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caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
2.0
I've been reading the Fables comics (that's a review for another day) so I picked this up as another way of hooking into Willingham's universe.
Set firmly within the constraints of the Fables world, this novel is all about the enmity between Peter Piper and his brother, Max, the Pied Piper of Hamelin. There is evil doing and magic and adventure and other Fables make appearances - Bo Peep (Peter's true love), Bigby Wolf, Frau Totenkinder.
The story here moves along apace, but I wonder if this form is too much for Willingham. Much of the book reads like the kind of filler you write when you want to pad your paper - nothing very substantive or chewy, just extra. I also had problems with the tone of the book. It seems to want very much to read as a children's book with more sex and violence so adults will enjoy it, but somehow it just didn't work for me. Willingham should really stick to short form storytelling which seems to be his strength.
Not the best ever, but not the worst, either - just kind of OK.
Set firmly within the constraints of the Fables world, this novel is all about the enmity between Peter Piper and his brother, Max, the Pied Piper of Hamelin. There is evil doing and magic and adventure and other Fables make appearances - Bo Peep (Peter's true love), Bigby Wolf, Frau Totenkinder.
The story here moves along apace, but I wonder if this form is too much for Willingham. Much of the book reads like the kind of filler you write when you want to pad your paper - nothing very substantive or chewy, just extra. I also had problems with the tone of the book. It seems to want very much to read as a children's book with more sex and violence so adults will enjoy it, but somehow it just didn't work for me. Willingham should really stick to short form storytelling which seems to be his strength.
Not the best ever, but not the worst, either - just kind of OK.
antsneversleep's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this SO much, probably because Wil Wheaton is one of my very favorite narrators.
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
My admiration for Fables has been chronicled several times in this blog, as recently as last month, so I won’t go in to what the stories are, though I will talk about how this one ties in to the canon of the comic book series. This time, we follow Peter, the famous piper who picked a pickled pepper, and was really into pumpkins, as he struggles with the evil deeds of his brother, Max, the Pied Piper, while trying to win the affections of Bo, the woman who used to tend sheep when she was little. Got it? Good. Because the summary is more convoluted than the story itself.
The other question that you might be asking is how a narrative novel set in this world compares to the graphic sort that everyone already knows. And the answer is: Eh. I had some issues with the narrative itself. It seemed to be way too tell-y and not enough show-y, which makes a certain sort of sense, since the author is a guy who’s more accustomed to telling an artist what the scene will look like, instead of taking the time to build up the setting through his own words. Of course, the novel really shines when the author starts creating the characters’ dialogue, which, again, makes perfect sense, considering the medium for which he usually writes. The story is compelling and readable, but you might find yourself thinking that the narrative is a bit stilted. I know I did, at least.
I had further issues with the story, namely with the pacing. The story is one of sibling rivalry, and the crux of that rivalry — and, thus, the capstone of the entire plot — seemed fairly insignificant to me. Maybe that was intentional. Max wasn’t painted as a likable character, so he may have used that point as an excuse to create the rivalry that he needed in order to pursue Peter. It just seemed like Max was either hideously evil for the sake of being hideously evil, or he became hideously evil over something that seemed inconsequential. Either way, in relation to the story, it just didn’t work for me. I was able to accept it as it was and read on, but that point stood out to me as a potential problem.
I also had issues with the way Max’s character developed. The author went through all the motions of giving Max a motivation, a method, and a means to go from a whiny kid to a powerful, vengeful, evil character, but it happened too quickly, and the crux of that transition wasn’t enough to convince me that it was enough. It was sort of like sitting through the prequel trilogies for Star Wars, where we know that Vader is going to turn into the evil ruler of the galaxy, we just don’t know exactly how it’s going to happen. In the end, what the author dreams up to be the deciding factor in that transition falls far too short to justify a transition that large. It was hard to make the jump to accept that part of the story, since I had already been forced to make a jump to believe that the crux was significant enough to cause it.
Lastly, I had issues with the pacing of the ending. The novel builds up this tension of bringing Max and Peter together, by telling the story from Medieval times interspersed with telling the story from modern times. The author manages to do this well, enough so that you’ll find yourself getting anxious over the confrontation. Then, just as it looks like the battle is about to get started, it just ends. I read through 350+ pages of the book, and it was resolved neatly in two. There was no battle where it looked like Max might best Peter in the modern day, and there was no real sense of drama there. In most novels I’ve read, the protagonist and antagonist meet three times, once where the antagonist wins, once where the protagonist appears to win, and then once where the protagonist wins for real. This novel lacked that all together, and it was terribly disappointing.
I get the feeling that anyone who’s a fan of Fables will read this novel, and I doubt I could convince anyone not to. Truth be told, it’s not a bad novel, it’s just poorly told. In a more capable author’s hands, I think this story could have been much more interesting and have a depth that this novel lacks. I just think that the author should stick to telling the graphic novel stories, and find an accomplished narrative author to tell those stories.
The other question that you might be asking is how a narrative novel set in this world compares to the graphic sort that everyone already knows. And the answer is: Eh. I had some issues with the narrative itself. It seemed to be way too tell-y and not enough show-y, which makes a certain sort of sense, since the author is a guy who’s more accustomed to telling an artist what the scene will look like, instead of taking the time to build up the setting through his own words. Of course, the novel really shines when the author starts creating the characters’ dialogue, which, again, makes perfect sense, considering the medium for which he usually writes. The story is compelling and readable, but you might find yourself thinking that the narrative is a bit stilted. I know I did, at least.
I had further issues with the story, namely with the pacing. The story is one of sibling rivalry, and the crux of that rivalry — and, thus, the capstone of the entire plot — seemed fairly insignificant to me. Maybe that was intentional. Max wasn’t painted as a likable character, so he may have used that point as an excuse to create the rivalry that he needed in order to pursue Peter. It just seemed like Max was either hideously evil for the sake of being hideously evil, or he became hideously evil over something that seemed inconsequential. Either way, in relation to the story, it just didn’t work for me. I was able to accept it as it was and read on, but that point stood out to me as a potential problem.
I also had issues with the way Max’s character developed. The author went through all the motions of giving Max a motivation, a method, and a means to go from a whiny kid to a powerful, vengeful, evil character, but it happened too quickly, and the crux of that transition wasn’t enough to convince me that it was enough. It was sort of like sitting through the prequel trilogies for Star Wars, where we know that Vader is going to turn into the evil ruler of the galaxy, we just don’t know exactly how it’s going to happen. In the end, what the author dreams up to be the deciding factor in that transition falls far too short to justify a transition that large. It was hard to make the jump to accept that part of the story, since I had already been forced to make a jump to believe that the crux was significant enough to cause it.
Lastly, I had issues with the pacing of the ending. The novel builds up this tension of bringing Max and Peter together, by telling the story from Medieval times interspersed with telling the story from modern times. The author manages to do this well, enough so that you’ll find yourself getting anxious over the confrontation. Then, just as it looks like the battle is about to get started, it just ends. I read through 350+ pages of the book, and it was resolved neatly in two. There was no battle where it looked like Max might best Peter in the modern day, and there was no real sense of drama there. In most novels I’ve read, the protagonist and antagonist meet three times, once where the antagonist wins, once where the protagonist appears to win, and then once where the protagonist wins for real. This novel lacked that all together, and it was terribly disappointing.
I get the feeling that anyone who’s a fan of Fables will read this novel, and I doubt I could convince anyone not to. Truth be told, it’s not a bad novel, it’s just poorly told. In a more capable author’s hands, I think this story could have been much more interesting and have a depth that this novel lacks. I just think that the author should stick to telling the graphic novel stories, and find an accomplished narrative author to tell those stories.
lmb1011's review against another edition
3.0
The story itself was really good, but knowing this is stemmed from a graphic novel series…. I really think this would’ve been better as a graphic novel. The prose just didn’t hit right.
kegriese1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mrswhiteinthelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Peter & Max is Bill Willingham, author of the much acclaimed Fables comic book series, first attempt at writing a novel. It is closely related to said series, but works very well as a standalone. At first the writing seems a bit shaky, but as the book continues, Willingham falls into a groove of writing what he writes best: well drawn characters and grand adventures. For this story, he interlocks several well known folktales and nursery rhymes against the grim backdrop of a war, as he does in the comic series. But in this tale, Peter Piper is brought to center stage, along with his sociopathic brother, Max, more commonly known as the Pied Piper. The story shifts perspective on a chapter by chapter basis, allowing the story to be told from both sides, and while long spans of time sometimes pass, the characters, relationships, and story never lack development. While I would not say Willingham's forte is prose, he does an overall fine job crafting this novel, and it was an enjoyable adventure that was difficult to put down.
nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2686443.html
I read most of Bill Willingham's Fables series of graphic stories back in 2008-11 when they were getting Hugo nominations, but rather lost interest after the big battle between our heroes and their enemy was resolved in Volume 11 (of at least 19). This however is a spinoff prose novel, explaining the tortuous relationships between Peter Piper, Bo Peep and Peter's evil brother Max, coming to a gruesome climax in medieval Hamelin with echoes through to the present day, where fairy tale characters are living under cover in New York.
It's gorgeously illustrated, clever and well-written, but not especially so, and while it's supposedly standalone with respect to the comics, I think they do crucially reinforce each other. So I can't recommend this to those who haven't tried (or don't want to try) the graphic stories it's rooted in.
I read most of Bill Willingham's Fables series of graphic stories back in 2008-11 when they were getting Hugo nominations, but rather lost interest after the big battle between our heroes and their enemy was resolved in Volume 11 (of at least 19). This however is a spinoff prose novel, explaining the tortuous relationships between Peter Piper, Bo Peep and Peter's evil brother Max, coming to a gruesome climax in medieval Hamelin with echoes through to the present day, where fairy tale characters are living under cover in New York.
It's gorgeously illustrated, clever and well-written, but not especially so, and while it's supposedly standalone with respect to the comics, I think they do crucially reinforce each other. So I can't recommend this to those who haven't tried (or don't want to try) the graphic stories it's rooted in.
lasairfiona's review against another edition
3.0
This ties into the Fables (comic) continuity so I had to read it (I am so addicted to that series). It is a stand alone but I am not sure anyone could really get into it without already enjoying Fables. It is also placed in continuity maybe around volume 6 (it says in the book but I don't have the book with me - I loaned it out).
The writing is smooth and easy, almost too smooth actually. I would have preferred it to be a bit more complicated in the style and substance of everything. It started well, fell off in the beginning and middle, and finally got intense enough toward the end to be really fun.
I don't know for sure but I think Wellington hasn't written any other books. The book really would have been quite excellent as a comic - it is simple enough, a few bit being an exception, that the translation would be great. However, I really like authors branching out and I think that Wellington's next book will be even better.
SO I am totally addicted to Fables and any story that furthers that is good to me. The book was fun and light reading with some very twisted bits involved. I would have liked even more gruesome detail though I suppose that doesn't actually fit in with how the comics work (I am such a horror fan). I would totally read other Fables books tie ins.
The writing is smooth and easy, almost too smooth actually. I would have preferred it to be a bit more complicated in the style and substance of everything. It started well, fell off in the beginning and middle, and finally got intense enough toward the end to be really fun.
I don't know for sure but I think Wellington hasn't written any other books. The book really would have been quite excellent as a comic - it is simple enough, a few bit being an exception, that the translation would be great. However, I really like authors branching out and I think that Wellington's next book will be even better.
SO I am totally addicted to Fables and any story that furthers that is good to me. The book was fun and light reading with some very twisted bits involved. I would have liked even more gruesome detail though I suppose that doesn't actually fit in with how the comics work (I am such a horror fan). I would totally read other Fables books tie ins.