My Review of Brom's, "The Child Thief"

“The Child Thief” is Brom’s third major publication and first full length novel. Having read Brom’s previous work “The Plucker”, I was excited to hear about his dark retelling of the classic Peter Pan Myth. When I got my hands on the novel itself, I was very surprised. This wasn’t an illustrated story like “The Devil’s Rose” or “The Plucker”, but a true full length novel. As usual the story is illustrated, but the art takes a back seat for the writing with this venture.

Brom takes ownership of the classic story boldly. His Peter Pan is a cunning and dangerous being seeking troubled and runaway children in modern day settings like New York City. But the children he takes don’t realize they aren’t going to be playing games in Neverland. Deftly weaving in myths and threads from history, Brom creates his own dangerous magical world. Readers will be impressed by how neatly the themes of Avalon and the lost colony of Roanoke are sewn together.

Though there are many allusions, this story has Brom’s gothic and violent style all over it. This is not a story for the faint of heart and I think the amount of killing which happens in the novel my scare off some readers expecting the more typical Peter Pan story. This is a dark fantasy and one needs to read the story with that in mind.

But for those who are used to Brom’s work it is an enjoyable and memorable ride. Those who read “The Child Thief” will never quite see Peter Pan the same way again. But when Peter gives you that mischievous smile, you’ll find yourself smiling back. For Peter’s smile is a most contagious thing.