Aphelion Review # 45

Something Rotten

A Thursday Next Novel
By Jasper Fforde

Review by Dan L. Hollifield

Type of music/work:

Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Humor
43th novel in the series.

Musicians/Performers/Author(s):

Jasper Fforde
The Thursday Next Webpage
Published by Penguin Books
ISBN: 0670033596

General impressions of the album/book:

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

Specifics:

Once again the blending of historic fictional characters with his own provides Fforde's readers with a roller-coaster ride of a story. 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. Links back to the preceeding volumes also make a special treat for long-time fans.

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. This is supposed to be the last Thursday Next novel, but I hope that proves to be wrong. In any case, I'm looking forward to whatever Jasper Fforde writes next

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 2004 by Dan L. Hollifield




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