Name: Fairest in All the Land
ISBN: 9781401239008

Bill Willingham

Examines the pasts of such characters from the "Fables" series as Snow White, Rose Red, Briar Rose, Bigby Wolf, and Goldilocks.

Fairest in All the Land

Maggie Gordon

Fairest in all the Land is another Fables compilation story featuring a variety of artists. While I enjoyed this format in 1001 Nights, it wasn’t nearly as strong in this book. The story follows Cinderella as she attempts to solve the murders of some of the most significant Fables in America. Unfortunately, despite the interesting premise, the implementation is weak. Each new artist draws a chapter of the story, but these sections are only a couple pages long. The story, therefore, feels choppy and disjointed, and many of the chapters feel as if they should have been fleshed out more. Furthermore, the book leaves itself little time to deal with the consequences of what occurred in this plotline. I hope that the fallout is dealt with in a future Fables story as some of the character deaths should have significant effects on the Fables world. Overall, it was an entertaining read, but not especially memorable or well-crafted. 

I should also note that Fairest in all the Land deals with plot points from an unreleased Fables trade. For those who are particularly concerned about spoilers, I would recommend delaying your read of this book until you are caught up with the main series. 

(See more Fable spin-off reviews here: http://mgbookreviews.wordpress.com/20...)