Jack of Fables Vol. 9: The End

Reason for Reading: Next (and last) in the series.

What I like about this (and any Fables series) is you can just pick up where you left off and not have any trouble getting back into the story. I can't believe I put this book off for a year, I did pre-order it! Anyway as I start to write my review I see this volume has a very low overall general rating. Without having read other reviews yet, I can't be sure why, but I think people are being overly hard on it. I actually enjoyed this volume and had a fun time with the last of the series. I've really enjoyed this series for the last few books, ever since Jack Frost appeared on the scene, but it has never been up to the original Fables quality. Still, I've had fun with it and this volume continued that. Four stories were on going to wrap up everyone's story arc, all to be culminated at the same place at the same time. The Page Sisters trying to restore the Great Library and regain immortality, (the sisters are my favourite characters), Jack Frost having decide to retire comes out of retirement for a final quest to slay a dragon. Jack Horner (now the dragon) and Gary wait in there cave for their destiny to arrive. And the rest of the Golden Boughs community, headed by Raven, are sent on a mission to go help Jack (the dragon). Oh wait, there's one more story: Wicked John, currently impaled with Excalibur goes nuts and is drawn towards the final battle. I had a lot of fun seeing all my favourite characters, thought the story was wrapped up nicely, though not how I would have wished!, and we are left with a possibility that someone may show up in the Fables universe again. Not the greatest volume, but not the worst, and certainly a fun and humorous ending. ( )

Summary: Everyone from previous volumes of Jack of Fables - the Page sisters, the Fables from the Golden Bough Retirement Center, Jack Frost, etc. - all converge on Jack (even more annoying now that he's turned into a dragon) with their own scores to settle. Everyone dies.

Review: I know I said I gave up after the previous volume, but I saw this was the last one, and I'm still apparently secretly clinging to my completist habits. I think part of the problem with the Jack of Fables series was that it was so all over the place - one storyline in one issue, another in the next, something else in the one after that, etc. - that it was hard to get too attached to any one character or involved in any one plotline... particularly after the Literals storyline ended. So, when all of the storylines that I'd mostly forgotten about converged... there were a few funny bits, and a few good lines, but on the whole, it was pretty boring - way more so than a battle royale involving a dragon ought to be. 2.5 out of 5 stars. ( )