Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

• Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy / Blog posts / Genre Police
  “By demanding a genre stick to the established rules, I believe the life gets slowly sucked out of it. Using the same elements will eventually provide only the same story over and over again. Sure, it will happen to different people in different places, some of which may very well be intriguing, but essentially you’re reading the same book you’ve read before or seeing the same movie you’ve already watched countless times.”
  (tags: books)

Hello, everyone! I’m currently on vacation in Disney World, but I set up some posts before I left. This is one of them (shocking). I won’t see your comments right away, as I’ll be away from the internet and unable to check my email. Horrors! I’ll be back May 26-ish, and I’ll be sure to catch up with all of your when I do!

Finding books written about Disney characters is way easier than finding books set in Disney World, and most of them aren’t that bad! There’s a lot of particularly interesting-looking books set in the Peter Pan world. Some of them are canon, some of them aren’t. I haven’t read them all, but I plan to someday!

1. Tigerheart – Peter David

Paul Dear is a good and clever boy, but he’s special in ways that even his adoring parents could never have imagined. For by day, in London’s Kensington Gardens, he walks and talks with the pixies and sprites and other magical creatures that dwell among the living–but are unseen by most. Then everything changes when tragedy strikes–and a quest begins that will lead Paul to a curio shop where a magical ally awaits him and launches him into the starry skies, bound for a realm where anything is possible. Far from home, Paul will run with fierce Indian warriors, cross swords with fearsome pirates, befriend a magnificent white tiger, and soar beside an extraordinary, ageless boy who reigns in a boundless world of imagination.

Anastasia says: Haven’t read it yet, but am totally looking forward to doing so. Now that it’s out in paperback, I might even be able to afford it! Er.

2. Peter and the Starcatchers – Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry

Don’t even think of starting this book unless you’re sitting in a comfortable chair and have lots of time. A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger. Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerses the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.

Anastasia says: Still have to write the review for this book. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it! I liked it very much; it’s just hard to write a review for it. I’ll have to, er, work on that.

3. Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth – J.V. Hart

With his long black curls, a shadowy family tree, and an affinity for pet spiders, James Matthew bears little resemblance to his starched-collar, blue-blooded peers at Eton. Dubbed King Jas., he stops at nothing to become the most notorious underclassman in the prestigious school’s history. For James, sword fighting, falling in love with an Ottoman Sultana, and challenging the Queen of England are all in a day’s skullduggery. But when he sets sail on a ship with a mysterious mission, King Jas.’ dream of discovering a magical island quickly turns into an unimaginable nightmare.

Screenwriter J. V. Hart traces the evolution of J. M. Barrie’s classic villain from an eccentric outcast to the scourge of Neverland.

Anastasia says: Swashbuckling, pirate-y goodness. Gotta pick this one up ASAP!

4. Peter Pan in Scarlet – Geraldine McCaughrean

In August 2004 the Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, who hold the copyright in Peter Pan, launched a worldwide search for a writer to create a sequel to J. M. Barrie’s timeless masterpiece. Renowned and multi award-winning English author Geraldine McCaughrean won the honor to write this official sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet. Illustrated by Scott M. Fischer and set in the 1930s, Peter Pan in Scarlet takes readers flying back to Neverland in an adventure filled with tension, danger, and swashbuckling derring-do!

Anastasia says: Judging solely by the illustrations, this book seems fantastic. Who’s read it? Is it good? For some reason I thought it was written in the 50′s (no idea why I thought that), but actually it was written in the early 2000s!

5. Wendy – Karen Wallace

Wendy’s imagination never runs away from her — it flies.

Wendy Darling is not the perfect girl her parents would like her to be. Intrepid, outspoken, and willful, she’s always getting into trouble. One evening, confined to the nursery by her horrible nanny, she sneaks out to spy on one of her parents’ glamorous parties.

Their world is lavish, rich with excess — and off limits to Wendy. On this evening Wendy uncovers a secret she had not bargained for. It catapults both her and her brothers, Michael and John, into a series of confusing events as she tries to make sense of the mystery and intrigue that lie at the heart of her family.

Anastasia says: Seems to be nearly completely different from the tone of the original Peter Pan, but it’s quite interesting, if a bit soap opera-ish. Has anyone read it? What did you think?

There’s a few more I haven’t listed, including that Alan Moore pornographic graphic novel. Which Peter Pan pastiche is your favorite? Any I should add to the list?