And Then I Read: DOWN THE MYSTERLY RIVER by Bill Willingham

Image © Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham.

So, you’ve finished the entire run of FABLES, and wondering where to get your next fantasy fix? This book is just what you need!

A boy named Max, nicknamed “The Wolf,” finds himself suddenly walking through a forest in his Boy Scout uniform with no memory of how he got there. Max prides himself in his detective skills, he’s solved many mysteries at home, but here he’s completely lost.

Before long he meets a talking badger named Banderbrock, who also doesn’t know how he got here. Soon they’re joined by a battle-scarred tomcat, McTavish and a peace-loving bear, Walden. Max has never met a talking beast before, and one thing he knows is that he’s in a very different world. Before they have much time to think about this, they’re attacked by a warrior with a blue sword known as a Cutter and must flee. Soon an entire company of Cutters are on their trail. Cutters, they learn, do not want to kill them. Their plan is worse. The swords they carry can cut into a person’s memories and personality, making him into a much different person than he wants to be. Soon they are fleeing down the Mysterly River hoping to reach the sanctuary of Wizard Swift’s Castle before the Cutters can remake them into dull model citizens of this place.

Needless to say I loved the writing by Bill and the many illustrations by Mark Buckingham. This book will not only appeal to their fans, but anyone who enjoys a good fantasy adventure with lots of action, many surprising twists and fascinating characters. I don’t know if there will be sequels, but this one certainly sets them up. If so, I’ll want to read them.

Highly recommended!