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The Other Side of Never: Dark Tales from the World of Peter & Wendy
Dark tales inspired by J. M. Barrie's classic stories of Neverland, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and of course Peter Pan, from some the masters of science-fiction, horror and fantasy including A. C. Wise, Claire North, Lavie Tidhar and more.
The award-winning Marie O'Regan & Paul Kane bring together the masters of fantasy, science-fiction and horror, to spin stories inspired by J. M. Barrie's classic tale.
A murder investigation leads a detective to a strange place called Neverland; pupils attend a school for Peters; a young boy loses his shadow and goes to desperate lengths to retrieve it.
These stories take the original tales of Peter & Wendy, the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, twisting and turning them. From dystopias to the gritty streets of London, these stories will keep you reading all night and straight on 'til morning.
Featuring stories
Lavie Tidhar, Claire North, Premee Mohamed, Kirsty Logan, Edward Cox, Anna Smith Spark, Alison Littlewood, A. C. Wise, Rio Youers, Gama Ray Martinez, Juliet Marillier, Robert Shearman, A. K. Benedict, Laura Mauro, Cavan Scott, Guy Adams, Paul Finch Muriel Gray
The award-winning Marie O'Regan & Paul Kane bring together the masters of fantasy, science-fiction and horror, to spin stories inspired by J. M. Barrie's classic tale.
A murder investigation leads a detective to a strange place called Neverland; pupils attend a school for Peters; a young boy loses his shadow and goes to desperate lengths to retrieve it.
These stories take the original tales of Peter & Wendy, the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, twisting and turning them. From dystopias to the gritty streets of London, these stories will keep you reading all night and straight on 'til morning.
Featuring stories
Lavie Tidhar, Claire North, Premee Mohamed, Kirsty Logan, Edward Cox, Anna Smith Spark, Alison Littlewood, A. C. Wise, Rio Youers, Gama Ray Martinez, Juliet Marillier, Robert Shearman, A. K. Benedict, Laura Mauro, Cavan Scott, Guy Adams, Paul Finch Muriel Gray
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 9, 2023
30 people are currently reading
771 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 18, 2023
There's dark retellings of fairy tales and then there's dark retellings, and then there's retellings whose authors seem to think dark means "make the story as gross and disgusting and nihilistic and nonsensically gloomy as you can."
The Other Side of Never has more of the latter than the former two. There were stories that were delightfully creepy, like Laura Mauro's "And On 'til Morning," and some with surprising psychological depth that makes you stop and think about what you've just read in case you've misunderstood it, like Robert Shearman's "Fear of the Pan-Child," but there's also stories like Lavie Tidhar's "A Visit to Kensington Gardens" so disjointed and confusing you wonder if the editors were sleeping the day this one slipped past them into the collection, or stories like Claire North's "A School for Peters" that are a hackneyed ripoff of The Handmaid's Tale with a plot with less sense and worse build of its world. And the third type, the stories that make the character you least expect into a dark one you're not sure what to make of, like A. C. Wise's "Manic Pixie Girl" and Gama Ray Martinez's "Silver Hook."
As a whole, the lesser stories outnumber the good ones here. There were times when I had the impression the authors were deliberately and very obviously trying to gross the reader out by extra helpings of violent turns. And being short stories, this is all the more obvious when done for the sake of "dark." And it's not like I don't enjoy dark fairy tales (even though I don't believe Peter Pan is easily remade into dark retellings without major modifications), but I can tell when I'm reading a See, this is dark and gory and edgy! plot, and I don't like it.
Of course, there were stories that met the title's description and were dark, very dark whilst still being well-written and well-plotted. Those were my favourites, the best in the lot in my opinion:
FEAR OF THE PAN-CHILD by Robert Shearman
4.5 stars
My, was this one so very original and yet so disturbing! It's about a formerly bullied boy who is afraid of REDACTED and has to face this fear when his own son has to play REDACTED in a school play. The twists and turns need you to pay attention, or it'll not be likely you'll get it until the end. It's psychologically heavy, I had to reread some parts to make sure, I was that lost at times!
THE OTHER SIDE OF NEVER by Edward Cox
4 stars
This story should be in a How To Make Hook The Hero Without Sexifying Him standard textbook for Peter Pan retellers. Well, anti-heroic hero.
I wish this story had been longer, because the world is so intriguing. It's a dystopian world in which the Bad Guys descend from Wendy and have become the oppressors of this world. Until the Hook character comes in and kicks & overturns the chessboard. It's evident that there's more in this story just waiting there, and I want to see more of what follows next, I want to see how it all ends, I want...
NO SUCH PLACE by Paul Finch
5 stars
My favourite story! I blame Stoney M. Setzer for getting me addicted to fairy tale retellings from the POV of policemen, and it's a good addiction to have. In this one, Ronald McKane, a Scotland Yard officer who is a World War II veteran and more jaded and less gentle than Sheriff Dane but equally adorable in his own gruff way, has to investigate a series of murders that follow a Peter Pan-inspired pattern. Very dark and awful plot, but such a great story even if you don't like detective stories.
I'm subscribing to Mr Finch's Once Upon A Crime channel, too. He and Setzer should get together and write lotsa crime-ridden retellings each with their own man in his corner of the world, McKane in the UK and Carter in the US. Nice Bad Cop/Good Cop thing going on there, heh.
The anthology was worth it for these three stories, and introduced me to new authors I'd not known before and will hitherto be following to see what else they write.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Other Side of Never has more of the latter than the former two. There were stories that were delightfully creepy, like Laura Mauro's "And On 'til Morning," and some with surprising psychological depth that makes you stop and think about what you've just read in case you've misunderstood it, like Robert Shearman's "Fear of the Pan-Child," but there's also stories like Lavie Tidhar's "A Visit to Kensington Gardens" so disjointed and confusing you wonder if the editors were sleeping the day this one slipped past them into the collection, or stories like Claire North's "A School for Peters" that are a hackneyed ripoff of The Handmaid's Tale with a plot with less sense and worse build of its world. And the third type, the stories that make the character you least expect into a dark one you're not sure what to make of, like A. C. Wise's "Manic Pixie Girl" and Gama Ray Martinez's "Silver Hook."
As a whole, the lesser stories outnumber the good ones here. There were times when I had the impression the authors were deliberately and very obviously trying to gross the reader out by extra helpings of violent turns. And being short stories, this is all the more obvious when done for the sake of "dark." And it's not like I don't enjoy dark fairy tales (even though I don't believe Peter Pan is easily remade into dark retellings without major modifications), but I can tell when I'm reading a See, this is dark and gory and edgy! plot, and I don't like it.
Of course, there were stories that met the title's description and were dark, very dark whilst still being well-written and well-plotted. Those were my favourites, the best in the lot in my opinion:
FEAR OF THE PAN-CHILD by Robert Shearman
4.5 stars
My, was this one so very original and yet so disturbing! It's about a formerly bullied boy who is afraid of REDACTED and has to face this fear when his own son has to play REDACTED in a school play. The twists and turns need you to pay attention, or it'll not be likely you'll get it until the end. It's psychologically heavy, I had to reread some parts to make sure, I was that lost at times!
THE OTHER SIDE OF NEVER by Edward Cox
4 stars
This story should be in a How To Make Hook The Hero Without Sexifying Him standard textbook for Peter Pan retellers. Well, anti-heroic hero.
I wish this story had been longer, because the world is so intriguing. It's a dystopian world in which the Bad Guys descend from Wendy and have become the oppressors of this world. Until the Hook character comes in and kicks & overturns the chessboard. It's evident that there's more in this story just waiting there, and I want to see more of what follows next, I want to see how it all ends, I want...
NO SUCH PLACE by Paul Finch
5 stars
My favourite story! I blame Stoney M. Setzer for getting me addicted to fairy tale retellings from the POV of policemen, and it's a good addiction to have. In this one, Ronald McKane, a Scotland Yard officer who is a World War II veteran and more jaded and less gentle than Sheriff Dane but equally adorable in his own gruff way, has to investigate a series of murders that follow a Peter Pan-inspired pattern. Very dark and awful plot, but such a great story even if you don't like detective stories.
I'm subscribing to Mr Finch's Once Upon A Crime channel, too. He and Setzer should get together and write lotsa crime-ridden retellings each with their own man in his corner of the world, McKane in the UK and Carter in the US. Nice Bad Cop/Good Cop thing going on there, heh.
The anthology was worth it for these three stories, and introduced me to new authors I'd not known before and will hitherto be following to see what else they write.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2023
Some of the tales in this book were very good and insightful or playful and others were boring and disgusting.
It sounds stereotypical but a lot of the men’s writing in this anthology seemed to include vulgarity for the sake of being vulgar. It often added nothing to the plot and made the writing look bad. The misogyny in some of the tales was off the charts and not enjoyable to read.
I understand it is a collection of dark tales but I think some of the writers could take hints from others. Claire North’s School for Peters highlights issues of the Peter and Wendy dynamic and how women are molded to serve men, including sex in an actual useful way, unlike some of the male writers in this work.
Manic Pixie Girl is another good example of how to write about sex without treating women like scum, even with Tinker Bell as a junkie character.
Unfortunately I found most of these tales a chore to read but the ones that were good, really did make me think about their interpretations and the subtext of Peter and Wendy by Barrie.
It sounds stereotypical but a lot of the men’s writing in this anthology seemed to include vulgarity for the sake of being vulgar. It often added nothing to the plot and made the writing look bad. The misogyny in some of the tales was off the charts and not enjoyable to read.
I understand it is a collection of dark tales but I think some of the writers could take hints from others. Claire North’s School for Peters highlights issues of the Peter and Wendy dynamic and how women are molded to serve men, including sex in an actual useful way, unlike some of the male writers in this work.
Manic Pixie Girl is another good example of how to write about sex without treating women like scum, even with Tinker Bell as a junkie character.
Unfortunately I found most of these tales a chore to read but the ones that were good, really did make me think about their interpretations and the subtext of Peter and Wendy by Barrie.
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September 27, 2023I had the good fortune to win this anthology in a Twitter (X) giveaway.
As with most anthologies, I like to take my time and rarely read more than one story per day. I prefer to remain in the world each of the author's creates for a little while before moving on.
What I love about themed anthologies is that everyone brings something different to the table. Same theme, but my goodness it is wonderful to see how differently people interpret it.
In this anthology we have pure fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, so there's something to suit all tastes. Anthologies are also THE BEST WAY to discover new authors. I've often found myself seeking out more of an author's work after reading an anthology.
As with every anthology, you will have your favourites, but before I mention them I would like to reinforce the fact that every single story earned its place. I enjoyed reading all of them.
The stories that stayed with me longest, and therefore kind of became my favourites were:
Manic Pixie Girl by A.C. Wise (I've read her work before and always enjoy it.)
Fear of the Pan-Child by Robert Shearman
And on 'til Morning by Laura Mauro (Again, a fave author of mine.)
A School For Peters by Claire North
The Shadow Stitcher by A.K. Benedict
A House the Size of Me by Alison Littlewood
No Such Place by Paul Finch
Far From Home by Muriel Gray (I remember her as a TV presenter, but had no idea she wrote!)
My thanks to Titan Books for gifting me the copy. Much appreciated!
As with most anthologies, I like to take my time and rarely read more than one story per day. I prefer to remain in the world each of the author's creates for a little while before moving on.
What I love about themed anthologies is that everyone brings something different to the table. Same theme, but my goodness it is wonderful to see how differently people interpret it.
In this anthology we have pure fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, so there's something to suit all tastes. Anthologies are also THE BEST WAY to discover new authors. I've often found myself seeking out more of an author's work after reading an anthology.
As with every anthology, you will have your favourites, but before I mention them I would like to reinforce the fact that every single story earned its place. I enjoyed reading all of them.
The stories that stayed with me longest, and therefore kind of became my favourites were:
Manic Pixie Girl by A.C. Wise (I've read her work before and always enjoy it.)
Fear of the Pan-Child by Robert Shearman
And on 'til Morning by Laura Mauro (Again, a fave author of mine.)
A School For Peters by Claire North
The Shadow Stitcher by A.K. Benedict
A House the Size of Me by Alison Littlewood
No Such Place by Paul Finch
Far From Home by Muriel Gray (I remember her as a TV presenter, but had no idea she wrote!)
My thanks to Titan Books for gifting me the copy. Much appreciated!
July 25, 2024
Peter Pan retellings are some of my favourite to read, especially when such retellings are grossly dark and twisted, focusing more on the mystical elements. Some of these short stories managed to capture those vibes perfectly, whereas others just didn’t quite hit home and lacked intrigue. A few had me questioning if English was even my first language.
A Visit to Kensington Gardens - ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Manic Pixie Girl - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Fear of the Pan-Child - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
And On til’ Morning - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The Other Side of Never - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Lost Boys Monologues - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
A School for Peters - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chasing Shadows - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Saturday Morning - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
The Land Between Her Eyelashes - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Boy - ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Never Was Born His Equal - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Shadow Stitcher - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
A House The Size of Me - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Silver Hook - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Reeds Remember - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
No Such Place - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Far From Home - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Average rating: 3.11
A Visit to Kensington Gardens - ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Manic Pixie Girl - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Fear of the Pan-Child - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
And On til’ Morning - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The Other Side of Never - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Lost Boys Monologues - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
A School for Peters - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chasing Shadows - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Saturday Morning - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
The Land Between Her Eyelashes - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Boy - ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Never Was Born His Equal - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Shadow Stitcher - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
A House The Size of Me - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Silver Hook - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The Reeds Remember - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
No Such Place - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Far From Home - ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Average rating: 3.11
June 21, 2023
Turns out “Dark Tales from the World of Peter & Wendy” is a pretty broad summary of this short story collection. As in, I was expecting a mixture of Peter and the Starcatchers (a childhood favourite) and Christina Henry, but these ‘dark tales’ often just left me feeling sad and flat.
It’s hard to review short stories because I could honestly give you a completely different rating and review for each short story (there are nearly twenty of them), not to mention, different stories will always resonate with different people. Yet, I was surprised by the consistent inclusion of graphic violence, drugs and crime that either worked unbelievably well or managed to be completely overdone or misused to fit that ‘dark’ description.
‘No Such Place’ by Paul Finch was one example that used the gritty setting of a policeman in post-world-war London and a brutal string of murders to create an actual dark tale that was impacted by the story of Peter Pan and explored the meaning found in it while still remaining captivating and heartfelt. Whereas A. C. Wise's ‘Manic Pixie Girl’ followed an addict FMC in a self-pitying narrative as she continued to make life difficult for someone who cared about her. I respect that there’s a place for this form of drug abuse exploration, I genuinely finished it feeling exhausted and sad and wondering what actually was the point of this inclusion in this collection apart from classing drugs as ‘dark’.
There were others I enjoyed whilst I potentially wouldn’t even class them as dark, such as Gama Ray Martinez's ‘Silver Hook’ because ghost pirates (love it) and it held a fun origin twist. Or ‘The Reeds Remember, by Juliet Marillier because of the drawn parallels between Greek gods (always here for it) and our favourite fictional characters, although there are mentions of potential rape in this one.
Finally, amongst this range of stories, there were definitely interesting psychologically heavy themes, but often, whilst I could acknowledge what the author was trying to do, a lot of it went over my head and just left me frustrated. Such as, ‘The Other Side of Never’ by Edward Cox, which had an interesting premise but felt overcomplicated and hard to follow. Although, this again, is also a reflection of personal taste.
Overall, it’s a mixed collection and averaged out as three stars, despite having great ones. I always enjoy a retelling (less heavy on this aspect in the collection) or a deeper exploration of a classic story but this was challenging at times.
Thank you Titan Books and NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.
It’s hard to review short stories because I could honestly give you a completely different rating and review for each short story (there are nearly twenty of them), not to mention, different stories will always resonate with different people. Yet, I was surprised by the consistent inclusion of graphic violence, drugs and crime that either worked unbelievably well or managed to be completely overdone or misused to fit that ‘dark’ description.
‘No Such Place’ by Paul Finch was one example that used the gritty setting of a policeman in post-world-war London and a brutal string of murders to create an actual dark tale that was impacted by the story of Peter Pan and explored the meaning found in it while still remaining captivating and heartfelt. Whereas A. C. Wise's ‘Manic Pixie Girl’ followed an addict FMC in a self-pitying narrative as she continued to make life difficult for someone who cared about her. I respect that there’s a place for this form of drug abuse exploration, I genuinely finished it feeling exhausted and sad and wondering what actually was the point of this inclusion in this collection apart from classing drugs as ‘dark’.
There were others I enjoyed whilst I potentially wouldn’t even class them as dark, such as Gama Ray Martinez's ‘Silver Hook’ because ghost pirates (love it) and it held a fun origin twist. Or ‘The Reeds Remember, by Juliet Marillier because of the drawn parallels between Greek gods (always here for it) and our favourite fictional characters, although there are mentions of potential rape in this one.
Finally, amongst this range of stories, there were definitely interesting psychologically heavy themes, but often, whilst I could acknowledge what the author was trying to do, a lot of it went over my head and just left me frustrated. Such as, ‘The Other Side of Never’ by Edward Cox, which had an interesting premise but felt overcomplicated and hard to follow. Although, this again, is also a reflection of personal taste.
Overall, it’s a mixed collection and averaged out as three stars, despite having great ones. I always enjoy a retelling (less heavy on this aspect in the collection) or a deeper exploration of a classic story but this was challenging at times.
Thank you Titan Books and NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.
June 29, 2023
This collection began incredibly strong. The first four stories were all five stars for me. They blew me away. I've listed them below.
Other stories were between two and three and a half stars, though, and overall left me a little disappointed.
Shame really.
That's not to say you'll favour the same stories as I did, of course.
The beauty of anthologies I suppose.
Five stars to:
A VISIT TO KENSINGTON GARDENS by Lavie Tidhar.
A wonderfully poetic opener that hit all the emotions bang on. Relatable and realistic. Stunning work.
MANIC PIXIE GIRL by A.C. Wise.
Breathtakingly dark and incredibly visual. So many stunning lines. As the story continues you literally feel you're in the eye of a hurricane here.
Truly incredible work.
FEAR OF THE PAN-CHILD by Robert Shearman.
I always enjoy Robert Shearman's comfortable approach to storytelling, that feeling of knowing you're in safe hands. I was intrigued to see where he'd take me with this theme.
I loved how the character names were changed for good reason, and how that final scene gave me one hell of a shiver.
AND ON 'TIL MORNING by Laura Mauro.
The childlike innocence in its telling worked so well as we follow the little lost soul around. I kept expecting this story to take a dark turn, to throw some kind of curve ball like the rest, but it stayed more on track, and after some thought, I really quite appreciated the ending. It didn't need to be anything more.
Excellent.
After much consideration I'm giving this collection three stars.
The twist on the themes at the start were too strong for the rest of the stories.
Maybe if the stories were laid out differently, my scoring might have changed slightly.
Other stories were between two and three and a half stars, though, and overall left me a little disappointed.
Shame really.
That's not to say you'll favour the same stories as I did, of course.
The beauty of anthologies I suppose.
Five stars to:
A VISIT TO KENSINGTON GARDENS by Lavie Tidhar.
A wonderfully poetic opener that hit all the emotions bang on. Relatable and realistic. Stunning work.
MANIC PIXIE GIRL by A.C. Wise.
Breathtakingly dark and incredibly visual. So many stunning lines. As the story continues you literally feel you're in the eye of a hurricane here.
Truly incredible work.
FEAR OF THE PAN-CHILD by Robert Shearman.
I always enjoy Robert Shearman's comfortable approach to storytelling, that feeling of knowing you're in safe hands. I was intrigued to see where he'd take me with this theme.
I loved how the character names were changed for good reason, and how that final scene gave me one hell of a shiver.
AND ON 'TIL MORNING by Laura Mauro.
The childlike innocence in its telling worked so well as we follow the little lost soul around. I kept expecting this story to take a dark turn, to throw some kind of curve ball like the rest, but it stayed more on track, and after some thought, I really quite appreciated the ending. It didn't need to be anything more.
Excellent.
After much consideration I'm giving this collection three stars.
The twist on the themes at the start were too strong for the rest of the stories.
Maybe if the stories were laid out differently, my scoring might have changed slightly.
May 28, 2023
The Other Side of Never is a short story collection featuring tales relating to Peter Pan, some more closely, some only very loosely adjacent to J. M. Barries book. Some stories take us on adventures with characters we know, exploring what happens to them after the original story or what happened to them while other characters were doing other things, some stories take elements or lore from the original story and twist and turn them into other things.
This is a great read if you like the original Peter Pan tale. Of course, since it's a wild array of different stories and different types of stories, not all will be to everyone's taste, but I am very sure that there's something in here for everyone.. I dind't love all of the stories, but I enjoyed most and really really loved a few, to my surprise mostly those that are only vaguely related to the source material. I found the stories really well selected to work with each other and all different enough that they each brought a new bit to the table.
This is a great read if you like the original Peter Pan tale. Of course, since it's a wild array of different stories and different types of stories, not all will be to everyone's taste, but I am very sure that there's something in here for everyone.. I dind't love all of the stories, but I enjoyed most and really really loved a few, to my surprise mostly those that are only vaguely related to the source material. I found the stories really well selected to work with each other and all different enough that they each brought a new bit to the table.
March 17, 2023
Have there always been this many Peter Pan spin-offs around? Don’t get me wrong, I love it. Christina Henry’s phenomenal novel Lost Boy is the standard to which I hold every Neverland-adjacent story. And this dark collection definitely delivered the goods.
Expertly edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane, The Other Side of Never brings together a very talented group of authors to speculate over the dark side of the Barrie tale. Here we find Pan et al in forms you would not expect, but still incredibly recognizable, and disturbing.
My favorites:
Fear of the Pan Child, by Robert Shearman - Oh look, Robert Shearman is here to terrify us all again! This story was so unsettling. A recently widowed-father takes his son to live with his parents, where the father remembers a childhood friend with a fear of Pan. So bleak, so compelling.
And On ‘Til Morning, by Laura Mauro - This one made me weep! A lost, wandering boy, rescued by an unexpected friend. Gorgeous.
A School for Peters, by Claire North - Shade of The Handmaid’s Tale in this one, where girls are trained to please the “Peters” of the world, who represent alpha males. Brutal.
A House the Size of Me, by Alison Littlewood - All hail Littlewood and her pseudonyms! This one involves a missing child, a mother who refuses to “grow up”, and a heavily repressed brother. Incredibly vivid.
No Such Place, by Paul Finch - this was a surprising story, told like a gritty crime drama. A murder squad looking for literal lost boys, and finding something incredibly disturbing. My word, there are some graphic sections in this story.
Far From Home, by Muriel Gray - The closing tale is a beautifully crafted ghost story. It involves a displaced young lady, and a strange, abandoned building with shadows at the windows.
A deftly-crafted, and hugely enjoyable anthology. Probably not suitable for kids, but perfect for those adults who “never grew up”.
Expertly edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane, The Other Side of Never brings together a very talented group of authors to speculate over the dark side of the Barrie tale. Here we find Pan et al in forms you would not expect, but still incredibly recognizable, and disturbing.
My favorites:
Fear of the Pan Child, by Robert Shearman - Oh look, Robert Shearman is here to terrify us all again! This story was so unsettling. A recently widowed-father takes his son to live with his parents, where the father remembers a childhood friend with a fear of Pan. So bleak, so compelling.
And On ‘Til Morning, by Laura Mauro - This one made me weep! A lost, wandering boy, rescued by an unexpected friend. Gorgeous.
A School for Peters, by Claire North - Shade of The Handmaid’s Tale in this one, where girls are trained to please the “Peters” of the world, who represent alpha males. Brutal.
A House the Size of Me, by Alison Littlewood - All hail Littlewood and her pseudonyms! This one involves a missing child, a mother who refuses to “grow up”, and a heavily repressed brother. Incredibly vivid.
No Such Place, by Paul Finch - this was a surprising story, told like a gritty crime drama. A murder squad looking for literal lost boys, and finding something incredibly disturbing. My word, there are some graphic sections in this story.
Far From Home, by Muriel Gray - The closing tale is a beautifully crafted ghost story. It involves a displaced young lady, and a strange, abandoned building with shadows at the windows.
A deftly-crafted, and hugely enjoyable anthology. Probably not suitable for kids, but perfect for those adults who “never grew up”.
May 23, 2023
A very good thoughtful and varied anthology examining the attractions, dangers and darkness within the tale of Peter Pan. Great selection of authors to enjoy
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
May 7, 2023
I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.
A delicious compilation of dark and twisted stories inspired by the works of J.M Barrie and Peter Pan.
The book didn't take me long to finish, each story was engrossing and had many different themes.
A School for Peters made me think of Black Mirror, though another reviewer compared it to The Handmaid's Tale, which is probably more accurate.
Chasing Shadows gave me the feeling of reading a Goosebumps book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt as if I was a kid again reading R. L. Stine.
The Reed Remembers pulled inspiration both from Peter Pan and Greek mythos, two things I love.
All in all there is something for everyone and of all 18 stories, each was its own. Something which greatly impressed me.
A delicious compilation of dark and twisted stories inspired by the works of J.M Barrie and Peter Pan.
The book didn't take me long to finish, each story was engrossing and had many different themes.
A School for Peters made me think of Black Mirror, though another reviewer compared it to The Handmaid's Tale, which is probably more accurate.
Chasing Shadows gave me the feeling of reading a Goosebumps book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt as if I was a kid again reading R. L. Stine.
The Reed Remembers pulled inspiration both from Peter Pan and Greek mythos, two things I love.
All in all there is something for everyone and of all 18 stories, each was its own. Something which greatly impressed me.
August 14, 2023
2.5
Every dark Peter Pan retelling has been a disappointment since Lost Boy. A few highlights for me were A School for Peters, The Land Between Her Eyelashes, and the Shadow Stitcher.
Every dark Peter Pan retelling has been a disappointment since Lost Boy. A few highlights for me were A School for Peters, The Land Between Her Eyelashes, and the Shadow Stitcher.
April 17, 2025
This is an anthology inspired by Peter Pan. As warned in the introduction, these are definitely not for children as they are dark in more than one way. I will rate and do a mini review of each short story separately below but will say now that my favourite story was Silver Hook and my least favourite Boy. My overall rating is my average rating (3.42 stars).
A Visit to Kensington Gardens: A bit confusing with its split narratives but I liked the literary references and the twists on the original tale. 3.5 stars
Manic Pixie Girl: This is about Tinkerbell in the real, modern world. She's a bit messed up and her story here was quite interesting to read. 4 stars
Fear of the Pan-Child: A father seemingly overreacts about his son getting the part of Peter Pan in a school play and then becomes obsessed and some strange things happen. 3.75 stars
And On ‘til Morning: Quite lyrical and melancholic as a lost soul is found. 3.5 stars.
The Other Side of Never: (Title drop, lol.) A retelling set in an alternative universe where there is more than one type of monster. 3.5 stars.
The Lost Boys Monologues: The Lost Boys are a boyband and struggling with their fame for several reasons. A bit too unnecessarily vulgar for me. 2.75 stars.
A School for Peters: If you mixed Peter Pan with The Handmaid's Tale then you'd get this story. Sometimes dark and violent but I did like this one. 4 stars.
Chasing Shadows: A creepy short story about a boy losing his shadow. I would have liked a little bit more about the ‘villain’’s motivation though. 4 stars.
Saturday Morning: At first I was confused but I am grateful it is a short story because I stuck with it to find out it's about how one character copes with the events of Peter Pan. 3 stars.
The Land Between Her Eyelashes: I'm not sure why this was included in this anthology because it didn't feel like it was inspired by Peter Pan to me. Yes, there was a hook but I feel that could have been replaced by another fairytale item quite easily. 2.5 stars.
Boy: What the hell was that?!? Yes, you have the lost boys’ names used as characters but I did not need to read this vulgar misogynist bantz. I should have stopped reading after the first instance of the c word. Ugh. 1 star.
Never Was Born His Equal: This starts off fairly similar to JM Barrie's work but then takes a turn when a monster appears. I quite liked it. 4 stars.
The Shadow Stitcher: Now this is the sort of dark fairytale retelling I like. The short story whet my appetite for more. 4.25 stars.
A House the Size of Me: Another redux of missing children, monsters and madness creeping in for those left behind. It was good though. 4 stars.
Silver Hook: Pirates go looking for Captain Hook and I loved the twists in this. I would love to read an expanded version of this. 4.5 stars.
The Reeds Remember: This is not inspired by Peter Pan but the Greek God, Pan, instead. Good enough but I think in the wrong anthology. 3.25 stars.
No Such Place: Very tenuously linked to Peter Pan I think. Again, I don't think this is in the right place. 3 stars.
Far From Home: An interesting spin on the Peter Pan story. I kind of guessed the climax but I liked it. 3 stars
A Visit to Kensington Gardens: A bit confusing with its split narratives but I liked the literary references and the twists on the original tale. 3.5 stars
Manic Pixie Girl: This is about Tinkerbell in the real, modern world. She's a bit messed up and her story here was quite interesting to read. 4 stars
Fear of the Pan-Child: A father seemingly overreacts about his son getting the part of Peter Pan in a school play and then becomes obsessed and some strange things happen. 3.75 stars
And On ‘til Morning: Quite lyrical and melancholic as a lost soul is found. 3.5 stars.
The Other Side of Never: (Title drop, lol.) A retelling set in an alternative universe where there is more than one type of monster. 3.5 stars.
The Lost Boys Monologues: The Lost Boys are a boyband and struggling with their fame for several reasons. A bit too unnecessarily vulgar for me. 2.75 stars.
A School for Peters: If you mixed Peter Pan with The Handmaid's Tale then you'd get this story. Sometimes dark and violent but I did like this one. 4 stars.
Chasing Shadows: A creepy short story about a boy losing his shadow. I would have liked a little bit more about the ‘villain’’s motivation though. 4 stars.
Saturday Morning: At first I was confused but I am grateful it is a short story because I stuck with it to find out it's about how one character copes with the events of Peter Pan. 3 stars.
The Land Between Her Eyelashes: I'm not sure why this was included in this anthology because it didn't feel like it was inspired by Peter Pan to me. Yes, there was a hook but I feel that could have been replaced by another fairytale item quite easily. 2.5 stars.
Boy: What the hell was that?!? Yes, you have the lost boys’ names used as characters but I did not need to read this vulgar misogynist bantz. I should have stopped reading after the first instance of the c word. Ugh. 1 star.
Never Was Born His Equal: This starts off fairly similar to JM Barrie's work but then takes a turn when a monster appears. I quite liked it. 4 stars.
The Shadow Stitcher: Now this is the sort of dark fairytale retelling I like. The short story whet my appetite for more. 4.25 stars.
A House the Size of Me: Another redux of missing children, monsters and madness creeping in for those left behind. It was good though. 4 stars.
Silver Hook: Pirates go looking for Captain Hook and I loved the twists in this. I would love to read an expanded version of this. 4.5 stars.
The Reeds Remember: This is not inspired by Peter Pan but the Greek God, Pan, instead. Good enough but I think in the wrong anthology. 3.25 stars.
No Such Place: Very tenuously linked to Peter Pan I think. Again, I don't think this is in the right place. 3 stars.
Far From Home: An interesting spin on the Peter Pan story. I kind of guessed the climax but I liked it. 3 stars
September 26, 2023
Review copy provided by publisher and Netgalley. All opinions my own.
The Other Side of Never is a collection of short stories by well-known authors in the science fiction genre. The various stories about the enchanting world of Peter Pan and Neverland but with a modern twist. Some of the stories are sweet, whereas others are gritty bringing readers into worlds that are the exact opposite of Neverland.
In Lavie Tidhar’s “A Visit to Kensington Gardens”, a boy named Peter hangs out in a college classroom, says goodbye to an old Wendy, and desperately searches for his shadow who has escaped. I really liked this short story which shows Peter returning to the City of London and encounters more than one old friend.
In ”Manic Pixie Girl,” written by AC Wise, Tinkerbell or “Bell” feeds off of men almost like a vampire at night. Her friend Dee often picks up the pieces when Bell blacks out or when she accidentally kills one of her prey. You see, Bell hunts men who hurt women. Especially those who use trickery or lies to get what they want. Manic Pixie Girl is an electric short story, with vibrant descriptions of how Bell’s fairy dust is her ultimate weapon against those who would hurt the innocent.
In “And On ’til Morning” the little soul of a child wanders through a strange forest unsure of where it is. There the little soul meets a bird with the face of a boy who politely questions the little soul. He indicates that the soul has reached the end of life but there is nothing to fear- that this is a realm where the lost should get to live, feast, dance and so much more.
My absolute favorite story of The Other Side of Never is A.K. Benedict’s “The Shadow Stitcher.” A couple mourn the loss of their son Murphy who was kidnapped and the wife encounters a strange woman named Wendy Darling who wants to make a deal. If she allows Wendy to stitch her shadow onto her body she will get her son back. The woman allows Wendy to do so and is reunited with her son. Murphy has nightmares every night but the couple who are determined to get back to their normal lives, encourage him to talk about his time being missing. When Wendy comes to collect her debt, the woman must give in or lose everything for good. “The Shadow Stitcher” is a proper creepy time with Wendy in a role that we almost never see in a person who is anything but motherly.
Overall The Other Side of Never is a book of intriguing tales of the characters within the Peter Pan world. I found that the majority of the stories borders on horror or science fiction turning the mostly innocent characters of JM Barrie’s world into predators or worse. While most of the stories are great there are a few that miss or are so confusing that you don't quite know what Peter Pan character the story is about.
3.5 out of 5 stars
The Other Side of Never is a collection of short stories by well-known authors in the science fiction genre. The various stories about the enchanting world of Peter Pan and Neverland but with a modern twist. Some of the stories are sweet, whereas others are gritty bringing readers into worlds that are the exact opposite of Neverland.
In Lavie Tidhar’s “A Visit to Kensington Gardens”, a boy named Peter hangs out in a college classroom, says goodbye to an old Wendy, and desperately searches for his shadow who has escaped. I really liked this short story which shows Peter returning to the City of London and encounters more than one old friend.
In ”Manic Pixie Girl,” written by AC Wise, Tinkerbell or “Bell” feeds off of men almost like a vampire at night. Her friend Dee often picks up the pieces when Bell blacks out or when she accidentally kills one of her prey. You see, Bell hunts men who hurt women. Especially those who use trickery or lies to get what they want. Manic Pixie Girl is an electric short story, with vibrant descriptions of how Bell’s fairy dust is her ultimate weapon against those who would hurt the innocent.
In “And On ’til Morning” the little soul of a child wanders through a strange forest unsure of where it is. There the little soul meets a bird with the face of a boy who politely questions the little soul. He indicates that the soul has reached the end of life but there is nothing to fear- that this is a realm where the lost should get to live, feast, dance and so much more.
My absolute favorite story of The Other Side of Never is A.K. Benedict’s “The Shadow Stitcher.” A couple mourn the loss of their son Murphy who was kidnapped and the wife encounters a strange woman named Wendy Darling who wants to make a deal. If she allows Wendy to stitch her shadow onto her body she will get her son back. The woman allows Wendy to do so and is reunited with her son. Murphy has nightmares every night but the couple who are determined to get back to their normal lives, encourage him to talk about his time being missing. When Wendy comes to collect her debt, the woman must give in or lose everything for good. “The Shadow Stitcher” is a proper creepy time with Wendy in a role that we almost never see in a person who is anything but motherly.
Overall The Other Side of Never is a book of intriguing tales of the characters within the Peter Pan world. I found that the majority of the stories borders on horror or science fiction turning the mostly innocent characters of JM Barrie’s world into predators or worse. While most of the stories are great there are a few that miss or are so confusing that you don't quite know what Peter Pan character the story is about.
3.5 out of 5 stars
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June 13, 2023"Grown-up tales inspired by the legend of a boy who never grew up." Which, yes, can occasionally feel like parodies of the gritty rework - the Lost Boys as a boy band with an abusive manager, the South London serial killer story, or Neverland under military occupation. Others have a solid idea that doesn't quite come off, like Claire North's A School For Peters. Its vision of a stratified society where Peters are taught to dream big, get away with murder, throw tantrums if boring Johns and Michaels try to bog them down with details, is a brilliantly scathing gloss on our own ruling class, as too the bit where the poor are blamed for their own failure to imagine themselves better fed. But the vision's gender-essentialist, Handmaid's Tale aspects betray it as a product of the Johnson era, and while he was undoubtedly a boy who wouldn't grow up, Liz Truss' brief reign (and dogged attempts at a comeback) surely shows that women are just as capable of policy which might as well rely on everyone clapping really hard.
My favourites, unsurprisingly, tended to be the writers whose presence drew me to the collection in the first place. Lavie Tidhar isn't the only contributor to pick up on the Peter Pan story's vampire parallels, but he tells it very well; Anna Smith Spark channels some of the same inherent horror of parenthood which gave her recent A Woman Of The Sword such nightmare vigour, while also finding the unexpected intersection of JM Barrie and TS Eliot. And Robert Shearman does that very him thing of presenting a narrator who gradually, unwittingly reveals just how dreadful he is, but then fucking the poor bastard over with a reveal so cruel as to leave you wincing all the same. And even with the stories which didn't wow me, the baseline quality is mostly high, though given they're all drawing on the same slim corpus, there's an inevitable thematic overlap which means the collection would probably benefit from being dipped into with decent gaps between stories, rather than doing what I did and going through it at a greater pace because of the sense of obligation that usually attends a Netgalley ARC. All of which said, even within the available elements, it is noticeable how many of the contributors keep picking up the same toys; I can understand writers in the 2020s being wary of doing too much with Tiger Lily, but only in the last story did I realise how much some of the others might have been enlivened by including a great living rug of a Newfoundland.
My favourites, unsurprisingly, tended to be the writers whose presence drew me to the collection in the first place. Lavie Tidhar isn't the only contributor to pick up on the Peter Pan story's vampire parallels, but he tells it very well; Anna Smith Spark channels some of the same inherent horror of parenthood which gave her recent A Woman Of The Sword such nightmare vigour, while also finding the unexpected intersection of JM Barrie and TS Eliot. And Robert Shearman does that very him thing of presenting a narrator who gradually, unwittingly reveals just how dreadful he is, but then fucking the poor bastard over with a reveal so cruel as to leave you wincing all the same. And even with the stories which didn't wow me, the baseline quality is mostly high, though given they're all drawing on the same slim corpus, there's an inevitable thematic overlap which means the collection would probably benefit from being dipped into with decent gaps between stories, rather than doing what I did and going through it at a greater pace because of the sense of obligation that usually attends a Netgalley ARC. All of which said, even within the available elements, it is noticeable how many of the contributors keep picking up the same toys; I can understand writers in the 2020s being wary of doing too much with Tiger Lily, but only in the last story did I realise how much some of the others might have been enlivened by including a great living rug of a Newfoundland.
May 25, 2023
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a solid premise for an anthology and I was really excited to read it. It feels like there's been a recent trend of 'Peter Pan but creepy', with my absolute favourite Lost Boy by Christina Henry standing out among the crowd. I am pleased to say that The Other Side of Never is a worthy contributor.
As with any anthology, you get the good ones and the not so good ones. I think this starts off a little weak with many of the initial stories being confusingly told or hard to follow. Sometimes a story would end and I wouldn't get what the point was as nothing had really happened, and these were the most frustrating. But after the first few, the quality improved greatly for me and there were some real enjoyable finds here.
I would say my favourites were A School for Peters (kind of disjointed and not the best told, but I liked the idea behind it) No Such Place (a fantastic thematic interpretation of the source material and one of the easiest to follow) and The Lost Boys Monologues (again, disjointed but had some good ideas behind it).
Overall, I enjoyed this anthology a lot and I am looking forward to reading the Alice in Wonderland one even more so now. I do think that in general, this series of anthologies does need a bit more editing. It does seem to be a consistent problem that stories seem either unfinished or near incoherent, and it is a shame when some of them are so enjoyable. Hopefully they will continue to improve
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
This is such a solid premise for an anthology and I was really excited to read it. It feels like there's been a recent trend of 'Peter Pan but creepy', with my absolute favourite Lost Boy by Christina Henry standing out among the crowd. I am pleased to say that The Other Side of Never is a worthy contributor.
As with any anthology, you get the good ones and the not so good ones. I think this starts off a little weak with many of the initial stories being confusingly told or hard to follow. Sometimes a story would end and I wouldn't get what the point was as nothing had really happened, and these were the most frustrating. But after the first few, the quality improved greatly for me and there were some real enjoyable finds here.
I would say my favourites were A School for Peters (kind of disjointed and not the best told, but I liked the idea behind it) No Such Place (a fantastic thematic interpretation of the source material and one of the easiest to follow) and The Lost Boys Monologues (again, disjointed but had some good ideas behind it).
Overall, I enjoyed this anthology a lot and I am looking forward to reading the Alice in Wonderland one even more so now. I do think that in general, this series of anthologies does need a bit more editing. It does seem to be a consistent problem that stories seem either unfinished or near incoherent, and it is a shame when some of them are so enjoyable. Hopefully they will continue to improve
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
July 18, 2023
"The Other Side of Never: Dark Tales from the World of Peter & Wendy" is a fascinating and creative collection of dark stories based on J. M. Barrie's timeless classics about Neverland and Peter Pan. This collection of short stories was put together by the skilled team of Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane. It includes stories by well-known authors of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.
As readers travel through twisted and reimagined versions of well-known people and places, they will be intrigued. Each story adds a new layer of depth and mystery to the world of Peter and Wendy. There are murder cases in the strange Neverland, students at a school for Peters, and a desperate search for a lost shadow.
With stories by Lavie Tidhar, Claire North, Kirsty Logan, and other authors, this collection shows a wide range of writing styles and creative ideas. The authors do a great job of taking readers to dark futures, dirty London streets, and creepy landscapes that will keep them reading until the wee hours of the morning.
"The Other Side of Never" is a must-read for people who love J. M. Barrie's famous stories and who like dark and creative takes on old tales. Each story in this collection is a gem in its own right, with new ideas and twists that will leave readers spellbound and wanting more. No matter if you like fantasy, horror, or science fiction, this collection of short stories will take you to the darker side of Neverland in a fun and rewarding way.
***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***
As readers travel through twisted and reimagined versions of well-known people and places, they will be intrigued. Each story adds a new layer of depth and mystery to the world of Peter and Wendy. There are murder cases in the strange Neverland, students at a school for Peters, and a desperate search for a lost shadow.
With stories by Lavie Tidhar, Claire North, Kirsty Logan, and other authors, this collection shows a wide range of writing styles and creative ideas. The authors do a great job of taking readers to dark futures, dirty London streets, and creepy landscapes that will keep them reading until the wee hours of the morning.
"The Other Side of Never" is a must-read for people who love J. M. Barrie's famous stories and who like dark and creative takes on old tales. Each story in this collection is a gem in its own right, with new ideas and twists that will leave readers spellbound and wanting more. No matter if you like fantasy, horror, or science fiction, this collection of short stories will take you to the darker side of Neverland in a fun and rewarding way.
***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***
May 25, 2023
Great idea for an anthology, great title, great cover. Recently I’ve fallen back in love with physical books and this one’s a good example of why that is. It just FEELS nice in my hands, I like turning the pages, it’s easier on the eyes, etc, etc. For some reason I’ve decided for this book I’ll be updating my review and rating after I read each story. Why not. I’m kind of hoping maybe this’ll be the book that makes me fall in love with the world of Peter Pan. And not all over again as I never really got into it. To me Barrie seems kind of creepy—maybe he wasn’t, though; all I know is the only Peter Pan anything I ever really, really liked was Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates from 1990. (Too bad there’s no official release of that. Tim Curry was a great Hook.) Anyway, on to The Other Side of Never…!
No Such Place - Paul Finch (4 stars)
It’s 1952 and the London murder squad is investigating some rumors of so-called lost boys… Hard to read in spots—I prefer to avoid stories with kids suffering, but I guess when you ask a bunch of horror writers to riff on Peter Pan this kind of thing’s inevitable. The story needed more mystery to merit a fifth star from me, but it’s a well-told, dark tale. As to the theme, Finch shows some restraint. He doesn’t over egg the pudding with ham-fisted Pan references. Hopefully the rest of the collection lives up to this one. Another solid Finch tale. Fingers crossed we get more horror from him soon!
No Such Place - Paul Finch (4 stars)
It’s 1952 and the London murder squad is investigating some rumors of so-called lost boys… Hard to read in spots—I prefer to avoid stories with kids suffering, but I guess when you ask a bunch of horror writers to riff on Peter Pan this kind of thing’s inevitable. The story needed more mystery to merit a fifth star from me, but it’s a well-told, dark tale. As to the theme, Finch shows some restraint. He doesn’t over egg the pudding with ham-fisted Pan references. Hopefully the rest of the collection lives up to this one. Another solid Finch tale. Fingers crossed we get more horror from him soon!
May 18, 2023
*I received this book on Netgalley in exchange for a review*
So this is an anthology or compilation of books twisting the classic tale of Peter Pan. With any collection of this nature you are going to encounter a mix of writing styles, genres, and reactions and this was not the exception to that. You can find science fiction, fantasy, even bits of horror mixed in all with dashes of the classic tale we knew and loved as children. That being said, they all deviated drastically from the origin which is expected but some of the stories felt unrelated and if there hadn’t been similar names I might never have known they were inspired by Peter Pan and Neverland. I, personally, wasn’t obsessed with any of these stories or characters and despite all the potential it showed I was not in love with any aspect of it.
I know this seems harsh but please if this is something you truly enjoy and you don’t mind drastic variation from the source then you should certainly give it a try. With the mix contained it holds appeal for a variety of people and audiences. I personally wish there had been more elements of Neverland but not every story is for everyone and that doesn’t discount it in any way!
So this is an anthology or compilation of books twisting the classic tale of Peter Pan. With any collection of this nature you are going to encounter a mix of writing styles, genres, and reactions and this was not the exception to that. You can find science fiction, fantasy, even bits of horror mixed in all with dashes of the classic tale we knew and loved as children. That being said, they all deviated drastically from the origin which is expected but some of the stories felt unrelated and if there hadn’t been similar names I might never have known they were inspired by Peter Pan and Neverland. I, personally, wasn’t obsessed with any of these stories or characters and despite all the potential it showed I was not in love with any aspect of it.
I know this seems harsh but please if this is something you truly enjoy and you don’t mind drastic variation from the source then you should certainly give it a try. With the mix contained it holds appeal for a variety of people and audiences. I personally wish there had been more elements of Neverland but not every story is for everyone and that doesn’t discount it in any way!
May 22, 2023
The Other Side of Never was honestly one of my most anticipated reads this spring and I hate to say it but I was really disappointed. I mean, personally this could have been due to my high expectations for this anthology, and my love of Tinker Bell and all dark fairy tales (especially the original Grimm Brothers). But I found that the stories within this anthology were more sad and hopeless than dark. I also found some of the stories to just be lacking something in the narrative overall to keep my interest. It took me way longer to finish this book than it does most anthologies. I loved the Lost Boy Monologues by Kristie Logan and The School For Peters
by Claire North and Never was Born His Equal by Prime Mohamed. But as I have said before anthologies can be hit or miss and you can't be expected to love every author's style of writing or every story in general. I wouldn't purchase or read again but I didn't hate it and I would still recommend others who like fairytale retellings to check it out for themselves as they probably will have different opinions on different narratives. That being said I found the narratives to be slow and lack lustre over all, they didn't interest me and I struggled to finish the book.
by Claire North and Never was Born His Equal by Prime Mohamed. But as I have said before anthologies can be hit or miss and you can't be expected to love every author's style of writing or every story in general. I wouldn't purchase or read again but I didn't hate it and I would still recommend others who like fairytale retellings to check it out for themselves as they probably will have different opinions on different narratives. That being said I found the narratives to be slow and lack lustre over all, they didn't interest me and I struggled to finish the book.
June 14, 2024
A really fun, dark, anthology of Peter Pan retellings! I loved all the different takes on the characters and Neverland, and there were several I wanted whole books from!
AC Wise's story was so good, looking at Tinkerbell in the real world. Laura Mauro's On Til Morning was a fun look at how a lost boy makes it to Neverland. Edward Cox’s Other Side Of Never was a fascinating new take on Neverland in terms of being at war with ‘always’ and soldiers going after the ‘monster’ which awakens every few years. School For Peters by Claire North was wonderfully creepy and dystopian, where Wendy’s are young girls forced into a life of servitude of Peters and being their perfect wife, I loved the ending for this one but massive trigger warning for physical and emotional abuse, murder of a child, murder in general. Chasing Shadows by Cavan Scott was great with Stranger Things vibes. Gama Ray Martinez's Silver Hook was a great ghostly pirate crossover.
TW for physical and emotional abuse, murder of a child, murder of teenagers, murder in general, war, injury details, blood, death, serial killers, mentions of rape, bullying, death of animals, mentions of drugs, child exploitation, mental health issues, missing children.
AC Wise's story was so good, looking at Tinkerbell in the real world. Laura Mauro's On Til Morning was a fun look at how a lost boy makes it to Neverland. Edward Cox’s Other Side Of Never was a fascinating new take on Neverland in terms of being at war with ‘always’ and soldiers going after the ‘monster’ which awakens every few years. School For Peters by Claire North was wonderfully creepy and dystopian, where Wendy’s are young girls forced into a life of servitude of Peters and being their perfect wife, I loved the ending for this one but massive trigger warning for physical and emotional abuse, murder of a child, murder in general. Chasing Shadows by Cavan Scott was great with Stranger Things vibes. Gama Ray Martinez's Silver Hook was a great ghostly pirate crossover.
TW for physical and emotional abuse, murder of a child, murder of teenagers, murder in general, war, injury details, blood, death, serial killers, mentions of rape, bullying, death of animals, mentions of drugs, child exploitation, mental health issues, missing children.
May 5, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.
I’m a big fan of retellings, so when I seen this I had to request it. Peter Pan is one of my favorite characters to read retellings about. I’ve read so many and I love seeing other author’s twist on it.
These little short stories were brutal if I may say. They are dark and demented. These are kind of twisted tales and I would definitely say for an adult audience. I’ll also say that they were a tad boring in some parts. I thought this was going to be solely based on Peter Pan and it wasn’t. So it did lose a lot of my interest. Some stories were enjoyable and interesting and some just fell flat for me.
All in all, it wasn’t an awful book. Would I recommend it to others…probably not because I don’t really know many people who like reading dark and twisted retellings like I do.
3.5 stars.
I’m a big fan of retellings, so when I seen this I had to request it. Peter Pan is one of my favorite characters to read retellings about. I’ve read so many and I love seeing other author’s twist on it.
These little short stories were brutal if I may say. They are dark and demented. These are kind of twisted tales and I would definitely say for an adult audience. I’ll also say that they were a tad boring in some parts. I thought this was going to be solely based on Peter Pan and it wasn’t. So it did lose a lot of my interest. Some stories were enjoyable and interesting and some just fell flat for me.
All in all, it wasn’t an awful book. Would I recommend it to others…probably not because I don’t really know many people who like reading dark and twisted retellings like I do.
3.5 stars.
September 13, 2023
If you want to explore the darker areas of the Peter Pan mythos, this book has a pack author list and will steer you by the second star on the right, and straight on till morning.
Lavie Tidhar starts us off right with a bleak unreliable “A Visit to Kensington Gardens.” “Manic Pixie Girl” is excellent and bleak and uplifting and satisfying and the eye of a hurricane of fairy dust I’ve come to look forward to in a story by A. C. Wise. Like Barrie’s fiction, there’s something here for everyone. "The Other Side of Never" by Edward Cox has great action and imagery. "The Lost Boys Monologues" by Kirsty Logan is a Weird boy band crossover fiction, and not a perspective that I expected in this book. Stitch your shadow on a little tighter, and dive in.
Lavie Tidhar starts us off right with a bleak unreliable “A Visit to Kensington Gardens.” “Manic Pixie Girl” is excellent and bleak and uplifting and satisfying and the eye of a hurricane of fairy dust I’ve come to look forward to in a story by A. C. Wise. Like Barrie’s fiction, there’s something here for everyone. "The Other Side of Never" by Edward Cox has great action and imagery. "The Lost Boys Monologues" by Kirsty Logan is a Weird boy band crossover fiction, and not a perspective that I expected in this book. Stitch your shadow on a little tighter, and dive in.
May 10, 2023
What drew me to this book was not only the title but some of the authors and the description. The cover art is awesome too! Pretty much this was the whole package for me. I mean, c'mon! Peter Pan!? Yes. Please!🔥
Retellings of Peter Pan are one of my top favorites, and this book did not disappoint! This is not a "child friendly" book. This is very adult geared with the violence and topics. Quite a number of the stories are on the twisted and sadistic side. This was a good switch up from what I've been reading lately.
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity! All opinions are my own.
Retellings of Peter Pan are one of my top favorites, and this book did not disappoint! This is not a "child friendly" book. This is very adult geared with the violence and topics. Quite a number of the stories are on the twisted and sadistic side. This was a good switch up from what I've been reading lately.
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity! All opinions are my own.
May 13, 2023
I read the name of some authors and couldn't help requesting this arc: Lavie Tidhar, Claire North, Edward Cox, Alison Littlewood are authors I appreciated and always loved their stories.
This is a book that starts with a bang and never stops keeping you reading and surprising you.
I discovered new to me author, enjoyed very dark story. Some are horror, some are disturbing, some are thriller.
There's a lot in this book and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
This is a book that starts with a bang and never stops keeping you reading and surprising you.
I discovered new to me author, enjoyed very dark story. Some are horror, some are disturbing, some are thriller.
There's a lot in this book and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
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June 1, 2023Dark here is the key phrase. Half of these stories felt like "GOTCHA!" moments from the "Well, ACTUALLY..." crowd. This is a book for people who like to interpret Peter's thinning out of the lost boys as murder, or who otherwise hated the original. Some of the stories are interesting if you truly enjoy dark fantasy, some were simply unpleasant, and a handful were genuinely badly written (there's a rather atrocious take on Treasure Island crossover in the mix that reads like Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction I would have written at age 14).
April 24, 2024
There was a girl, once, and she was loved.
There was a girl, once, and she dreamed she was loved.
There was a girl, and she built a world where love should be, upon the absence of love; it was a small world, barely enough to fit inside, but somehow she did, and whenever the night seemed too long, whenever her lonely bones shivered inside of her, and the song of her hunger kept her from sleep, she would wrap that world around herself, and the hurting seemed so small, the hurting seemed so far away.
There was a girl, once, and she dreamed she was loved.
There was a girl, and she built a world where love should be, upon the absence of love; it was a small world, barely enough to fit inside, but somehow she did, and whenever the night seemed too long, whenever her lonely bones shivered inside of her, and the song of her hunger kept her from sleep, she would wrap that world around herself, and the hurting seemed so small, the hurting seemed so far away.
July 27, 2024
The Other Side of Never is a collection of "dark" Peter Pan re-tellings.
This book was one of my most anticipated reads, and I was sorely disappointed. Out of the 15 short stories, I only really enjoyed three of them. I understand that Peter Pan is about the boy who never grew up, but the amount of SA and gruesome death of youth in so many of the stories grew wearisome. It was a 3 star read until the end, and I just couldn't do it. 2 stars for the three stories that I enjoyed and would have liked to have seen turned into something more.
This book was one of my most anticipated reads, and I was sorely disappointed. Out of the 15 short stories, I only really enjoyed three of them. I understand that Peter Pan is about the boy who never grew up, but the amount of SA and gruesome death of youth in so many of the stories grew wearisome. It was a 3 star read until the end, and I just couldn't do it. 2 stars for the three stories that I enjoyed and would have liked to have seen turned into something more.
May 14, 2023
Not your mother's Peter Pan!!! If you could imagine an unusual story of Peter and the Lost Boys.......well, it might be in here. I love anthologies, they are the best way to discover new authors and even new genres. Most have a theme, this one is Peter Pan, anything Peter Pan could be found here. It's fascinating to read the varied author's vision of this children's story. If you're looking for something different, you've found it!
April 30, 2023
3.5 stars
If this is what they call "Fairytales for grown ups" , then I definitely need to be reading more fairytale.
They're dark, and some of them as sinister as hell.
I shuddered on more than one equation.
Was never keen on Peter and Tink, now I might well add the whole cast of characters to that.
A delightfully creepy book.
If this is what they call "Fairytales for grown ups" , then I definitely need to be reading more fairytale.
They're dark, and some of them as sinister as hell.
I shuddered on more than one equation.
Was never keen on Peter and Tink, now I might well add the whole cast of characters to that.
A delightfully creepy book.
January 21, 2024
Some of the tales are modern, some based in older times, and even a couple that are a bit abstract. All of them are unique and interesting takes on the stories of Peter, Wendy, the Lost Boys, and all of the other colorful characters from the beloved children's stories. Give it a read. You're guaranteed to be hooked!
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