The Child Thief

July 20, 2009
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.

Starred review from September 1, 2009
Artist and illustrator Broms ambitious retelling of the Peter Pan story, his first full-length adult novel, is dark, disturbing, and thoroughly gripping. Peter is a half-human, halffairy child left out to be eaten by wolves in sixth-century Britain. He escapes to the island of Avalon and finds sanctuary with the Lady of the Lake, but only too soon his playful, teasing nature leads him into conflict with the other fae. Fast-forward 1,500 years, and Peter is in modern-day New York City, searching for lost children, whom he brings back to Avalon through treacherous fogs and dangerous forests and across the beach and clearings controlled by the dreaded captain. Peter is desperate to get enough children to join his ranks so that they can once and for all defeat the captain and his men, and Peter can save his beloved Lady. Of questionable morals and thoroughly self-centered, Peter is not always likable, nor are his motives for the greater good. He is, however, a fully realized, completely believable, and utterly captivating character who drives this violent and dramatic narrative. Pen-and-ink full-page illustrations are scattered throughout, and the finished copy will include an eight-page full-color insert. This is an excellent choice for fans of Tanith Lee or the dark fairy-tale retellings collected by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)