Peter & Max: A Fables Novel Paperback – December 28, 2010

Two things you should know going into this review. The first is that this novel is based on a comic series called Fables, which tells stories about characters from fairy tales living in the real world. The second is that, while you don't need to read Fables in order to enjoy this novel, if you line up ten comic fans, only one of which reads Fables, Fables is still going to be the best continuing series any of them have ever read. Hands down.Alright, now that that's out of the way; Peter and Max tells the story of Peter Piper (of pickled pepper-picking fame) and his brother Max (the Pied Piper of Hamelin). Max is a bad guy, you see, and Peter finally has the chance to rid the world of him. The fairly straightforward story of Peter's travel to Germany to find and defeat Max would be a rather uninteresting short story by itself (though the conflict is resolved ingeniously), but is interspersed throughout a narrative that tells the story of Max and Peter as children, their flight into the Black Forest during the Emperor's occupation of the Homelands, their time in Hamelin and growth to adulthood, their first epic battle, and Max's first encounter with Fabletown in the new world. Basically, by the time the Piper brothers fight to the finish, you've gotten their whole history (I won't spoil it for you, but there's a couple of magic flutes and a crippled lover involved), and you're as ready to see justice done as Peter (and Max, in his own twisted way) is.Mr. Willingham's expert storytelling should come as no surprise to fans of the comic; no one else could tell a Fables story like Bill, and the book is filled with rich detail and excitement that moves the 368-page novel along at a pretty good clip. Illustrations by Steve Leialoha (the inker on the comic series) are scattered throughout and the book includes a short comic at the end, starring Peter Piper and his wife, Bo Peep. I could have done without the comic; the idea covered in the eight-or-so pages could have been developed into a great issue of Fables, but instead was rather half-assed and seemed to be done as an afterthought. The novel, though, was excellent, and I really hope Bill sees fit to produce a few more of these. 9/10.

Like the title says, if you are a Fables fan, you really should be read this book...you'll enjoy it. If you have started reading Fables, but are not yet up to date, I would avoid reading this book until you're at least up to volume 12...otherwise, you'll have some things spoiled for you.For those of you who have not read any of the comics, the book mostly stands on its own (told as both a flash back and a current day tale)... but there are times when beloved characters from the comics pop up, and unless you read the comics, it won't be as enjoyable for you. However, it's still an enjoyable take on the famous Pied Piper story.The story revolves around Peter Piper (of pickled pepper fame) and Max Piper (of pied piper fame). They are brothers, and to say anything more about the story other than "they have a falling out" would spoil too much. Besides the main conflict, a romance between Bo Peep and Peter adds some flavor to the story.I read this on the hardcover, at the end is a bonus comic, I am not sure how this part of the book would translate on the Kindle.

I'm a big fan of the Fablesverse, Bill Willingham's series of stories about fairy tale characters now living in "our" modern world. Peter & Max moves nicely into that universe telling the story of Peter Piper (of picked a peck of peppers and apparently Peter and the Wolf) and his brother Max who's also destined for a role in a popular fairy tale (I'm not sure I'd be spoiling anything by giving it away, but hey you can probably figure it out on your own anyway). Thanks to sibling rivalry and Max's descent into madness, the brothers are destined to cross swords.The book is entertaining and as usual Willingham works in a fresh look at old fairy tales. The book also has a peripheral impact on the larger Fable's verse thanks to a curse of Max's that had never been mentioned in the comics but raises some interesting questions for the future. The reason this book doesn't get five stars though is because it's a bit slight. The final confrontation between the brothers and the stakes never seem high enough or desperate enough. The resolution is very neat and clean. There's also an epilogue added in that plays nicely for fans of the series but otherwise seems a bit tacked on.

For any fan of Fables this a MUST READ book.No, you don't have to read it to enjoy Fables, but if you enjoy Fables... You have to read this book. Bill Willingham is and amazing storyteller and his prose can stand alone without the beautiful artwork (even though some is intermingled here and there). This is the story of Peter Piper and his life before and after his escape from the homelands. It was a fantastic story that I've read twice so far and I'm sure I'll return again to it.I bought this copy as a present for my sister who loves the show Once Upon A Time and I've now gotten her reading Fables.

I was a little apprehensive at how Bill Willingham would handle the transition from comics to full prose but he turns in a fun read that draws favorable comparisons to Neil Gaiman. The story is fully accessible to non-comic readers but long term fans will get a little extra out of it. The illustrations that are scatterred throughout the book by Steve Leialoha really help in creating the illusion that it is a traditional fairy tale too.The tale is fairly straight forward alternating between Peter tracking down Max in our world and retelling the history of their rivalry. There are points in the book that are particularly dark, although the storytelling is whimsical enough to stop it from being overbearing and there is a real sense of tension building up to Peter and Max's final confrontation. Max's characterisation is excellent throughout and it's clear that he thinks he is in the right. My only real complaint is that I felt the whole thing could have been fleshed out further and while the author was very good at establishing the threat of Max and the love between Bo and Peter in the initial chapters, the backstory of how those things came to being didn't fully live up to the initial promise.Despite that minor complaint this is a strong debut and I think new readers of the Fables universe will really get a kick out of discovering the fun premise and then hopefully make the jump into the equally excellent graphic novels. I hope we will get to see more stand-alone novels fleshing out the backstories of "minor" cast members in the future.

Peter and Max is a novel set in the world of Fables - a graphic novel / comic book series. It is the tale of two brothers, both pipers, and their rivalry and adventures. One becomes a hero, one a villain...I am not entirely sure why I liked this novel - and yet I did. The prose and dialogue feel clunky at times. The story moves fast, but rarely feels like the rich tapestry of a satisfying novel. The settings are not realised entirely convincingly - when the story moves to Europe, it feels like Europe as seen through the eyes of an American writer who has never been there. Or maybe Europe seen through the eyes of a tourist who has only seen Disneyland and Prague, but no real, living, breathing European city / place.And for all that, it is still an enjoyable read. Fast-paced, strangely compelling, and not quite as cutesy pretty as its illustrations. It's the kind of fairy tale that has gruesomeness and horror at its heart, but dresses it up in bright colours, rather than celebrating the darkness within. This is not Pan's Labyrinth, but The Wizard of Oz: darkness in technicolor with sugar and songs...Pleasant, but falling short of the greatness it could have achieved. The plot is all there - the execution, however, is a little too... clean and pretty.

I read Peter and Max on Holiday and got through it very quickly because I couldn't put it down. Even my partner who does not read comics enjoyed it and started interrogating me about the Fables universe.The book tells the tale of Peter Piper (a yet unexplored character in the comic series) and his brother Max. It's mostly told in flashbacks in the Homelands and further fleshes out existing characters in the comic series, like Bigby Wolf and Frau Tottenkinder. It's also easy to read for Fables newcomers, giving a brief explanation of the series history and lore.The only criticism I have is that it was too short.If you're a fan of Fables, then this is an essential addition to your collection.

To be fair, I was looking forward to a comic! Yeah, a proper graphic novel, but I received a novel with a few good illustrations...Sure, I do like novels,too and I have only just received it...oh well...

All in all its well written, paced nicely and builds up to a worthy conclusion. As someone who has been reading the Fables and the not so palatable spin off Jack of Fables, this is a nice additional story in the fables universe masterfully created and 'borrowed' by Bill Willingham from the stories we grew up with.This story takes place over a long period of time as most of the Fables have a complicated back story in the Homelands and the present day.The fraternal rivalry between Peter and Max and the concept of little Bo peep as a form of ninja assassin, are quite creatively crafted into the narrative.