#85 Fables, Vol 9: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham
The following review has spoilers for previous volumes of Fables, but no real spoilers for Sons of Empire.
All actions have consequences. After Bigby's full frontal assault on the Adversary, Gepetto calls in his lieutenants to plan a retaliation that will take down not just the fables, but humankind as we know it. Can Pinocchio manage to talk his father out of his devastating plans? Meanwhile, it's Christmas time back on the Farm, and Snow and Bigby are celebrating with the cubs. For Christmas, Snow wants nothing more than to visit the Homelands, but will the results be too dangerous?
The ninth graphic novel in the Fables series gathers two arcs from the comics, the "Sons of Empire" storyline, followed by the "Father and Son" storyline, with a Christmas story sandwiched in between. The "Sons of Empire" storyline is where the really interesting material is, while "Father and Son" is more a diversion (a pleasant one, admittedly, but a diversion nevertheless). It's always interesting to get a glimpse on what's going on behind enemy lines, which is exactly what "Sons of Empire" delivers. Another thing I really enjoyed about this arc was that while it wasn't really as action packed as some of the other story lines, it managed to be just as engrossing thanks to how suspenseful it was. "Father and Son" was a rather fitting story for me to read after the graphic novel 1001 Nights of Snowfall, which also features a storyline about Bigby and his father. I wasn't as fond of the artwork for this one, but it worked. As a nice bonus, we get several mini stories in this collection that either glimpses into the lives of fables we haven't seen yet (such as Rapunzel), or answers some burning questions.
In conclusion, the Sons of Empire graphic novel is another solid entry into the Fables series. Although I ended up liking the first arc ("Sons or Empire") more than the second ("Father and Sons"), I found both to be enjoyable and worth reading. I am particularly interested to see where the series will bring the character of Flycatcher next. So far, he's spent the entire series sitting on the sidelines, but it appears that he make take center stage soon.
Rating: four stars
Length: 200 pages
Source: Lewiston public Library
Other books I've read by this author: Previous volumes of the Fables series, including Legends in Exile, Animal Farm, Storybook Love, March of the Wooden Soldiers, The Mean Seasons, Homelands, Arabian Nights, Wolves, and 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Next I will be reviewing Life of Pi by Yann Martel and An Artificial Night by Seannan McGuire
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish and goodreads
All actions have consequences. After Bigby's full frontal assault on the Adversary, Gepetto calls in his lieutenants to plan a retaliation that will take down not just the fables, but humankind as we know it. Can Pinocchio manage to talk his father out of his devastating plans? Meanwhile, it's Christmas time back on the Farm, and Snow and Bigby are celebrating with the cubs. For Christmas, Snow wants nothing more than to visit the Homelands, but will the results be too dangerous?
The ninth graphic novel in the Fables series gathers two arcs from the comics, the "Sons of Empire" storyline, followed by the "Father and Son" storyline, with a Christmas story sandwiched in between. The "Sons of Empire" storyline is where the really interesting material is, while "Father and Son" is more a diversion (a pleasant one, admittedly, but a diversion nevertheless). It's always interesting to get a glimpse on what's going on behind enemy lines, which is exactly what "Sons of Empire" delivers. Another thing I really enjoyed about this arc was that while it wasn't really as action packed as some of the other story lines, it managed to be just as engrossing thanks to how suspenseful it was. "Father and Son" was a rather fitting story for me to read after the graphic novel 1001 Nights of Snowfall, which also features a storyline about Bigby and his father. I wasn't as fond of the artwork for this one, but it worked. As a nice bonus, we get several mini stories in this collection that either glimpses into the lives of fables we haven't seen yet (such as Rapunzel), or answers some burning questions.
In conclusion, the Sons of Empire graphic novel is another solid entry into the Fables series. Although I ended up liking the first arc ("Sons or Empire") more than the second ("Father and Sons"), I found both to be enjoyable and worth reading. I am particularly interested to see where the series will bring the character of Flycatcher next. So far, he's spent the entire series sitting on the sidelines, but it appears that he make take center stage soon.
Rating: four stars
Length: 200 pages
Source: Lewiston public Library
Other books I've read by this author: Previous volumes of the Fables series, including Legends in Exile, Animal Farm, Storybook Love, March of the Wooden Soldiers, The Mean Seasons, Homelands, Arabian Nights, Wolves, and 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Next I will be reviewing Life of Pi by Yann Martel and An Artificial Night by Seannan McGuire
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish and goodreads