It's an easy read.
I would recommend to Scooby-Doo fans and getting this from a library. ( )

Unfortunately -- and I can't believe I'm saying this -- the book gets LESS interesting as the vampyre hijinks ensue. ( )

This is a nice little fan-sequel to Oliver Twist… with vampires.

There actually isn’t much Oliver Twist stuff in there, so you don’t necessarily need to know that story to get this one. On the other hand, if you don’t know anything about Oliver Twist, why would you read this? Without it, it’s a silly story about old-timey London where a street-smart urchin meets a princess-in-disguise and a junior detective who work together to stop a London vampire takeover.

I’m a fan of Peter David so I ate it up, even if I did have to refer to Wikipedia on occasion. If you like Tigerheart, you’ll like this, since both are mash-ups of classics. And it’s more cozy than than the subject matter would indicate. Although David used Dickens characters and writing style (which he does amazingly without being anachronistic or dull), he avoids the bleak and stark mood that feels like a smokestack shoved into an jilted old lady’s heart. Reminded me of the first few (good) chapters of Great Expectations.

It’s a solid three stars. Satisfying, but only worth picking up for the component items (i.e. if you like mash-ups or Dickens or vampires or Peter David or Oliver Twist). ( )

This was an enjoyable read. Although it might not be for those who loved the original text by Dickens, Peter David provides an easy, enjoyable read that provides a fun take on the Artful Dodger. If you like modern re-imaginations of classic characters, this book will be right up your alley.

For those who are familiar with Peter David through comic books, Artful would not disappoint, as it possesses his signature witty narrative that have made him famous in that medium. ( )

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My last encounter with the Artful Dodger was a complete disaster, see my review on The Artful. It felt only fair however to give him another chance, as it was my own fault I never read/watched Oliver Twist (and need to admit that I still haven't).

I'd almost written that Artful follows a more traditional setting, Victorian London, but then again, I thought of the vampires roaming this book, and couldn't make such a statement. It feels almost like it is part of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies series. However, the addition of the vampires didn't destroy the story for me. In fact I found it quite entertaining.

I'm really annoyed that I lost my notes on this novel, as there seem to be some things I wanted to mention and I feel they are just out of reach (but have been so for the last three days, so I'm not confident I will remember them any time soon).

The story is absurd in all its dimensions. Not just the vampires. If you're looking for a realistic story set in Victorian England (with or without the vampires), this isn't the book you're looking for. However, if your looking for something entertaining that doesn't require a lot of thinking (I think it's even better not to analyse the story, probably), this is a very enjoyable read.

At this point I still don't really see what would make the Artful Dodger such an interesting character that people are still writing fanfiction about it after all this time. Artful didn't give me such a memorable main character. But I'll read Oliver Twist soon (when I find the time to do so), so I can better understand the hype around him.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )