gatun's review against another edition
5.0
Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan
Written by: Jeremiah Kleckner, Jeremy Marshall
Narrated by: David Stifel
Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan is enticing from the first word. The description of Hook leads the reader into the book; “His eyes are so narrow that they never seem to blink” and he “smiles with everything but his eyes.” The authors create a fascinating character, dangerous but hypnotic. The first chapter sets the tone so well, not only of Hook’s character but all the great winks towards the Captain Hook you grew up with, like his pocket watch that ticks very loudly.
As the story progresses, more and more familiar characters from Peter Pan enter and begin to play their part. The genius of the authors is that no one plays the part you expect. Is Hook the villain? Is Pan the hero? Side characters like Smee are also not as one would assume. The characters of this book incorporate more shades of grey and live in a morally ambiguous world. It would be difficult to discuss the plot without giving anything away. Trust me, this is one plot you want to uncover for yourself. It will hold your attention to the last word.
David Stifel’s narration of Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan was fabulous, one of the best narrations I have ever listened to. His voice can be honey smooth or dangerously sharp. Not only does he convey the personalities of the different characters, he does a fine job of conveying each character’s emotions. The authors need to sign him to a long term contract for this entire series. The production values of the audio book were first rate. The sound is clear. There are no extraneous noises or changes in volume.
I enjoyed this audio book very much. I was not able to listen one day because of location so I purchased the kindle version. While I still liked the story, this is one situation where the audio book brings a whole new dimension to a book. The narration adds precious gold and silver threads to the tapestry of the narration. For example read the line, “When I turned the body of my father, I expected the world to collapse around me but, strangely, it didn’t.” The lines could convey a total lack of feeling for a son for his father. But when Mr. Stifel narrates that line, it conveys a totally different emotion. It conveys a boy thrust into manhood through a traumatic event, a boy who has neither time or fear or grief because surviving has become the only thought. It really is a masterful narration.
This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.
Story (Plot) 5
Performance 5
Production Quality 5
Attention Holding 5
Written by: Jeremiah Kleckner, Jeremy Marshall
Narrated by: David Stifel
Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan is enticing from the first word. The description of Hook leads the reader into the book; “His eyes are so narrow that they never seem to blink” and he “smiles with everything but his eyes.” The authors create a fascinating character, dangerous but hypnotic. The first chapter sets the tone so well, not only of Hook’s character but all the great winks towards the Captain Hook you grew up with, like his pocket watch that ticks very loudly.
As the story progresses, more and more familiar characters from Peter Pan enter and begin to play their part. The genius of the authors is that no one plays the part you expect. Is Hook the villain? Is Pan the hero? Side characters like Smee are also not as one would assume. The characters of this book incorporate more shades of grey and live in a morally ambiguous world. It would be difficult to discuss the plot without giving anything away. Trust me, this is one plot you want to uncover for yourself. It will hold your attention to the last word.
David Stifel’s narration of Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan was fabulous, one of the best narrations I have ever listened to. His voice can be honey smooth or dangerously sharp. Not only does he convey the personalities of the different characters, he does a fine job of conveying each character’s emotions. The authors need to sign him to a long term contract for this entire series. The production values of the audio book were first rate. The sound is clear. There are no extraneous noises or changes in volume.
I enjoyed this audio book very much. I was not able to listen one day because of location so I purchased the kindle version. While I still liked the story, this is one situation where the audio book brings a whole new dimension to a book. The narration adds precious gold and silver threads to the tapestry of the narration. For example read the line, “When I turned the body of my father, I expected the world to collapse around me but, strangely, it didn’t.” The lines could convey a total lack of feeling for a son for his father. But when Mr. Stifel narrates that line, it conveys a totally different emotion. It conveys a boy thrust into manhood through a traumatic event, a boy who has neither time or fear or grief because surviving has become the only thought. It really is a masterful narration.
This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.
Story (Plot) 5
Performance 5
Production Quality 5
Attention Holding 5
mackle13's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Peter Pan is another one of those stories that I would say I'm a fan of even though I'd never actually read it. I grew up with the Disney movie version, and have read a few retellings and versions, but I've never read the original story. So I can't really say how this compares to that.
That said, I like pirates and I was curious to read a version of the story where Hook isn't the villain he's made out to be.
I was somewhat surprised to find how little Peter Pan was actually in this story. He acts more as a catalyst, and he does show up from time to time, but, mostly, this is the story of James Hook and how he turned from young, English school boy to a member of the British navy to pirate - and Pan definitely does play an important role in the events that unfold.
This book is on the darker side, and there were times where I found myself surprised that it's essentially listed as a kids book. I mean, in the next book of the series there's a scene where.
I remind myself that children aren't as bothered by blood and violence in stories as parents are about their children reading it - but if you're a parent cautious about the amount of violence in a story, I'd recommend reading this one first before giving it to your kids. (And it's not quite the cartoon violence of the Disney movie... )
There's also a certain level of moral ambiguity, as Hook becomes, essentially, an Ahab to Pan's white whale.
But, for me, that was all to the good and a big part of what made the story interesting. It's painted in shades of grey, and Hook is, after all, a pirate. Whether he is justified in his quest for Pan or not, there are events which unfold which clearly make him not entirely innocent, either.
I will say that the middle slogged a little bit, even with the story being so short - but the beginning was strong, and the ending was very good. Overall, I ended up enjoying this story much more than I had anticipated, and quickly jumped into the next book to finish the story. (We only get to Neverland at the end of this story, so this one serves almost as a prequel to the original Pan story, whereas the next book in the series covers those events.)
Peter Pan is another one of those stories that I would say I'm a fan of even though I'd never actually read it. I grew up with the Disney movie version, and have read a few retellings and versions, but I've never read the original story. So I can't really say how this compares to that.
That said, I like pirates and I was curious to read a version of the story where Hook isn't the villain he's made out to be.
I was somewhat surprised to find how little Peter Pan was actually in this story. He acts more as a catalyst, and he does show up from time to time, but, mostly, this is the story of James Hook and how he turned from young, English school boy to a member of the British navy to pirate - and Pan definitely does play an important role in the events that unfold.
This book is on the darker side, and there were times where I found myself surprised that it's essentially listed as a kids book. I mean, in the next book of the series there's a scene where
Spoiler
one of the pirates shoots himself in the headI remind myself that children aren't as bothered by blood and violence in stories as parents are about their children reading it - but if you're a parent cautious about the amount of violence in a story, I'd recommend reading this one first before giving it to your kids. (And it's not quite the cartoon violence of the Disney movie... )
There's also a certain level of moral ambiguity, as Hook becomes, essentially, an Ahab to Pan's white whale.
But, for me, that was all to the good and a big part of what made the story interesting. It's painted in shades of grey, and Hook is, after all, a pirate. Whether he is justified in his quest for Pan or not, there are events which unfold which clearly make him not entirely innocent, either.
I will say that the middle slogged a little bit, even with the story being so short - but the beginning was strong, and the ending was very good. Overall, I ended up enjoying this story much more than I had anticipated, and quickly jumped into the next book to finish the story. (We only get to Neverland at the end of this story, so this one serves almost as a prequel to the original Pan story, whereas the next book in the series covers those events.)
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