Book Review: Tigerheart written by Peter David 9.0Published by Del Ray Books, Hardcover.Release Date: Out NowPaul Dear was raised on swashbuckling tales of The Boy and Anyplace, where The Boy fights pirates alongside Fiddlefix the fairy and his band of Vagabonds. Soon however, Paul wonders if he is The Boy, as strange things start to happen whereby his reflection starts talking to him, teaching him things, and he begins to be visited by fairies. But when tragedy strikes his family, Paul finds he must venture into the Anyplace in order to bring his family back together. If all this talk of the Anyplace and The Boy sounds familiar to you, it should. However, to say that Tigerheart is simply Peter David’s take on the Peter Pan story would be a disservice. The story really isn’t about Peter Pan. It is Paul Dear’s story through and through, as he learns about responsibility, the costs of heroism and ultimately, about growing up. Something that Peter Pan would never do!
Stylistically, Tigerheart is different from previous Peter David novels. Here, he writes in the more old fashioned form of a narrator, which just adds to the charm of the story. It is the type of book that a child could pick up and follow easily, and yet contains many subtle undertones and classic Peter David humour, that adults can easily pick up on - Gwenny wanting to be a social worker being particularly funny. What on the surface might seem a whimsical tale of a boy’s “hero’s journey”, there are certainly many deeper layers to be found. David uses the Anyplace to analyze our own perspectives on what it means to grow up, as well as the modern reaction to seeing children with fertile imaginations, which is namely to send them to the nearest shrink. Some may find that David’s Anyplace is much darker than they remembered. Interestingly, I found his take on the Anyplace, and in particular, the arrogant nature of The Boy to be spot on. With many heart breaking moments, as well as some truly fantastic moments, I look forward to more tales from Anyplace. Return from Book Review: Tigerheart by Peter David to Books
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