I liked this book a lot but must admit that my prior knowledge of the comic book Fable (one of my favorite comics) probably helped further my enjoyment. ( )

This one ended up feeling drearily bleak, even with a realtively "happy" ending. It drolled on and on, despite the book being quite short. ( )

It should come as no surprise to readers of the Fables graphic novels that Bill Willingham's writing style translates perfectly from the graphic novel format to novel-style narratives. He creates a compellingly interwoven story of the Pied Piper (of Hamlin fame) and Peter Piper (yes, the one who ate a pickled pepper), who were once brother but became foes after the family heirloom flute was passed onto the younger brother of the two. Willingham exploits the classic sibling rivalry to explain the back story of these two characters, even while preserving much of the original tales. It is most definitely a tale well told, and I was especially happy to see evidence of a Germanic fairytale world (Hesse) and the myriad of characters who created the legends of the Brothers Grimm. ( )

as deep as a mud puddle, but enjoyable. i long for half a dozen books like this, exploring the backstories of lesser-known fables characters. ( )

As a fan of the Fables graphic novel series, I happily found this book in my library. Loved this book from beginning to end. Happy to have illustrations throughout to go with the story. Basically it's the story of Peter and Max Piper. Good and bad brothers and what led them to be good/bad. Loved the backstory of how it came to be and of course in the present with Peter trying to find Max. Excellent ending and one that I did not see coming. ( )