Aphelion Review # 24

Lost In A Good Book

A Thursday Next Novel
By Jasper Fforde

Review by Dan L. Hollifield

Type of music/work:

Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Humor
2nd novel in the series.

Musicians/Performers/Author(s):

Jasper Fforde
The Thursday Next Webpage
Published by Penguin Books
ISBN: 0-670-03190-9

General impressions of the album/book:

Another great read from Jasper Fforde! The "Thursday Next" books get better and better.

Specifics:

Once again the blending of historic fictional characters with his own provides Fforde's readers with a roller-coaster ride of a story. There are enough ideas in "Lost in a Good Book" to fuel three other novels as well. All the characters are well done, even quirky individuals, and you'll find yourself with a whole bunch of new friends by the time you finish the book. I wondered how Fforde could possibly top "The Eyre Affair" for sheer fun-- After reading "Lost in a Good Book" I knew. Fforde's literary universe keeps getting bigger and bigger, the ideas grander, the layers of detail more deeply woven. There are so many different sub-plots and threads that almost every reader will be able to find some special treat that seems to have been written for them alone. Literary in-jokes abound, casual remarks by the characters serve to limn their alternate universe's historical context, and other such subtlies help to make this one of the best books I've read in a long time.

The action draws you along at a rapid pace. The dialogue is a treat, true to the characters, with wit and humor abounding. The settings are vivid and breathing with life. In short, this book is a really fun read. I hope the Thursday Next books keep getting written for a long time to come.

If there was any point I could gripe about, it wouldn't be the cliffhanger ending, but the time I'll have to wait for the next book!

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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