HOOK'S TALE

This is a a rollicking debut novel about the long misunderstood Captain James Hook, chronicling his painful childhood, his quest for buried treasure, his teenage friendship with Peter Pan and the brilliantly imagined story behind the swashbuckling world of Neverland.

Long defamed as a vicious pirate, Captain James Cook (a.k.a Hook) left behind a vibrant, elegantly written memoir. That chronicle, which until now has never been published, offers a counter narrative to the works of J.M. Barrie, a dour Scotman whose viscious lies have completely tarnished an innocent old salt's legacy. Award-winning playwright John Pielmeier is proud to present this crucial historic artifact in its entirety for the first time.

Cook's story begins in London, where, supported by mysterious benefactors, he lives with his widowed mother. At thirteen, seeking to learn more about his father who was lost at sea, he runs away from home and school, but is kidnapped and pressed into naval service as an unlikely cabin boy. Soon he discovers a treasure map left by his father, a map which leads him and his fellow shipmates to a mysterious archipelago called the “Never-Isles” from which there appears to be no escape.
In the course of his adventures he meets the pirates Smee and Starkey, falls in love with the enchanting Tiger Lily, adopts an oddly-affectionate crocodile whom he names Daisy, and befriends a charming boy named Peter who teaches him to fly. He and Peter become close as brothers, but Hook soon discovers Peter's sinister side while uncovering the secrets of the island on which they are both marooned. He battles monsters, fights in mutinies, swims with mermaids, and eventually learns both the sad and terrible tale of his mother’s life and the true story of his father’s disappearance.

Like Gregory Maguire's Wicked, Hook's Tale offers a radical new version of a classic story, bringing readers into a much richer, darker and enchanting Neverland than ever before. The characters that our hero meets – including the terrible Doctor Uriah Slinque and a little girl named Wendy – lead him to the most difficult decision of his life: whether to give into the temptation of eternal youth, or to embrace the responsibilities of maturity and the inevitability of his own mortality. His choice, like his story, is not what you might expect.

John Pielmeier is an three-time Emmy and Golden Globe nominated playwright and screenwriter. His successful plays, television movies, and miniseries include Agnes of God, Gifted Hands, Choices of the Heart, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter and successful screen adaption of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. He has received the Humanitas Award (plus two nominations), five Writers’ Guild Award nominations, a Gemini nomination, an Edgar Award, the Camie Award, and a Christopher Award. He is married to writer Irene O’Garden and makes his home in upstate New York.