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juushikaTitle: The Child Thief
Author and Illustrator: Gerald Brom
Published: New York: Eos, 2009
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 476
Total Page Count: 86,490
Text Number: 248
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from the library
Review: Retelling Peter Pan with an aim to draw out its unsettling aspects and create a gritty, original story, The Child Thief is the tale of Peter Pan, who coerces children to leave their Brooklyn homes to fight his battles in a magical wonderland, and Nick, one of the lost boys come to join the tribe. Technically speaking, The Child Thief is largely mediocre. That's not entirely a criticism: the book is just average. The plot flows steadily, counteracting the book's bloated length to make it swift and engaging, if not short. Characterization tends a little towards subculture stereotypes, but for the most part it's strong, with a refreshingly brusque protagonist and some authentically meaningful character interaction. The prose is unremarkable with a few annoying weaknesses—including clichéd metaphors, constant physical descriptions of characters (Brom's rooting in a visual medium shows and it does him no favors), and Peter's unrealistic chronological musings on his childhood—and honestly Brom could use an editor. None of these sway the book's quality one way or another: it's readable, sometimes compelling, but never rises above mediocrity. What will make or break this book for the reader is how they feel about the execution of its premise and atmosphere.
The Child Thief promises a dark version of Peter Pan where Peter seduces abused, neglected, and rejected children, promising them wonders but instead delivering them into something unspeakably awful. The first few chapters are hazy and threatening, and could lead into a great book. But what The Child Thief actually delivers is quite different: a half-fey boy who recruits lost children to join him in the fight to save a dying magic land. Despite the magical setting, there's little magic in the book—aspects like characterization, allegiances, and even the lay of the magical land are often so cut and dry that the story becomes predictable. Substitute humans and animals for the elves and pixies, and not much would change. The book offers plenty of severed heads and spilled guts, but it doesn't feel dark—in part because most of the evil is not magical but rather stems from humankind's own fear and hatred.
Brom forgets, I think, what gives many classic fantasy stories—be they fairy tales or more modern books like Peter Pan or Lewis Carroll's Alice—their magic: simple inexplicably. There may be plenty of logic and cunning to the story, but there's also something arbitrary, something nonsensical, something which defies explanation and maybe even comprehension. The mystery that lingers creates a sense of wonder and an experience outside of rational, normal, "real" existence—in other words, it creates magic. The mystery can be dark and frightening too, because it's often unsettling not to understand. The Child Thief begins with shadowy hints and dark overtones that promise great magic and great fear, but the story that emerges is simple and straightforward, despite the numerous settings and large cast of characters. Above all, The Child Thief is explicable, and so it lacks wonder, and mystery, and magic. The book isn't a bad read, but Brom drops the ball with his premise and atmosphere, and that makes it a disappointment. At least, it did for this reader, and so I don't recommend The Child Thief. But if you want to test the execution of the premise for yourself, there are worst ways to waste a few days.
As a sidenote, the illustrations are lovely.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author and Illustrator: Gerald Brom
Published: New York: Eos, 2009
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 476
Total Page Count: 86,490
Text Number: 248
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from the library
Review: Retelling Peter Pan with an aim to draw out its unsettling aspects and create a gritty, original story, The Child Thief is the tale of Peter Pan, who coerces children to leave their Brooklyn homes to fight his battles in a magical wonderland, and Nick, one of the lost boys come to join the tribe. Technically speaking, The Child Thief is largely mediocre. That's not entirely a criticism: the book is just average. The plot flows steadily, counteracting the book's bloated length to make it swift and engaging, if not short. Characterization tends a little towards subculture stereotypes, but for the most part it's strong, with a refreshingly brusque protagonist and some authentically meaningful character interaction. The prose is unremarkable with a few annoying weaknesses—including clichéd metaphors, constant physical descriptions of characters (Brom's rooting in a visual medium shows and it does him no favors), and Peter's unrealistic chronological musings on his childhood—and honestly Brom could use an editor. None of these sway the book's quality one way or another: it's readable, sometimes compelling, but never rises above mediocrity. What will make or break this book for the reader is how they feel about the execution of its premise and atmosphere.
The Child Thief promises a dark version of Peter Pan where Peter seduces abused, neglected, and rejected children, promising them wonders but instead delivering them into something unspeakably awful. The first few chapters are hazy and threatening, and could lead into a great book. But what The Child Thief actually delivers is quite different: a half-fey boy who recruits lost children to join him in the fight to save a dying magic land. Despite the magical setting, there's little magic in the book—aspects like characterization, allegiances, and even the lay of the magical land are often so cut and dry that the story becomes predictable. Substitute humans and animals for the elves and pixies, and not much would change. The book offers plenty of severed heads and spilled guts, but it doesn't feel dark—in part because most of the evil is not magical but rather stems from humankind's own fear and hatred.
Brom forgets, I think, what gives many classic fantasy stories—be they fairy tales or more modern books like Peter Pan or Lewis Carroll's Alice—their magic: simple inexplicably. There may be plenty of logic and cunning to the story, but there's also something arbitrary, something nonsensical, something which defies explanation and maybe even comprehension. The mystery that lingers creates a sense of wonder and an experience outside of rational, normal, "real" existence—in other words, it creates magic. The mystery can be dark and frightening too, because it's often unsettling not to understand. The Child Thief begins with shadowy hints and dark overtones that promise great magic and great fear, but the story that emerges is simple and straightforward, despite the numerous settings and large cast of characters. Above all, The Child Thief is explicable, and so it lacks wonder, and mystery, and magic. The book isn't a bad read, but Brom drops the ball with his premise and atmosphere, and that makes it a disappointment. At least, it did for this reader, and so I don't recommend The Child Thief. But if you want to test the execution of the premise for yourself, there are worst ways to waste a few days.
As a sidenote, the illustrations are lovely.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
