PETER & MAX

For fans of Willingham's graphic-novel series Fables, comes a novelized treatment of the Pied Piper tale in Peter & Max, featuring Max (the evil older brother and fabled musician), and Peter (his younger brother and brighter piper, who is gifted with a magic flute Max coveted), and Bo Peep (yes, of lamb fame, and Peter's lovely bride). It is a story of disastrous sibling rivalry and jealousy, woven into continuing saga of the Fables community in New York. It is an enjoyable read, quick and light for the most part, even with its dark undertones, and fleshes out well some storylines in the graphics series. Willingham does leave out some information, especially about the group in the Black Forest, and I would have liked to know more about some of the exploits of the thief band. The ending did not surprise me much, but I love the hints given at the end about soem of the stories to come (I have only read the first four of the comics). I enthusiatically recommend this book to Willingham's fans, and think it will draw some new readers to the graphics.