Aphelion Review # 21

The Eyre Affair

A Fantasy Novel
By Jasper Fforde

Review by Dan L. Hollifield

Type of music/work:

Sci-fi / Fantasy novel.

Musicians/Performers/Author(s):

Jasper Fforde
??
Published by Penguin Books
ISBN: 0-14-200180-5
Cover design by Joseph Perez / Cover illustration by Viktor Koen

General impressions of the album/book:

This was the first of Jasper Fforde's books that I've read, but it won't be the last! A mind-bending, time traveling roller coaster trip.

Specifics:

This book isn't for the faint of heart or those wanting a light, forgetable book to read. There are more twists and turns in here than there are to be found on a cross-country racecourse-- And they come at the same sort of blinding speed. The story reads as if it were running full tilt across the landscape of the entire realm of literature, re-visiting classic works, characters, and settings in a style that makes the reader want to keep turning pages. The concepts involved are quite well worked out and Jasper Fforde seems to be able to juggle foreshadowing, character development, settings, and wonderful dialogue with ease. At the end of the book, I wound up wishing that I had discovered Jasper Fforde's work earlier. Obviously, I have been missing out. He has created some wonderful, memorable characters here and I can't wait until I get to read more about them.

I was hooked from the very first page. Mr. Fforde has created a delightful world here. The characters are realistic, the settings are compelling, the plot is stimulating, and the humor is entertaining. As my eyes raced across the pages, my mind's eye had no trouble visualizing the action. It was as if this book had been written to be filmed. Some producer out there needs to obtain the rights to this book and series to get a head start on making movies out of them. I'd stand in line for tickets!

Background info:

From the book: "Jasper Fforde recently traded a varied career in the film industry for staring vacantly out of the window and arranging words on a page. He lives and writes in Wales."
Review Copyright 2003 by Dan L. Hollifield




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