While the theme sounds serious, author Peter David has done a wonderful job of making Tigerheart slyly humorous. While Paul and his family speak and act like people from our time period, other characters talk and think like they came out of Victorian literature. Gwenie (a girl who The Boy has been bringing to Anyplace as a den mother for his followers for quite a while), acts, thinks, and talks like she just stepped out of the pages of the original Peter Pan. The depiction of the Pica Tribe, the local "Red Indians" in Anyplace, is so Victorian and politically incorrect that it's funny and an obvious dig at the whole "Boys Own" Adventure/White Man's Burden attitude that characterized children's literature of that period.
Tigerheart is that rarest of creatures, the gentle satire, where instead of twisting a dagger into your side to make a point, the author pokes you in the ribs with his finger. From start to finish this book is a delight to read and is sure to raise more than a few smiles, and offer readers any number of surprises. Most of all, though, it reminds us that just because we're adults, it doesn't mean we have to be boring, and that change is a nothing to be afraid of.
Tigerheart by Peter David will be released on June 17th, 2008 and can be purchased directly from Random House Canada or from an online retailer like Amazon.
Article comments