The Other Side of Never - Dark Tales From The World of Peter And Wendy edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

I would like to thank Titan for an advance copy of this anthology in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Titan

Published – Out Now

Price – £9.99 paperback £6.99 Kindle eBook

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 from:

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

Peter Pan is a very strange character. As a child he is all unknowable and adventure loving. He does seem sulky but hey grown ups are annoying. As a grown up though I find him and his desire to never grow up and his callousness a little alarming. Its not surprising many retellings have explored this enigmatic character and in the new fascinating anthology The Other Side of Never – Dark tales From the World of Peter & Wendy the editors Marie O’ Regan and Paul Kane assemble a host of great authors with their own interpretations to make us ponder if Pan is good, evil, or just plain humanity reflected back at us?

Amongst the many tales I enjoyed were: -

A Visit to Kensington Gardens by Lavie Tidhar – this story plays with the history of the period; the other stories that Pan and J M Barrie were in conversation with as well as some of the social history. It’s a tale of growing up and also growing old and learning to say goodbye. Perhaps not supernatural but more a ponder all childhoods end as do lives. Its haunting and bittersweet.

Manic Pixie Girl by A C Wise – this is an earthy, bloody tale of a character from Neverland stuck in our world and has to learn to survive and feed. Fantasy and crime noir collide; and it works because of our narrator’s voice and introspection how they have got to where they now are in their lives. Very entertaining and surprising.

Fear of the Pan Child by Robert Shearman – this is a great disturbing tale of childhood and adulthood. Widower talks about his moving back home and his memories of a person he cannot name. This tale tells us a lot about the main character in his selfishness and explains why he is the way he is. It combines grief, loss and love but also holds this sense of menace slowly encircling the main character. We all can become a lost child even when we get old. One of my favourites and its wonderfully creepy too!

And On ‘Til Morning by Laura Mauro – here the more mythic parts of the tale get explored. A lost soul in a haunting forest talk to another presence. This tale is using Peter Pan’s attitude to death and finds perhaps another explanation as to what Neverland actually is. Its mysterious and yet hopeful and a great piece of writing.

The Other Side of Never by Edward Cox – a brilliant gritty version of Neverland that imagines humanity conquered Neverland to survive a unknown disaster and now some revolutionaries are making a last gasp attempt to set things right. Cox merges the language of the post-apocalyptic action drama with escaped prisoners and mirror masked soldiers and casts haunting images of dead fairies, ancient legends and more. Its quite ingenious and feels very fresh. Another favourite.

The Lost Boys Monologues by Kirsty Logan – this tale imagines the Lost Boys as a short lived but super famous boyband. Each member tells us their secrets in a confessional; power, fame, love and shame all combine to create a memorably dark tales about the loss of innocence having to play the same roles every day cast on them all. A really interesting play on the subject.

A School For Peters – Another favourite and this dark tale imagines a world of Peters. Arrogant, never grow up and believe they have a natural ability o lead and lie without consequence. I loved how this fits a certain type of UK class and some would say particular group of PMs. It is a vicious satire about the ruling classes that Pan can be seen to represent and where that has got us. It also explores control as one of the Wendys is subject to a Peter’s attempts to control her forever. Inventive, thoughtful and has a lot of bite.

Chasing Shadows by Cavan Scott – this imagines a bit of Neverland magic lore transposed to a 1980s estate. Its very Stranger Things in use of popular culture references and yet works because the kids feel real and the growing threat after one of their number loses their shadow makes it all feel new and also threatening. Really good storytelling.

Saturday Morning by Anna Smith Spark – this is a dark tale of growing up as a man face being a parent, lover and a man in a time when it was a society controlled where sex and love were viewed as sinful and going to war is seen as a fun adventure. It is exploring the strange masculinity that Peter Pan pushes as to what a man should be and finding the hollowness underneath. Very disquieting.

Never Was Born His Equal by Premee Mohamed – Refreshingly in this collection takes a more positive spin to Peter and Wendy, as a strange monster attacks Neverland. It explores a different explanation for who Peter is and also explores the power of being open to your past. It’s a really powerful tale and plays with reality and dreamscapes in a very smart way as the secrets f Peter get exposed.

The Shadow Stitcher by AK Benedict – this reads almost like a contemporary thriller as young parents ponder their missing seven-year-old after nearly two years and then a strange woman whispers she can find them. Here Wendy becomes something sinister, and Benedict fills the tale with a growing sense of foreboding that a high price is to come and a delicious final line.

And that’s just a sample prepare for family secrets, crime scenes and many other tales to ponder what never growing up and Never Land really mean. I loved the collection’s ability to play with the concept and the tales all manage to run the emotions from happy to grief to fear with ease. A collection I highly recommend!