The second collection of Jack of Fables adventures opens with Jack hiding out from the literals in the Wyoming mountains along with Pecos Bil, John Henry and Alice from Alice in Wonderland. To pass the time Jack tells his companions the reason why he doesn't feel the cold.
Back in the Homelands Jack was once the consort of Lumi, the Snow Queen (Fables readers would know Lumi as one of the Adversary's key commanders, she's currently trapped in the capital under Sleeping Beauty's spell) and she gave him control of the winter. As usual Jack made a mess out of it and had to flee the kingdom for his life. It was nice to go back to the Homelands and see the Fables team's unique take on some old fairy tales. Miffed that the other three didn't believe his story Jack takes off for Las Vegas alone.
Outside of Vegas Jack meets up with Gary the Pathetic Fallacy and uses that individuals unique abilities to make a fortune on the tables. After a big night Jack wakes up in bed with a beautiful blonde called Holly, who just happens to be the heiress to a gambling fortune. Unfortunately Jack's incredibly wealthy new father-in- law owes his fortune to a group of Belgian mafiosi who are determined to collect one way or another.
Meanwhile a vicious Fable who goes by the name of Lady Luck is torturing and killing anyone with unnatural luck, Jack and his new family are on her radar, as are two nerds who have come into possession of a magical horseshoe. Gary has fallen in love with a mannequin he calls Noelle.
The Belgian mafia manage to blow up Jack, his wife Holly and father- in- law as revenge, the only reason Jack survives, is because he's a popular Fable and the Mundane's belief in him keeps him alive, he also made a number of deals with various devils back in the day in the Homelands.
Jack inherits his dead wife's fortune and gets a visit from Lady Luck. She gives him an ultimatum and that's something you should never do to Jack. He manages to arrange it so that the Literals on the hunt for him wind up bagging Lady Luck. Jack's dead wife's lawyer fixes the will so that Jack winds up with nothing, and he and Gary end up on the run from Vegas.
Remember the nerds? A strange twist of fate involving the horseshoe brings Noelle to life and one of the nerds ends up with her.
It was pretty wild and crazy stuff. It's different to Fables, but in a good way. I have a strange liking for Gary. He is pathetic, it's true, but he's amazingly powerful. I have to confess I don't and never have understood why he puts up with Jack.
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