Alias Hook

March 24, 2014
Jensen’s second novel, a twist on the Peter Pan story which reconceives of Captain Hook as a tragic hero, shows how she’s matured as a writer since her excellent debut, A Witch from the Sea. During the Restoration, James Benjamin Hookbridge becomes a privateer captain trapped in Neverland, where Peter Pan and his Lost Boys torment Hook and his crew over the centuries, cutting them down in battle again and again. Hook, however, can never die, while his crew is regularly replenished with former, now-grown Lost Boys, prompted to return to Neverland by their dreams. There is also a succession of Wendys, but one of Peter’s rules is that no grown women are allowed back. Yet Stella Parrish, a former Wendy, materializes in Neverland after coming from 1950s England, believing she was “called.” Peter is determined to use her to destroy Hook once and for all, while Hook sees Stella’s unique ability to understand the language spoken by Neverland’s magical inhabitants, including mermaids and fairies, as his chance to escape the island for good. Jensen’s wonderful imagination and devotion to history and myth allow the reader to fly with her through this outstanding adventure—no fairy dust required.

July 1, 2014
Peter Pan grows up, unfortunately.Pity Captain Hook: The infamous pirate of Neverland is so misunderstood that playwrights and authors can't resist trying to explain him. Now Jensen (The Witch from the Sea, 2001) has made him an 18th-century privateer whose exile to Neverland is the result of crossing the wrong voodoo lady. For centuries, he's been trapped in time with the Lost Boys, tracking changes in the real world through the stories shared by new pirates when Neverland calls them home. Unable to die or leave, Hook has resigned himself to an eternity of Peter picking fights with him-until, against all the rules, an adult woman named Stella arrives on the island, and he begins to suspect there's a way to leave after all. Though the relationship between Hook and Stella develops convincingly, not much else does. Seeing Neverland through Hook's adult eyes is the most satisfying part of the book, especially when those eyes are turned on Peter; Neverland shines in Jensen's descriptions, and her love for the world J.M. Barrie created is evident. However, the attempt to pair modern sensibilities and an antiquated story is uneasy, as for example in continuous references to "redskins," a word that was not inappropriate in Barrie's time but is quite jarring in this book. In addition, Jensen has overlaid the traditions of Neverland with a curious mix of voodoo and fairy magic, adding unnecessary complications. The story veers between adherence to and departures from the original text, never finding purchase on either path. In concept, this book is thrilling, and Hook and Stella are both fascinating characters, but on the page, much of the story is either flat or melodramatic.Peter Pan aficionados may enjoy this revisionist history, but there's not much to offer the general fantasy or historical fiction reader.

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April 15, 2014
There are those who face their troubles and those who run from them. And then there are some who run so far they land in trouble anew. Such is the fate of James Hookbridge, a sailor and adventurer-turned-pirate and blackguard, whose roguish ways have caught up with him at the hands of a voodoo priestess. Exiled to the Neverland and christened Captain Hook, he is villain and victim, suffering the punishment of a world of never-ending childhood. Half mad with boredom of childish games and the absurd rules that govern the creatures of Neverland, Hook can scarcely believe his eyes when a woman from his own lost world appears on Pirate Beach. Her presence is impossible, but it is that which dares Hook to hope she might be his salvation. VERDICT Scintillating description and deep characterization make Jensen's ("Witch from the Sea") Neverland a psychologically intriguing place to visit. Following in the footsteps of Gregory Maguire, Carolyn Turgeon, and Frank Beddor, Jensen offers a humanized take on Captain Hook that will be sure to entertain fans of the fairy tale-retelling genre. [See Prepub Alert, 11/18/13.]--Leigh Wright, Bridgewater, NJ

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-An inventive spin on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Hook is reincarnated and fitted with a new crew each time he is defeated by Pan. He has been trapped in Neverland for 200 years and wishes for nothing more than a true death. But something else is afoot. He knows that his crews are made up of old Lost Boys, wandering back to Neverland as adults, but never has a "Wendy" returned until Stella makes her appearance. After some initial bafflement and bluster, Hook and Stella fall in love, and together they attempt to unravel the mystery of the curse that has kept Hook prey to Pan for so many years. Jensen's attempts at mythology here, especially the specifics of the curse, are a bit convoluted, but it doesn't much matter-the heart of this highly affecting novel is the intertwined stories of the redemption of a seemingly irredeemable man, and the powerful love story of Hook and Stella. Jensen's take on the importance of childhood and Neverland is surprisingly consonant with Barrie's. Teen fans of the original play and novel, the Disney film, or any other variant since should highly enjoy this unique offering.-Mark Flowers, John F. Kennedy Library, Vallejo, CA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
In this lively tale, Jensen (The Witch from the Sea, 2001) portrays Captain Hook as someone other than a nefarious villain. Trapped in Neverland for more than two hundred years, pirate Hook is forced to watch his men die at the hands of Peter Pan and his bloodthirsty lost boys as the decades go on, but somehow he never perishes. Everything changes with the unprecedented arrival in Neverland of Stella Parrish, a woman in her thirties who just shows up one day, unceremoniously. Despite being suspicious of her, Hook takes her in and offers her protection, but her presence soon draws the ire of Pan, who forbids any grown women to come to his kingdom. Pan sentences her to death, and Hook surprises himself by going out of his way to rescue Stella, defying Pan in the process. When he discovers that Stella shares his feelings, Hook for the first time dares to hope for a happy ending and a possible escape from Neverland. Filled with magical creatures and breathtaking adventure, Jensen's imaginative yarn is bound to enchant readers of all ages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)