Programando Nunca Jamás

by Jenn Polish, Laura Bailo (Translator)

En un mundo futurista, Nunca Jamás es una realidad virtual, Garfio es un niño
metálico y Campanilla es una interfaz automatizada.

Peter está desesperado por salvar a su pareja de un servicio militar para el que, sin él saberlo, Mir se ha presentado voluntarie porque necesita volar. Para salvarle, Peter programa una isla entera, Nunca Jamás, como un lugar seguro donde elle pueda volar sin tener que luchar en una guerra.

No localiza a Mir en seguida y lucha por el control de la isla con la interfaz automatizada llamada Campanilla mientras, en sus intentos por localizar a Mir, otras personas llegan a Nunca Jamás. La obsesión de Peter por encontrar a Mir terminará teniendo repercusiones para todos.

Genres: Retellings, Queer, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Ebooks

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2018

About the author

Jenn Polish is the author of two young adult books, Lunav and Lost Boy, Found Boy. Their debut novella, Lost Boy, Found Boy, is a scifi re-telling of Peter Pan in which Neverland is a holomatrix, Hook is a bisexual cyborg, and Tink is an asexual lesbian computer interface. Their debut novel, Lunav, a lesbian faerie tale, features dragons that grow on trees and friendship amongst rebellion. They teach Theater and English in the CUNY system, where they are also a doctoral candidate in English. They live in New York with their fiancée and their fantasies of having multiple puppies. Their website is jpolish.com.

Reviews

[Nemo ☠️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars, i think)

well this is going to be mad hard to rate/review.

uHHH okay. well.

did you read peter pan but you wished peter was trans so you read peter darling but then you wished tinkerbell was an artificial intelligence and everything is all cyberpunk and futuristic?

THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

i thought it was a super awesome concept, but it wasn't quite developed enough. i feel like the author had a cool idea and ran with it but didn't think too much about what precisely was going on, which also accounts for its shortness. i think it would have worked better if it was longer and had more world-building, but it was still pretty enjoyable and i really liked the writing. but i had a big problem with the way neverland is not real, it's just a VR, but apparently the people in neverland are all in the same place. so what's going to happen to their bodies? do they need to eat? sleep? they're living in a simulation that doesn't really exist, and this isn't... really addressed.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3 stars

Lost Boy, Found Boy is a queer sci-fi retelling of Peter Pan. Peter lives with other boys in a home, sleeping in oxygen-preserving pods at night that are programmed to randomly choose the boys to join the war. In the pod next to Peter’s sleeps his enbyfriend, Mir, whose desire to fly has led them to ask to be chosen as a pilot. Heartbroken by the news that Mir will be leaving, possibly to their death, technologically-clever Peter enters the refuge he created for himself and Mir. Peter starts programming to create a VR world, which he calls Neverland, in the hope that he can save Mir from the war.

Polish conveys the relationship between Mir and Peter with intense emotion and I think that despite the fact that the characters are only sixteen years old, the significance of their relationship does not feel diminished. Peter’s love for Mir drives all his actions, even though it makes him unlikable at times because of his mistreatment of Gwen, Tink, and the “lost boys.” Peter’s desperation to have Mir in Neverland is palpable, but sadly, we see him rebuff the friendship of others and ignore their needs and wants. Though we empathize with Peter and the period of grief he appears to be in, I think his inability to bond with the group had an effect on me as a reader and it made me feel detached from them.

Read Kirsty’s review in its entirety here.

[Arturo · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Más bien 3,5)

*Tuve la oportunidad de leer una copia avanzada de esta novela antes de su fecha de salida (14 de octubre). Mi opinión es completamente personal.*


En Programando Nunca Jamás se nos presenta un mundo futurístico donde los niños deben ir a la guerra para combatir cuando alcanzan la edad necesaria. Uno de los sueños más grandes de Mir es volar y se ofrece como voluntarie. Así que para no perderle, Peter, empieza a crear una realidad virtual donde Mir pueda volar sin resultar dañado.

Sin duda, esta es una novela corta muy original. Su autore, Jenn Polish, ha sabido mostrarnos una versión muy creativa de Nunca Jamás y de algunos de los personajes que conocimos como Peter Pan, Campanilla, el capitán Garfio... Se podría decir que este es un retelling cyberpunk de la historia.
Pero la ambientación no es la única novedad que se nos presenta en la novela. Los personajes y sus historias recuerdan en cierta manera a los que pudimos conocer en Peter Pan, pero le autore les ha dado un giro de tuerca adaptándolos al contexto futuro que nos presenta y también a nuestra (más) visible realidad. Hay bastante representación LGTB+, entre la que se destaca la trans y no binaria, y elementos muy interesantes como inteligencias artificiales, realidades virtuales y cyborgs.

Y con este tipo de representación, he agradecido que se usara el lenguaje neutro también en esta versión. Jenn Polish es no binarie, y me consta que en el proceso de traducción al castellano hubo una lectura de sensibilidad. Creo que estos son pasos necesarios y no hablo solo como lector de sensibilidad, sino como escritor, lector y persona del colectivo LGTB+. La representación en ficción es más importante de lo que parece y por eso hay que tratar de hacerla lo mejor posible. Y creo que historias como estas hacen que demos pasos hacia adelante.

Pienso que la única pega que le puedo poner a esta novela corta es precisamente su extensión. Le autore nos muestra un concepto interesante, pero creo que se hubiera podido explotar más. Sobre todo con el contexto político futurista del que solo tenemos unas pinceladas y de la "backstory" de les personajes. No solo por saber más (que eso siempre es algo que queremos), sino porque hubiera ayudado a sentir a algunos personajes de forma más cercana y sus motivaciones menos difusas.

Aun así, Programando Nunca Jamás es bastante recomendable. Es un retelling con un concepto muy interesante y unos personajes diversos. Un pequeño viaje que le da un soplo de aire fresco a la historia con la que muchos hemos crecido. Podéis haceros con ella en formato electrónico en Amazon y en la web de NineStar Press

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book is a great idea but kind of failed in the overall execution.

“Lost Boy, Found Boy”, tells the story of Peter a boy desperate to save his love Mir from war and uses his programming skills to make their secret hideaway a bit bigger turning it into Neverland, an island filled with whatever his mind can think up, but when a few new faces make their way onto the island with problems of their own Peter is forced to make a decision that could destroy Neverland once and for all and take Mir’s love for him with it.

The futuristic take on the Peter Pan story was really cool and I liked seeing a bit of the coding mixed in among the dialogue, however, there was a lot of things I was confused on and I’m not sure if it’s intentionally ambiguous in order to keep the book short and to the point but I really think this concept would have benefited with a few more chapters just to explain how these people ended up where they were and what the war is in order to fully explain the overall need to create something separate. I get the slight nod to the original story as an overreaching theme but I still think a bit more exposition could have gone a long way.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

[Breana · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to Nine Star and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3-16-18
Full review here: https://breeofoz.wordpress.com/2018/0...
This was a fun and unique twist to Peter Pan's origin story. While there was nothing I hated about it, though I did really dislike the pacing at some points, I just wanted MORE. It was just too short and left me with too many questions about characters and background information by the end. If this ever was expanded into a novel or even a series of novellas I would totally jump back into this story.
3-12-18
this was.... kinda weird?? I loved the writing but the plot was humdrum and the characters felt flat. Awesome premise with a ton of potential. It just needed to be expanded more.

[Orión Orión · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[Kari (karilovesbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Lost Boy, Found Boy is a retelling of Peter Pan set in a futuristic world. It follows Peter and his quest to bring back his enbyfriend, Mir, who was drafted into the war.

I really love retellings of fairytales. Any point of view like from the villains, alternate universes, twists, and whatever else always peak my interest! I enjoyed that there was representation for the LGBTQIAP+ community, especially since I am not part of it myself and am always wanting to learn more. The idea for this story was good, but since it was so short, some of the key points and details that are missing really needed to be there.

- How far into the future is this? Obviously, technology is very advanced in order for Peter to program a VR world like Neverland, but there's not much context other than the technology we're given directly.

- Why is there a war and why are people (and children, I think?) being drafted?

- What significance to the other boys that arrive on the island play other than that they represent characters from the original story?

- There are some words that are repeated three times, but it's mainly in the beginning. I feel like there is some connection to the original story (or something similar), but I can't remember exactly. If there is, why are these certain phases important?

It would've been better if it were in a novel form. Even thought it was a nice and quick read, it also felt rushed. I could definitely see this story having a quick read feeling because it's a rich page turner by itself and not because it's a novella.

Overall, it just wasn't given the proper time to be fully blossomed.

[Maé · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got kind of distracted in my monthly Peter Pan retelling challenge, so I decided to pick up a new one at random. And I genuinely didn’t know anything about Lost Boy, Found Boy before picking it up, so I was very pleasently surprised to find out it was a queer romance between FTM!Peter and his nonbinary partner. In a futuristic world where they barely have a life, Peter creates a matrix called Neverland in order to protect his partner from being drafted in a war.

And anyway, he did his best programming in the early morning, the barely waking moments, the in-between moments fumbling through waking and sleeping.

First of all, I need to note how original this story was. It’s not a genre I read often, but I felt like it differed greatly from other retellings I read, even the more futuristic ones. The plot is so interesting from the very page, and you’re really easily hooked to it. It has quite a fast pacing, as it’s a really short book, but it only makes for an even more compelling story. I could have easily read a 400 pages version of it, as it’s genuinely hard to put down while still being able to care a lot for the characters.

As a retelling, it’s absolutely genius. I often see the same things again and again in different stories, but in this book, every reference was so interestingly put, in ways I had never seen before. Yet, it still felt like it held the true meaning Barrie wrote behind the original aspects of Peter Pan, which some other retellings struggle to do. For example, Neverland is also a haven for Peter and his friends, while still having our young hero create it with his own imagination. I especially loved that Tink was the program running Neverland itself. We get some really smart “chapters” from her POV, and every line of code was the perfect translation of what Barrie could have written. The entire book also parallels quotes from the original manner in a very original and very faithful way.

But the chiming grew louder, as though in response to his whispered query, entering Peter through his ears and surging through his body—like the electricity from the boy’s body—until it reached his fingertips, the chip in his palm
Do you believe, Peter? the chiming seemed to ask him. Though he heard no words, he understood the question clearly.
All at once, the question seemed at once clearer and more nebulous to Peter; but crystal clear or foggy and thick, clarity swarmed through him.
“Yes,” he whispered aloud. “I believe.” And he knew what to do.

Peter was a really well fleshed main character, especially for such a short novel. He has this very naive and egoistic way of thinking that only Peter Pan variants have, and it translates effortlessly well into this story. He has every childlike quality he should have, while still being the smartest character of the book, and I can’t help but think that Barrie would be proud of this version of Peter.

The romance between Peter and Mir was very cute, and it’s obvious how much they both care for each other. Once again, there’s an almost childlike quality to their feelings, and it echoes what Peter and Wendy felt for each other in the original novel, while still being fresh and faithful to the original character that is Mir. There’s also a little romance aspect with James Hook, a cyborg, that is mixed in there. I like that we get hints of a throuple happening towards the end, but I do think it kind of came out of nowhere. In a full length novel I would have loved the added complexity to the relationship dynamic, but in this novella we didn’t have any development whatsoever between Mir and James, and Peter doesn’t even acknowledge the feelings he develops for James.

They wanted to see, just one last time, what the boy looked like when he woke, free of the worry lines that already plagued his face during his more alert moments. Mir wanted to, needed to memorize the way Peter’s crisp green eyes opened sleepily, the way they blinked out of a dreamland and into life. The way they flashed with all the magic of the stars of old the moment his gaze landed on Mir’s face; the way they only sparkled like that for them, the way Mir always made Peter’s mouth tug up into a sleepy, a happy, a blissful smile. Mir wanted, needed, to record all this, make sure they never, ever forgot the uninhibited joy they and they alone could pull from the boy’s eyes.

Of course, I loved that the entire main cast had an appearance is this story, even if they don’t have a lot of importance. I evidently loved to see Gwen, my Wendy, appear. She’s very true to herself, while being a mix of the Disney version and the more bossy version we see in more modern adaptations. I was really pleasantly surprised to see her having a romance with Tink, because it’s a dynamic I love and rarely see (done well) in retellings.

I liked how diverse this novel was. It’s a true LGBT retelling, where every kid is queer, but none of it impact the story or who they are as people. Peter is transgenre, Mir is non-binary, Wendy and Tink are lesbians, and it’s the kind of easy representation I can only wish for every kid to have.

All Tink felt, then, was herself. And, as her systems powered back up and her body started to rise off the ground, interlocked with Gwen’s, all she felt was that she could feel.

I truly loved to discover this short story, and it reminds me that some hidden gems are still hidden out there in the Peter Pan retellings universe. They’re just waiting for me to find them!

[Nicole Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel as though it's difficult to review a queer Peter Pan retelling without at least referencing Lost Boi and Peter Darling, but honestly this book is like neither one of them. While it's dystopian as fuck, it doesn't exist in the real world like Lost Boi, but nor is it in fantasy land like Peter Darling.

That said, there is a Neverland. Of course there's a Neverland. It's just one I've never seen before.

Mir is a new character, but I fell in love with them immediately. Like, no kidding; page one and I'm there. Mir is nonbinary, but placed with the boys. Peter is an incredibly savvy trans tech-head who has managed to find a way of communicating between their pods. Pods they have been put into, by the way, so that they'll sleep and so lessen the amount of oxygen they need.

Let me say: I loved the world of this book. I genuinely hope that Jenn revisits this world again with other characters sometime, cause I would love to understand more about the war, and maybe the adults in the world, and the politics that got them to this point.

That said, what context we got was more than enough for this story. Mir loves Peter, loves the hideaway the two of them share, loves their relationship. The only thing they are not satisfied with is this: They want to fly. And, in the current world, the only way to fly is to be a pilot. So they enlist in the war.

This throws Peter into a spiral, because they are afraid that Mir is going to die, and that Peter will have to live without them. So, with his incredibly good ability with technology and coding, he makes a place where their physical bodies can be transported, that's very close to this world, except for one thing: belief leads to people there being able to fly.

The relationship between James and Peter was different than I might have expected, though I'm not going to lie; I would have loved to see a polyamorous relationship spring up between the two of them and Mir. I loved that Wendy, or Gwen as she requests to be called, ends up in a relationship with Tink, who's the Interface of the world.

This is all just so cleverly done. All the points one would want to hit in a Peter Pan retelling are there, and the fact that it's also so unlike anything else I have read just shows off the skill Jenn has as a writer.

[Mark Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that I enjoy fairytale retellings. They’d also know that I try to read diverse stories and authors. I’ve had some pretty good reads with Nine Star Press in the past, so when I saw Lost Boy, Found Boy on NetGalley, I figured I’d give it a try. While the idea of Neverland being an escapist virtual construct in a dystopian future of endless war totally jived with the Peter Pan fairytale, the execution fell flat. I think that one of the issues with the story was that the author tried to stick every possible LGBT character that they could.
Peter is a trans boy, who has a romantic interest in his enbyfriend, Mir, and they live in the “boys” section of their space ship. Tinker Bell is a sentient machine (computer program?), identifying as female, who is in a relationship with the lesbian “Wendy.” Captain Hook is a cyborg who has unrequited love for Peter.
Each chapter begins with what I can only assume are Tinker bell’s “thoughts,” but I mostly skipped over them. It started out as a paragraph, and by the end of the story was several kindle pages. With non-human characters, I thought that perhaps the author would explore transhumanism or technological singularity, but that didn’t pan out. (ha ha, get it?)
The story was convoluted with this dystopian space war and before they could get drafted, they enlisted so that “they could fly.” The motivations and the world that they lived in were sparse, and perhaps worldbuilding would’ve improved the story. I also think that the sheer volume of LGBT characters was just too much. I think that that more than anything would be a turn off for cis and/or heteronormative readers. Which is a shame, because as LGBT characters and fiction become more prevalent, people grow more accustomed to the idea, and those that see LGBT persons as “other” become more accepting through mere exposure.
There were just too many checkmarks in the “needs improvement” column for Lost Boy, Found Boy. It’s hard to quantify my feelings on this story with a star rating. I really did not enjoy the story, and with so many issues, it should be a two-star rating, and thusly, not reviewed on this blog. My ire isn’t up enough to give it two stars, and rage-blog a two-star story like I’ve done in the past, and some of the flaws I perceived might be plusses to an LGBT reader. I think in the end, I’ll award Lost Boy, Found Boy three stars, and say that I’m disappointed at opportunities missed.

[Maddie | THE PINK ROSE PANDA · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of Lost Boy, Found Boy in exchange for an honest review! Don’t punch me too hard, kay?**

Lost Boy, Found Boy is a LGBT/nonbinary novella set in the futuristic/alternate world of Peter Pan. Peter Pan’s lover, Mir, has been sent to fight in a war. Therefore, to keep Mir with him, Peter programs “Neverland” so that Mir can, in essence, escape the war. They get to both have their cake.

Or at least, that’s how it started.

I have/have had LGBT friends but never have I met a nonbinary person. So admittedly, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

Firstly, Jenn Polish has an excellent command of English in her writing. Her words flowed and ebbed, painting a clear picture that allowed me to easily follow. Compared to the other books I have read lately, I was really excited to read such rich words! The world building also makes me imagine a bit of a futuristic London, or at least how I would think it’d look like.

I really have nothing to complain about; Peter and Mir’s relationship seems to be really interesting. However, I have to admit that I’m having a hard time with understanding/keeping up with Peter’s gender change and Mir’s gender.

I think part of this goes with me growing up always having Peter portrayed as a straight boy. I can understand the transgender concept with Peter but for me personally, it was hard for my brain to sort through that.

I especially had a hard time with the pronoun “they” being used to describe Mir. Again, I’m aware that for nonbinary people, they may choose to use “they” instead of “he/she”. But my brain still had a difficult time registering that “they” was referring to Mir. For a while there, I thought it was a typo. Or that Mir was two people, not one.

So I would say this. If you are looking for a well-written LGBT/nonbinary Peter Pan retelling, stop everything and start reading Lost Boy, Found Boy. However, don’t feel bad if you end up getting confused like me! Haha!

Until next time!

[José Andrés Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia de Peter Pan sirve como esqueleto para una narración llena de sensibilidad y tragedia.

Me ha gustado que plantea bastantes dilemas, pero sin recrearse en ellos, que sea el lector quien reflexione sobre el miedo, la culpa, el egoísmo...

Un libro que se lee en un momento pero muy intenso y lleno de ideas estimulantes.

[Alyson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lost Boy, Found Boy is a science fiction reimagining of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan where Neverland is a computer program, and Tinker Bell, its interface. In Mir and Peter’s world, boys are snatched from their pods and enlisted into the army to fight in a dangerous battle against an unknown foe. Little did Peter know, Mir volunteered to join because those who are chosen are given the ability to fly. In order to save Mir from the dangers of battle, Peter creates Neverland, a place where Mir will be able to fly without jeopardizing Mir’s safety. But Neverland is more than what Peter imagined. Suddenly, the island takes on a life of its own, and its interface, Tinker Bell begins to open portals to the outside world. As Neverland’s population grows, Mir is nowhere to be found. As the island begins to develop, Tinker Bell becomes overloaded with data. Will Peter be able to find Mir and keep his island alive?
This was a rather odd version of Peter Pan that infuses artificial intelligence and technology into a strange mixture. When I first began reading, the opening completely hooked me in. Boys are placed in pods for their safety as the oxygen is cut off for the night. The boys fear being branded and subsequently chosen to enter into the war. The dystopian setting blended with science fiction had me sold. But, as the story went on, I found myself disconnected from the events with very little satisfaction when I reached the conclusion. I do believe the writing itself has great potential. The problem was in the execution.
As this novella is rather short, there really isn’t a great amount of character development or plot to encompass the entire storyline. The storyline would have fared better if Peter and Mir’s characters were a little more fleshed out. I also wished I knew more about the war Mir decides to join. For instance, who are they fighting? Why are children/young adults chosen? Why does Mir want to fly so much even if it means that Mir might die as a result? I have no clue, and I will never know.
The secondary characters seemed to be just “there” without any real purpose. When James (Hook) was introduced into the story, I figured “it’s about time there was a villain.” James is a half-human and half-robot who used to fight in the war. He has lost all sense of his identity, and his entire personality seems to be focused around his jealousy of Mir. In the end, it seemed as if he was only there to reinforce that this is a retelling of Peter Pan. Character with a hook? check. Honestly, this novella probably wouldn’t be readable if the reader had never heard of Peter Pan. While this is highly unlikely since Peter Pan is a well-known novel that has been adapted into various mediums many times. Yet, when a well-known story is retold, the story should be able to speak for itself without mooching off the original.
All in all, I was disappointed by Lost Boy, Found Boy. The idea of Neverland being a computer generated setting was very intriguing, but the overall world-building and lack of personality in the characters made this novella incomplete. I would recommend this book to those who are looking for representations of LGBTQ characters or are looking for a non-binary character.
*I received Lost Boy, Found Boy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Dannica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second transgender Peter Pan book I've read. I like this trend.

The Premise
Peter and Mir are teenagers in a dystopian space station kind of world, where oxygen supplies are limited and teenagers get randomly drafted for the military. Mir voluntarily joins the military because he wants to be able to fly, cuing Peter going into a breakdown as he tries to find a way to stop Mir by creating a virtual reality where he can fly instead. But Peter, despite his programming skills, can't fully control the VR he created--that's more the area of the interface, Tink. And the VR keeps on sucking in the wrong people when it's supposed to be finding Mir and bringing him in where he can be safe.

My Thoughts
I liked Peter and Mir's relationship as initially established. I very much liked the nonbinary Mir supporting transgender Peter, but also they seemed to be very close from the beginning, and know each other well. I also thought the interface Tink was probably the most sympathetic character (despite being a computer)--she just wants everyone to be happy in a world where everyone is in some sort of pain. But try doing that on a limited data plan.

I did find a lot of the plot confusing, though. As new characters show up there's scant time to get to know one before you move onto the next, and the technology had me lost (the VR transports bodies as well as consciousness? Where are we? What is Tink?) the majority of the time. That was unfortunate. I think the plot itself is relatively simple and it's mainly the number of characters and the odd tech that confuses me, though. Perhaps on a reread it would be easier to follow.

Peter's decisions are the focal point of the story. On the one hand, he's got relatable motivations: he doesn't want his enbyfriend to die or have to kill someone in the war, and he wants everyone to be safe and happy. I can't agree with his trying to make Mir's choices for them, though--while Mir might not want to commit violence and it might be for the best, rerouting someone's brain so they'll stay with you is kinda shady, as is deciding a VR is an adequate substitute for real experiences someone desires. The moral dilemma drives the story and I found it intriguing, though I'm not sure what to make of the ultimate resolution. Guess you'll have to judge for yourself.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mutated Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Synopsis:
In a futuristic world, Neverland is a holomatrix, Hook is a cyborg, and Tinker Bell is an automated computer interface.

Peter is desperate to save his lover from a military draft that, unbeknownst to him, Mir volunteered for because they are desperate to be able to fly. So, naturally, Peter programs an entire island—Neverland—as a refuge where Mir can fly without having to fight in a war.

But he doesn’t locate Mir right away; instead, he fights for control of the island with automated interface Tinker Bell, and in his attempts to find Mir, others arrive on the island. But Peter’s single-minded focus on Mir generates repercussions for everyone.

My Review:
The reason I chose to look at this book in the first place, was the cover. It really stood out to me, and so did the description. In the future, oxygen is in such demise that poor people have to sleep in pods so that they don't have to breathe. Sleeping in these pods, however, will randomly put you into the military. Peter and Mir are just children, barely sixteen and have so much to worry about. Mir is chosen one night, and although they didn't tell Peter, they secretly signed up to the military so that they could fly. Peter, desperate to keep Mir safe, creates a special VR program in their safe space refuge.

Things don't go as planned, and a lot happened in this short book. Peter creates the island and nicknames it Neverland, and makes a kind of interface robot to help keep it running while he's inside trying to find Mir. I'm not sure where the story is set, but If I had to guess I would say space because of the lack of oxygen, anti gravity workouts, and hologram sunrises, sunsets, and night skies with the moon in it. I really enjoyed reading this, and the characters are lifelike. The world is so interesting that I don't really worry about having little to no knowledge about it before hand. Peter made the only world that counts. I didn't want to put this book down, in case I missed something. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the authors twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/Lost-Boy-Found-...

https://twitter.com/jpolishwrites?lan...

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

[Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

‘Lost Boy, Found Boy’ is a short work of science fiction loosely based upon characters from ‘Peter Pan.’ Author Polish has included familiar character names and elements, while adding an original plot and making some changes to the characters.

We start off with Peter and his enbyfriend Mir. Circumstances are vague, but the story clearly takes place in the future, after Earth is no longer habitable, oxygen is hard to come by, and a war is being fought. Peter wakes one morning to learn that Mir has volunteered for the war effort, desperately wanting to fly. Peter, master programmer and hacker that he is, copes with Mir’s leaving by creating a virtual world in which their physical bodies can safely inhabit. Peter thinks he’s programed the interface in such a way that not only would he and Mir be able to fly in this created space, Neverland, but also that Mir’s memory would be altered to forget leaving Peter to join the war. Peter wants nothing more than to be reunited with his paramour and for the pair to be left alone together.

Peter’s overestimation of his programming abilities causes some issues. First a cyborg with a hook shows up, a boy with some flesh left, but whose veins have been replaced with wires by the war effort. Then Gwen shows up, and names the interface Tinker Bell, after the noises it/she makes when communicating. Then Gwen and Tink seem to grow close, and Hook seems to have a crush on Peter. As Peter urges Tink on to find the correct human companion, Mir, Tink brings in Jon, Michael, Nibs, and Slightly; boys lost to the war effort who all seem to have memory issues upon entering Neverland through Tink’s portal. One last desperate attempt brings Mir to Peter, at the height of memory problems and interface overloads.

Will Mir and Peter remember each other and get to live happily ever after? Will Tink overload and send all the children back to the horrible war? Find out on March 19th.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. Read more reviews! http://dreamerjbookreviews.blogspot.com #LostBoy,FoundBoy #NetGalley

[Vanellope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5

Hmm. This is hard to rate.

I looooooooved the premise. A lot. I loved the set up for it, the whole beginning of the book. It was off to a fantastic start. The worldbuilding was intriguing, and I absolutely loved the relationship between Peter and Mir.

My main problem is that I just wanted... More. This book really should have been longer. I would've loved to see scenes with the kids just living on Neverland. The characters could have had more development-- they were all incredibly interesting when they got introduced, but didn't go anywhere from there. The author has said that Hook is bi and Tink is ace, but I didn't really see those identities developed. Or their backgrounds in general, really-- they all seemed like they had such interesting stories, but we only got to see a tiny glimpse of them. I wanted MORE.

As far as plot goes, I thought it was weirdly paced. The beginning, as I said, was great. The middle is a lot of just waiting around. It would have been way more interesting to see more details about any adventures on the island. The ending picks up, but almost too quickly. It felt a bit rushed.

HOWEVER. I really liked the writing. The descriptions and turns of phrases had a magical realism air to them that I really enjoyed. Plus, the book made me cry by like, the second chapter. I think that's a new record-- and it's pretty impressive to have a book get you to care about the characters that quickly.

Soooo because of that, and because there were some super cool concepts in here, I'm rounding up.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this book does a great retelling of Peter Pan. The sci-fi setting fits.
What I personally needed to get used to was the singular use of ”they”. Which after two or three pages felt just as natural as seeing Peter and Mir interact.

The book is shorter than I thought it would be and I flew through it in about 1.5 hours. What it did have going for it was the incredible addition of the Interface and the sort programming it showed in the book. This made it all the more real.

The themes I remember being present in Peter Pan were clearly in this adaptation as well. Albeit in a slightly different format.

Jenn Polish’s writing style is fluid, smooth and paints a good picture. I love that the nonbinary and trans representation were what they were supposed to be. Who they were as characters and not what they were.

In conclusion, this book is well worth the read, but it is definitely not for everyone.
It took me about 5 pages to get into the flow of it. I will be looking into Jenn Polish’s other work as this retelling entertained me greatly.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This was not really my cup of tea if I have to be honest. The idea was great; trans Peter Pan in futuristic, dystopian setting. Polish' writing is also excellent, she's a good storyteller.

However, I thought it was too short. It's a world that could've done with more detail and more world building. Overall it felt a little rushed.

[Jess Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a futuristic Sci fi retelling of Peter pan with a fully queer cast that is beautifully written. (and also, speaking of beautiful, that cover is gorgeous!) I seriously loved the AI/computer code extracts from an electronic tinkerbell trying to make Peter happy, they reminded me of Aiden from illuminae, and the world we're thrown into, even before we get to Neverland, hooked (I couldn't resist that pun) me from the start. Peter is a trans boy who creates a virtual reality to save his enbyfriend who had agreed to fight in a war that will kill him just because he wants to fly.
This is a novella so first off don't go in expecting a whole lot of plot, saying that, there was enough for me and I don't normally get along with novellas for this reason. It didn't feel rushed although I obviously would have loved more simply because I loved it. Peter pan is one of my favourite books and the nods to aspects of the story in this were so well done and every time one happened I squealed a bit, they were so well woven into the plot. If you love Peter pan read it, if you like queer retellings or just love beautifully written, adorable and heart felt novellas.... Just read it?

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful, just like all of Jenn's work. I somehow forgot to read the full description before I started reading and was delighted to find that it's set in a technological future.
The story itself is completely lovely and surprised me several times. As I already mentioned, I really enjoyed the setting. I was particularly impressed with the worldbuilding given that this book is so short.

[TransBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a futuristic sci-fi retelling of Peter Pan, and by god does it bring a new stance to the table. - Matt

I think this was a really interesting idea that could have done with a bit more development. - Laura

Read our full review here

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has a transexual Peter Pan, a mechanical Hook, an android(?) tinkerbell and much more. It was a short but good read. Was a little confused about the world it was in. Just wished it was a little longer.

Thanks to the publisher and author for granting me this arc.

[Jon · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a background romantic relationship between a robot and a human. I just... What? What? This book was a waste of time for anyone to read, and a waste of time for Polish to write. Hopefully Polish is better at their day job than they are at writing.

[Miriam Passman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley I recieved an arc. I was expecting more from this book. did not expect it to be so short. would have liked more background on the world and this reimaginong of the characters

[Portia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%

[Giorgina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es un libro muy cortito así que hoy, nuevamente solo los dejaré con los datos de la sinopsis ya que habla de todo lo que necesitan para saber si darle una chance o no a este libro.
Aquí nos vamos a encontrar con una versión futurista de la historia de Peter Pan por J. M. Barrie, uno de mis libros favoritos.
El libro fue muy bueno y siendo sincera me gustó ver un poco de la codificación mezclada entre el diálogo, si bien no tiene la estética que han utilizado en Illuminae por Amie Kaufman y Jay Kristoff está bastante lindo y sencillo.
El problema es que había muchas cosas en las que estaba confundida, ya que el lenguaje inclusivo por momentos me invadió y no sabía si estaban hablando de Peter o de Mir. Y no estoy segura si esto fue intencionalmente para mantener el libro corto y que fuera directo al grano, siento que este concepto se habría beneficiado con unos capítulos más, y dar contexto para saber cómo estas personas terminaron en Nunca Jamás, donde estaban antes de que fueran absorbidos por el portal, qué es la guerra o un poco más de contexto para saber ¿Por qué Peter decidió crear un refugio para él y su novie?

[Ailen Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

La idea está buena, tiene diversidad sexual y de género (algo que siempre es bienvenido) pero la ejecución es sumamente plana. Ok, es una novela corta y ponele que uno espera que no haya páginas y páginas de world building, pero aún así tanto los personajes como la historia de fondo no están desarrollados. Nada. No solo no sabemos cómo llegaron ahí, en qué consiste exactamente la guerra o cómo funciona la realidad virtual donde están inmersos, sino que además no llegamos a conocer a los personajes lo suficiente. A los secundarios menos que menos.
Realmente creo que más páginas hubiesen sido la solución ya que la historia es interesante.

[ Gracias a Salvatierra Translations por el ARC ]


Reseña completa: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3aWL51FM...

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the core idea of this book is insanely interesting, however it wasn't well executed. I'm going to try to remain as spoiler-free as possible.

Nothing is really explained. I have no idea when it takes place or where it takes place. I have no idea how old the two main characters are. I thought they were in their early teens, but although the author never stated their age, it seemed that wasn't quite the case. It's confusing because they don't act like they're older than 13 to be honest. It takes place in a dystopian world and there's a war going on, but it's never said what the war was about. I don't even understand how much time lasped in a single scene. It seemed to jump around very quickly. I wasn't sure if it'd been minutes or even days.

There is a background romantic relationship between a robot and a human. I just... What? What?

I wasn't that much of a fan of the writing. There were quite a few run-on sentences and grammar mistakes. Things were described... oddly. I dunno how someone can have a "sarcastic body" or be a "dehydrated mess", or have "crisp green eyes". I didn't see the characters develop throughout the story. I didn't see the characters bonding and becoming friends. It was mentioned as if it had been there along, but it wasn't. There weren't any subplots or really any stakes. It was extremely straightforward.

This was a really fast read, and this is coming from someone who is a slow reader. Near the end I started to care about characters, and by the end I mean in chapter 11 out of 12.

There's a lot more that I want to add, but I don't have my notes with me. I might end up adding it in later.

In the end, I really think this would have been better as a longer novel. This seems more like a detailed outline. I would have noped out of it pretty early on, but I wanted to see it through to the end.

[InaFieldofBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited for this story; illuminae meets neverland - sounds perfect. Unfortunately it wasn't flushed out enough for me to get an overall great grasp on what was really going on, and it's sub-title is the story of Captain Hook but that's not how I saw this story at all (It's Peter's).

Peter lives in a futuristic world, where his best friend and love of his life, Mir is being sent to war. To escape this, Peter sets up a world via Virtual Reality (accidentally, it creates an actual reality) so that he and Mir can escape the life they've been leading. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work out the way Peter expected and we meet the usual characters in some unusual ways.

Overall, it was a cute story but it was confusing in initial set up. Not your typical Neverland story, but if you think enough happy thoughts, you can fly away with this one.