Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely loved this dark retelling of the classic Peter Pan fairy tale. It's a clever mix of King Arthur's Avalon and Lady of the Lake myths interspersed with the mythical land of Faerie. This mythical land sits parallel to NYC and the actions slips back and forth between the two places with a whole cast of creatures including centaurs, elves, trolls, faeries, and of course humans. Avalon is divided in war and Peter is the leader of a group of kids "stolen" off the streets of New York and Boston to be warriors in the war against the flesh-eaters. Peter convinces the lost, beaten or abused runaways to follow him to another world where things will be better for them. What Peter doesn't tell them is that Avalon is at war and they will be the warriors defending the Lady.
I read this in two sittings...granted each sitting was about 5-6 hours. It truly is unputdownable. I couldn't wait to see what Peter and the Devils were going to do next. The book is very dark, violent and bloody as there was always someone or something trying to kill them.
For those of you easily offended by cursing, you might want to skip this book. All the "Devils" are young teenagers with potty mouths. It doesn't bother me but I know some people are put off by this.
I read this in two sittings...granted each sitting was about 5-6 hours. It truly is unputdownable. I couldn't wait to see what Peter and the Devils were going to do next. The book is very dark, violent and bloody as there was always someone or something trying to kill them.
For those of you easily offended by cursing, you might want to skip this book. All the "Devils" are young teenagers with potty mouths. It doesn't bother me but I know some people are put off by this.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a great book. Brom did an amazing job illustrating the characters with words as well as the art work itself! Truly amazing story.
I like Brom a lot so I was very excited to get an ARC of "The Child Thief" to review. For those new to Brom, he started doing awesome artwork. Then he did a phenominal picture book called "Plucker" and then he did another pretty cool book called "The Devil's Rose". So when I heard he had a full length novel I was like, really, how cool is that! This was actually an really great book; less artwork than other books but the writing was really good. This is definitely not a book for children; the violence and language would be too much even for an older child.
This book follows the stories of two boys. The first is Peter a half-elven child that rescues children who have no hope; he takes them to a new place, Avalon. The second child is Nick, a boy in a hopeless situation who runs from his problems, but is rescued by Peter. Peter takes Nick to Avalon to join the Devil's Children. The Devil's Children is a society of children warriors who have been in a centuries long battle with the Flesh Eaters and the scourge; both which threaten the existence of Avalon and it's Lady. In the beginning the story jumps between present time with Nick and Peter and the past where the story of Peter's past it told.
This is a re-telling of Peter Pan, but it owes more to the original story and surrounding mythology than to any Disney version. Brom describes horrific scenes in a beautiful yet brutal way, in a way his writing style reminds me a bit of Stephan King's Dark Tower series. The difference is that Brom also takes time to intricately describe scenes of intense beauty; although they are less frequent than the horrific scenes. This story is more of an epic than I thought it would be. We are talking about a battle that has gone on through the ages and about enemies whose fight has extended for generations.
This was not a quick read, it is not really a fun and happy read; the pace is deliberate and the writing a bit dense. The description and action is written in such a way that it takes time to read it all, but it is worth the time. I loved the description and the action scenes. The plot was not super fast, but went forward at a steady rate that built up the dread you felt for Avalon, Nick, Peter, and the Devils. This book was written like a piece of fine literature, a story that can really span time; but as such it takes some time and work to read.
Brom did an excellent job of making all the characters both likable and un-likable. All of the characters, even the heroes, had flaws that made you dislike them somewhat. All of the characters also had a past that made you sympathize with them; including the villains. This character building was masterfully done, but for me also contributed to the only downside of the book; I didn't really like any of the characters and I had some trouble getting really engaged in their stories.
Brom also did an excellent job of interweaving the tale of Peter Pan with mythology from a number of different origins. At the end of the book there is blurb telling his mythological sources for different aspects of "The Child Thief". It showed how much research really went into telling this tale and provided some interesting background.
This was a great tale. I strongly recommend it. People who like dark fantasy or dark fairy tale retellings will get a kick out of it. I pleasantly surprised out how well written this book was and I look forward to more full length novels from Brom.
This book follows the stories of two boys. The first is Peter a half-elven child that rescues children who have no hope; he takes them to a new place, Avalon. The second child is Nick, a boy in a hopeless situation who runs from his problems, but is rescued by Peter. Peter takes Nick to Avalon to join the Devil's Children. The Devil's Children is a society of children warriors who have been in a centuries long battle with the Flesh Eaters and the scourge; both which threaten the existence of Avalon and it's Lady. In the beginning the story jumps between present time with Nick and Peter and the past where the story of Peter's past it told.
This is a re-telling of Peter Pan, but it owes more to the original story and surrounding mythology than to any Disney version. Brom describes horrific scenes in a beautiful yet brutal way, in a way his writing style reminds me a bit of Stephan King's Dark Tower series. The difference is that Brom also takes time to intricately describe scenes of intense beauty; although they are less frequent than the horrific scenes. This story is more of an epic than I thought it would be. We are talking about a battle that has gone on through the ages and about enemies whose fight has extended for generations.
This was not a quick read, it is not really a fun and happy read; the pace is deliberate and the writing a bit dense. The description and action is written in such a way that it takes time to read it all, but it is worth the time. I loved the description and the action scenes. The plot was not super fast, but went forward at a steady rate that built up the dread you felt for Avalon, Nick, Peter, and the Devils. This book was written like a piece of fine literature, a story that can really span time; but as such it takes some time and work to read.
Brom did an excellent job of making all the characters both likable and un-likable. All of the characters, even the heroes, had flaws that made you dislike them somewhat. All of the characters also had a past that made you sympathize with them; including the villains. This character building was masterfully done, but for me also contributed to the only downside of the book; I didn't really like any of the characters and I had some trouble getting really engaged in their stories.
Brom also did an excellent job of interweaving the tale of Peter Pan with mythology from a number of different origins. At the end of the book there is blurb telling his mythological sources for different aspects of "The Child Thief". It showed how much research really went into telling this tale and provided some interesting background.
This was a great tale. I strongly recommend it. People who like dark fantasy or dark fairy tale retellings will get a kick out of it. I pleasantly surprised out how well written this book was and I look forward to more full length novels from Brom.
I recently finished reading 'The Child Thief' by Brom, and I have to say, this is the best book that I've read in the past ten to fifteen years. I read about five to seven books a week, so this is saying a lot. I would buy just about any book that Brom puts out, just to see the accompanying artwork. Brom is a master of dark fantasy art. His previous books, 'The Devil's Rose' and 'The Plucker' showcased his great writing for the first time, along with the amazing art. I'm lucky enough to own two of his amazing art books, 'Offerings and 'Darkwerks:The Art of Brom'. He has also done a lot of work for book covers and games, such as 'Diablo'. 'The Child Thief' brings his writing to an entirely new level. This is a new retelling of Peter Pan, dark and gritty, as never told before. Most people equate their memories of Peter Pan with plays they went to as a child, with Peter flying back and forth on wires, singing songs and making jokes. Few people that I know have actually read the original 'Peter Pan' by J.M.Barrie. If they had, they would know that the real tale is a tad dark itself. Peter is a character that takes children from their homes, brings them to an enchanted island, and teaches them to engage in bloody warfare. The battles are realistic, and bloody. These children die, often at the hands of Captain Hook and his crew. There are a few very detailed scenes of guts hanging from the Captain's infamous hook, and other slow deaths. What made it so different was the magic, the bits of whimsy contained. 'The Child Thief' does a wicked retelling, without any of the glitter or cotton candy to make things look happy or sweet. The Peter here takes children who have been abused or neglected. You get to know the stories of some of these children, and what made them come to love Peter so much, and become one of his 'Devils'. In a country with only 25,000 caseworkers to investigate over 2 million reported cases of abuse every year, these stories are realistic, and make you cringe.
Peter lives in Avalon, with a host of elves, the dreaded Captain, the hated and vengeful Ulfger, a witch that may or may not be evil and her three daughters, and a host of other foreboding and dangerous creatures and characters. Avalon is dying, and Peter needs an army of children to save it. Unfortunately not all of these children know what they are getting into, and not all of them will make it out alive. This is an amazing Fantasy/Horror novel, with outstanding artwork included. I'd recommend this to anyone, but you might want to think twice before reading this one out loud to the little kiddies.
Peter lives in Avalon, with a host of elves, the dreaded Captain, the hated and vengeful Ulfger, a witch that may or may not be evil and her three daughters, and a host of other foreboding and dangerous creatures and characters. Avalon is dying, and Peter needs an army of children to save it. Unfortunately not all of these children know what they are getting into, and not all of them will make it out alive. This is an amazing Fantasy/Horror novel, with outstanding artwork included. I'd recommend this to anyone, but you might want to think twice before reading this one out loud to the little kiddies.
This is a more mythologically accurate version of Peter Pan. If you want something dark and wonderful this is your book. I couldn't put it down. The opening sucks you in and it just doesn't stop until you've finished the book. Make sure to read the author's comments after the book!!
I saw a flyer on this book right before it came out. Once I read about it, I knew I had to get it. I hinted around and before long I received it for my birthday. I had to wait to finish my other book but as soon as I did I jumped on this one. Before you know it, I was finished. I enjoyed every bit of this book. It is a dark tale of Peter Pan and how he came to be. It takes place both in our world and in the land of Avalon. Peter sets out to find children to take back to Avalon. He doesn't pick just any kid, he picks ones that are sad, mistreated, abused, in trouble... ones that he knows will want to go back to Avalon with him. The path to Avalon is rough. You must prove yourself in many ways in order to survive and pass the test to become part of the pack. Peter has a reason for bringing the children to Avalon. A dark selfish reason but you'll have to read the book to find that out. The book also has flashbacks that explain how Peter came to be. I enjoyed this part and it made me feel sad for Peter and understand how he is what he is.
A Child Thief kept moving and never slowed down. I could barely keep my nose out of it. The drawings were awesome and the story line perfect. I would have to say, like other reviewers, that this book does contain a lot of violence, swearing and some child abuse. If this kind of stuff bothers you, then stay away from this book. If not, then I highly recommend this one!
A Child Thief kept moving and never slowed down. I could barely keep my nose out of it. The drawings were awesome and the story line perfect. I would have to say, like other reviewers, that this book does contain a lot of violence, swearing and some child abuse. If this kind of stuff bothers you, then stay away from this book. If not, then I highly recommend this one!
This is the best book I have ever read. Hands down, the creativity, the ambiguous morality, the action, the real world involved with this mystery world. Great book! Looking forward to other works by Brom.
I just could not get into this book, though I read over 10 chapters before giving up. I'd expected really to like it because I like "dark," but this darkness elicited nothing from me. It is, as described, an adult fairy tale. The problem for me is that the things that scared me as a child don't scare me anymore, and this book seems to be written as though they should. The suspense lies only in the fact that the reader, like Nick, doesn't totally know what's going on. Of course, I'm sure I would've found out had I read on, but the writing wasn't engaging enough to pull me through to that point.
I just could not get into this book, though I read over 10 chapters before giving up. I'd expected really to like it because I like "dark," but this darkness elicited nothing from me. It is, as described, an adult fairy tale. The problem for me is that the things that scared me as a child don't scare me anymore, and this book seems to be written as though they should. The suspense lies only in the fact that the reader, like Nick, doesn't totally know what's going on. Of course, I'm sure I would've found out had I read on, but the writing wasn't engaging enough to pull me through to that point.
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.
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.
