Review: Peter & Max by Bill Willingham

Title: Peter & Max Author: Bill Willingham Format: ARC Available Formats: TC, Kindle, Audio CD, Audio Download Page Count: 310 Genre: Fantasy/Tie-In (Graphic Novel) Publisher: Vertigo Pub. Date: October 13, 2009 ISBN-13: 9781401215736 Series: Stand Alone (Tie-in Novel With the Graphic Novel Series) Rating: 7 of 10

Summary:
Peter & Max is a story of brother rivalry, fairy tales, and adventure. The two brothers are Peter and Max Piper. These fairy tales are taken, used as a base, and then expanded on expertly. When the story begins, Peter is an exile (as are all folk tale figures) in current day New York. Simultaneously occurring with his present day story is the story of how it all began.

TL;DR Version:
A tie-in to the long-running Fables graphic novel series that stands on its own. The novel tells the story of the Pied Piper and Peter Piper. An entertaining story that delivers on its promises, recommended to veterans of the graphic novel series or new-comers.

Review:
Peter & Max is a supplementary or tie-in novel to the Fables graphic novel series. Both the novel and the graphic novels are written by Bill Willingham. The author notes that the novel is "autonomous and self-reliant" and I have to agree--mostly. Now, I say "mostly" because Peter & Max is a story completely unto itself, but can seem a bit rushed or thin in areas. I assume this is because those areas are fleshed out fully in the graphic novels--and the very idea has me wanting to get my hands on that series.

The plot of Peter & Max is not overly complex. In fact, I could go as far as saying that it's pretty simple. Where this might be a problem in other novels, though, Willingham counteracts by carrying two story lines at once: the past and present. The two story lines intertwine in a way that reveals just the right amount of information at the right time. Truly it's well done. The only problem in the writing of plot is that I really wanted more detail and time spent on certain things, but they instead--like in a graphic novel--went plunging onwards without the extra prose devoted to the instance.

The story choice is interesting--and quite dark. Peter & Max is a fairy tale retold, but instead of following the preset formula, it takes the idea and runs to twist everything. The characters are minor figures of folk lore: Peter Piper and the Pied Piper. And yet, the ambiguous and limited nature of the lore allowed for the author to make a completely unique and interesting tale of the two. In fact, I became so wrapped up in the two brothers that I was absolutely frustrated with the depth of the novel: I wanted more. Perhaps, I'll find what I wanted if I read the graphic novels. However, really there should have been more within the novel itself (it is touted as a stand alone), so I will chalk that up as a disappointment. In fact, every relationship in the book is interesting. Peter and Bo, too, I wish had more time. Looking back, the book seems very short!

I can't find it in myself to hold those small disappointments against Peter & Max too harshly, because any novel so entertaining and leaving me wanting more is certainly worth recommending.

Also, visually speaking, Peter & Max benefits from coming from a long line of comic books. Not only is the cover gorgeous (because it is), but the book is filled with beautiful illustrations. Apparently, the artist is the same who does the work for the graphic novels: Steve Leialoha.

And who knows, perhaps I'll get to those graphic novels after all.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
Visually, I love everything about this novel. The cover is beautiful in dark blues and black. As I mentioned above, the illustrations throughout the book only match. Absolutely gorgeous, but I suppose that's fitting for a novel that ties into a graphic novel series, eh?

Rating: 7 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was provided for the purpose of receiving a review courtesy of Amazon Vine.