Six
generations after the infamous Wendy, Ashley – Wendy’s great, great, great
grandchild – finds herself whisked away to Neverland where she comes face to
face with the thing that has haunted her family for generations: the boy who
won’t grow up, Peter Pan himself. But Neverland has changed and Peter seems…
older. Could it have something to do with his job working in Her Majesty’s
Secret Service? Whatever happens, Ashley is in for an interesting experience as
she learns to fly, explores the dying Neverland, and comes face to face with
someone from Peter’s past who’s more than eager for revenge.
Now,
considering this is a short story – less than thirty pages within the four
hundred page book – there’s not a tonne to go into depth about. I can talk
about the characters, but we all already know about Peter Pan: boyish charm, a
naivety about almost everything, and an infinity for ‘thimbles’. The Lost Boys
have all left Neverland, as have Tinkerbell and the pirates. The original
character, Ashley, Wendy’s great, great, great granddaughter, is brash, jaded,
and hateful of Peter’s friendly (for the most part) advances. She’s been told
stories of Peter Pan’s insanity since she was a little girl because like it or
not, Peter Pan always comes to collect what he believes is his: Wendy’s
bloodline. She mentions more than enough times that her parents made her sleep
with pepper spray under her pillow and how, if she ever has a daughter, she’ll
make her sleep with a stun-gun under her pillow. Don’t get me wrong, the author
completely ‘gets’ her characters. She makes them funny and clever and Peter’s
even creepy when he wants to be, but for some, their over-the-top nature may
leave you wishing they were kinder, gentler characters. Or, at the very least,
had some kinder, gentler moments.
As
far as locations go, Neverland is painted as a gruesome picture of a land
tainted by unchanging time. The trees, grass, and flowers have all withered
away, the Indians all died out (leaving Peter without Tiger Lily, his other
favourite bloodline to tease and torment), and the water has become stagnant
and unusable (a shame for the poor mermaids who became deformed monsters
because of it). Of her time in Neverland, Ashley does nothing but bitch and
threaten Peter to take her home or else some threat or another. She doesn’t
even pretend to enjoy the adventures Peter takes her on until the last few
pages of the book when they are sent, by the Queen of England herself, to
destroy that certain someone from Peter’s past.
Now,
why is Peter Pan a secret agent working for the Queen, you may ask? Well, the
answer is… unanswered. It’s never really explained why Peter works for MI-6.
Perhaps he took a job because he was bored with his life in the dying
Neverland. Perhaps he took a job because he’s the perfect spy: young, athletic,
and completely magical! Whatever the reason, the government of England has
counted on him for a long time and it adds a pinch of originality and flare to
this otherwise humdrum story of almost-romance.
My
final thoughts on the short story, The
Spy Who Never Grew Up, are that it’s an interesting concept to have Peter
Pan working as a secret agent. More interesting than that is having Peter
obsessing over Wendy’s bloodline; pining away long enough that he kidnaps
granddaughter after granddaughter to try and fill his need for a mother.
Ashley, as a character, might put you off as she is a teenage girl in an
almost-romance story and, that in itself, is a whole new type of annoying
character, but Neverland in its steady rate of decline is more than enough
reason to see this story through to the end. If you’re looking for an interesting
take on a classic story, The Spy Who
Never Grew Up is a perfect choice. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it will give
you more than enough happy thoughts to learn to fly (although pixie dust is not
included).
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