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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Ever since Something That Happened did away with the Previous, society has been organized on a strict class system based on how much of a color one can see. The Rules are strict - designated attire, specified hobbies and sports, and no complex technology (including, for reasons no one is sure of, manufacture of spoons). When Edward Russet and his father are transferred temporarily to the boondocks, Edward finds there's a lot more going on under the surface than he realized.
Review
Jasper Fforde is a bit of an inconsistent author, and seems to have trouble keeping his series on track. But when he’s writing well, he’s exceptionally good. Happily this (first of a series) book is one of the exceptional ones. It’s an odd world, and he gets away with a lot of handwaving, but it’s also intriguing, and he’s stocked it with a handful of engaging, interesting characters (along with many more stock figures).
Fforde specializes in the unusual, and sometimes with a tilt toward new adults, and this falls perfectly in line. He deftly introduces a world with rigid, written rules (such as no manufacture of spoons) and a class system based on how much of a color one can see, while also leaving us trying to figure out how the society works and where it came from. It’s at once a comedy, a light romance, an adventure, and a biting satire of aspects of contemporary society. It’s a weird mix, but I really enjoyed it.
I also plan to go on to the sequels - if there are any. Though this first book was published 15 years ago, confidently listing titles of two sequels, they're only now coming out, with one due this May (Red Side Story rather than the expected Painting by Numbers). I hope they're coming. I didn't read this with sequels in mind (I thought it was a standalone), but maybe I'm in luck.
Summary
Ever since Something That Happened did away with the Previous, society has been organized on a strict class system based on how much of a color one can see. The Rules are strict - designated attire, specified hobbies and sports, and no complex technology (including, for reasons no one is sure of, manufacture of spoons). When Edward Russet and his father are transferred temporarily to the boondocks, Edward finds there's a lot more going on under the surface than he realized.
Review
Jasper Fforde is a bit of an inconsistent author, and seems to have trouble keeping his series on track. But when he’s writing well, he’s exceptionally good. Happily this (first of a series) book is one of the exceptional ones. It’s an odd world, and he gets away with a lot of handwaving, but it’s also intriguing, and he’s stocked it with a handful of engaging, interesting characters (along with many more stock figures).
Fforde specializes in the unusual, and sometimes with a tilt toward new adults, and this falls perfectly in line. He deftly introduces a world with rigid, written rules (such as no manufacture of spoons) and a class system based on how much of a color one can see, while also leaving us trying to figure out how the society works and where it came from. It’s at once a comedy, a light romance, an adventure, and a biting satire of aspects of contemporary society. It’s a weird mix, but I really enjoyed it.
I also plan to go on to the sequels - if there are any. Though this first book was published 15 years ago, confidently listing titles of two sequels, they're only now coming out, with one due this May (Red Side Story rather than the expected Painting by Numbers). I hope they're coming. I didn't read this with sequels in mind (I thought it was a standalone), but maybe I'm in luck.
I really enjoyed this one. I am a fan of dystopian novels and this sounded right up my alley. I read the Eyre Affair a while back and wasn't a big fan, but loved Fforde's work on this one. I feel like a lot of these dystopian novels seem to have some sort of "color" aspect but it was interesting how he tied it in with color perception and as the whole premise of the book is set around this, it seemed a lot more well integrated into the book vs a lot of stories which seem to have a "he's a red, he's a gray" which means something, but is sort of arbitrary. I really just enjoyed the whole thing. I've had this book on my radar for a long time now but only just got around to reading it. Maybe it's a good thing because the sequel still hasn't been published, but maybe will be this year. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait!
2024 Update: It was a long wait. Re-read to refresh my memory before reading the sequel 8 years later.
2024 Update: It was a long wait. Re-read to refresh my memory before reading the sequel 8 years later.
One of the best books I've read this year. It's the comfiest dystopian book I've read. I keep thinking about various parts of it. It's got the satirical feel of Hitchhikers Guide while being more serious. Really interesting world of class, race and rule following.
I found the ideas in this book fascinating, though there were so many unfamiliar ideas that I sometimes had trouble keeping track of them all. But learning more about this world and its rules as the book went on was fun and kept me interested.
There were lots of characters and concepts that were only touched on, which I really wanted to know more about. I'm not sure if they'll be expanded more later or if it's intentional that not everything is spelled out for you.
I really enjoyed the humour, and the combination of the style of humour and the strange rules and situations of this world led to lots of fun reading.
There were lots of characters and concepts that were only touched on, which I really wanted to know more about. I'm not sure if they'll be expanded more later or if it's intentional that not everything is spelled out for you.
I really enjoyed the humour, and the combination of the style of humour and the strange rules and situations of this world led to lots of fun reading.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved, loved, LOVED this book. To start with, his use of a thesaurus is very impressive, what with all the different color names. Characteres are as vibrant as the color that they see, and Jane is just about as bizarre as you can get without making her unbelievable. Eddie's deadly curiosity lift him far above the risk of 'static first-person storyteller.' I also love how he mentions from the first page that he's going to be eaten by a carnivorous tree (which doesn't happen until the last twenty or so pages) and it doesn't spoil the book at all.
The plot is made doubly exciting in this world's futuristic Orwellian structure and the extremes that come with it. I also enjoyed trying to see how many references to other works of literature I could come up with. I lost track, but they're subtle references that make you go, 'hey, I recognize that' without disrupting the flow of the book.
In short: DE-licious. Read it. I can't wait for the next two.
The plot is made doubly exciting in this world's futuristic Orwellian structure and the extremes that come with it. I also enjoyed trying to see how many references to other works of literature I could come up with. I lost track, but they're subtle references that make you go, 'hey, I recognize that' without disrupting the flow of the book.
In short: DE-licious. Read it. I can't wait for the next two.
Very odd world. It does get partially explained late in the book, so hang in there. The first quarter of the book is somewhat confusing, then around halfway through I found that I was very interested in the characters, and by the 3/4 point it had developed into a very interesting story.
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So the first thing I will say is, I'm glad I read this book now in 2025 when I can go immediately into the relatively recently released sequel. The book was written in 2009 it seems, which is a long time to have had to wait.
The book centers around a fantastical world where people's eyes are dramatically different than how they once were- people can only see certain colors with any clarity, and even then it's in percentages. They exist in a world that suffered some calamity so far in the past that there's no record of it.
It's a very good read that only slowed down for me briefly - a lot characters to sort out, and a lot of plots and schemes and otherwise human machinations.
By the end of it I was just reminded how delightful I find Jasper Fforde's writing. I remember reading the first few Tuesday Next series many, many years ago with a feeling of undisguised glee. I may not have had that same 7/5 stars reaction to this book as I did that one, but they are definitely in the conversation.
The book centers around a fantastical world where people's eyes are dramatically different than how they once were- people can only see certain colors with any clarity, and even then it's in percentages. They exist in a world that suffered some calamity so far in the past that there's no record of it.
It's a very good read that only slowed down for me briefly - a lot characters to sort out, and a lot of plots and schemes and otherwise human machinations.
By the end of it I was just reminded how delightful I find Jasper Fforde's writing. I remember reading the first few Tuesday Next series many, many years ago with a feeling of undisguised glee. I may not have had that same 7/5 stars reaction to this book as I did that one, but they are definitely in the conversation.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes