This didn't feel as high risk as the last volume; the antagonist was eradicated pretty quickly, without any real feeling of threat. I was sort of waiting to see what would happen with the Fables I cared about instead of the new ones that I didn't. The last issue of the omnibus also had a cursive font in it that I found somewhat difficult to read. (This is probably due to the fact I read an older copy from a library, so it's much loved; it was still a bit blurry and difficult. This is just a personal gripe, but others may wish to consider.)

SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS VOLUMES. I'm well and truly into the Fables series now and really loving it. While the previous volumes have mostly centred around Fabletown with mentions (and brief looks) at the Homelands from here on out we start to learn about how far this world actually spans. In this volume characters from the Arabian Fables (think Sinbad, Aladdin etc) journey to Fabletown to try and forge a relationship that will unite them against the adversary. But there are factors that work against this potential truce, cultural expectations, language barriers and nefarious dealings going on behind the scene. It felt a little too "cultured and wise" white America vs "ignorant and aggressive" Middle Easterners at times (there were some definite cringe moments) but I think they managed to extricate themselves from that awful dichotomy eventually and with an interesting resolution. The extra story "The Ballad of Rodney and June" about the love and sacrifices of two of the Adversary's wooden soldiers though...eh, I'm not so fond.

A bit better than the last volume. Had some interesting moments, like the end, and some little nice twists along the way, but I didn’t love it quite as much as some of the other volumes (1, 3, and 5, or even 4, or 2. Just better than 6, but not bad, exactly. Interested in the next, and curious if I’ve passed the best part already, or if this is only a lull…

I like the political angle that is shown in this installment, especially the play between Charming, Beauty, and Beast. It makes me happy to know that we won't be left with a defenseless Fabletown.