A sequel to J.M. Barrie's classic story, Peter Pan, by the author of Shannara
Peter, now grown up, returns to London with his wife and two children. During their visit to Wendy, the children disappear from the nursery, and all that can be found is a cryptic note, signed "Jas Hook, Captain".
Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University. A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre. He then wrote The Sword of Shannara, the seven year grand result retaining sanity while studying at Washington & Lee University and practicing law. It became the first work of fiction ever to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.
Terry Brooks has written about how terrible an experience it was writing this book. And to be honest, I also believe he was the wrong person to hire for the job as well, which made it even worse.
The book feels tonally off from the movie, missing the key ingredient of the humor of the movie. It really felt much more serious than the movie was. It also was missing the music, which is part of what made the movie so special.
As a novelization, it really is a straight retelling of the movie as best Terry Brooks could do (without much of a script for a while). He didn't really add anything of real value, other than maybe gravitas (which I don't actually think the movie needed).
Overall I didn't care for the book. It's super short, and definitely Brooks' worst outing as an author. 3 out of 10.
Para mí es la mejor versión de Peter Pan. Adoro esta historia con todo mi corazón.
¿Qué pasaría si Peter Pan creciera? ¿Qué pasaría si se casara, si tuviera hijos, si se convirtiera en abogado? ¿Qué pasaría si olvidara quién es (o quién fue)? ¿Qué pasaría si el Capitán Garfio secuestrara a sus hijos y lo obligara a volver a Nunca Jamás para rescatarlos?
Sin duda una premisa muy interesante y, en mi opinión, ejecutada a la perfección. Para mí esta historia coge los mejores elementos de la obra original de Peter Pan (las venturas, la nostalgia por la infancia) y los aprovecha para darnos otra versión de la historia, una que gustará a los niños y apelará al corazón de los adultos. Es una historia que nos obliga a recuperar nuestro niño interior de la mejor manera posible.
Con personajes y escenas entrañables, esta novelización de la película de Spielberg aporta diálogos nuevos sin perder ni una pizca de la magia de la película. Lo único que me ha descolocado es que algunos de los nombres de los Niños Perdidos están traducidos y otros no, lo cual no tiene mucho sentido (además de que estoy acostumbrada a oírlos todos traducidos cuando veo la película).
I gave this a three star rating simply because Brooks kept very close to the movie. This is a good thing of course, but I think he may have done so to a fault. Sure, he added a bit more of the internal emotions and motivations of the character, but there isn't much to say other than that. It followed the movie so exactly, that if someone asked me if they should read the book, I'd recommend they just go watch the movie instead. Perhaps this is because I saw the movie millions of times as a child and could picture every scene perfectly in my head, but I'm really not sure.
Honestly, I love Terry Brooks, but I think he could have done a lot more with this book. I'm sure it's difficult writing a novelization of a movie, but it feels like he just played it way too safe here.
Easy to read and very entertaining. Hook is the answer to the question "What if Peter Pan grew up?". Not only was that question answered, this book also has a deeper message behind it, and that is, even though we all need to grow up eventually, we should never loose our inner Peter Pan. It should be there, with us, always. We might not even come in touch with it ever again, but we never know when we might need it.
Such a great book - especially for people that are fans of Peter Pan. I mean, who didn't wonder, when they were young, what would happen when and if Peter Pan actually did grow up? I sure did and I think that this book was done well.
I have actually used it in summer programs with children from 5 and up - reading one chapter a day - and they really enjoyed it as well. The book would always get done quicker because they would ask for me to go on and read another chapter or two. Sadly, the movie (which is also really great) is rated PG so I would have to send them home to watch it with their parents.
"seconda stella destra e poi dritti fino al mattino..."
Difficile, forse impossibile, valutare quello che risulta essere un lavoro su commissione per ampliare la sceneggiatura del film omonimo diretto da Spielberg, invero una pellicola minore ricordata solamente per il luciferino Hoffman nonché il compianto Williams nei panni di Peter Pan. La lettura scorre gradevole e il messaggio arriva, in fin dei conti.
The tale of Peter Pan, after he left Neverland, and decided to grow up, and has no memory of his life as Peter Pan. He is now a father, and on a visit to Wendy, who is now an old lady, much older than him because of his delayed entry into the real world, his own son is kidnapped in retaliation by Hook, and Peter must rediscover all of those lost memories and skills in order to save his son.
Relectura: Quizás no me ha gustado tanto como la primera vez, pero ha estado bien.
Primera lectura: Un libro fantástico, que gustará a grandes y pequeños y que contiene entre sus páginas la esencia de Peter Pan, con aventuras, diversión y polvo de hadas
This rating would have been better if it had a more descriptive ending. Or had an epilogue that showed what happened after the kids returned home with Peter. :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is one of the best novelizations I have read/own. And it’s a good size for a novelization as well, dropping in at 273 pages. I also think it’s one of the few hardback novelisations that I own.
Terry Brooks did an amazing job of translating the screenplay into a well rounded novelization. Each scene feels more than what was in the actual film. Almost fuller and more rounded out. There’s so much more background detail, things that I found myself noticing during the re-watch of the film afterwards. Just little nuances, like how all the pirates/Lost Boys had names or the detailing in the nursery that was linked back to the original Peter Pan story.
It doesn’t feel like a long novelization either. At no point did I feel like it was plodding along or it experienced any dips. You can see a lot of Robin Williams probably going off script at some points, which was added into the final script, and there are some additional dialogue and scenes. The kids get a couple of extra scenes (including a clearly reworked scene in the film, where you see Maggie and the captured Lost Boys, but they only appear towards the end, which made no sense.) The ending is also slightly different and gives Smee (Smeeeeeeeeee) more of a goodbye that he gets in the film.
In the film, just after Hook threatens to commit suicide, this scene is also expanded in the book, to Smee (Smeeeeeeeeee!) removing all of Hook’s regalia, including the wig (which you only see Hook without towards the end). I think this was quite a heartwarming scene and shows how vulnerable Hook is, without all the wigs and fripperies that was his costume.
There are a couple of other additions, the beginning is expanded with Peter leaving his office and a few other bits and pieces, which I felt just rounded out the scenes more and I wish they’d been kept in the final cut of the film.
There are one or two occasions where the novelization falls down, particularly during the fight scenes. There’s only so much describing you can do, where it really only works to see on-screen. Especially whenever Thud Butt is involved. I found the whole fight sequence played out so much better on screen.
If you’re into novelizations at all, this is one of the better ones to pick up, especially if you can get it in hardback. Well worth tracking down.
review coming tomorrow... oh boy, this is gonna be interesting
So.
Here we go. While I was finishing this book I was thinking to myself, maybe I should review more film tie-in's? Some of them are just downright hilarious and bad, and then some are really good. Then some are... I don't know? Hook falls in the not good, not bad, not amazing... just 'I don't know?'
I love Hook. Unlike Steven and the countless critics who bashed the film, I found something whimsical and childhood quenching about it. It's probably one of the best alternate universe/Peter Pan adaptations out there.
I know a lot of scenes were deleted and the script went through some heavy rewrites. Though I don't know what of this book reflects which screenplay, I wanted to read this book because my sister recalled us owning a 'book' that told the events through Hook's perspective and he threw the kids in jail. I wanted to know if that was in the script, so TO THE NOVELIZATION I WENT.
The plot and a lot of the dialogue remained the same, but there are some questionable material. Since this movie has been out since 1991, I'm not technically writing spoilers, I will put this behind a cut because its a lot.
Being a lifelong Peter Pan fan, the movie, Hook, has always been a favorite, & then I discovered it was a book. I searched for years trying to find a copy in libraries to read without luck. I finally located a copy in an online book site & bought it. It is based on the screenplay so it is word for word the same as the movie with the descriptive filler provided by Terry Brooks. It's very good and easy to picture all the action & characters if you've seen the movie, but would be enjoyable even if you hadn't. I liked it.
The book was ok. There are still a lot of questions I have about the story that weren’t answered in the film or book. The book was ok, it told the same story with a few changes/additions. However, the film captures the magic better than the novelization.
Lo empecé a mitad del 2023 y lo terminé recién ahora 💀. Me parece una historia media pesada, con muchísimas descripciones, pero sacando eso es bastante entretenida. Me gustó ver que se mostraran más los sentimientos de Tinker hacia Peter, aunque siga siendo triste. Peter pan es mi personaje favorito de toda la vida y leer más cosas sobre él me hace feliz ❤️
A pesar de haber sido una lectura algo lenta y pesada para mi gusto en algunos momentos, el final es precioso y se me ha escapado alguna que otra lagrimilla.
Sin duda es un libro que nos recuerda el valor de la infancia.
" -Peter - musitó -, ¿y tus aventuras? ¿Las echarás de menos? [...]. - Vivir será una aventura increíblemente fantástica"
Ever since I was young, I was obsessed with Peter Pan. I think most young boys were obsessed with the concept. I read this book in the fifth grade. It is an enjoyable continuance of the story. It is a lot of fun. If you're looking for a good fun read, I recommend this book.
Generally, I wouldn't pick up a book adaptation of a movie, but I have such nostalgia feels for Hook and I've heard good things about Terry Brooks from my Sweetbeeps (though I've yet to actually read his work), so I took a chance on this (especially because it was like $2.00 at a used bookstore). It wasn't horrible! If you love the movie, the book follows it pretty closely - I only noticed a few changes in dialogue and some of the Pan training scenes and Hook and Jack bonding scenes. It has some sweet full-color movie screenshots in the center of the book too.
I'm just not really sure who this book is for (I mean, aside from existing fans of the movie) - it seemed a bit advanced for middle-grade readers (with some weird references like a shirt that was so dirty it looked like it "fell on the streets of Tijuana"...like what even?!), with nothing to really hook (HAHA) a teen audience, and yet, was lacking in detail to feel compelling for adult readers.
So unless you're a diehard fan of the movie, I'm not sure you'll get anything out of this book, though it's at least a quick read. It's entertaining enough for those of us who love the movie, though! If you can get it for cheap or free, check it out.
Quite possibly Terry Brook's laziest book (I'm assuming The Phantom Menace is on par). It felt like it was done over a week for easy money because the publisher knew Brooks' name would move copies. I'm a fan of the movie but was looking forward to a deeper take or additional plots that a fictional book could contain. I was disappointed. The book itself is fun and fine, but only because it matches the movie almost line for line. I'm being literal; Dialogue matches the movie line for line during the majority of the book. Descriptions of fights, actions, clothing, appearances, settings - everything matches the book. It's the equivalent of a person watching the movie and then transcribing it for someone else to read. The upside of reading it was it made me want to watch the movie again to see the genius of Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, but it made my love of Terry Brooks material wane even further (even after the MTV Elfstones debacle). If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend the book. If you have, just watch the movie again. You're not missing anything.
Het boek van de film, maar letterlijk, iemand heeft de film gekeken met een notitieblok erbij en álles opgeschreven. Maakt wel dat je het helemaal voor je ziet.
Si cuando me leí la novela original de Peter Pan me dio la sensación de haberme convertido en un pirata y como madre de adolescentes me chirriaban muchas de las cosas que leía, en esta ocasión y leyendo esta novela, basada en el guion de una de las películas que más se sorprendió en su momento, he vuelto a ser niña de nuevo. Me he reído mucho con ese Peter Pan barrigudo, las peripecias de los Niños Perdidos; pro también me he emocionado, por el amor no correspondido de Campanilla y de Wendy (encima por un niñato que “no quería crecer”), por esa niña que extraña las canciones y besos de mi madre; y he tenido rabia, pena y una simpatía especial por Garfio, me parece injusto totalmente que haya perdido una mano, no tenga mamá y encima todos los planes se le chafan. Estoy segura de que él tampoco quería crecer pero no tuvo más remedio. Si nadie más lo quiere, me lo quedo yo, me parece el mejor personaje del mundo mundial. Me ha encantado en su totalidad, aunque estaba un poco escéptica cuando lo conseguí y ha estado casi un año esperando su turno. No suelo leer libros que provengan de películas, acostumbro a hacerlo del revés, pero admito que en este caso ha sido todo un acierto, porque los actores en la película lo hacían tan, pero tan bien, que a pesar de los años aún mantengo sus imágenes frescas en mi cabeza, y leyendo la trama los estaba viendo al mismo tiempo. Por si alguien no sabe de qué va, os diré que Peter Pan por fin decidió crecer y formar una familia ¡Oh, Dios mío! Sí, muy original, pero también muy bien hilado y sorprendentemente bien escrito. Cuidado, que no pretendo decir que el retelling tenga más calidad literaria que el libro original, cada uno se escribió en una época y con un fin distinto, pero sí puedo afirmar que las sensaciones que me ha dejado la lectura son más agradables. Ha sido toda una aventura, os lo recomiendo fervientemente.
Novelizations of films are notoriously tricky in that they often aren't able to capture the cinematic magic of the film's visual interpretation, much in the same way that films adapated from books miss the cadence of written language and the character depth, but when I spotted this book at a charity sale I couldn't resist picking it up for a mere $2. Terry Brooks was, after all, responsible for a pretty paletteable version of Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace that I still own a copy of, so surely it would at least be readable. Obviously, I've seen Hook so many times that I have each scene practically memorized, so some of the instances where Brooks took some artistic license were a bit jarring, but overall he kept the magical and whimsical feel of the film intact throughout. Where he was able to get further into the character's minds was a definite boon to the story, as we are able to see the real sadness that hides behind Peter Banning's/Pan's successful facade and we are able to glimpse a much more adult sene of lost romance in the failed relationship between Peter and Wendy Darling. The one area where Brooks struggles a bit comes with the moments of comedy that are so crucial to the film and rely heavily on visual language that can't quite be translated to the page. Thankfully, those of us who are likely to pick up this book in the first place are unlikely to pass the film by, so if we just use our imaginations we can picture Jack's wry grin, Hook's melancholy melo-dramatic intonation, and hear Rufio's triumphant crow as we read along. This may not be a book I would recommend on its own, but it was still a bangerang jaunt back through a slightly more grown up Neverland!
We all know that Peter Pan is one of my all-time favourite stories. It's equal parts magic and heartbreak, whimsy and danger, good and evil - basically every contradiction you need to make something interesting.
Over the years I've read a number of retellings and have enjoyed all of them, but I always knew that this one by Terry Brooks would take the cake for a number of reasons:
- Brooks is a humorous, fantastical literary genius - He writes like someone who genuinely enjoys the stories he's telling - It was considered good enough to be turned into a film starring none other than the incomparable Robin Williams
With these things going for it, there was no way this book could fall short in my eyes and it really didn't disappoint in any way. I was moved to tears more than once (although, I must be honest, the tears didn't actually fall) and found myself spirited away once more by Peter, Tink, the Lost Boys, and the magic of the Nevertree. Hook was dastardly and dashing (as always), and Smee was a bumbling fool that I couldn't help but love.
And Tootles, having lost his marbles - I could not. My heart almost exploded, it was just such a gentle, loving toast to the original story.
While I'm ashamed to say that, as of this review, I still haven't actually seen Hook, I finally understand what all the hype is about. This is a book I will reread in the future and I'll bet I'll enjoy it just as much (if not more) when that day comes.
Peter Pan grows up to be Peter Banning who is married to Moira, Wendy Darling's granddaughter, and have two kids, Jack and Maggie. As Banning, Peter is immersed in his work and forgets to pay attention to his family. Hook kidnaps his kids and Peter is forced to remember his life as Pan. Once in Neverland, Hook agrees to give him three days to prepare for a duel to win his kids back. Even as Maggie tries to convince him of their parents' love, Jack is easily swayed by Hook to forget Peter. This makes Peter even more determined to win his kids back. Within three days, Peter learns to keep a happy thought which helps him fly and return to his former physical self as Pan. He successfully defeats Hook who begs him to finish him. Unable to kill Hook, Peter banishes him from Neverland but fate intervenes. A giant crocodile sculpture lands on Hook who dies. The book ends happily with Peter relinquishing his Pan sword to Thud Butt and promises never to forget Neverland as well as the Lost Boys then flies home to the Darling homestead where Wendy is patiently hoping for their return. Good rewrite of Peter Pan as grown-up. Movie did not fare as well.
"Nach einer Weile erhob sich Peter wieder. Er fühlt sich plötzlich albern und kindisch. Er wischte sich die Hosenbeine ab und ging aus dem Zimmer." S.54
Peter Pan, das Kind, dass niemals erwachsen werden wollte, ist nun Familienvater und erfolgreicher Anwalt. Das Geschäftsleben steht für ihn im Vordergrund, für seine Kinder hat er kaum Zeit und von den einstigen Abenteuern in Nimmerland weiß er nichts mehr. Doch als seine Kinder entführt werden und er einen Zettel mit der Unterschrift JAS Hook findet, muss er sich erinnern.
Angelehnt an den gleichnamigen Film, ist dieses Buch eine kleine Ergänzung zum Hauptwerk "Peter Pan". Die Figur des Peter Banning symbolisiert hier den klischeehaften erwachsenen Geschäftsmann, der keinen Spaß versteht und dem auch das Spielen mit seinen Kindern etwas Fremdartiges ist. Auf seiner Reise lernt er, wie wichtig es ist mit Freude, Witz und Fantasie durch das Leben zu schreiten und einen Funken Kindsein nie zu verlieren. In "Hook" geht es aber auch um verpasste Chancen, die nie wieder kommen, unerwiderte Liebe, Trauer um verlorene Tage, aber auch die Freude auf die Zukunft.