The Child Thief

Written by Brom

Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

The acclaimed artist Brom brilliantly displays his multiple extraordinary talents in The Child Thief—a spellbinding re-imagining of the beloved Peter Pan story that carries readers through the perilous mist separating our world from the realm of Faerie. As Gregory Maguire did with his New York Times bestselling Wicked novels, Brom takes a classic children’s tale and turns it inside-out, painting a Neverland that, like Maguire’s Oz, is darker, richer, more complex than innocent world J.M. Barrie originally conceived. An ingeniously executed literary feat, illustrated with Brom’s sumptuous artwork, The Child Thief is contemporary fantasy at its finest—casting Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, even Captain Hook and his crew in a breathtaking new light.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062061652

Brom

Over the past few decades, Brom has lent his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games to comics and film. He is the author of The Child Thief and the award-winning illustrated horror novels The Plucker and The Devil's Rose. Brom is currently kept in a dank cellar somewhere just outside of Seattle.

Reviews for The Child Thief

[Olivia Nahmias · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There’s something wrong with the audio. It’s choppy and robotic...

[Ben Ellis · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

File is corrupted, can't listening to more than 10 minutes without an issue

[Robert Valko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite telling of Peter Pan! Wrapped in Mythology, the world comes to life. Why there are stories like this out there, and Hollywood continues to push garbage, is completely beyond me. Everything about this book if done right would be a hit.

[mamaove · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I have read in a long time.The author keeps up his pace throughout and doesn't use overly flowery language to get his point across. A retelling of the story of Peter Pan but with much darker undertones. Having read Barrie's original (not the watered down Disney version), I find this Peter much as I thought of the original. Not a simple playmate, but someone that uses children to his own end, whether he is aware of the morality or not is a different story

[Suzanne Monks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very different version of Peter Pan. Author has incorporated mythology into a modern version of this novel. It is not a retelling of the original story as the author presents an alternative storyline with new characters & a new setting. I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy this audiobook but was pleasantly surprised. The narration is very well done. Be aware that the audio seems to have some distortion at the beginning but it quickly resolves itself. I would certainly recommend this novel to those who enjoy mythology/fantasy.

[Børge Blåtind · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful and also dark, about the evil of mankind and lunacy of religion. Abot what we have lost in the centuries og civilazation and also it point back to nature and how we should live.

[Andrea Zamora · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best retelling story of the backside of Peter Pan. While Disney portrays Peter as a Mischievous boy. The author does a great job at retelling the peters life and his surroundings. There are a few name mentions in this book but not like what you would expect. There isnt a story of john and Michael. He mentions “wendolyn” briefly and there is a girl fairy and how that friendship came to be. This is a must read. I couldn’t stop listening.

[virago77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[Debra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining, albier dark. Peter is not what I be would expect..

[jojoebi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Peter Pan crossed with Lord of Flies crossed with the battle of the 5 armies. Gripping, twisted, showing Peter Pan in a whole different light.
Not one for the kids, for adults who are not down with the Disney fairytales!
Utterly brilliant.

[ailurophile-709426 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The blurbs about The Child Thief describe it as a dark re-imagining of the classic children’s tale of Peter Pan. This is true as far as it goes, but distinctly understated. Brom’s version dials the Dark up to eleven. He takes the story of Peter the Puer Aeternus, adds the Fae and a great deal of Celtic mythology, a group of puritan settlers turned monster, and throws in a large glug of Lord of the Flies and cooks it all up into an entertainingly nightmarish story, ably accented by his artwork.I like dark re-imaginings of fairy tales and such, and enjoyed this one. But I found I had to consume it slowly, in rather small bites.

[Macro Macro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating, dark, sometimes funny and unique. Bra bra bra bra

[celeste · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite, I lived List Gods by this author. It was well written and intriguing with a hell of a lot of action at the end. This is the story of how Peter came to be and you can decide if his Lost boys are rescued or damned. The doomed men and captain who set foot on the Neverland shore also share their story.

[KIMBERLY MOORE · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining but. A little corny for my taste. Didn’t know the story of Peter Pan was rooted in such darkness and bloodshed, but ok, now I do. If you like this kind of fantasy stuff then you’re barking up the right tree. It was interesting and was long for me to enjoy during several of my daily long commutes.

[Andrew Beck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book and amazing narration. Has strong language and gore though so be warned of that

[Toni · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my all time favorite books. As a child, the Disney Peter Pan always bothered me with its inconsistencies. This story makes so much more sense! Not to mention the freaking art is amazing

[Ryan Harper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story! A lot of action and keeps you thinking.

[Michaela Carolan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brom does it again! What a fantastic adventure! From the first page this story is non stop. The twists and turns are incredible. I had such a great time reading this book!

[skathic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Typos and grammatical errors make me lose respect for a book on whichever page I find them, and then it's hard for me to get back into the text. I finished the book, because that's what I do, but I wasn't terribly impressed. Gratuitous violence, cursing for the sake of cursing - the first few chapters set the tone of an author trying too hard to be edgy in his first novel.

Neat idea - decent execution...not fantastic.

[Kevin Wilcox · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a very well written story, but it was just a bit too dark for my taste.

[ladymine-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absolut klasse und lesenswert!

[Rebecca Eichelberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is Peter Pan meets The Catcher In The Rye. Not for fans of "feel-good" stories. It is true to it's folk lore roots.

[a.happy.booker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is Peter Pan like I have never imagined it. The Child Thief is one of the most disturbing, violent, and frightening fairy tale re-imaginings I've ever read. It reminds me of the more grim versions of "Grimm's Fairy Tales" That being said, I was absolutely enthralled, I couldn't put it down. There were some times when I had to walk away from it for a bit, but I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to even a hint of gore. There were also some situations that were uncomfortable to read about such as child abuse, torture, and molestation. However, these things do happen and the way they were used in the story was fitting.

Peter finds his "lost boys" among the forgotten children, the runaways, the abused and neglected. He offers them a chance at a different kind of life in a magical world where they never have to grow up and each day is a new adventure. He does warn them that there are also monsters. With his golden eyes and infectious smile, Peter finds it easy to win over these mistreated kids and he creates his own clan in mist shrouded Avalon, his refuge from the cruelties he, himself, experienced in the human world.

Brom paints a vivid world of dying beauty and frightening violence. I love the images he creates of the fairies, pixies, elves, and even the more dangerous creatures that lurk in the swamps. One thing that this author has done incredibly well is blur the line between good and evil. I found myself, several times, feeling sympathy for a character I hated just a couple pages before.

Ultimately I feel that this is a extraordinary story, one that fans of dark fantasy will certainly want on their shelves. The characters, the world, the plot were all written so flawlessly that I easily lost myself in the pages. I would highly recommend The Child Thief and want to thank the person who recommended it to me.

[Veronica Welcher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a wonderful take on Peter Pan, much closer to the original tale than anything Disney managed. I really enjoyed getting to know this Peter, these lost boys, this Captain and his men, and this Neverland. Brom managed to weave this tale along with the myths of the Celts, figures found in many mythologies, and aspects of the early days of US colonization. I did find certain parts somewhat daunting to get through and at times downright frustrating. But, by the end I was thankful I pushed through because it was all tied up nicely.

[Jill Jorgensen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I very much enjoyed this book. It is not for young readers, but just wonderful

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reason for Reading: I was very interested in a retelling of Peter Pan from an author known previously for horror books.Summary: This is a modern re-telling of the Peter Pan story. If you've read the original you'll know that Peter is rather an arrogant, self-centered boy and the author takes that Peter and creates a very dark urban fantasy. Amazingly, the basic plot line is very similar to the original. Peter comes to the real world to find runaway kids and steals them by tricking them into following him back to his world, Avalon. There he has created a group of children who fight against the evil Flesh-eaters who are out to destroy them and the island, headed by the fearful, Captain. Peter has his mother figure in the woman who is the lifeblood of Avalon, the one who keeps the magic alive and Avalon hidden, Modron, the Lady of the Lake.Comments: This was a fantastic read! First off though, the book itself is beautiful. Brom also illustrates the book with full page b/w drawings which are very dark and haunting, several of them remind me of the artist Hans Holbein's woodcuts which feature Death. Plus in the middle of the book are full colour paintings of the major characters!The book is both enchanting and disturbing at the same time. I love the folklore connections of Avalon and the Lady of the Lake. Avalon itself is inhabited by pixies and elves and all manner of creatures; while the mythos behind it all is fascinating. In the Author's Note at the end, Brom goes into detail where he found his inspiration, which in itself is interesting. Peter and his gang of runaways, The Lost Ones, The Devils (they call themselves) are disturbing. A handful of them become major characters who the reader becomes emotionally involved with (one way or the other). The writing and characterization is brilliant. One can never forget that these are children and so it becomes a dreaded but compelling read that can't be put down as they brutally kill and slay their enemies and swear like gangsters. Among themselves The Devils form a group that reminds one of The Lord of the Flies. And yet through it all, there is one runaway, Nick, whom we meet near the beginning, who never quite falls under the spells of the magic, Avalon, Peter, who knows that Avalon is not all there is to fight for. A truly, splendid, wonderfully crafted story. Very dark and haunting, not for those with weak stomachs (heads fly frequently), but both urban fantasy fans and fans of fairytale and classic book retellings will not want to miss out on this one. I will most certainly go back and read Brom's two previous horror books and be on the lookout for his next offering.

[Anthony Caciopoli · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best read I’ve listened to in a long time! I will definitely listen to it again!

[Ethan Kent · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

CONTENT WARNING This book starts immediately with rape and incest.

[ragwaine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read the original Peter Pan, but there didn't seem to be many links to the movies/cartoons I've seen other than Peter and a group of kids who never age. There was a Captain, but he really didn't come off as Captain Hook, and there was no Tinkerbell, though there were fairies that were kind of in the background.It was a bit too long for what it was, but it was a cool story. A mix of modern times and medieval folklore. It was dark, as you would expect from Brom, and there's some great art in the book (if you're reading the dead tree version instead of listening to it).

[xofelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was wondrously done. Great imagery and plot. And I loved how it wasn't a retelling of Peter Pan, it was a new and altogether different adventure.
Warning: lots of language and gore.