil's Rose, which I plan to look into, as I was so impressed with Brom as an author. I recommend The Child Thief to anyone who likes a dark fantasy.

A Masterpiece

The Child Thief is brilliant. It's a dark and artistic masterpiece. Not for the faint of heart, or for anyone looking for something to "kill a few hours." While it does not appear long, it is deep, and the subject matter is not exactly something you can blaze through in a day. That's not to say, however, that the writing is thick. Actually, the prose is clear, effective, and fresh. It's powerful, compelling, and gorgeous too, in its own way. It's rare that I stop to reread and savor a passage again--my idea of poetry is the blunt, short, Stephen Crane sort--but I did. Brom, the author and illustrator, can truly write. He can also truly tell a story. It's not his story, no. This is the story of Peter Pan, brought back from the damage done by one "too many Disney films and peanut butter commercials," as Brom states in his afterword. It's Barrie's classic masterpiece given a new chance to live. Neverland is Avalon (yes, Arthurian legend lovers, you read that right). The Lost Boys are the Devils. Peter Pan is just Peter...well, Peter the Child Thief. He is the title character of the novel; the novel is undoubtedly about him. And in fact, the characterization Brom brings to Peter is perhaps what makes this novel as brilliant as it is... the depth comes from the understanding the reader gains of Peter's past, fears, desires, motives. It's truly an artistic look at one of the most beloved literary characters. Also among the novel's many strengths is Brom's understanding of children and the magic in both Avalon and the `real world.' His understanding and portrayal of relationships, of emotion and pain, of love--it's something deeply poetic, extremely artistic. And so again, that is what this novel is: an artistic masterpiece, which shouldn't be so surprising, given the author's background in nothing other than art. Yet, even so, as another reviewer stated before me, it isn't for everyone. It's for a niche of people. While we the niche can hope that everyone will see this novel the same way we do, it's unlikely. Thus, some warnings: 1. If cussing and swearing bothers you, don't even bother reading this book. It's not overdone--if it were overdone, I wouldn't have liked the book as much, but there is a surprising number of F-bombs cropping up most likely on every page. 2. This book is NOT for children, even though most of the characters are. 3. While the comparison to Gregory MacQuire (Wicked, Mirror Mirror) is completely off base in my estimation, because MacQuire's retellings are disgusting rather than artistic, this book does deal with topics such as rape and incest. Nothing is ever shown, but most of the children are victims of all sorts of abuse. Again, not for the faint of heart or for kids. 4. If you are a commercial fiction person, used to all fantasy being of the commercial realm, the more a-traditional plot line and the lack of a clear villain and clear hero might be a bit annoying. This novel is all gray shades, baby. There are other

Incredibly Dark, Incredibly Compelling

The Child Thief / 978-0-061-67133-3 I usually save the 'parental warnings' in my reviews until the end, but "The Child Thief", as compelling and fascinating as it is, nonetheless requires some upfront warnings. If you are thinking of buying this novel for a child, perhaps on the grounds that it is a Peter Pan story and therefore child-friendly, be warned that this is an incredibly dark and violent novel. I'm not exaggerating when I say that nine out of every ten pages contains a depiction of rape, child molestation, violence, murder, torture, or several instances of the F-word. I certainly wouldn't say that no child or teenager on earth would be able to appreciate this novel, but I do strongly advise that you read this book yourself, beforehand, to determine whether this level of violence will be disturbing to the intended recipient. With that out of the way, let me say that I am quick to condemn books that rely on violence, sex, and profanity in an attempt to divert the reader's attention from the fact that there is no actual plot. "The Child Thief" is not one such novel - every incidence of violence within this novel acts in service to the plot, and the end result is an incredibly compelling story that is both a re-imagining of the classic Peter Pan tale, but also remarkably true to the original in many of the details (lest we forget that Barrie's version contained quite a bit of death and murder behind the scenes). "The Child Thief" is already being compared to novels like Maguire's Wicked, but the comparison is somewhat flimsy to my mind. Where Maguire took an evil character and re-imagined her as good (or at least 'misunderstood'), Brom has taken a traditionally good character and re-imagined him not as 'evil', but rather as 'complex'. Although Peter Pan is still an enigmatic mystery, as always, Brom has brought a humanity and complexity to the character that will haunt any reader. Brom has taken the premise that Peter Pan steals children away to Neverland and has expanded the concept to fit within our dark reality. Here, Peter Pan does not steal away babies who fall out of their prams - he steals away children who are victims of abuse, neglect, molestation, and all the other such evils of our world that children should never have to endure. But the Neverland that Peter promises to lead these victimized children to is not an escape in the classic sense - it is supremely dangerous, and no longer in the exciting "but-we-always-escape-in-the-end" kind of danger that the Disneyesque Neverland fostered. The neglected children (here "Devils" instead of "Lost Boys", since girls are just as welcome here) are given a family and an emotionally safe haven, but every moment of their days are spent in training, in the hopes that once they leave the confines of their home they will not die immediately in this hostile world. Along with the native monsters of Neverland, the pirates and the Captain are here, transformed by the magic of Neverland into