You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
This could have absolutely been left out of the series. I didn't enjoy reading it and didn't understand the relevance.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, this was disappointing, and to think I chose to buy this (and volume 14) instead of a Joker graphic novel... I can only hope volume 14 is pretty darn impressive!
It has been quite a while since I read the earlier volumes, but have been planning for a while on buying more in the series. TBH, I get the feeling I could have skipped this and it would make no difference at all. Well, Rose Red has changed location, and there is a religious movement with Boy Blue as some Jesus/King Arthur person at the centre of it - I guess that might have implications later on. But honestly, 95% of this book seemed centred on Jack. I think there were maybe 3 pages on the creature that destroyed Fabletown and the rest... well, I didn't have a clue on.
I imagine if you had read the Jack series then you might understand more of this and get more out of it, but for those who dislike Jack this is just not a good read.
It has been quite a while since I read the earlier volumes, but have been planning for a while on buying more in the series. TBH, I get the feeling I could have skipped this and it would make no difference at all. Well, Rose Red has changed location, and there is a religious movement with Boy Blue as some Jesus/King Arthur person at the centre of it - I guess that might have implications later on. But honestly, 95% of this book seemed centred on Jack. I think there were maybe 3 pages on the creature that destroyed Fabletown and the rest... well, I didn't have a clue on.
I imagine if you had read the Jack series then you might understand more of this and get more out of it, but for those who dislike Jack this is just not a good read.
I continue to like the way that Willingham plays on words and ideas and makes them literal people. I don't think this "crossover event" is quite as compelling as the individual series are on their own. I did love the Genres though.
Deep into this series we get an impressive shot of creativity with the introduction of the Literals (human representations of literary devices) and a threat to rewrite the entire universe out of existence. Yeah, yeah, but was there also a trio of kick ass librarian sisters? Yes there was.
4 stars.
I read the first six volumes of Jack of Fables before diving into this, and I recommend doing the same even if Jack isn't your favorite. They lend a lot of needed context to this story.
I read the first six volumes of Jack of Fables before diving into this, and I recommend doing the same even if Jack isn't your favorite. They lend a lot of needed context to this story.
This was a really fun read! Note to self to look into the series it's crossing over with.
Bill Willingham, Fables, vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover (Vertigo, 2010)
A minor warning: this book is going to be a tad confusing, probably, if you've only been following one of the books that converges here (Fables, Jack of Fables, and The Literals). Storylines don't mesh seamlessly with the other books in the series, at least not with Fables, so you're going to do a bit of headscratching before everything falls into place. But once it does, this is a tale for the grammar geeks and diction dictators among us, and it is boundless glee for that particular market. Mainstream readers may find it a bit harder going, what with all the literary in-jokes (and, let's face it, the almost nonexistent plot, especially when compared with the rest of the series). In other words, take my rating with a grain of salt if you don't read novels with a red pen in your dominant hand and/or have never written an outraged email to a publisher asking what the hell ever happened to editors who actually knew English. But if you've come this far in the series and that doesn't describe you, you're probably still going to read this so you don't miss out on anything down the line anyway, so why do you even need a review? You already knew when you clicked on the title whether you were going to buy this or not (and if you're considering buying this one without having read the first twelve, hie thee back to the first volume and start there, for the love of god). ****
A minor warning: this book is going to be a tad confusing, probably, if you've only been following one of the books that converges here (Fables, Jack of Fables, and The Literals). Storylines don't mesh seamlessly with the other books in the series, at least not with Fables, so you're going to do a bit of headscratching before everything falls into place. But once it does, this is a tale for the grammar geeks and diction dictators among us, and it is boundless glee for that particular market. Mainstream readers may find it a bit harder going, what with all the literary in-jokes (and, let's face it, the almost nonexistent plot, especially when compared with the rest of the series). In other words, take my rating with a grain of salt if you don't read novels with a red pen in your dominant hand and/or have never written an outraged email to a publisher asking what the hell ever happened to editors who actually knew English. But if you've come this far in the series and that doesn't describe you, you're probably still going to read this so you don't miss out on anything down the line anyway, so why do you even need a review? You already knew when you clicked on the title whether you were going to buy this or not (and if you're considering buying this one without having read the first twelve, hie thee back to the first volume and start there, for the love of god). ****