I laughed out loud on an airplane reading the eyre affair. Jasper fforde is an english novelist of alternate history and comic fantasy postmodernist novels. May 11, 2012 the eyre affair is the first novel in the thursday next series written by british author jasper fforde. Jasper fforde, the eyre affair ui victorian wiki uiowa. Jasper fforde biography ui victorian wiki uiowa wiki.
Part social satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, shades of grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. Brock clarke is the author of seven books of fiction, most recently a collection of short stories, the price of the haircut. It was also the start of fforde s thursday next series. We visit some of the locations that appear in the book, and event. Entertainment weekly car chases, missing husbands, evil villains, a plucky heroine, and the cheshire cat. Then in may 2016, fforde replied to a comment on the guardian saying. The eyre affair can be too clever by half, and fiction like this is certainly an acquired taste, but ffordes verve is rarely less than infectious. Last blog post i failed to credit the designer behind the jasper fforde front covers they are by a chap called mark thomas. Jasper is related through marriage to fellow novelist katie fforde. He didnt do a very good job, as he left me with the impression that it would be dull, compared with his previous work.
Suspenseful and outlandish, absorbing and fun a shelve the eyre affair. Jasper fforde biography life, childhood, children, name. Posted on may 4, 2018 in books, news with tags jasper fforde. I have always liked the theory of a jasper fforde book more than the execution. Its not that funny but this was a pleasant exception. Jan 01, 2010 jasper fforde s new novel has one of the highest, or narrowest, of concepts ive come across in a long time, and as a consequence falls somewhere between sharp and twodimensional. Fourteen years after she pegged out at 1988 superhoop, thursday next is grappling with a recalcitrant new apprentice, th. Having since spent a summer holiday in the lake district, hooked on the book and bereft by the. Authors with similar writing style to jasper fforde. Jasper fforde s beloved new york times bestselling novel introduces literary detective thursday next and her alternate reality of literatureobsessed englandfrom the author of the constant rabbit fans of douglas adams and p. Unfortunately, jasper is so busy with various other books the next shades of grey is not going to be published until 20 all i can ask is why so long.
The road to high saffron 2012, simply titled shades of grey originally is a dystopian novel, the first in the shades of grey series by novelist jasper fforde. Reviewer petra mayer says his first book for young adults may feel familiar to thursday. Downloadable book jackets for use in websites, etc. I have to say, this book surprised me in the best possible way. Fforde has some clever ideas, but he often throws too many of them together, till it stops making sense. He is best known for writing his thursday next series. Im planning on writing a sequel as the bokk sic after the book after the book im working on now, so maybe 2019. Fair warning, though, all of his books are exceedingly british, and shades of grey is about as british as a book can be. Hundreds of people can walk across it, but then one evening a thin spot develops and someone falls through. He says in another interview that he wrote half of book 2 first, then realised that he really needed to write about how eddie got to be a national colourman first and that is the basis.
The thursday next book series by jasper fforde includes books the eyre affair, lost in a good book, the well of lost plots, and several more. The story takes place in chromatacia, an alternate version of the united kingdom wherein social class is determined by ones ability to perceive colour. Mar 26, 2014 last blog post i failed to credit the designer behind the jasper fforde front covers they are by a chap called mark thomas. Having read all the thursday next and nursery crime books by jasper fforde, and early riser, i thought id have a go at shades of grey too. If youre unfamiliar with the series, its about thursday next, a police detective in an alternate universe who is able to leap into fiction and uses her powers to solve mysteries both in the realworld and the. I was pleased to discover hes behind a range of covers and posters that ive admired over the years, particularly the cover to malcolm pryces aberystwyth series. The popularity of jasper ffordes oneofakind series of genrebending blend of crime fiction, fantasy, and topdrawer literary entertainment builds with each new book. The eyre affair was eventually translated into six languages. Fforde is known mainly for his thursday next novels. Matt roeser reads books and then redesigns the covers. The thursday next collection thursday next by jasper fforde book cover, description, publication history.
The last dragonslayer, the song of the quarkbeast and the eye of zoltar, shades of grey, the nursery crime books. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. Set in a parallel 1985 universe, the novel follows protagonist thursday next as she battles a criminal mastermind who is kidnapping characters from classic literature. Jasper ffordes new novel has one of the highest, or narrowest, of concepts ive come across in a long time, and as a consequence falls somewhere between sharp and twodimensional. Jasper fforde shades of grey series science fiction. Thursday next is a literary detective who goes inside books from her futuristic timetravel world. Jasper fforde is a british novelist and has been awarded bollinger everyman wodehouse prize, dilys award, and crawford award. Fforde s first novel, the eyre affair, was published in 2001.
This was to start a trend in his work for the fantastical and funny that has been integrated into his work throughout much of his career. Occasionally, i find a jasper fforde book in the uk edition, but only used. Fforde remained at dartington until he graduated at the age of eighteen. Murdo macleod i read a scrappy, dogeared paperback of jasper ffordes the eyre affair for the first time three years ago, curled up.
Readalikes for jasper fforde if you like jasper fforde. Jasper fforde is the critically acclaimed author of the last dragonslayer series. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Jasper ffordes latest is mystery at its most funwith a scifi twist.
Top 10 books by jasper fforde best book recommendations. The thursday next collection thursday next by jasper fforde. Now in the fourth installment, the resourceful literary detective thursday next returns to swindon from the bookworld accompanied by her son friday and none other than the. My books have been variously described as fantasy, scifi, comedy and crime and often a mixture of all four. Shades of grey title on the cover, shades of grey 1. Also, because its a jasper fforde book, telling you that there is a new viewpoint character is a huge oversimplification. Wodehouse will love visiting jasper fforde s great britain, circa 1985, when time travel is routine, cloning is a reality dodos are the resurrected pet of choice. Author jasper fforde talks about his book the last dragonslayer, and takes us on a brief tour of hereford, where the book is set. Dec 20, 2009 pride and prejudice was my sixth, and final, item for the everything austen challenge. This is the second book in the thursday next series by jasper fforde. In first among sequels, thursday nexts judgment upon the first book in the series, the eyre affair the thursday next series by jasper fforde must rank as one of the greatest flights of imagination in the annals of fiction. The crimean war is ongoing, dodos have been cloned and are no longer extinct and no one liked the ending of jane eyre.
The eyre affair is the first novel in the thursday next series written by british author jasper fforde. Jasper fforde, the eyre affair ui victorian wiki uiowa wiki. Lost in a good book jon brierleys guide for nonbrits. The new york times bestseller and a rich brew of dystopic fantasy and deadpan goofiness the washington post welcome to chromatacia, where the societal hierarchy. For the bibliophile, the imagery contained in the narratives is mindboggling and addictive. His novels include the happiest people in the world, exley which was a kirkus book of the year, a. But i really enjoyed the last dragonslayer and this book, its second installment. One of our thursdays is missing by jasper fforde full of. I did tire of that series and i barely touched the nursery rhyme books. He has published two books in the loosely connected nursery crime series, and has published the first books of two additional independent series, the last dragonslayer and shades of grey.
Since then he has written another twelve novels, including the number one sunday times bestseller one of our. Jasper ffordes latest is mystery at its most funwith a. Ffordes signature humor and tongueincheek social commentary persist in the second book of the chronicles of kazam trilogy. An astonishing, hotly anticipated new novel from the great literary fantasist and creator of thursday next, jasper fforde. Unfortunately, by the time i got to this point, id lost too much interest in the story to care. Writing and publishing his first book, the eyre affair, in 2001, the writer jasper fforde made his debut on the literary scene with a good impact. Let me start by saying that i like most of jasper ffordes books.
Jun 17, 2017 when i met jasper fforde, he was promoting his shades of grey novel. Fforde was raised in both london and wales with his four siblings until the age of twelve when he was sent to dartington hall school, a boarding school in totnes, devon. It is remarkably creative, imaginary and a masterpiece full of fun and breathtaking revelations that takes place three months after the end of the eyre affair. When i met jasper fforde, he was promoting his shades of grey novel. The big over easy and the fourth bear and the thursday next novels. Described as feisty and loveable, she is in her mid30s and is the daughter of colonel and wednesday next. Crawford was given to him for his first novel called the eyre affair. Buy a cheap copy of shades of grey book by jasper fforde. Something rotten by jasper fforde thursday next, books. Jasper fforde s first novel to be published was the eyre affair, which was published in 2001. Jasper fforde has 34 books on goodreads with 747319 ratings.
Jan 08, 2017 i applaud jasper fforde for his creativity for working it into the plot because it explains so much about that ending. While fritz lanham of the houston chronicle took issue with the characters and dialogue, he also wrote, give firsttime british novelist jasper fforde his due. The novel was rejected 76 times before finally being sold. Coming from british author jasper fforde, this comic fantasy series is now a world renowned collection of novels due to their witty and irreverent take on the genre.
Fforde fflash banner 18th jan 2011 new book design. October 4, 2012 author jasper fforde is well known for his thursday next series of literary fantasies. The fourth installment in jasper ffordes new york times bestselling series follows literary detective thursday next on another adventure in her alternate reality of literatureobsessed englandfrom the author of the constant rabbit the popularity of jasper ffordes oneofakind series of genrebending blend of crime fiction, fantasy, and topdrawer literary entertainment builds with. This is a chronological order of updatement and a few press releases. I like this book, but it has had disappointingly low sales although things are picking up now. Jasper fforde spent twenty years in the film business before debuting on the new york times bestseller list with the eyre affair in 2002. Kirkus its not essential to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but those who enjoyed the witty wordplay and whackedout humor of the last dragonslayer will find the same delights in this sequel. His writing uses a lot of wordplay, metafiction, parody and are scripted in a tight manner. See the complete thursday next series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. Ffordes first novel, the eyre affair, was published in 2001. Read first among sequels thursday next book by jasper fforde available from rakuten kobo. Thursday next is the protagonist in a series of comic fantasyalternate history novels by british author jasper fforde. In the eyre affair by jasper fforde book 1 of the thursday next series, the year is 1985.
Jetliners do not exist, nor do computers, but police officers can time travel. With their own universe expanding as the series progresses, there is always more material and content for the franchise to build upon. Overviewwelcome to the website who i am and what i do. The eyre affair can be too clever by half, and fiction like this is certainly an acquired taste, but fforde s verve is rarely less than infectious. Lost in a good book is even more richly crammed with jokes, ideas and action. Jasper fforde born 11 january 1961 is a british novelist. Does jasper fforde intend a sequel to shades of grey. The thursday next is a series of novels which is a mixture of a pool of comical fantasy, a little historical element with loads of mystery paired with.