FOUR STARS

Peter & Max

A FABLES novel

By

Bill Willingham

Illustrations by Steve Leialoha

Published by DC Comics under the Trademark VERTIGO

2009

Now that that’s done, on with it…….

* “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…”

Actually, Peter only picked ONE pickled pepper. “He bit it hard and fast, and suddenly his eyes mushroomed with new tears and his nose blossomed bright red.”

This is not the Fairy Tale you remember. This is a dark novel where some of the same things happen to some of the same characters, but in a very different way.

* “Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep…”

She lost her sheep alright. But they never came back with their tails behind them. “They killed them! She cried. All my little lambs!”

And what of that giant wolf (aka the 'big bad wolf')? Why, he married Snow White. Of course.

Oh, don’t get the wrong impression. This is not a comical take on the fairy tales we all read and loved. This is quite the serious telling of the fleeing into a sanctuary called Fabletown tucked away somewhere in New York City where “…... strong spells of misdirection, obfuscation and 'there’s nothing important here' have been laid over the place, to keep outsiders out - ..." And, it is the telling of two very different brothers: Max and Peter Piper; sibling rivalry; magic and revenge.

Peter & Max is a very intense story that takes place in the deepest dark of The Black Forest that spans medieval times to present day New York. And, while the characters are from our childhood, this is not a book for children. It has layers of deft prose that is fraught with deep complex emotions balefully weaved into a tale that explodes on every deckle-edged page.

If you can recall your childhood, this is the one book you MUST read.

Illustration by Steve Leialoha
from the book, Peter and Max

* Mother Goose

Now, back to Mr. Drood......
.