Jeremiah Kleckner

Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan
Written by: Jeremiah Kleckner, Jeremy Marshall
Narrated by: David Stifel
Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
Unabridged Audiobook

Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan is enticing from the first word. The description of Hook leads the reader into the book; “His eyes are so narrow that they never seem to blink” and he “smiles with everything but his eyes.” The authors create a fascinating character, dangerous but hypnotic. The first chapter sets the tone so well, not only of Hook’s character but all the great winks towards the Captain Hook you grew up with, like his pocket watch that ticks very loudly.

As the story progresses, more and more familiar characters from Peter Pan enter and begin to play their part. The genius of the authors is that no one plays the part you expect. Is Hook the villain? Is Pan the hero? Side characters like Smee are also not as one would assume. The characters of this book incorporate more shades of grey and live in a morally ambiguous world. It would be difficult to discuss the plot without giving anything away. Trust me, this is one plot you want to uncover for yourself. It will hold your attention to the last word.

David Stifel’s narration of Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan was fabulous, one of the best narrations I have ever listened to. His voice can be honey smooth or dangerously sharp. Not only does he convey the personalities of the different characters, he does a fine job of conveying each character’s emotions. The authors need to sign him to a long term contract for this entire series. The production values of the audio book were first rate. The sound is clear. There are no extraneous noises or changes in volume.

I enjoyed this audio book very much. I was not able to listen one day because of location so I purchased the kindle version. While I still liked the story, this is one situation where the audio book brings a whole new dimension to a book. The narration adds precious gold and silver threads to the tapestry of the narration. For example read the line, “When I turned the body of my father, I expected the world to collapse around me but, strangely, it didn’t.” The lines could convey a total lack of feeling for a son for his father. But when Mr. Stifel narrates that line, it conveys a totally different emotion. It conveys a boy thrust into manhood through a traumatic event, a boy who has neither time or fear or grief because surviving has become the only thought. It really is a masterful narration.

This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

Story (Plot) 5
Performance 5
Production Quality 5
Attention Holding 5
… (más)

Captain James Hook and the Siege of Neverland begins where the previous book Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan ended. In his quest for vengeance, Hook follows Peter Pan back to Neverland. This is not the Neverland of Disney or your childhood games (unless you had a spectacularly dark imagination as a child). This Neverland has a sun that rises and sets without rhyme or reason, making time keeping impossible. It is also like a black hole, catching lost characters from myths, one being the Green Knight from King Arthur.

It really would be necessary to read the first book before reading this one. The reason for Hook’s vendetta against Peter Pan is an important pillar of the story so much so that it makes reading the first one mandatory. One of the most fascinating points of the book was the reveal on Peter’s origin. I did not see it coming at all. Great plotting by the authors to develop the story without tipping their hand.

The only reason I did not rate the book a 5 star as I did the first one is what it lacked. I originally started the first book as an audiobook narrated by David Stifel. In my review of the first book I stated, “This is one situation where the audiobook brings a whole new dimension to a book. The narration adds precious gold and silver threads to the tapestry of the narration.” I missed that extra dimension without Mr. Stifel’s voice. I am hoping it will be available soon with Mr. Stifel continuing as the superb voice of Captain James Hook.
… (más)

ABR's original Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan is enticing from the first word. The description of Hook leads the reader into the book; “His eyes are so narrow that they never seem to blink” and he “smiles with everything but his eyes.” The authors create a fascinating character, dangerous but hypnotic. The first chapter sets the tone so well, not only of Hook’s character but all the great winks towards the Captain Hook you grew up with, like his pocket watch that ticks very loudly.

As the story progresses, more and more familiar characters from Peter Pan enter and begin to play their part. The genius of the authors is that no one plays the part you expect. Is Hook the villain? Is Pan the hero? Side characters like Smee are also not as one would assume. The characters of this book incorporate more shades of grey and live in a morally ambiguous world. It would be difficult to discuss the plot without giving anything away. Trust me, this is one plot you want to uncover for yourself. It will hold your attention to the last word.

David Stefel’s narration of Captain James Hook and the Curse of Peter Pan was fabulous, one of the best narrations I have ever listened to. His voice can be honey smooth or dangerously sharp. Not only does he convey the personalities of the different characters, he does a fine job of conveying each character’s emotions. The authors need to sign him to a long term contract for this entire series. The production values of the audio book were first rate. The sound is clear. There are no extraneous noises or changes in volume.

I enjoyed this audio book very much. I was not able to listen one day because of location so I purchased the kindle version. While I still liked the story, this is one situation where the audio book brings a whole new dimension to a book. The narration adds precious gold and silver threads to the tapestry of the narration. For example read the line, “When I turned the body of my father, I expected the world to collapse around me but, strangely, it didn’t.” The lines could convey a total lack of feeling for a son for his father. But when Mr. Stefel narrates that line, it conveys a totally different emotion. It conveys a boy thrust into manhood through a traumatic event, a boy who has neither time or fear or grief because surviving has become the only thought. It really is a masterful narration.

Audiobook provided for review by audiobook blast dot com.… (más)

This is the story of how young bookish James Hoodkins became the wicked pirate Captain Hook. It’s a tale full of tricks, escapes, defeats, captures, treasure, Never Never Land, and lost love. After giving this book a listen, I, too, wanted to hunt Peter Pan down and tie him to the main mast.

The story starts off in Port Royal in the Caribbean, probably in the 1600s or 1700s. At first, it reads a bit like a historical fiction, which I enjoyed. Young James is a scholarly kid and much more into books than into sword fighting or sailing. His mother quite enjoys telling him fantastical tales right before bedtime or during his bouts of illness. So, of course, when Peter Pan makes his first appearance in James’s life, he has no problem believing.

James’s father is not the coddling sort and makes a final decision, against the wishes of both wife and son, to take James on his next sailing venture. James’s best friend will be going with him, so at least he has that. James makes a sweet farewell to his friend (and perhaps more than friend) Emily. As you might imagine, the venture doesn’t go as planned and little by little we see how the quiet, timid, sweet James Hoodkins turns into the bold, wretched, determined Captain Hook.

There’s death and romance, sword fights and alligators, pirate treasure and the English Navy. The fantasy elements are firmly grounded in events that could have really happened in our world. This lent a gravity to the story that made me appreciate it all the more. I read Barrie’s original Peter Pan novel sometime ago. I enjoyed it, though it was written for its age and contained touches of racism and sexism. It was very refreshing to have all the awesome bits of the tale without the disappointing bits in this fascinating retelling.

There are only two female characters in this tale but the authors write them well. We only get a few glimpses of James’s mom but she is her own character. We see much more of Emily and she has even more personality. Both women leave an indelible mark on the man who becomes Captain Hook.

I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the narrator (via Audiobook Blast) in exchange for an honest review.

Narration: David Stifel did an excellent job bringing this story to life. Over the course of the book, James goes from a pretty mellow kid to a hardened pirate. Stifel hardened the character’s voice as the tale went along and that was well done! He also had this great voice for Peter Pan being a youngish, mostly oblivious voice. His female character voices were believable.… (más)