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Fable #2
Fable: Blood Ties
When it comes to blood, you can either spill it...or save it. Based on the worldwide video game phenomenon, this novel from the New York Times bestselling author includes a code to redeem for FABLE III Dye Pack. When they write down the histories of Albion, the name of Ben Finn will be remembered in honor. But at present, I'm feeling a bit of wanderlust-and I'm on the move again. I had to leave the beautiful Page behind, unfortunately. So, instead of a brave woman at my side, I've acquired a troublesome toadstool of a gnome who will neither leave me alone nor shut his insolent mouth. Not that verbal barbs can hurt me-they're nothing compared to the foe that is assaulting the walled city of Blackholm. A mysterious warlord has been slowly devouring the surrounding lands, and Blackholm is putting up a fight. What better place for a drifting warrior to make his way and earn his pay? But a darkness that no mortal can withstand is about to be unleashed. And it holds a secret that is bound with my very blood...
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
11 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Peter David
3,600 books1,368 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 19, 2024
Quick, simple, fun Fable book.
February 4, 2014
I've wanted to read this book for a while, so as soon as my friend, Amber, lent it to me, I started reading it immediately. As a lover of Fable, I think it was pretty obvious that I was going to love this story, especially since it revolves around Ben Finn, who is one of the main canons in Fable 3.
Firstly, I really like the fact that David wrote a continuation about Ben Finn, because at the end of Fable 3, he does joke about writing a book about his adventures, which is what this technically is. I've read David's first Fable novel, The Balverine Order, and to be frank I loved this one so much more. I think David's ability to inhabit characters is brilliant. It's easy to make up your own characters from scratch, because you can change them to how you want. But because Ben Finn was already created, David had to keep him as the Fable creators wanted, considering most of the readers will be Fable fans. And he did that really well - he got Ben's tone perfect, and all the events that unravelled throughout the novel seem legitimate to his character.
I also really liked the storyline. At first, I did think it was a bit boring - but as I read on, the story developed, and eventually I found myself getting through it so quickly because of how gripping it was. It really did keep me on-edge throughout. So if you have played Fable and have liked it, then I'd definitely suggest checking out Peter David's range of books; you won't be disappointed.
Firstly, I really like the fact that David wrote a continuation about Ben Finn, because at the end of Fable 3, he does joke about writing a book about his adventures, which is what this technically is. I've read David's first Fable novel, The Balverine Order, and to be frank I loved this one so much more. I think David's ability to inhabit characters is brilliant. It's easy to make up your own characters from scratch, because you can change them to how you want. But because Ben Finn was already created, David had to keep him as the Fable creators wanted, considering most of the readers will be Fable fans. And he did that really well - he got Ben's tone perfect, and all the events that unravelled throughout the novel seem legitimate to his character.
I also really liked the storyline. At first, I did think it was a bit boring - but as I read on, the story developed, and eventually I found myself getting through it so quickly because of how gripping it was. It really did keep me on-edge throughout. So if you have played Fable and have liked it, then I'd definitely suggest checking out Peter David's range of books; you won't be disappointed.
March 12, 2018
Actual rating 3.5
February 17, 2019
Having played Fable 2 and 3, I can say with certainty that I am, for the most part, a fan of the series--especially Fable 3, which has brought me many hours of enjoyment.
So naturally, I was on board to read a story featuring one of the more interesting side characters, Ben Finn. Funny as he oftentimes is in both the game and in the book, the book also gave Ben more depth. Or rather, it allowed me to see him in greater depth, since it focused solely on his first-person account of things. Not only is he funny, somewhat arrogant, and an impressive former-soldier, he shows himself to have morally-grey moments throughout the book, especially when faced with difficult choices between the life of one, or the lives of many. The fact that he grappled with so many difficult choices made him a sympathetic character, and while there were certainly times when I couldn't condone his actions, I could at least understand them.
Naturally, I loved the banter between him and his gnome companion, his chemistry with Page, and of course, Reaver's cameo (as one of my favourite, "villains, but not 100% really" Fable characters).
A fun, fluid read, and one I'd recommend to any fan of Fable 3.
So naturally, I was on board to read a story featuring one of the more interesting side characters, Ben Finn. Funny as he oftentimes is in both the game and in the book, the book also gave Ben more depth. Or rather, it allowed me to see him in greater depth, since it focused solely on his first-person account of things. Not only is he funny, somewhat arrogant, and an impressive former-soldier, he shows himself to have morally-grey moments throughout the book, especially when faced with difficult choices between the life of one, or the lives of many. The fact that he grappled with so many difficult choices made him a sympathetic character, and while there were certainly times when I couldn't condone his actions, I could at least understand them.
Naturally, I loved the banter between him and his gnome companion, his chemistry with Page, and of course, Reaver's cameo (as one of my favourite, "villains, but not 100% really" Fable characters).
A fun, fluid read, and one I'd recommend to any fan of Fable 3.
May 15, 2023
the book opens up with ben finn in bed with a married woman talking about how its better to bed a woman with a great body and ugly face than one with a good face and ugly body because you can turn the lights off.
I dont care how much nostalgia i have for the games Im done with this book after its first few pages it just feels gross.
very disappointing after i liked the reaver and theresa short stories.
I dont care how much nostalgia i have for the games Im done with this book after its first few pages it just feels gross.
very disappointing after i liked the reaver and theresa short stories.
December 23, 2025
Any redeeming qualities of this book are sadly undermined the amount of casual mysogyny. A little bit could be excused as that's just the charcter's perspective etc. but a joke about rape within the first few pages "I should have pin you down and let him have his way with you" I just don't see how they didn't realise they'd be alienating lots of their potential reader base by throwing in so much casual sexism here...it comes off as lazy writing.
August 21, 2023
Disappointed after how good The Balvarine Order was. There’s some fun to be had but it really requires you to be invested in the end of the Fable 3 plot, plus there’s some ham-fisted romance in there for almost no reason.
Plus a very out of place line about a husband holding down his wife to be assaulted by a man he respects, which comes out of nowhere and doesn’t fit the tone at all.
Plus a very out of place line about a husband holding down his wife to be assaulted by a man he respects, which comes out of nowhere and doesn’t fit the tone at all.
May 19, 2023
It was fun.
A good quick read to take with me to work.
A good quick read to take with me to work.
October 11, 2023
Fable: Blood Ties is a rollercoaster of an experience, ranging from comically hilarious, to page-turningly action-packed, to downright silly, it was quite a read. I want to give a word of warning now, that I found the first 3-4 chapters of this book to be an eye-rollingly empty experience, and I nearly put the book down because of it, but I'm happy to say that I didn't, and once the story really got rolling, I was absolutely hooked.
The story takes place sometime shortly after the events of Fable III, I'd guess about a year or two after, and it follows everyone's favorite lovable rapscallion, Ben Finn. Without diving too much into spoiler territory, Ben is looking for purpose, now that the war is done and Albion is safe from the dark force that threatened it during the events of Fable III, and his search for purpose takes him outside of Bowerstone, seeking adventure.
Unfortunately for him, his journey would have him crossways with a gnome, a mysterious pest that loves hurling insults at him and that he can do nothing about, due to the circumstances surrounding their meeting and reason of traveling together. Their dynamic is my FAVORITE part of this book, and it often had me chuckling loudly, the gnome's presence really bringing out that wonderful sense of whimsy Fable is known for.
But it's not all tavern harlots and clever insults, as Ben soon discovers a threat looming over a small settlement orchestrated by a man he's had dealings with in the past, and involving someone whom he had thought long dead.
If you're a fan of the Fable franchise, I STRONGLY recommend you read this book, it honestly makes up for much of Fable III's disappointments in my eyes, and I look forward to re-reading it every time I replay the games. It's a 4 out of 5 star book for me!
The story takes place sometime shortly after the events of Fable III, I'd guess about a year or two after, and it follows everyone's favorite lovable rapscallion, Ben Finn. Without diving too much into spoiler territory, Ben is looking for purpose, now that the war is done and Albion is safe from the dark force that threatened it during the events of Fable III, and his search for purpose takes him outside of Bowerstone, seeking adventure.
Unfortunately for him, his journey would have him crossways with a gnome, a mysterious pest that loves hurling insults at him and that he can do nothing about, due to the circumstances surrounding their meeting and reason of traveling together. Their dynamic is my FAVORITE part of this book, and it often had me chuckling loudly, the gnome's presence really bringing out that wonderful sense of whimsy Fable is known for.
But it's not all tavern harlots and clever insults, as Ben soon discovers a threat looming over a small settlement orchestrated by a man he's had dealings with in the past, and involving someone whom he had thought long dead.
If you're a fan of the Fable franchise, I STRONGLY recommend you read this book, it honestly makes up for much of Fable III's disappointments in my eyes, and I look forward to re-reading it every time I replay the games. It's a 4 out of 5 star book for me!
March 25, 2024
A story that brought back childhood memories. A nostalgic read.
September 23, 2013
Call it a 3.5. Bored with life in Bowerstone after the heroes won the day, charismatic rogue Ben Finn travels elsewhere, only to get caught up in a power struggle involving strange beasts, one with a very close connection to him. This is a much better book than David's last one set in the Fable universe, the Balverine Order. That book, to get around the problem with setting a book in a world determined so much by user choice, created blank slate characters. The problem there is that the characters were pretty white bread. Here, the book's protagonist is an existing Fable 3 character, Ben Finn, a gun-slinging rogue. Granted, there's still some trouble with adapting a playable story to a book--the book makes a point of stating right off the bat that it's based on one of the possible endings of Fable 3, and yours may have been different--but on the whole, the balance it strikes is better. Add to the cast the acerbic also-prexisting Page, and an insulting-slinging gnome, and you have a group that play to David's strengths in writing comedy and dialogue. The plot is the book's weak point, as it revolves around Finn's connection to a character which is told to us rather than showed to us. And the fact that it uses more source material than the previous book means that it's a little less accessible, or at least that those who have actually played Fable 3 will get a little more out of it. But it's a fairly amusing book, and stands above the admittedly low bar for video game novelizations.
January 7, 2017
Picking up where Fable III left off, here we join Ben Finn once more, and we get to see what happened to him, Page, and Reaver after the final battle at the end of Fable III.
Another piece of the Reaver puzzle falls into place, and we're one step closer to figuring out exactly who and what he is. Come on. We all saw that one coming....
Basically after the final battle, Ben Finn resumes his rover ways, wondering the wide world of Albion. However he is not alone.
Picking up a gnome in his travels that the hero missed, the gnome is a constant if annoying companion. I like the gnome though. Through the course of the book we actually get the hear the history of the gnomes that was never quite explained in the game and you actually become quite sympathetic to them.
Coming up against yet another scheme of Reaver's which of course threatens all of Albion once more, and has to enlist Page's aid to stop him.
And all this happens around Ben Finn getting caught in bar brawls, women's beds, finding and losing his long lost family, and being continuously harassed by the gnome.
All in all a fun read for any Fable fan.
Another piece of the Reaver puzzle falls into place, and we're one step closer to figuring out exactly who and what he is. Come on. We all saw that one coming....
Basically after the final battle, Ben Finn resumes his rover ways, wondering the wide world of Albion. However he is not alone.
Picking up a gnome in his travels that the hero missed, the gnome is a constant if annoying companion. I like the gnome though. Through the course of the book we actually get the hear the history of the gnomes that was never quite explained in the game and you actually become quite sympathetic to them.
Coming up against yet another scheme of Reaver's which of course threatens all of Albion once more, and has to enlist Page's aid to stop him.
And all this happens around Ben Finn getting caught in bar brawls, women's beds, finding and losing his long lost family, and being continuously harassed by the gnome.
All in all a fun read for any Fable fan.
October 16, 2016
if I'm completely honest, there's no problem with this book. At all. I'm actually really, really, really happy we got a Life and Adventures of Ben Finn post-fable III. It didn't add anything to Albion, or the characters, Peter David pretty decently at keeping the characters true to themselves, all but ripping off Page's backstory from Hammer in Fable II. But that's story. It was written inoffensively. If you're reading it, like I was, to get an extra fix of Albion, it does its job. I'm only hoping Edge Of The World doesn't ruin everything Blood Ties built up.
November 11, 2011
Hahahahaha! I was a little skeptical that the author could make a plausible story with a secondary character of the game (Fable III) at first, but Mr. David caught the exact right tone for Ben Finn and made a funny, upbeat tale that sits perfectly in the Fable universe. Not MY Fable universe, of course, but Albion in general, yeah. {grinning} Oh, and I loved the little references to the more esoteric parts of the game - glowing trail, indeed.
September 6, 2016
As a long-time Fable fan I really enjoyed this book. I preferred it over the other Fable novel out right now, though they are both great.
The best part about this book, in my opinion anyway, is that they end up teaming up with a Gnome. If you've ever played the games you would know that the Gnomes are known for their insults, so as you can imagine that leads to some funny dialogue.
A great book for Fable fans, but I believe even non-fans would enjoy it.
The best part about this book, in my opinion anyway, is that they end up teaming up with a Gnome. If you've ever played the games you would know that the Gnomes are known for their insults, so as you can imagine that leads to some funny dialogue.
A great book for Fable fans, but I believe even non-fans would enjoy it.
January 9, 2012
First, I must confess, that I have never played the game that this book was based on. Having said that, I thought this was such a fun read. The world of Albion was brought to life with such fun characters. Ben Finn, the hero that was so full of himself and had a sense of humor. And the gnome was so annoyingly funny. He was my favorite throughout the book. This was a story full of adventure, monsters, heroes, and humor. Its a fast enjoyable read with something for everyone.
January 15, 2014
Fantastic read! Peter David captured Ben Finn's character perfectly and the gnome was hilarious! I found myself uncontrollably laughing out loud so many times. Witty dialogue and great development on Paige and Ben. I loved the references to the player character from the Fable III game. I feel like any player can fit in despite what choices were made during the game and it makes you feel like you're included in the novel!
December 18, 2012
Peter David has yet again proven himself a great author. I always feel hesitant to even pick-up a commercial novel, but I have learned to trust one that has his name stamped on it for he has a great knack for making a reader completely forget that they're reading a commercial, and are just reading a story that they can get lost in (which makes for a better commercial for selling with).
July 31, 2012
Awesome story, well written and so funny in places while being edge of the seat gripping in others. If you have played Fable 3 you will love this book and if you haven't played it, this may well get you wanting to!
August 27, 2012
Absolutely fantastic!! 100% Fable! Highly recommend this to everyone, even those who haven't played the games. Congrats Peter David! Once again, you stole my heart.
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September 18, 2012good read
July 3, 2013
Much better than his last Fable book! Don't get me wrong; the other one was written well but this one was far more interesting and engaging.
December 7, 2015
A hilarious read about Ben Finn and Gnomes after the events of Fable III.
February 17, 2014
Everything you expect inside the universe of Fable. Another well done story.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews