7 Rated Books Book Reviews

Book Review: The Child Thief by Brom

Title: The Child Thief

Author: Brom

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling

Publisher: Eos
Publication Date: August 2009
Trade Paperback: 496 Pages

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.

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel

How did I get this book: Bought

Why did I read this book: The Child Thief has caught my eye in bookstores ever since last year. I haven’t seen it covered by any formal review outlets or blogs – I’d only seen the striking cover beckoning me from the bookstore. Finally, in the mood for something dark and fantastical and with the release of the (reduced price) trade paperback, I finally gave in to temptation and purchased The Child Thief.

Review:

In our modern world full of ugliness, hate and cruelty, the young often lose their innocence all too quickly – especially those impoverished, abused and neglected children. Enter a charismatic young teen named Peter, who promises these children a paradise far away, where their earthly problems cannot follow them. Instead of whisking happy young children away for marvelous adventures in a magical Neverland, Peter preys on the hopeless, the molested and the desperate, repaying their trust with deceit, leading them to a wasteland even more terrifying than the world they decided to flee. Peter’s world is dying, moreso every day, and the only way he can save Avalon and the ailing Lady that keeps his world safe is to amass an army of fierce, feral children – his “Devils” – to fight the battle to end all battles, against an old, cunning foe.

First things first: The Child Thief, a retelling of J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan, is not a book for young children. This is a book with teeth – serrated, yellow, venomous teeth – with no pretense or attempts at being PG in the slightest. Peter’s “Devils” are children that have been through some of the ugliest possible scenarios – violence, rape, drug dealing, prostitution, etc. The Child Thief is violent. It is harsh. The children cuss and kill and maim; they are tortured and are killed in turn. This is harsh stuff, and certainly not for the faint of heart (or for those that wish to keep a more lighthearted version of the impish Peter and his NeverNeverland unbesmirched). What Brom does with The Child Thief is subversive and maniacal – twisting the premise of Peter Pan’s adventures and turning it into something much more primal and bleak. In this retelling, Neverland is a mist-shrouded wasteland haunted by wraiths and flesh-eating monsters of adults. Though Avalon (the name given to Peter’s Neverland in this version) was once a place of beauteous magic and splendor, as seen through Peter’s flashbacks, it has since the arrival of man – a ship full of men, to be precise – gradually begun to decay. This terrifying new view of the Peter’s world, along with Peter’s motivations for stealing children away from the human world, is harrowing stuff – and I loved every second of it.

Brom’s retelling is more of a complete reinvention of the Peter Pan myth, taking significant liberties with regards to characters, setting, and conflict. There was always an underlying feel of brutality and darkness to Barrie’s Peter Pan (at least, in this reader’s opinion), but illustrator-cum-author Brom strips away lighthearted fantasy and thrusts his version of the Lost Boys in ugly, horrific reality – this applies to Peter himself, too. A boy that is both charismatic and cruel, playful and deadly, Brom’s version of Peter feels true to Barrie’s original, but with a more savage and calculating edge. I found it incredibly clever that The Child Thief‘s protagonist is not only Peter – the book also follows Nick, Peter’s most recent recruit (or victim, depending on your perspective). Nick’s observations, his feelings of betrayal and his growing horror as he understands the situation he has been tricked into, provide a relatable counterpoint to Peter’s singleminded dedication to save Avalon and his beloved Lady. Too, I also loved that by the end of the book we do get to see the other side of the war, with The Captain (yes, that captain)’s thoughts and fears. The result is something less black and white; something more muddled and gray. As most wars are wont to be, both sides fight with the utmost conviction that they are unerringly right while the other side is undeniably wrong. In the end, this insight manages to humanize and allows readers to sympathize with Brom’s take on the notorious Captain. There are countless other characters along the way, each strong in their own right. Besides Nick’s determined honesty, there’s the hotheaded Leroy, who makes an infuriating – but oh so believable – character. My two favorites beyond Nick, Peter and Leroy were the Devil girls – Cricket (a new recruit) and Sekeu (Brom’s warrior princess version of Tiger Lily – easy target, no more).

From a holistic perspective, The Child Thief is set in a beautiful, illustrated package, written in prose that is at times poetic and at times blunt. There is no shortage of imagination in this book, from the Alba-type fey to the apocalyptic death of the land, and for the most part, The Child Thief is told in a strong voice. However, The Child Thief is somewhat lopsided, with a large amount of initial backstory, followed by a rushed final conflict. Running a tad too long in the early exposition, the dramatic climax of the book felt a bit underdeveloped. And, while most of the characters in the book are layered, complex and detailed creatures, one major character in particular lacked the same development (the spurned son, Uthger). Also, the puritanical zealots in the book’s final act felt similarly rushed and underdeveloped (as singleminded “bad guys”), and were somewhat disappointing in a book rife with complexity.

But despite these issues, I absolutely loved The Child Thief. As it stands, Brom’s very dark, very violent, and very loose retelling is my favorite re-imagining of Peter Pan. Absolutely recommended.

Notable Quotes/Parts: HarperCollins’ Browse Inside feature allows you to read the first 80 pages of The Child Thief online for free using the widget below:

Alternatively, you can read the excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: In addition to being a damn good book, The Child Thief is also gorgeously illustrated, featuring Brom’s own artwork. My favorites:

Peter

Sekeu

The Captain

You can check out Brom’s other illustrations online HERE.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund

20 Comments

  • Ginny
    September 20, 2010 at 2:51 am

    Oh wow, that sounds amazing. I love dark retellings of faerie tales. I’ll have to hunt it out on my next trip to the book shop.

  • Hannah
    September 20, 2010 at 3:48 am

    Oh, my god, it sounds amazing. Peter Pan has always been one of my favourite stories and I love adaptations and retellings of all the fairy tales I grew up with. Especially when they get dark. Thanks for letting me know about it – it’s definitely going on the wish list!

  • Celine
    September 20, 2010 at 4:00 am

    I’m drooling at both the concept and the art work.

  • Nikki Egerton
    September 20, 2010 at 5:37 am

    This book sounds amazing, I will definately be picking it up. I was only last night watching the recent movie of Peter Pan (from about 2004 I think) and thinking that it’s slightly disturbing, this charming boy who temps young children out of their windows! It has always been one of my favourite tales.

    Thanks for the review.

    Nikki xxx

  • Nikki Egerton
    September 20, 2010 at 5:37 am

    I meant “tempts” the children out! xx

  • Keishon
    September 20, 2010 at 8:14 am

    I started this book when it first came out but found it very slow going. Where did it pick up for you? I’ve read one other book by him and enjoyed it. His artwork is just beautiful.

  • kay
    September 20, 2010 at 9:01 am

    Amazing! Now I really, really have to pull it from my TBR pile and read it. I’ve been so afraid to be disappointed, but from your amazing review I’m thinking I’ll probably enjoy it. Thanks! 😀

  • Thea
    September 21, 2010 at 5:28 am

    Thanks for the comments, everyone!

    Ginny and Hannah – Rest assured, THE CHILD THIEF is really, *really* dark. I hope you both enjoy it!

    Celine – The art, in fact the whole package for the book, is jawdroppingly gorgeous. In addition to the color center-inserts, there are also double spread illustrations and sketches before each chapter. Really gorgeous stuff, and it accompanies the story beautifully. I hope you get a chance to read this one and let me know what you think!

    Nikki – That movie version is pretty great, isn’t it? Just be warned that this version of Peter Pan is taking that slightly unsettling feeling impish little Pan gives you, and blowing it up to the extreme. This version of Peter is an entirely different kind of thief and leader.

    Keishon – I actually loved it from the get-go! How far did you read before you stopped? I thought the story of Nick traveling the Mist is a big plot “pick up” point; also when Peter’s backstory starts to be revealed is another awesome change in direction.

    Kay – Yes! Pull it from TBR purgatory! Do it! DO IT! Ahem. Excuse me. 😈

  • Naomi
    September 21, 2010 at 6:52 am

    This sounds intriguing. I’ll have to poke around and look for it. Thanks for the review, I hadn’t heard about this book yet.

  • Keishon
    September 22, 2010 at 8:36 pm

    How far did you read before you stopped? I thought the story of Nick traveling the Mist is a big plot “pick up” point; also when Peter’s backstory starts to be revealed is another awesome change in direction. ///

    Well, I loved the walk through the mist part and you’re right the beginning was good, too. It must have been my mood. I stopped when the author started going into Peter’s backstory about his being a changeling. But…. after reading your review I want to give it another go so thanks for that.

  • Celine
    September 23, 2010 at 8:51 am

    @Thea Well I’ve gone and ordered it from the book depository! Will let you know what I think asap. (Its the forth book I’ve bought on you and Ana’s recci BTW.)

  • Celine
    October 2, 2010 at 10:00 am

    Sorry Thea, I’m giving up on it. Its an amazing concept and I’ve yet to read a more fascinating world. I also love the characters, they’re brilliant. But I’m finding the book itself way too monotonous. Tonally it’s just very single note for me, and the violence is all very repetitive and similar ( and over the top in a manner that wrecks most scenes for me. To see a loved one hung is tragic and sad, to see him hung and burned while dogs eat his legs and then eviscerated while still alive so the dogs can eat his guts while everyone stands about laughing is just so OTT as to make me roll my eyes.)These characters and the setting will stay with me forever I’d say, but as a reading experience I could only stick it out to page 241 before I had to admit I’d had enough.

  • MikeMagpuyo
    October 2, 2010 at 10:41 am

    This sounds amazing. I’d love to read it, thanks for the review!

  • Chris
    August 22, 2011 at 10:45 am

    After reading the book I was curious about others thoughts about it. I would really love to see someone turn it into a movie. Much of it has a post apocalyptic feel. I can think of a couple directors who might venture to attempt this, Del Toro in particular.
    The savage violence is something of another time and place that we find difficult to absorb in our comfortable modern setting, but not something that we couldn’t revert to if the world turned upside down.

  • damon braces
    September 12, 2012 at 5:31 pm

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    lovers however this post is truly a good article, keep it up.

  • Jennifer Jensen
    September 23, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    Unfortunately, I hated this book. I think this is only the second book on which we have had differing opinions. My biggest complaints were mostly with the writing technique of the author, and some seriously poor editing. (One sentence in particular caught my attention.)

    I love Peter Pan, and I am definitely open to new interpretations of Peter and Neverland, and the darkness appealed to me. I just think this would have been so much better if it’d been written by someone else with more knowledge in creative writing. Brom is an extraordinary artist, but IMO a poor writer. (Although, a good storyteller.)

  • On the Smugglers’ Radar | The Book Smugglers
    October 13, 2012 at 12:01 am

    […] I stumbled across the following titles. First up, the new illustrated novel from Brom, who wrote The Child Thief, which I […]

  • Blake
    January 1, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    could somebody please tell me what happens at the end of the book? i’m going to read it one day but will not be able to do that before my english project due date. what happens after the battle and who wins? i’d really appreciate the help

  • cyp
    December 11, 2014 at 3:21 am

    Read the book and love it. One thing i must mention to the review. The darkness in Child Thief is not very different than in Peter Pan. The difference is in the original story it is masked and in Disney versions removed. In the original story also Peter is in a brutal war with a group of adults a war that involves murder and maiming from both parts(just read the original story). He is even more deceitful in the original story as the children do not get eternal youth there except by the fact that Peter murders them when they grow old.Also the Peter Pan story is placed at the beginning of the conflict, while Child Thief at the end. And yes in Peter Pan Hook is actually the good guy and Peter the monster.

  • Anastasia
    February 6, 2016 at 4:16 pm

    Just finished this, and I also found it a bit heavy-going at some parts (mainly Peter’s flashbacks, because I wasn’t too interested at the beginning) but it grew on me in the end, and I devoured the rest of the book!
    The artwork is amazing, Brom really is great at capturing what’s written in the character descriptions. At the same time, occasionally his writing felt a bit clunky. Not all the time, or even most of the time, but here and there some things just stuck out a little bit. And to be honest, the kids didn’t really act like kids would. I guess the idea was that they were jaded, but I dunno sometimes they felt slightly /too/ adult.
    But overall, seriously loved it. Wish there was a sequel.

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