• Artful

  • A Novel
  • By: Peter David
  • Narrated by: James Langton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (814 ratings)

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Artful  By  cover art

Artful

By: Peter David
Narrated by: James Langton
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2014 Second Age, Inc. (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Artful

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    377
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    115
  • 2 Stars
    33
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best of a weird genre

I didn't like Pride and Prejudices and Zombies -- strictly a one-trick pony. After the first hour or so, you'd already heard all the jokes so after that it was just silly and boring. I'm also one of the three people on the planet who hated Wicked. Since then I've tended to avoid books that re-envision characters from stories I liked just fine in the original.

Now this, on the other hand, shows how it CAN be done. The Artful, as our hero is usually called, is a delightful young "gentleman" and the other characters, many of whom will be familiar to the reader, are wonderfully woven into an adventure/fantasy that takes us on a joy ride through London circa 1835. It wold be hard to say more without spoilers -- let's just say the suspense is maintained right up to the end. Okay, one almost-spoiler: I loved what the author did with that syrupy-sweet Oliver!

As for the plot, well I don't suppose you could ever call a novel in the "fictional-character-revisited-in-an-alternate-universe" genre believable, so let's just say that in this case the plot "holds together".

The narration is spot-on. The only other James Langton book I remember listening to was non-fiction; I'm going to look for some more of his.

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89 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The Artful Dodger and the Vampyres

I'm not really a fan of classic literature but I do enjoy "alternate history" and this is sort of an alternate history of a classic fictional story. As such, the language and writing style took a little while to get behind and it was quite a few chapters before I felt "invested" in the story, but overall I feel the author did a good job capturing the classical feel in his writing, although I do agree with some other reviewers that he thinks himself a bit too clever at times. That feeling usually came across the strongest when the author was expressing the thoughts of a certain horse or of himself as the narrator of this tale.

I received this book from Amazon as part of their Kindle First program so I didn't actually read the entire synopsis before I started reading the book. Had I known initially that this was a vampire tale I wouldn't have picked it up. However, to me, the vampires are really just a sub-plot (even though they are presented as the main plot) and are presented as the foil against which the true character of the Artful Dodger and company are revealed.

The story isn't groundbreaking. It isn't really even anything new, but it's well told and ultimately enjoyable. I highly recommend adding the Audible narration to your purchase if you are into that sort of thing. This is the first time I have switched back and forth between reading and listening to a book and the narration by James Langton is truly fantastic and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book.

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66 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I was prepared to like this less than I did

Any additional comments?

I was prepared to like this less than I did. Oliver Twist was one of the Dickens' novels I didn't hate, and being a fan of creative rewrites, this novel peaked my curiosity. (And admittedly, as part of my Amazon Prime free monthly selections, it was cheap - as in free - so no real risk.)

A tale focused on the Artful Dodger - thats a plus. A tale that mocks and mimics Dickens' style - that was a surprise bonus. The novel takes place after Oliver Twist is adopted and Dodger is a teenager of an uncertain age. Many of the original Dickens' characters are there - Mr Fang, Fagin, Mr. Brownlow and some bit characters. What works is the narration - an old-fashioned Omniscient voice that periodically interrupts, comments, and provides side-bars. The chapter headings are a wonderful hyperbole of the original - as if they needed to be longer and provide more explanation. CHAPTER 4: OLIVER, BEING OFFERED ANOTHER PLACE, MAKES HIS FIRST ENTRY INTO PUBLIC LIFE.) is done to an exaggerated level: IN WHICH WE CONTINUE IN THE SPIRIT OF THE PRECEDING CHAPTER BY EXPLAINING HOW SOMEONE WHO SHOULD, BY NO RIGHTS, BE WALKING THE STREETS OF LONDON, NEVERTHELESS IS DOING PRECISELY THAT.

The novel is short enough that the narrator's interruptions aren't too straining, and they are sometimes rather amusing. The characters are well done - both the familiar and the new. The shortfall is in the plot. I like the concept - creative, entertaining, but it was somewhat predictable. It has been ages since I read Dickens and I saw the entry of characters a mile ahead. But, given all that, it was entertaining and a quick, easy read. (Note: I listened to the audiobook version - so there is a possibility that the emulation of the style of Dickens would wear on the eyes and sensibilities of a modern reader more than listening did.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very creative spin off from Oliver Twist.

Very creative spin off from Oliver Twist. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. I am a heavy listener of audio books and this was one of the best I've listened to in quite some time.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful listen

I very much enjoyed the mixture of "classic" and urban fantasy fiction, loads of fun.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Couldn't get into it, trying too hard?

I tried to like this and stick with it. I thought it would be the type of story that'd be write up my alley. But 4 chapters in I realize I had to go back because I had kept zoning out and losing interest, but I didn't want to and found that I'd rather just find another book.

The narrator is trying and his voice is full of energy, but the writing felt dry and too verbose. I may try it again in a different mood, but for now this story really can't hold me, and felt like it was trying too hard with "the dark side of dickens"

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An enjoyable listen

ok If you like the mix of classic lit with new angles, you will enjoy this listen. PAD is at his witty best, and the reader hit the right tone
characters are easily differentiated and the pace is brisk and enjoyable.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

very disappointing

There's taking liberties with a story and then there is so changing it as to destroy any remote semblance to the story, leaving only minor, irrelevant details that justify claiming it's based on another story. I expected far better from Peter David. Writing this, it occurs to me I should have returned it. Maybe I still can.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Is this a children's book?

This read like a juvenile title. While I've read and enjoyed many children's books, I'd prefer to know what I'm buying at the time of purchase.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and worthy

This likable addendum to the Dickens classic Oliver Twist takes up with the dodgy "Artful" a very few years down the road. Many of your favorite Victorian characters, fictional and historic, will make an appearance to aid or hamper the intentions of our young anti-hero. The book was broadly comic at the start, which I enjoyed, but settled into a more prosaic adventure story as it progressed. The narrator is superb!! And I'll be looking for more additions to the genre by this author.

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2 people found this helpful