Peter & Max: A Fables Novel
Encyclopedia
Peter & Max: A Fables Novel is a 2009
prose
novel
based on the comic book
Fables, written by series creator Bill Willingham
; Steve Leialoha
provided illustrations.
The book was released by Vertigo on October 7, 2009. An audio book version was released on December 8, 2009; it is read by Wil Wheaton
.
Peter Piper
and his brother Max are sons of traveling minstrels. Although Peter is the younger son, his father bestows on him a magical flute, a family heirloom that has ability to avert danger. When the Piper family is visiting their long-time family friends, the Peep family, the Adversary's army attacks. The Pipers and Peeps escape to the Dark Forest. While the families are asleep, Max — jealous of Peter because he was given the flute — kills his father while they are away from camp. Max then returns to camp claiming that the Adversary's troops have attacked. The announcement causes the families to flee in panic.
Peter, Max and Bo Peep are separated. Peter winds up in Hamelin where he becomes a member of a thief's guild. Bo Peep becomes a member of an assassin's guild. Max meets Frau Totenkinder
who gives him a magical pipe of his own which he learns to use for evil purposes. He goes to Hamelin where he becomes the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Eventually Peter and Bo Peep are reunited and marry. They are heading to Sanctuary when they meet Max who is still angry over being passed over by his father. He attacks Peter and Bo Peep using the power of his magical pipe. Peter is able to avert the danger with his flute, but inadvertently passes the danger along to Bo Peep, ruining her legs and crippling her.
In present day, Peter and Bo Peep have been settled in "the Farm", when they are advised that Max has emerged in the current world. Peter leaves New York to meet his brother in Hamelin
, Germany
. Peter is fully aware of his brother's power and intent to kill him, but is determined to face his fate regardless. In their confrontation Peter is all but helpless in the face of his brother's magic; all of his weapons are useless due to Max's many magical wards. Peter triumphs in their confrontation by using his magical pipe as a weapon, shoving the sharp reeds through his brother's heart. Peter then claims his brother's flute for Fabletown, resolving to use it only to undo the spell that crippled his wife centuries before.
In a brief epilogue, in which the story reverts to the comic format of the regular series, it is revealed that Bo and Peter later secretly took part in the final war with the Adversary, and it is hinted that their participation contributed greatly to the Fables' ultimate victory (though none but they and Clara the Raven would ever know it).
2009 in literature
The year 2009 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*8 October - Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature....
prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
based on the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Fables, written by series creator Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
; Steve Leialoha
Steve Leialoha
Steve Leialoha is an American comic book artist whose work first came to prominence in the 1970s. He has worked primarily as an inker, though occasionally as a penciller, for several publishers, including Marvel Comics and later DC Comics.-Biography:Leialoha's professional career began in 1975...
provided illustrations.
The book was released by Vertigo on October 7, 2009. An audio book version was released on December 8, 2009; it is read by Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
.
Plot
The novel flips between telling the history of the main characters in Hesse, their homeland, and current events in the mundane world (what the Fables call our world).Peter Piper
Peter Piper
"Peter Piper" is an English language nursery rhyme and well-known tongue twister. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19745.-Lyrics:Common modern versions include:-External links:* at Project Gutenberg...
and his brother Max are sons of traveling minstrels. Although Peter is the younger son, his father bestows on him a magical flute, a family heirloom that has ability to avert danger. When the Piper family is visiting their long-time family friends, the Peep family, the Adversary's army attacks. The Pipers and Peeps escape to the Dark Forest. While the families are asleep, Max — jealous of Peter because he was given the flute — kills his father while they are away from camp. Max then returns to camp claiming that the Adversary's troops have attacked. The announcement causes the families to flee in panic.
Peter, Max and Bo Peep are separated. Peter winds up in Hamelin where he becomes a member of a thief's guild. Bo Peep becomes a member of an assassin's guild. Max meets Frau Totenkinder
Frau Totenkinder
Frau Totenkinder is a fictional character in the comic book series Fables, created by Bill Willingham. Leader of the magicians of Fabletown, Totenkinder represents many of the unnamed witches found in tales and legends...
who gives him a magical pipe of his own which he learns to use for evil purposes. He goes to Hamelin where he becomes the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Eventually Peter and Bo Peep are reunited and marry. They are heading to Sanctuary when they meet Max who is still angry over being passed over by his father. He attacks Peter and Bo Peep using the power of his magical pipe. Peter is able to avert the danger with his flute, but inadvertently passes the danger along to Bo Peep, ruining her legs and crippling her.
In present day, Peter and Bo Peep have been settled in "the Farm", when they are advised that Max has emerged in the current world. Peter leaves New York to meet his brother in Hamelin
Hamelin
Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Peter is fully aware of his brother's power and intent to kill him, but is determined to face his fate regardless. In their confrontation Peter is all but helpless in the face of his brother's magic; all of his weapons are useless due to Max's many magical wards. Peter triumphs in their confrontation by using his magical pipe as a weapon, shoving the sharp reeds through his brother's heart. Peter then claims his brother's flute for Fabletown, resolving to use it only to undo the spell that crippled his wife centuries before.
In a brief epilogue, in which the story reverts to the comic format of the regular series, it is revealed that Bo and Peter later secretly took part in the final war with the Adversary, and it is hinted that their participation contributed greatly to the Fables' ultimate victory (though none but they and Clara the Raven would ever know it).