January 4, 2009

Fables - Volume 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham


Books Completed: 5
Date Completed: January 4, 2009
Pages: 128
Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Reason for Reading: Graphic Novel Challenge

FABLES: ANIMAL FARM is a highly imaginative political thriller that tells the modern day story of fairy tale characters as they struggle for their freedom. After their homelands were attacked and conquered by the mysterious Adversary, the mythological characters from fables and folklores were captured and the non-human beings were forced to live on a farm in upstate New York. Unhappy with their captive life, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs lead a rebellious uprising that quickly turns deadly. Now caught in the middle of an animal revolution, Snow White must find a way to make peace on the farm or become the next victim in a bloody massacre.
The second volume in the Fables series, I had to read it! I looked at my other books and thought I might want to read something different, but no, this was the book that was calling for my attention. Something tells me if I had all of the books in the series available to me, I would probably read them all in the month of January! Considering that I am not very fond of reading books by the same author in a row, that is very high praise from me indeed! I think a lot of it is nostalgia. I read a lot of fairy tales and nursery rhymes as a kid (still do, really) and I enjoy seeing them all together in one story. This novel also draws on Animal Farm by George Orwell and Lord of the Flies by William Golding, which I thought was a nice touch.

Once again, we see Snow White and her sister Red Rose caught up in all the excitement. They have gone out to the farm, the second settlement for the Fables. Snow White is hoping to mend bridges with her sister, but instead they caught up in an uprising that might lead to lots of loss of life. Some other characters are: Goldilocks, The Three Bears, characters from The Jungle Book, The Three Little Pigs, and many more. Little Boy Blue, Bluebeard, The Big Bad Wolf, and Jack (of Beanstalk fame) are just some of the characters that make a return appearance.

The book is really beautiful, though. It is just as much about the written word, as the pictures. There are some fantastic artists involved in this series. I was just book browsing again (I have gift cards left) and my shopping cart now contains the next four volumes in the series... At this rate, I am never going to use the cards, but I am having fun changing my mind every five minutes!

The Series:
Fables: Legends in Exile
Fables: Animal Farm
Fables: Storybook Love
Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Fables: The Mean Seasons
Fables: Homelands
Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days)
Fables: Wolves
Fables: Sons of Empire
Fables: The Good Prince
Fables: War and Pieces
Fables: The Dark Ages

Other Reviews:
Heather (A High and Hidden Place)
Rhinoa (Rhinoa's Ramblings)
Chris (Stuff as Dreams are Made on)
Nymeth (Things Mean a Lot)

Anyone else? Let me know!

2 comments:

jessi said...

You're really making your way through these! :) This is probably my least favorite storyline; ending seemed really rushed to me. But I did enjoy the allusion to Orwell and Golding. And I loved the character of Goldilocks - she's so psycho.

Kailana said...

Yeah, Goldilocks was great! I bought the first two volumes with Christmas gift cards, but I am going to have to wait to read the rest.