A Perfect Retelling

'The Child Thief' by Brom is a staggeringly complex, beautifully-worded, and intruguing dark fantasy adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan'. This novel truly captured my attention and imagination from the very beginning until the very end. It was a long and epic piece which pulled upon all the beloved facets of the original story whilst further developing the piece with a fantastical and horror edge. Brom perfectly blends the original story with Welsh (Arthurian) and Scottish Folklore with a smittering of others. This particularly made me feel directly invested in and related to such a piece of writing, having it feature topics and concepts which I had - for many, many years - been attracted to. Nineteen hours flew by like Peter through the mists of Avalon. This novel felt like a prose adaptation of such wonderful dark fantasy movies such as Labyrinth, Legend, The Dark Crystal, and more. It was a Brian Froud fantasy drawing come to life. Better than that: it is Brom. A true visionary of modernist dark fantasy adaptations of our favourite childhood tales and fables. I highly recommend this novel to anyone wanting to jump into an epic and captivating dark fantasy story read by the wonderfully talented Kirby Heyborne. This novel was a 10/10.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A dark Peter Pan

Thoroughly enjoyed The Child Thief. Listened after discovering Lost Gods. A really interesting take on Peter Pan, much more fascinating than any adaptation I've seen

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Brilliant from start to finish!!!

I absolutely loved this book!
As a child I loved Peter Pan the original unabridged novel by Barry. This book really takes the ideas and plays with them beautifully. Take the real Peter Pan and then develop on him.
Well narrated too. This book is a hidden gem. A must read and as a side note it’s definitely not for kids!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Exceptional storytelling.

One of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. I'm not sure how I can do the story justice in my reviewing of it.
I really felt like I was there in this world. Before I give my opinion of the plot, which I'll try to do without dropping spoilers, I should say that Brom writes exceptionally well. His way with words, it's not just the compelling plot he created, but I like his writing style (at least as I have heard it read).

The plot itself was really fun, and sometimes hard to read. This isn't a story for children. There are some seriously disturbing moments throughout the story.

I have been a fan of Peter Pan for as long as I can remember. I am also interested in the author, JM. Barrie's personal journey, from the death of his brother, the neglect of his mother, and his friendship with the Davies Brothers, who helped inspire him to create Peter Pan. So I am familiar with the darker origins of the character Peter Pan, and this story is closer to that Peter, than the modern Disney version.

Although this novel takes some of the source material, and adds in some ancient British fairy tales too, so it's different enough from the Peter Pan story most people know. It felt to me like Peter Pan meets Wizard Of Oz and Oliver Twist.
I also didn't see the ending coming, which I always like in a good story, when I can't predict how it's going to go.

The narrator also provided a great reading. Twenty hours and no complaints. I think he's American, but some of the non-American accents he pulled off very well. His skills for reading in different tones (for women, and different men), less well, but still good enough.

I only had one mild negative reaction, and that was some of the characters (and I felt like they were the words of the author) commenting on the other main character, Nick, and his decision to leave home. That he was wrong to leave. And while I won't mention the details (spoilers), I thought he was right to do so. He's a child. He's owed a safe place to live, and a parent's job is to provide that. And if the child can't get that, then I don't blame them one bit for leaving to find safety elsewhere. That's all I can say about that without spoiling anything.

So if you're in the mood for a lengthy dark fantasy, with a big splash of Peter Pan and some other ancient myths blended into one great story, I highly recommend this.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

I loved this book.

Although very dark, I found the story totally captivating. I found myself rooting for certain characters and needing to know what happened to them next. I loved it so much I bought another by Brom straight away and am itching to hear it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

An wonderful twist

feels like such a good twist on the well know tale, ÷great performance, the narrat4does a good jib doe making the words come together to make for a wild and unpredictable read

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A dark and terrifying version of Peter Pan

This was my favourite book of the year. I was gripped from start to finish. I couldn't stop listening to it, finding myself staying in my car after parking it because I didn't want to stop listening.

Brom proves in this book that he isn't just a brilliant artist but also a fantastic writer. The story is daring, free-thinking and sound. The narration is superb. Everything about this book is fantastic. The characters are alive and believable, but most of all, complex. No one is pure good, no one is pure evil. Welcome to a hundred shades of gray!

A warning: this book is ADULT ONLY. It isn't sexual, but the violence is disturbing.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Amazing spin on an old classic

I loved this books so much I have now got a hard back copy.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

perfect

i got this book when inwas 21, I am now 33 and wanted to revisit the book again, so many memories came rushing back, and the narrator did an amazing job choice acting each character. 10/10 for me

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent!

A brilliantly performed, inventive and original take on a classic character. I bought this on a recommendation and I am glad I did.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!