Peter and Max by Bill Willingham is a novel based on Willingham’s Fables comic book series (which if you haven’t read, then you should).  The basic concept is that the characters that the fables are based on are real and have had to relocate to our Earth from their original homelands due by The Adversary who has taken over all their homelands. The comic book series is the ongoing adventures of these Fables (Snow White, Prince Charming, Big Bad Wolf, Beauty and the Beast) in their hidden neighborhood known as Fabletown. Peter and Max is the first prose novel based in this world and ABC is working on a TV series.

Peter is Peter Piper and Max is his brother (the Pied Piper of Hamelin). In the distant past, their world is being invaded by The Adversary and Max is mad that their father has given Peter the magical flute. The flute has been passed down for generations to the best musician in the family and Peter is better than Max. But Max sees the flute as his due to being the older brother. Max then decides to take it out on everybody starting with their father. As they are on the run with the Peeps (the youngest daughter Bo has told Peter that they would be married), Max forces them all to scatter and Peter and Bo are separated and forced to join organizations that they otherwise would never know about, much less join.

Meanwhile in present time, Beast comes to visit Peter and Bo (who are married though Bo is in a wheelchair) to tell them to see Bigby (Big Bad Wolf). Bigby tells Peter that Max is back in the world. He will give Peter one week to track down and kill his brother before he goes and does it himself. Peter talks to Bo (who reluctantly lets him go) and Frau Totenkinder (the witch from Hansel and Gretal) who has battle Max in the past before going on his journey. The book alternates between telling Peter and Max’s life in the past and Peter’s journey to his brother in the present.

The book is not quite as good as the comic book series. There are too many times that a character does something because the plot needs them to, even if it doesn’t fit their character. The writing is well done and you don’t have to have read Fables previously to understand it (but it does help). Steve Leialoha adds in some occasional drawings and works with Willingham on a short comic at the back of the book. Willingham has created a wonderful universe and it’s fun to see him expand on it.