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A review by caitlinxmartin
Peter & Max by Bill Willingham
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.