|
|
Sold Out
Book Categories |
A new stand-alone FABLES NOVEL from award-winning and wildly acclaimed author, Bill Willingham.
This story stars Peter Piper and his incorrigible brother Max in a tale about jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Set in two distinct time periods, prepare to travel back to medieval times and learn the tragic back-story of the Piper family, a medieval-era family of traveling minstrels. Then, jump into the present to follow a tale of espionage as Peter Piper slowly hunts down his evil brother for a heinous crime, pitting Peter's talents as a master thief against Max's dark magical powers.
Based on the long-running and award-winning comic book series FABLES, PETER AND MAX is its own tale. Readers don't have to be familiar with the comics to fully enjoy and understand this book.
AWARDS for FABLES:
YALSA: 2004 annual recommended list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
·Willingham, Bill. Animal Farm (Fables series). DC Comics: Vertigo.
·Willingham, Bill. Legends in Exile (Fables series). DC Comics: Vertigo.
YALSA: 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens
·Willingham, Bill, Todd Klein, and others. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. 2006. DC Comics/ Vertigo
As of 2008, Fables has won twelve Eisner Awards.
·Best New Series in 2003
·Best Serialized Story in 2003, 2005 and 2006 (Legends In Exile, March of the Wooden Soldiers and Homelands)
·Best Anthology in 2007 (Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall)
·Best Short Story in 2007 (A Frog’s Eye View, by Bill Willingham and James Jean, in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall)
Hugo Award Nomination 2009:
·Fables: War and Pieces was nominated for the first Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story
Understanding Willingham's new novel (the first from comics house Vertigo) doesn't require knowledge of the comic it's based upon, but it certainly helps; Fables follows a population of fairy tale characters seeking shelter in our world after their enchanted lands were conquered. Familiar figures like Snow White, Rose Red, the Beast and Belle, the Big Bad Wolf (a human PI in the “mundane” world) and others fill out a cast led by Peter Piper and his brother, Max. Sibling rivalry, magical flutes and, yes, pickled peppers factor in the clever, adventurous plot that sees Peter pursuing Bo Peep. Fans will find all the charm and in-jokes of the Fables universe intact; like Neil Gaiman, another acclaimed comic book author, Willingham writes without the help of thought bubbles and keeps everything clear enough that readers new to the series won't be confused for long. Though it toys with notions of mythology and its origins, this work still keeps true to the spirit of the Brothers Grimm: dark, fast-paced, moving and entertaining, with a few surprises along the way. (Oct.)
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Charlotte Caron
reviewed Peter and Max on January 22, 2010
Peter and Max
I've never read any of the Fables comics, but Willingham makes the universe very approachable to newbies. The novel is written so that even someone who has never read Fables comics can appreciate this book.
The plot in a nutshell: The characters from our fables and fairy tales have been living in our world for hundreds of years, though their communities are hidden through magic. They escaped from various different worlds to settle on Earth.
The novel is about Peter Piper and his older brother Max. As a child, Peter receives an inheritance that Max feels is rightly his. Because of this, the brothers become very different people. Max is bent on revenge, and Peter just wants to find his childhood sweetheart, Bo Peep.
The story is told with a heavy handed narration, very similar to the fairytale/fable-esque style of storytelling. This worked for the most part, but I did feel that it was a bit simplistic and lent itself to more than its fair share of "telling". Many descriptions were strained and lacked any visceral connection. And sometimes, they were just plain ridiculous.
It was interesting to see how Willingham made one-dimensional fairy tale characters into two-dimensional novel characters. Most of the other fable characters are merely devices and are mentioned in passing, like Snow White and the "cow that jumped over the moon." The only characters that receive any depth are the Piper boys, Peter and Max, and Little Bo Peep. It was interesting to see how these characters were shaped by adapting different methods of survival. However, I was still left feeling that I didn't know the characters as well as I could have. Throughout most of the book, the characters just do things, and we hardly know them well enough to understand why they took particular actions, entertaining as they may be.
I was also a little disappointed that there wasn't more of a focus on how music affected the boys. Their musicianship mainly surfaces when one of them needs something, becoming yet another device in a device-laden story. There is mentions of practicing their instruments, but when never get to see or feel how this relationship to music affects them.
I listened to the audiobook version, which I felt was really well produced. The narrator was one of the best I've ever heard, a natural storyteller. He captured the voices quite well, and made the entire production very dramatic and varied.
Ultimately I enjoyed this book because, flawed though it was, it was an entertaining story about sibling rivalry, survival, dedication, and dueling musicians. The ending, though a bit anti-climactic, fit well with the story.
Login|Complaints|Blog|Games|Digital Media|Souls|Obituary|Contact Us|FAQ
CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? CLICK HERE!!! X
You must be logged in to add to WishlistX
This item is in your Wish List
X
This item is in your Collection
Peter and Max
X
This Item is in Your Inventory
Peter and Max
X
You must be logged in to review the productsX
X
X
Add Peter and Max, , Peter and Max to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
X
Add Peter and Max, , Peter and Max to your collection on WonderClub |