Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham

has long been my source for the Fables series of comic books. This series chronicles the lives of characters from fairy tales who live amongst us, having been driven out of their home worlds into our mundane (mundy) world by a mercilous dictator, the Emperor.

And it was also who alerted me to the presence of the first Fables-based novel, Peter and Max. I added it to my Amazon wishlist, and not two days later a friend purchased it for me.

Peter is the famed Peter Piper, and Max is his elder brother. The story cuts back and forth between the original invasion of the Emperor and later in the Mundy world.

It’s a fine story, weaving in Bo Peep and her sheep, the Pied Piper, and some other Fable references. It won’t win any literature prizes, but good mind candy.