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Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Fairest, Vol. 1: Wide Awake by Bill Willingham

I had fallen out of touch with Fables. I read through the set of graphic novels covering the fight with the Adversary, and then wasn't paying attention as my husband got the other ones out of the library.

Apparently I wasn't missing much there for a while, as Willingham, my husband says, wasn't telling stories quite as good as he had been. But I'm also told the series is returning to form.

So when my husband brought this downstairs the other night and said "Read this," I did. And quite enjoyed it. I'd missed Willingham's take on fairy tales.

Ali Baba, Prince of Thieves, is just out looking for a little something else to steal. First, he thinks he finds a genie, but it turns out that the little blue guy isn't nearly that powerful, but he does know where something good is to steal....

A box containing two beautiful women - Briar Rose and the Snow Queen, both fast asleep. Ali Baba kisses both, but which does he love? Is the Snow Queen truly evil? And what the hell was up with that curse put on Briar Rose in the first place?

Her story is unfolded, in fairly traditional Sleeping Beauty form, and at the end, Briar Rose has a chance to say a few choice words to the fairy who cursed her.

I can't say I enjoyed this quite as much as the very early Fables books, but I enjoyed it quite a lot, and if there is more, I'm looking forward to reading it. Also the ones where Cinderella is a James Bond-style spy.

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