Friday, September 8, 2023

Short Book Reviews: A. C. Wise Redeems Captain Hook

 Hooked, by A.C. Wise (Titan)


Once invited, always welcome.
Once invited, never free.

Neverland is not a safe place but not for the reasons given in the books and movies. It’s a poison in the blood, an addiction whose single taste changes a person forever. A long time ago, a malevolent eternal child snatched a young man from his English home and transformed him into an immortal villain: Captain Hook. Never able to win against Peter Pan and always at the mercy of the menacing crocodilian beast, Hook’s world has become one blood-soaked death after another. Then a slowly evolving relationship with his ship’s surgeon awakens memories of the man he used to be, a man capable of goodness, self-sacrifice, and even love. After discovering a door through the sky, Hook and his surgeon return to London, living in the shadows and always fearing the return of the beast and the darkness that lurks just beneath the surface of his mind. On the eve of World War II, a murder throws Hook together with Wendy Darling and her grown daughter, and it’s only a matter of time before Neverland sinks its claws into them again.

The narrative style is intense, dark, and eminently accessible. Moving from one timeline to another, the story unfolds as a spiral, layering connected events, character journeys, and emotional resonances. I especially admired how the author offers understanding without excuses for Hook’s violent deeds. Like other survivors of horrendous abuse, Hook is still responsible for his actions. He is what Peter Pan made of him—the quintessential adversary. He is also what he then makes of the ashen dregs of the man he might have been.

I missed Wendy, Darling, A. C. Wise’s previous novel based on Peter Pan, but I never felt the lack. It’s the mark of a skillful writer to create a sequel (or several) that stand so solidly on their own, no previous experience is required. Instead, Hooked captured me so thoroughly, I’m ready to grab anything else I can find by the author.

 


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