Author: Gerald Brom
Series: No
Genres: Fantasy/Horror/Fairy-Tale Retelling
Brief Summary:
The story is both familiar and completely new. Take everything you've ever known about Peter Pan and chuck most of it out the window. This is not the quaint little story of Neverland that you might be familiar with. It is much darker, much more sinister, and more than a little bit unsettling.
Peter Pan is the Lord of Deviltree, and a devoted servant of the Lady that rules the realm of Avalon (Neverland). Locked in a centuries-old battle with the Flesh Eaters (over zealous Christians who wish to rid the world of magic), it is Peter's job to recruit an army. And while Peter, just like in the original telling, saves children that are lost, abandoned, and abused, he is far from the charming boy we have all come to know. Beneath the charismatic veneer is a much darker persona, who will stop at nothing to do whatever he must to fulfill his mission. And if lives are sacrificed and blood is spilled for the cause, then that is just the way it has to be.
Peter and his tribe of feral children known appropriately as the Devils are at the heart of this story, but the psychological pull of the Lady on her devoted servants is fully explored as well. To put it plainly, Peter is a sociopath in the service of a narcissist who cares little for the safety/health of others. Magic is power, victory is the ultimate prize, and loyalty is everything. Forget any of this and the price is steep. And heaven help you if you ever want to leave.
Here is what Goodreads has to say:
Peter is quick, daring, and full of mischief—and like all boys, he loves to play, though his games often end in blood. His eyes are sparkling gold, and when he graces you with his smile you are his friend for life, but his promised land is not Neverland. Fourteen-year-old Nick would have been murdered by the drug dealers preying on his family had Peter not saved him. Now the irresistibly charismatic wild boy wants Nick to follow him to a secret place of great adventure, where magic is alive and you never grow old. Even though he is wary of Peter's crazy talk of faeries and monsters, Nick agrees. After all, New York City is no longer safe for him, and what more could he possibly lose?
There is always more to lose.
Accompanying Peter to a gray and ravished island that was once a lush, enchanted paradise, Nick finds himself unwittingly recruited for a war that has raged for centuries—one where he must learn to fight or die among the "Devils," Peter's savage tribe of lost and stolen children.
There, Peter's dark past is revealed: left to wolves as an infant, despised and hunted, Peter moves restlessly between the worlds of faerie and man. The Child Thief is a leader of bloodthirsty children, a brave friend, and a creature driven to do whatever he must to stop the "Flesh-eaters" and save the last, wild magic in this dying land.
My take:
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes fairy-tale retellings and urban fantasy. Fair warning, though, the author pulls no punches and some scenes are very graphic in their brutality. As a big fan of Criminal Minds. I found the psychological profile of the main characters fascinating. It also borrows heavily from Celtic/Arthurian lore and that is always a big plus with me.
I am a fan of Brom's, and Child Thief did not disappoint. Though the raw darkness of the story might not be to everyone's liking, it certainly captured my attention. If you are a fan of Michael Moorcock (the anti-Tolkien of the fantasy genre), than this book is for you. Believe me, it does not disappoint.
