Hook's Tale

Hook's Tale: Being the Account of an Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written by Himself. John Leonard Pielmeier. 2017. 288 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When I was six years old or thereabouts, I had a horrific nightmare that I still remember quite clearly.

Premise/plot: Hook's Tale is the long-lost, recently-found "memoir" of Captain James Cook. I recommend it to anyone who loves or hates Peter Pan. It is a retelling. Mind you, it is not a silly retelling, or an overly romantic retelling, or an obnoxious retelling. It is a CLEVER retelling. The adventure really begins when our hero--at age of 14--is kidnapped at an inn and forced into the Navy. In his possession--hidden in a book--is a map, a treasure map. He shares this map, and, well, the results are mixed. His life will NEVER be the same again.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I didn't love everything about it. (There were a few scenes that led to it being a bit adult in content.) But overall, I LOVED it. I loved the hero. I loved him as a young boy, as a teen, as a man, as an old man. (Not that he was perfect mind you.) I love the contrast between him and Peter. The character of Peter is so chilling, so creepy, so ODD. There were so many FANTASTIC scenes in this one. It was just a great read. I loved how time worked--or didn't work--in this one.
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews