Tigerheart

By Peter David

Book Overview

Paul Dear is a good and clever boy, but he's special in ways that even his adoring parents could never have imagined. For by day, in London's Kensington Gardens, he walks and talks with the pixies and sprites and other magical creatures that dwell among the living-but are unseen by most. Then everything changes when tragedy strikes-and a quest begins that will lead Paul to a curio shop where a magical ally awaits him and launches him into the starry skies, bound for a realm where anything is possible. Far from home, Paul will run with fierce Indian warriors, cross swords with fearsome pirates, befriend a magnificent white tiger, and soar beside an extraordinary, ageless boy who reigns in a boundless world of imagination.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B001J10QA8
• ISBN13: 9780345501608
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Random House Worlds
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Delightful fantasy for all ages

There is nothing better than a weekend with lots of reading time, especially when the books you spend your time reading turn out to be terrific. I don't give out 5 stars to books very often. I've read 54 books this year, and Tigerheart by Peter David is the 5th book I consider a 5-star read. It is based on Barrie's Peter Pan, but it's not a sequel or a prequel - more of Peter Pan in an alternate universe. A re-telling of the story. David was gutsy to take on one of the most beloved children's stories of all time - it could have failed in a big, big way. Fotunately for him, it works, and works brilliantly. This book is everything you could possibly want in a novel: adventure, magic, love, danger, truth, tragedy, and triumph. The best thing is that this is a children's novel in the same way that the Harry Potter books are "children's books." By which I mean that anyone who loves a good story will appreciate this book. Tigerheart is the story of Paul Dear. Paul's father has regaled him with stories about The Boy and his magical land, Anyplace, where The Boy fights pirates and saves Indian princesses and has a pixie for a sidekick. When Paul's new baby sister dies, his mother changes, and Paul is determined to find a new baby sister for her - in Anyplace. His adventures with The Boy, Fiddlefix, Gwenny, the White Tiger, and the Vagabonds demand more of him than he ever imagined, and make more of him than he ever thought he could be. After reading the first chapter, I knew I wanted to read this aloud to the kids, but I needed to read it quickly so I could comment on the book's forum for Del Rey Books. I will definitely be coming back to it in the next few months so that I can share it with the kids. The author's style is not as much narrator as it is storyteller, complete with asides and advice to the readers. This is all done delightfully tongue-in-cheek, and makes for many laugh-out-loud moments. I hope that this won't be Peter David's only adventure in Anyplace.

Fun for The Young and The Young at Heart

A great ride through one's imagination - Peter David's spin of the Peter Pan Story lays new territory for readers who love Peter Pan. Paul Dear and his quest to find a sister in a place called "Anyplace" - Is a trip you don't want to miss - A true adventure - That any one who enjoyed a good read - such as the Harry Potter Tails - will love this book ! It's fun for the Young and the Young at heart.

The eternal child lives again

The original Barrie tale of a boy who would never grow up is charming and has appeared onscreen in a variety of incarnations. Peter Pan, Pan, Finding Neverland, and now Tigerheart joins the creative interpretations of the simplistic/moralistic tale. Peter David possesses an amazing ability to write at a variety of levels. His comic book work is outstanding as are his adaptations and more adult oriented original work. Like any 'true' writer, he can morph his style into licensed and inspired properties. 'Tigerhear' is no exception, and it showcases the brilliance of a man who will someday win a Pulitzer. 'Tigerheart' is not just about Peter Pan, but it is inspired by the grand themes of the classic novel. Paul Dear wants to make his family whole again and travels to 'Anyplace' where he encounters pirates, 'the Boy', Fiddlefix, Gwenny, an Indian Princess, and Captain Hack and his sister Mary. At times resembling a Disney production, and at times a serious treastise on psychosis and fears, his novel brims with themes aimed at readers of all ages. Mathematically speaking, his is a 'manifold' work. It is charming, yet thought provoking. It is adventurous, and still grounded enough to appeal to all ages. Invoking the spirit of Frank L Baum and J M Barrie, adds to a book that is truly a book for our time. Read it to your kids. Read it yourself. Add it to your Peter Pan Collection. You will feel like a child once more. [...] Tim Lasiuta

For children and adults! Delightful!

Tigerheart is NOT another rendition of the Peter Pan story as "The Boy" is not the main character. Paul Dear is the star of this tale! Paul is an imaginative young boy encouraged to believe the impossible by his fun-loving, whimsical father and yet grounded by his no-nonsense mother. When his baby sister dies and his parents marriage is dissolving under the stress, he decides that he, Paul, must do something to save his family and make everything right again. So Paul travels to "The Anyplace" to find another baby sister for his mother to love and make everyone happy again. Of course things don't exactly go as Paul plans and that is where the adventure comes in-with a white tiger, wild Indians, wicked pirates, and of course "The Boy." I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tigerheart and have started reading it again with my 10-year--old son who is also enthralled by the imaginative tale. This is a marvelous book to read with your children. Author David narrates Paul's tale with a lot of humorous and enlightening asides to make sure the reader gets all the details straight. The story is filled with charm and wit as well as suspense and adventure. This is truly a story for all ages. The adult reader will have no trouble understanding the underlying messages and humor while the children are wrapped up in the trials and tribulations that Paul is experiencing on his quest to find a little sister in "The Anyplace." There are some new and entertaining characters in Paul's tale. "The Boy" had gotten rid of Captain Hack in the old stories, but not his vengeful sister, Captain Slash. And I particularly liked the white tiger, which is only associated with Paul. Go ahead, grab a comfortable seat, gather your family, and enjoy spending time together reading this book! Armchair Interviews says: Another excellent book for middle reader/young adult.

A swashbuckling tale filled with delight, derring-do, wit and whimsy!

Peter David's dazzling imagination shines again in this timeless story of a boy, Paul Dear, who wants to make his mother happy after tragedy strikes. Paul's journey to solve this dilemma leads him to the Anyplace, a fantasy realm inhabited by many colorful characters including The Boy, the pixie-with-a-potty-mouth Fiddlefix, Gwenny, the Indian Princess Picca, and a wise snow tiger. The bad guys, Captain Hack & his sister Mary Slash, and their merry band of pirates, are also interesting and scary adversaries for our hero. As Paul and his allies fight Hack, Slash and the Bully Boys, their struggle leads them to several surprising discoveries, The Boy facing his worst fears and the transformation of Paul over the course of this journey into a hero. David creates a world captured perfectly through the eyes of a child: the naïveté of Paul, the arrogance of The Boy, the overly-responsible Gwenny, the distrust of all adults and the fears of growing up and losing your imagination all infuse the story with a sense of wonder and magic of the Anyplace while still making you scared of the bad guys, curious as to what will happen next. The characters are deep and richly created, with their emotions and motivations grounding the story while allowing them to drive the story forward without it feeling forced. The decisions the characters make are true to themselves and you feel for them when they are in danger, making a funny remark or feel touched by their perceptions of the world they live in. It mixes all of these elements well, along with a witty narrator breaking the fourth wall, talking to the reader and making you laugh out loud in between filling the reader in on what's happening. David has a wonderful knack of writing humorous material and incorporating it into the story. I particularly enjoyed little asides, like how the origins of the eensy weensy spider, liars whose pants are on fire and chickens who absolutely, positively, must cross the road, all come from the Anyplace. The Boy's opinion that people don't know what they want because children want to grow up into adults while adults just want to recapture their youth was also funny, yet rings true for many people. It also represents the core philosophy of The Boy and his inner motivations. Gwenny contemplating being a social worker when she grows up was too perfect for words and a great character beat for her as well. While many of these characters and situations appear to be analogous to certain aspects of "Peter Pan", the classic upon which this tale is based, the novel stands on its own as a wonderful work in its own right. As someone who hasn't read "Peter Pan" but is familiar with the characters and the animated Disney movie, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, as it is engaging and original. David excels at taking something familiar and uses it as the foundation to create something new and different, effortlessly moving the story in unexpected directions into an exciting, touching