Come al solito la lettura di Fables richiede un discreto impegno. Nonostante l’edizione sicuramente importante che dà spazio alle storie con pagine grandi, gli episodi sono pieni di dettagli che bisogna seguire con attenzione per non perdere il filo. In questo bel volume due storie, “Il grande crossover di Fables” e “Lupi mannari americani”. La prima storia, suddivisa in nove capitoli, è decisamente densa in quanto si sovrappongono diversi elementi tipici della narrazione di Dillingham, creando non poche difficoltà nel seguire il filo. La seconda ha invece un impianto narrativo più classico, inizia con la storia di Luca un agente in incognita nelle retrovie naziste. Nel corso di una missione, Luca contagia un suo alleato ed amico e una scienziata nazista; i due, consapevoli dei poteri acquisiti, si trasferiscono sul continente americano, prima, e negli Stati Uniti, poi, per fondare una città, Story city, i cui unici abitanti sono lupi mannari. Un buon volume. ( )

The weakest book in this series, by far. The Great Fables Crossover features the return of Jack of Fables. His supporting characters team up with Snow White and Bigby to battle the highly unstable Kevin Thorn, who possesses the power to rewrite the world and Thorn's literary muses. Bigby is terribly mistreated by Thorn along the way. This story arc was nonsensical and helter skelter. The other story arc (Werewolves of the Heartland) was better in which Bigby uncovers a town of werewolves, led by an old friend from their military service days together in World War II. Their occasional forays into the Mundy world are a problem, and they want to consolidate their power and leadership, unleashing the beast in Bigby. The artwork for this one was unattractive. ( )

This volume contains two long story arcs with The Great Fables Crossover and Werewolves of the Heartland being included in their entirety of 9 episodes each. The first of these deals with the continuation of the stories featured in Fables and Jack of Fables as well as adding in The Literals. Snow & Bigby are sent to investigate the veracity of Jack's claim of a threat to all of the Fables everywhere with Kevin Thorn about to write them out of their very existence. Gary and Revise tag along to add their assistance and they all meet up with the Page sisters who are also on Kevin's trail but have become bogged down in a fire-fight with the Genre's. Can they get through and reach Kevin in time before he sets pen to paper? Jack meanwhile has managed to insinuate himself not only into Rose Red's bed but also the position of De-facto leader at the Farm. That's not going to end well is it?

Werewolves is a side-story focusing on, as you might imagine, Bigby Wolf. He has been tasked at scouting new locations to replace the newly destroyed Fabletown and also to investigate a place called Story Town. Bluebeard was funding some kind of operation there and King Cole wants to know what it was. Bigby is surprised to find an old war buddy running the town and even more so when he meets his wife. When last he's seen them they were fighting on opposite sides and Bigby had left them both for dead when a castle had fallen down on them all.

It seems that this series doesn't do endings very well. After all the build up in actually getting to the closure of a major story arc I keep finding myself asking the question "Is that it?". It was still a decent volume in the series and the diversion of the second story was also well delivered but I can't help feeling a little let down when all is said and done. ( )