The second in what is probably going to be a series of prequels to J.M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan, Peter and the Shadow Thieves takes up where the first book (Peter and the Starcatchers) left off: Peter and his Lost Boys are living on their uncharted island (now nicknamed "Neverland") with the indigenous population, the Mollusks, and the shipwrecked pirates. But when a new foe appears, Peter realises that his friend Molly is in danger and he must make the treacherous voyage to England in order to warn her of the new threat.
In some ways, Shadow Thieves improves on Starcatchers: there is more action and it's better balanced. The chapters are still very short: whether you like this or not depends on personal taste. I find it irritating to have the chapter cut off after only two pages but I can see why it would be designed that way to encourage children to keep reading what is, after all, a very thick book! Peter himself is still some way from Barrie's Boy Who Never Grew Up: more human, more likeable, but you can already see him changing. Tinker Bell, on the other hand, is exactly herself and all the more enjoyable for that. The only time the two authors strike a wrong note with her is when they insert politically correct jokes about her preferring to be called a "bird-girl". Not necessary. Otherwise, both men show a remarkable grasp of the century and society they're writing about.
However, they do make some small mistakes that I have to mention, because they could have been easily avoided: London is NOT on the North Sea. It's on the River Thames, which flows into the North Sea. Fog comes from the river in London, not the sea. Secondly, as someone who's actually lived in Salisbury, I have to protest that the cathedral spire can easily be seen from the railway station: it takes about fifteen minutes to reach the cathedral close, hardly a long walk! However, I have to applaud the use of Stonehenge, which was as dramatic as it should be.
Possibly the best part of the story showcases the changing relationship between Peter and Molly, full of trust and unspoken feelings but with a deep undercurrent of sadness as Molly goes where Peter cannot.
Definitely a worthy prequel, although it doesn't quite have the magic of the original Pan.
Reviewed by Stella Maris
Stella Maris is a recently graduated student who lives in the UK. She speaks three languages and is currently looking for a job that uses them. She is a great fan of Susan Cooper, J.K. Rowling and Madeleine L'Engle. In her spare time, she enjoys reading anything she can get her hands on, writing when she should be doing something else, swimming in the sea when she can get near it, and singing. She is fond of cats, horses and her friends (though not necessarily in that order).