That Most Famous Boy

I've blogged in the past about the writing of Peter David. Having first garnered noticed as an author of "tie-in" fiction for Star Trek, Babylon 5, and a raft of movie novelizations, he is sometimes dismissed by book snobs. It's a mistake, though. The man wrote good books in all of the above categories, and has also written wholly original works; of the ones I've read, I've found all quite enjoyable.

His latest effort is Tigerheart, and it's another winner. Imagine a sort of "alterate reality" in which the story of Peter Pan largely hit the gist of the major points we all know, while being altered in the details. Captain Hack lost his hand to a sea serpent, and replaced it with a hatchet. He's a menacing pirate of the "Anyplace," but is constantly thwarted by his never-grow-up nemesis, "The Boy."

Now imagine someone wrote a sequel to that distorted version of Peter Pan. That book is Tigerheart. It tells the story of a British boy whose parents are separating after a tragedy in the family. He travels to the Anyplace, in the hopes of finding a way to restore the family happiness... but once there, finds the famous hero of the Anyplace is actually in need of help himself.

The characters are well-realized and entertaining, both the new and those cribbed from the works of James Barrie (whom Peter David graciously thanks in the dedication and acknowledgements). The story is high-spirited, adventurous, and keeps you turning the pages constantly. It didn't take me long to finish.

An aspect I particularly enjoyed was a different writing style Peter David chose to use in telling this tale. This time, he becomes a character of sorts himself, inserting himself as an omniscient narrator. He prods at both the characters and the reader with a very dry and dark sense of humor, greatly adding to the sense of fun that saturates this book.

Ultimately, it is a light tale that never really pulls too hard on the emotions of the reader. But it is breezy and fun, and very well written. I rate it an A-.