The Child Thief
A Novel
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4.8 • 12 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The acclaimed artist Brom brilliantly displays his multiple extraordinary talents in The Child Thief—a spellbinding Peter Pan retelling 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 dark fantasy at its finest—casting Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, even Captain Hook and his crew in a breathtaking new light.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chesley-winning illustrator Brom (The Plucker) weaves together gloomy prose and horrifying adventures in this macabre fairy tale inspired by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Born of faerie blood, Peter hunts abandoned children, runaways and the hopeless, recruiting for his Devils in Avalon and promising them a place where you never have to grow up. He conveniently fails to mention that Avalon's monsters are very real, and the Devils must practice their war games or risk being tortured to death, eaten or worse. While early chapters are promising, this gothic fantasy stumbles on its own darkness. The devilishly amusing flashbacks to Peter's origins don't make up for the heavy-handed bloodshed, rampant violence and two-dimensional characters. It's all fiendish monsters and desperate battles in this twisted, dark Neverland; the Disney Peter's mirth and good humor are nowhere to be found.
Customer Reviews
Worth every cent and then some!
Having read some of BROM's previous tales I knew what I was in for, but 'Child Thief' is by far his best work! It's so well written, the world so fleshed out (lit.?); I read the entire book in three sittings I just couldn't put it down. I'm grinning like an idiot right now because I know I have a new favorite book (and maybe I'm a little sleep deprived). If you are on the fence about buying this book, don't be IT IS AMAZING.