Tigerheart by Peter David
Publisher: Del Rey, 2008
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: Fairy tale, YA
Rating: 4 pints of blood
I actually quite like the cover here. The stylized art is a nice change of pace and suits the concept of the book very well. The dark colours work for me, especially with the hint of morning over the horizon. The pirate ship and the mermaid set the tone, and I'm not sure if you can see it on the smaller image I've got here, but the line under the book's title is the glowing streak left by a flying pixie.
Tigerheart was sent to me by ladyrevan as a recommendation, most likely because it's painfully obvious to her that I've never grown up. It's more or less a spin-off of the classic Peter Pan (the book, not the Disney movie), an exploration of what happens after Wendy and her brothers return to their nursery. I adored Peter Pan when I was a kid, and I used to wish desperately a little boy would fly into my window one night. Of course, I've also always been fond of Alice in Wonderland, and after my disappointment in The Looking Glass Wars, I have to admit I picked this one up with some trepidation.
Tigerheart is focused around Paul Dear, a boy whose father has taught him the ins and outs of childhood fantasies and whose mother has long tolerated talk of pixies, pirates, and the Anyplace (Neverland). Paul's reflection on occasion shows The Boy (Peter Pan) instead of himself, and through The Boy's mocking tutelage, Paul learns to speak to animals and various magical creatures, and frequently finds himself in the Anyplace in his dreams. His life is happy and full of adventure, and when his mother gives birth to a baby sister, his joy is complete.
Since this would be a very short story otherwise, joy can't last too long. The sudden loss of her baby girl sends Paul's mother into a severe depression, making her angry and withdrawn. She doesn't want to hear any "nonsense" anymore, and even has Paul taking drugs so he won't be seeing pixies or talking to animals anymore. She sends Paul's father away, and all the warmth and comfort of Paul's childhood is stripped away.
Determined to make his mother happy again, Paul decides the best thing to do is head to the Anyplace, find a new baby sister, and bring her back for his mother. Of course, his goal isn't as simple as it first sounds, and he finds himself dealing with learning to fly, a vengeful Fiddlefix (Tinkerbell), an older Gwenny (Wendy), Picca Indians, Sirenes, a man-eating tiger, the fantastical semi-return of Captain Hack (Hook), and an assortment of heroes, villains, and several characters who fall somewhere in between.
I was thoroughly and utterly charmed by this book. Anyone who's read Peter Pan as written by JM Barrie will vouch that a lot of the story's heart comes from the narration style, which is more or less meant to be read out loud. There are plenty of detours within the story where the narrative voice feels the need to discuss a plot point or element with the reader, and as a result the narrator becomes a disembodied, omnipotent character in its own right. The same holds true with Tigerheart. I don't think it would have delighted me nearly as much without the clever writing, the voice matching and building on JM Barrie's original work. Really, how can you not fall in love with a book which frequently has lines like "Paul did not feel overwhelmed, nor underwhelmed, but simply whelmed"?
A lot of the familiar elements from Peter Pan are evident, including the utter lack of political correctness. If you're one of the people appalled by JM Barrie's treatment of the female characters and the "savage Indians," this book holds true enough to the original that you'll want to steer clear. For all that, though, Tigerheart is not a simple rehashing of an old story; there are some wonderful new inventions and twists of logic, and if on occasion a turn of events seems at first somewhat forced, the wonderful narration smooths it out until it feels natural again.
Most of the time, I pretty much ignore the cover quotes, since they have a tendancy to use the same stock phrases and make the same cliché comparisons on every single book, but this one time, I have to agree with what Jeff Smith had to say: "Peter David has managed a tale both modern and traditional--something everyone from Peter Pan fans to Harry Potter fans will love." The broad, fantastical adventures and dry British wit (alright, Peter David is American, but I'm letting the descriptor stand) makes for a winning combination and ensures Tigerheart has its own spot on my "keeper" bookshelf.
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: Fairy tale, YA
Rating: 4 pints of blood
I actually quite like the cover here. The stylized art is a nice change of pace and suits the concept of the book very well. The dark colours work for me, especially with the hint of morning over the horizon. The pirate ship and the mermaid set the tone, and I'm not sure if you can see it on the smaller image I've got here, but the line under the book's title is the glowing streak left by a flying pixie.
Tigerheart was sent to me by ladyrevan as a recommendation, most likely because it's painfully obvious to her that I've never grown up. It's more or less a spin-off of the classic Peter Pan (the book, not the Disney movie), an exploration of what happens after Wendy and her brothers return to their nursery. I adored Peter Pan when I was a kid, and I used to wish desperately a little boy would fly into my window one night. Of course, I've also always been fond of Alice in Wonderland, and after my disappointment in The Looking Glass Wars, I have to admit I picked this one up with some trepidation.
Tigerheart is focused around Paul Dear, a boy whose father has taught him the ins and outs of childhood fantasies and whose mother has long tolerated talk of pixies, pirates, and the Anyplace (Neverland). Paul's reflection on occasion shows The Boy (Peter Pan) instead of himself, and through The Boy's mocking tutelage, Paul learns to speak to animals and various magical creatures, and frequently finds himself in the Anyplace in his dreams. His life is happy and full of adventure, and when his mother gives birth to a baby sister, his joy is complete.
Since this would be a very short story otherwise, joy can't last too long. The sudden loss of her baby girl sends Paul's mother into a severe depression, making her angry and withdrawn. She doesn't want to hear any "nonsense" anymore, and even has Paul taking drugs so he won't be seeing pixies or talking to animals anymore. She sends Paul's father away, and all the warmth and comfort of Paul's childhood is stripped away.
Determined to make his mother happy again, Paul decides the best thing to do is head to the Anyplace, find a new baby sister, and bring her back for his mother. Of course, his goal isn't as simple as it first sounds, and he finds himself dealing with learning to fly, a vengeful Fiddlefix (Tinkerbell), an older Gwenny (Wendy), Picca Indians, Sirenes, a man-eating tiger, the fantastical semi-return of Captain Hack (Hook), and an assortment of heroes, villains, and several characters who fall somewhere in between.
I was thoroughly and utterly charmed by this book. Anyone who's read Peter Pan as written by JM Barrie will vouch that a lot of the story's heart comes from the narration style, which is more or less meant to be read out loud. There are plenty of detours within the story where the narrative voice feels the need to discuss a plot point or element with the reader, and as a result the narrator becomes a disembodied, omnipotent character in its own right. The same holds true with Tigerheart. I don't think it would have delighted me nearly as much without the clever writing, the voice matching and building on JM Barrie's original work. Really, how can you not fall in love with a book which frequently has lines like "Paul did not feel overwhelmed, nor underwhelmed, but simply whelmed"?
A lot of the familiar elements from Peter Pan are evident, including the utter lack of political correctness. If you're one of the people appalled by JM Barrie's treatment of the female characters and the "savage Indians," this book holds true enough to the original that you'll want to steer clear. For all that, though, Tigerheart is not a simple rehashing of an old story; there are some wonderful new inventions and twists of logic, and if on occasion a turn of events seems at first somewhat forced, the wonderful narration smooths it out until it feels natural again.
Most of the time, I pretty much ignore the cover quotes, since they have a tendancy to use the same stock phrases and make the same cliché comparisons on every single book, but this one time, I have to agree with what Jeff Smith had to say: "Peter David has managed a tale both modern and traditional--something everyone from Peter Pan fans to Harry Potter fans will love." The broad, fantastical adventures and dry British wit (alright, Peter David is American, but I'm letting the descriptor stand) makes for a winning combination and ensures Tigerheart has its own spot on my "keeper" bookshelf.