Review: Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons

The Mean Seasons, which chronicles what goes on in the Fable community after the attack of the wooden soldiers, is honestly something of a downer. Well written and well told, this transitional tale still left me wanting a lot more.

The volume begins with a tale of Bigby's exploits during World War II, which involved terrorizing Nazis among other things. If I'm being truly honest it comes off as entertaining but way out of place in the rest of the story arc.

We also learn that Cinderella (Cindy) is far more than what she seems--not just a bubbly socialite, but also a crafty spy.

The meat of the story, though, is devoted to the birth and first year of Snow and Bigby's children. Because most of them don't look human, Snow is forced to move to The Farm with them, and Bigby is not allowed there. The emotional impact of the separation is keen. I really felt for Snow as she grappled with her feelings and dealing with her very unusual brood. It struck me as highly odd, however, that there was no better solution to be had than her self imposed exile to The Farm. Bigby suggest that they go elsewhere, somewhere secluded, and Snow acts as though this would be a huge betrayal of Fabletown. I just can't understand why, and consequently the whole plot felt slightly forced.

Nonetheless, it was very cool to see the cubs in all of their oddness, and to learn about Bigby's father, The North Wind. It's interesting to see what bits of his nature have been passed down to the cubs.

Overall, it's not the strongest volume of the series, with so many logistical and motivational flaws. However, it wasn't so bad that I don't still want to see more from the series. 3.5 stars. 

Review of Fables, Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers

This volume of Fables marks a lot of changes for our fairy tale characters. We are, of course, familiar with the adversary and the fact that our characters are in exile in the mundane world because of the destruction that this mysterious enemy wrought. This, however, is the first time that we experience the adversary as an active threat in more than a flash-back capacity.

To begin with, I really enjoyed learning of Boy Blue's tragic and romantic back story. I think what makes Fables special is it's ability to take characters who most of us feel that we know, since we've heard since childhood, and cast them in an entirely different light--for better or worse. So seeing a romance for  Boy Blue and Red Riding Hood.

Snow White is continuously fantastic. She basically organizes a defense against an army that marches on Fabletown, and she does so while pregnant and piled down with worries. I'm deeply invested in he story, at this point, and I would love for her and Bigby to find some shred of happiness.

I thought the wooden soldiers, and the way that they are introduced with their connection to Pinocchio, were very clever indeed. They're very much like the Mr. Smiths of the Matrix, with their frightening one track minds and utter disposability. But more importantly, they seem to represent a larger danger that I'm sure we'll see more of in future books.

Finally, in this book we begin to see Prince Charming campaigning for mayor against King Cole. This entire subplot is pathetically hilarious, with the prince making ridiculous promises that you know will land him far in over his head. When I actually read this, the US was in the midst of our election and...it definitely reflected reality.

My final conclusion on this book is that, it is perhaps not my favorite story arc yet, but it was still quite strong. I didn't feel that it had the emotional impact of some of the previous installments, but it had a lot of cleverness and humor that left me wanting more. 4 stars.

Review of Fables, Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham

It's rare that I latch on to a graphic novel, and I have never, ever lacked onto a graphic novel series like this. Fables just happens to have all of the qualities that I enjoy in a story, so why not dive in? And so we're on to volume 3.

The first part of the story features Jack Horner, a notorious schemer, in Civil War era America. In it, he gambles, tries to get the best of death, and also finds true lust. This little story is very funny, if a little pointless.

In the second part, a mundy reporter comes forward with loads of data on the fable community, which he mistakenly believes proves that they're all vampires. Bigby and gang have to neutralize this situation, as the fable community must remain a secret. In this part, we also meet Briar Rose, the notorious sleeping beauty, who's curse is still ongoing. Every time she pricks her finger, she falls asleep--as does anyone around her. What I liked about this part of the story was the character interactions, and the tension inherent in the situation. I really like Bigby, and his very practical way of viewing the world.

The second part really hammers home the conflict between Bluebeard and Bigby, and the conflict comes to a head in part three when Bluebeard devises a way to kill off Bigby. I can't say much without getting spoilery, but I will just say (again), that I liked the relationship and character building. I like the romantic tension between Snow and Bigby. I like the violent tension between the villains (if we want to call them that) and the heroes. I like that it gets pretty gory, and kind of dark. Twisted fairy tales, indeed.

Overall, I would say that I like this book for it's unusual and yet familiar characters, and for the fact that I really feel like I'm getting to know them now. If I had to name a flaw, it's that I would like just a smidge more back story on some of them, just because it would help me become emotionally invested in their lives (and deaths, as the case may be.  I continue to recommend the Fables series to fairy tale fans. 4.5 stars.

Review of Fables, Vol. 2: Animal Farm, by Bill Willingham

Today I continue my discussion the Fables series with a brief review of Volume 2, which is the story arc known as Animal Farm.

To briefly recap volume one, we had all of our fairy tale characters living in a secret community in New York City, after they were forced to flee their homelands centuries ago. Snow White is essentially in charge, Bigby (the wolf) is now in human form and is sheriff. Snow White's lesser known sister, Rose Red, fakes her own death and is now (in volume 2) being punished with community service. Snow drags Rose with her on a trip to the farm, an upstate chunk of land where non-human looking fables hide from the mundane world. There they find discontent among the farms inhabitants, with a revolution being plotted against the human fables, perceived now as jailors and overlords.

Positive Comments

Now, at no time in my academic career was I actually made to read Animal Farm by George Orwell. At one point, we did read a summary and watch part of the movie for the purpose of knowing something about it, should it show up on one of our AP tests. I know the general idea, but not necessarily the details. However, I did find recognizable and humorous nods to the original story in this book, and I felt that was very smart.

I found the entire plot of the book engaging. It seemed realistic to me that the farm dwellers would ultimately feel underprivileged and restless, and that this might lead to violence. The real kicker for me was when Goldilocks turns up as a vocal ring leader on the side of the rebellion, she being sympathetic to the animals in light of her history. It was so shocking and so hilarious to see her grown up and wielding a gun--a serious stroke of genius.

We are given more ideas on what it is that makes fables tick, in terms of immortality and power. We are basically told that human belief helps to keep them alive. Not a new idea in the fantasy realm, but still one worth exploring in this world.

Critical Comments

 

Once the revolution comes to it's conclusion, we become removed from the story as it's now told second hand. I was a little disappointed, as I thought they could have shown a lot more in terms of the aftermath. It would have provided an opportunity to see more of the nonhuman fables, many of whom were glossed over so very briefly.

Recommendation

 

All I can really say is that you have to try the series to know if you'll like it. It's a great take on twisted fairy tales, and it's a lot of fun--it's humorous, smart, and quirky. I liked the plot of volume 2 perhaps a hair more than that of volume 1, which was more of a murder mystery and therefor not my cup of tea. So I will say that if you've read the first installment and felt kind of "meh" about it, it's worth trying this one to know for sure. 4 stars.  

On Apples: A Review of Snow Spell by Sonia Pereira Murphy

Okay folks, I'm just going to do a mini review for this one, as there isn't a lot to say about it. It's not long, and a normal detailed review is going to give too much away, so...

Snow Spell is a modern day(ish?) retelling of Snow White told in poetry and set in Paris. I agreed to read it at the request of the author, because I thought that whole premise sounded really, fantastically different. Whenever someone sends me something that's not just another angsty, vaguely paranormal YA, I'm all over it. Yes, please.

Positive Comments

 

The upside of this version of Snow White is that it is indeed different, and I think readers might even be a tad surprised at points. We have a love interest that actually interacts with Neve (Snow), for example, and the relationship is more layered and complex than you might expect. We also have the addition of magic, where we see that not only the evil stepmother has magic--Neve is a witch as well. Very cool. All of this, combined with the unusual style of writing makes it a winning story. I can tell you that I'm not normally a poetry fan, but I found that it worked well with the tone of this story.

Critical Comments

 

The biggest problem with this story is that it's short. It was only after I finished it that I realized that it actually breaks me rule on the length of stories I'm willing to accept for review--my policy specifically states that I don't accept anything under 100 pages, and Amazon estimates this one at 78. Oops. That policy is in place because I'm not good with short stories, I don't prefer them, and I find that they make for inadequate reviews. But, here we are. The reason that I complain about the length with this one is that I really do feel that there could have been more to this story, both in terms of depth and breadth. I would have liked to see more pages dedicated to character development, particularly with regard to Neve and her love interest. I would have liked to know more about magic and witches and how all of that works. Perhaps we are limited by format here, I can imagine that it's not easy to write a novel in prose poems, but my criticism stands.

Recommendation

 

Yes to this book if you are a fairy tale fan and you don't mind short stories. If your leery of the poetry aspect, I can say as a non-poetry fan that you should try it anyway--you won't really notice it that much. The only reason I would not recommend this is if your a stickler for detail and you like a lot of heavy development. Otherwise, it's a far story to spend an hour or two on. 3.5 stars.

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: Snow White and the Huntsman

Such mixed feelings going into this movie...I love fairy tales, and I love when books and movies do dark twisted things with them, and it had Chris Hemsworth who is so sexy and just the right amount of talented...but it also had Kristen Stewart. To be fair, the only other thing I'd seen her do was Twilight, and I hated those movies on a level where everything in them seemed comically bad.

The truth is, this movie was really quite good. It tells the traditional Snow White story with the evil stepmother and the dwarfs and the apple--but it does so in a tone that sets it apart from other versions. First, we have the huntsman as a dominate character with a back story--who ultimately becomes a love interest. Such and awesome concept. But if you're about to write this movie off because you think it's a romance and you don't like romance, don't. More than anything else this is a fantasy, with magic that ranges from enchanting to creepy as hell.

The Good Stuff:

• Kristen Stewart, I owe you half an apology. You were not as terrible in this as I expected. Is she a great actress? No, not by any means. She can't do quiet moments effectively and she can't sell a romance worth dung. But surprisingly, she does anger, passion, fear, and determination very well. Near the end, she gives this "stand up and fight" speech that was tremendously engrossing. I was so happy to see a movie that put a princess in battle armor.
• Chris Hemsworth--I want to have your babies. Or the Huntsman's babies. Or possibly Thor's. I don't know. But please call me. He was perfect in this part. So surly and drunk, but also likeable and sympathetic. I thought he was a bit underused, an I would have liked to see more of him.
• The look of the movie. I liked that it had gross moments and dirty scenes and an overall gritty atmosphere. That offset very well parts such as the fairy forest, which was beautiful. At first, I saw CGI birds and bunnies and started laughing, but as I got into the scene I found myself really taken with it--mushrooms with eyes and turtles covered in moss and pixie things everywhere. 
• The dwarfs were awesome. Funny, gruff, and very useful. They add humor without being reduced to dumb comedy relief. 

The "Meh" Stuff:

• Evil queens are evil. Do I care about their back stories or why they are evil? No, not really. In the context of a book, yes, but in the context of a movie where time is limited--no. I felt that too much time was given to the queen that could have been better used elsewhere. Though to her credit, she is appropriately frightening.
• William is the most unnecessary character ever. He's Snow's childhood friend, and for awhile I worried he was there for love triangle purposes. He really isn't, thank God, but then what the hell is he doing here? No offense to the actor--I just didn't see a place for him. 

Side Note: Our audience this time contained a mother and her very small child (maybe 4 years old?). It's a PG-13 movie so...yeah. Just because it has "Snow White" in the title does not mean it's appropriate for little ones.  A while in, we heard the little girl ask her mother if they could leave, and they did, but not before the part where the evil queen eats a small bird's bloody heart. So a note of caution to parents out there: exercise some judgement with this movie.

Overall, though, I do recommend it. As fairy tale retellings go, this is great. It's deep and twisted, tells a great story, and keeps you entertained with action and emotion. Happy watching!