If you like fables, there's a good chance you'll like this. My only complaint is that seeing Jack nearly die a couple of times is a little...well, over the top. It's also seems like the "Escape" is done so well you have to wonder how the other fables hadn't managed to pull it off before Jack. Mr Revise is a great new character in the "fables" world. ( )

In which our...reluctant(ahem)...hero is captured, meets old friends, and exacts his escape.

A wonderful additional series by Willingham who also writes Fables (a personal favorite). For anyone who loves a fairy tale, these books let you meet the "people" behind the characters. ( )

Summary: The self-proclaimed best of all Fables, Jack of the Tales (also known as Jack the Giant Killer, Jack Horner, etc.), is back with his own series. After briefly summarizing Jack's Hollywood adventures (from Volume 6 of the main Fables series), this story picks up with everyone's favorite ruffian turned out of his life as a media mogul and hitchhiking with a briefcase full of cash. However, Jack gets picked up by some folks from the Golden Boughs retirement center, where Fables are taken until they're forgotten about. Jack's not going to stand for imprisonment, though, so he orchestrates an escape plan... taking some new friends and familiar faces with him.

Review: I was a little bit leery about starting the Jack of Fables series - although I love the Fables universe, Jack was just about my least favorite character, and I didn't miss him at all once he was gone from the main series. However, I've read through all of the main series books that are out, and needed another dose, so I picked it up... and I needn't have worried; Willingham works his magic just as effectively here as in the main books. Jack's actually easier to take when he's narrating his own story, and his macho swagger and bravado goes from obnoxious to funnily obnoxious to almost endearingly obnoxious. I also enjoyed the introduction of the "nearly-forgotten" Fables, and seeing how many folklore details you can pick out of the background is one of the joys of any Fables installment. This hasn't gone rocketing to the top of my list of favorite Fables volumes, but it was a fun little adventure that satisfied my craving, and made me excited to read the rest of Jack's books.

Recommendation: I don't know that this would be understandable without having read the main series books first; a lot of the history and details about what Fables are and how their world works is taken for granted. For Fables fans, though, it's certainly a worthy addition to the universe. ( )

Loved this book. It picked up nearly right after the Fable series and it goes along with the same tempo as the other books. I can't wait to read the second one. ( )

As it has many times in the past, Jack of the Tales luck has finally run out. The ne'er do well Fable, after creating his own media empire, and making himself a household name, finds his assets frozen and is ordered to run by the Fabletown sheriff, Beast. To add insult to injury, the poor (in proportion) and homeless Jack is soon seized by evil Librarians from the Golden Boughs Retirement Community, a community where imprisoned Fables are held until the Mundy world forgets about them. Jack, being Jack, has no intention of going quietly into the night, and with the help of the criminally insane Goldilocks, he plans a daring escape.

This book has evil Librarians. It gets a star just for that. However, I might have expected too much from this title. While I enjoy Jack, and it was fun to meet more Fables, I was left with to many questions at the end of this book to give it an unqualified rave. I would have liked more about the Head Librarian, Reprise, and why it was so important for him to rid the world of Fables. I'm sure that will come in later books, but a little back story would have helped this arc tremendously. Although not as rich as Fables, this book continues in that title's high standards, with complex and interesting character designs and beautiful artwork. (cross-posted from MeriJenBen) ( )