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A review by nwhyte
Peter & Max by Bill Willingham
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.