Artful: A Novel

Oliver Twist is one of the most well-known stories ever told, about a young orphan who has to survive the mean streets of London before ultimately being rescued by a kindly benefactor.But it is his friend, the Artful Dodger, who has the far more intriguing tale, filled with more adventure and excitement than anything boring Oliver could possibly get up to. Throw in some vampires and a plot to overthrow the British monarchy, and what you have is the thrilling account that Charles Dickens was too scared to share with the world. From the brilliant mind of novelist and comic book veteran Peter David, Artful is the dark, funny, and action-packed story of one of the most fascinating characters in literary history.With vampires.

Popcorn Reads

“The Dickens characters remain mostly true to their roots in Oliver Twist; however, they gain added dimension and depth in this fun romp…Artful is witty and action packed once it gets moving, with enough twists and turns to tie you into a fun knot as you wind your way through London’s underbelly to save the day along with the Artful Dodger.”

A Bibliophile’s Reverie

“If you are a fan of Dickens, or grew up singing the score from Oliver!, or just have a fondness for vampyres and valiant street-smart heroes saving imperiled princesses in Victorian London, then this is the book for you. I recommend it for a rainy evening, just as dusk is beginning to fall, when that tree by your window is scratching at the glass like a vampire waiting to be invited inside.”

Pixelated Geek

“You don’t need to have read the source material to enjoy the Dickensian language; Peter David obviously had a lot of fun creating the flowery prose and the rambling chapter headers. And the character of the Artful Dodger himself was extremely appealing: very tough, very hard to embarrass, determined to pitch in and help even when it was a really stupid idea, and very much the perfect gentleman. As long as, y’know, he didn’t have to be anyone respectable.”

The Printed Word

“This was an excellent story, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Oliver Twist, or vampyres.”

From the Publisher

When I first read Artful by Peter David, my initial reaction was “Please, sir, I want some more.” After cringing at such a cliché, please understand that I honestly did—and do—want more. Because Peter’s skill in taking the classic story of Oliver Twist, focusing on the more interesting character (the Artful Dodger, not that insufferable Oliver boy), and adding mistaken identities is fantastically inventive. Throw in vampyres (yes, that is the correct spelling), and the result is a mash-up that both builds on the original novel and takes it to a whole new level. The way Peter has interpreted Mr. Dickens’s classic book and incorporated “clues” of the existence of vampyres is nothing short of genius, and the dark humor that pervades the narrative sets the perfect tone. It occurs to me that I ought to apologize for using a word like pervade—perhaps it’s a bit too stuffy for the Dodger, and I’m sure he’s sneering at my putting on airs. In all seriousness, though: I believe that reading should be a fun experience, and it’s hard to imagine anyone picking up Artful and not enjoying it from the very first page. Happy reading! - David Pomerico, Editor

About the Author

Award-winning author Peter David has had over a hundred novels published, many of which have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. A prolific, self-proclaimed “writer of stuff,” David has worked in every conceivable media—film, books (fiction, nonfiction, and audio), short stories, comic books, and video games. Currently much of his time is occupied with the self-publishing endeavor of www.crazy8press.com, where you can find such titles of his as Fearless (a sequel to his novel Tigerheart) and Pulling Up Stakes. He also writes for Marvel Comics, including X-Factor and the Dark Tower series based on the Stephen King books. David—who is semifluent in French, an avid bowler, and a big-time Mets fan—lives in Long Island with his wife, Kathleen, and children.

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