Are you one of those who, while watching the live-action Peter-Pan et Wendy, enjoyed the connection between Peter Pan and Captain Hook, but regretted that it wasn’t more in-depth than that? If so, Lost from the literary series Disney Dark Ascensionis a book made for you! Come discover our review of this book which traces the origins of Captain Hook, and his hatred towards Peter Pan.
Discover the origins of Captain Hook with Perdus
If you are passionate about books Disneyyou probably know the series Twisted Taleswhich presents a rewriting of the tales Disney by changing some elements of the story, and imagining the consequences of these changes. With Dark Ascension, Disney offers us a new type of literary saga: here, it is not a question of rewriting history, but rather of telling parts of the story that are not told in your favorite animated films. If the first volume of the series, Naughtyfocused instead on Cinderella’s sisters-in-law, here, with Lostwe explore the youth of Captain Hook, at the time simply named James… And of Marlène, his twin sister.
The book begins like all fairy tale books: the twins James and Marlene, children of a fisherman and a nanny who struggle to make ends meet, do not feel at home in their uneventful fishing village. . James, terrified of the sea, does not see himself taking over the family business as he was destined to, and Marlene cannot be a “well-bred young girl” as her mother would like. They comfort each other in their twinhood, despite their differences: Marlène is intrepid and daring, while James is discreet, fearful and thoughtful. Despite this, they are close, to the point where, when Marlene makes a wish on their birthday, it is together that they are propelled towards a strange magical paradise: Neverland. Here, they finally have the chance to live forever in a place where they can do whatever they want, alongside the Lost Boys and the charismatic Peter. But they will quickly realize that the Neverland and its leader have a dark side that is best not allowed to surface…
One of the strong points of the book is its very immersive side. The descriptions offered by the author allow us to clearly visualize the Imaginary Land and its different biomes, without launching into lengthy descriptions à la Balzac: the duality between the real world and the Imaginary Land, and even that present within even the latter are perfectly felt, and it is easy to understand why the Lost Boys no longer want to leave… The main action of the book, for its part, is full of twists and turns, and the second half of the book knows how to keep us in breath.
However, the setting, although useful for diving into the world of Neverland, is a little long. In fact, it’s only halfway through the book that the action really begins, and we get caught up in the reading. Before this trigger which arrives a little late, and upsets the balance of Neverland, the two main characters are mainly discovering the country of Peter Pan, which, without being boring, does not really add suspense to the story. history. The twins James and Marlene act as one would expect given the description of their character, and it is ultimately only from this famous trigger that their respective behavior begins to change, and that we finally waiting to know what turn of events will be.
A book that has the advantages and disadvantages of the prequel
As said earlier, this book tells the origins of Captain Hook, who is still a child with both hands in this book. It therefore has the status of a prequel compared to the cartoon Peter Pan, which takes place several years after the events of the book. Prequel status can have advantages and disadvantages, such as knowing where the story ends. This is precisely one of the weak points of the book. We know that James will become Captain Hook, Peter Pan’s number one enemy, and we can easily guess the fate of certain characters. Furthermore, by this prequel status, we necessarily have some expectations concerning the explanation of the rivalry between Captain Hook and Peter Pan, expectations which, to our taste, are not always satisfied (we can cite for example, the moment where the book ends and Peter’s real motivations).
However, writing a prequel also has its advantages, and the author knows it. More or less subtle nods to the animated film are made, and the writer plays with the relationship between Peter and James by making their relationship evolve in all directions, even the most unexpected. Certain elements seeming completely new are in fact linked to the animated film, and elements of context missing from the initial story are explained: the link between Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, the surprising presence of adults in Neverland … So much so that the reader becomes greedy, and the few remaining holes in the racket are felt.
To conclude, Lost is a good book to give a version of Hook’s origins, but would almost make us want to improve it on certain points. Despite a conclusion to the story that we know and expect from the beginning, namely, the birth of Hook’s hatred towards Peter, and whose cause we can even easily imagine, the author reaches us lead to the end of the book by jumping on the twists and turns, making us hope for a given moment, another destiny for the characters of the book.
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