From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

Alias Hook

Lisa Jensen

Why we're reading this: Barrie introduced us to one view of Peter Pan, now Lisa Jensen shares the story of Captain Hook. This isn…more
[close] Barrie introduced us to one view of Peter Pan, now Lisa Jensen shares the story of Captain Hook. This isn't a children's fairy tale any more.

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Jul 02, 2014 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, read-in-2014, arc

Originally appears at Oh Magic Hour.

I received this book for free from NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Alias Hook is a really beautifully written take on the Peter Pan tale that we all know and love. Not quite a retelling, the novel reads more like a sequel — continuing where the J.M. Barrie version left off. (Barrie, we learn, was actually a Lost Boy at one point, who went home and wrote a Originally appears at Oh Magic Hour.

I received this book for free from NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Alias Hook is a really beautifully written take on the Peter Pan tale that we all know and love. Not quite a retelling, the novel reads more like a sequel — continuing where the J.M. Barrie version left off. (Barrie, we learn, was actually a Lost Boy at one point, who went home and wrote a glowing version of Pan’s tale.) In this take on Pan, Peter is actually just as crazy as you would think someone stuck in eternal boyhood would be. He’s selfish and violent and has no understanding of the consequences of his actions. Hook, on the other hand, is a man who is trapped in Neverland, sent there by a curse from a scorned lover and unable to escape. He is unable to die, but all of his crew members certainly can, and so he is just trapped watching his men suffer at the hands of the eternal boy for centuries upon centuries. Little wonder Hook has developed such an intense hatred for Pan.

Jensen not only treats Peter and Hook with an incredibly nuanced hand, but she also provides Hook with an oddly believable backstory. For everyone who spent time wondering how Hook ended up in Neverland, Alias Hook provides an incredibly plausible (as plausible as fantasy ever is, I suppose) take on this question. I don’t want to spoil it all, but I personally really enjoyed reading how Hook fell into piracy in his actual life, and how his decisions prior to coming to Neverland influenced his eventual trip there.

I should note that this is no children’s story or Disney movie; this is definitely an adult take on the tale. And as in many adult fairy tales, there is a bit of a romance. In the beginning of the novel, Hook and his crew discover a grown lady — the first to ever enter Neverland — named Stella Parrish. At first thinking her presence must be some plan of Pan’s, they take her onto the ship to try to uncover what she is doing there. When it becomes obvious that she is not some secret of Peter’s, Hook begins to think about how he can use her in his own fight against Pan. And then he starts realizing that she has good advice to give about how to handle Peter. And then, eventually, that maybe she can be good for him in other ways as well.

I thought Stella was a great character — strong and independent, with her own troubled backstory. No one without pain in their life ends up in Neverland, and Stella is definitely no exception, but I loved watching her path to self-forgiveness and how she used her growth to aid Hook. Their romance felt natural to me, though I do wish Jensen had allowed us to see a bit more of the development between the two characters.

I have seen some criticize the story for being a bit slow in the telling, though I did not particularly feel this way. I liked how the language drew me in and the story unfolded. However, I will admit that there were a few stops and starts toward the end that had me feeling as if nothing good would ever happen to poor Hook. I was hoping that he would end up with his own happy ending. And while, for me, the end was definitely satisfying, there were definitely a good number of fits and starts. Over the last half or so of the book, there were just constant obstacles set in Hook’s path — I just wanted the guy to catch a break!

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, while Peter Pan is a tale that celebrates the joy of youth, Alias Hook is a story about the beauty found in growing up. Growing up isn’t about things being easy or fun all the time; they are about feeling your pain and learning from your pain, and leaving behind the immaturity of youth. I loved watching these characters grow and definitely recommend this book to you.

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Mar 01, 2015 Anne rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed, fantasy

What if Captain Hook isn't the bad guy after all? What if he's been cursed and sent to Neverland to learn a lesson?

I really enjoyed this reimagining of the Peter Pan story from Hook's point of view. Hook is a sympathetic character, learning how to grow up in ways the original story doesn't address. When Stella, an adult woman, somehow finds her way into Neverland, Hook's time of reckoning has arrived, if he can put the clues together and find his heart again. ...more

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Apr 08, 2015 Audacia Ray rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, library-reads, read-in-2015

Even in the hands of a skilled and imaginative writer and with the addition of non-Wendy (but still kinda boring) female characters, I think maybe the Hook & Peter story just can't escape the confines of being a misogynistic man child fantasy. Add in some time period specific racism and... Nope. ...more

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