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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Read on the recommendation of Amanda Bauch and to fulfill the PopSugar prompt a book with a book on the cover. And what a ride. At the end of the book I still had no idea what was going on BUT I'M HERE FOR IT.
Thursday can take me anywhere and I'll just sit back and wait to see what happens. It's like the literary, smart version of Stardust or Jupiter Ascending. No, there is no context or explanation given for the world you are thrust in to. Don't try to make sense of it, just let it happen to you.
I truly have no idea how Jasper's head could have come up with such a bonkers world, but I'm glad he did.
Thursday can take me anywhere and I'll just sit back and wait to see what happens. It's like the literary, smart version of Stardust or Jupiter Ascending. No, there is no context or explanation given for the world you are thrust in to. Don't try to make sense of it, just let it happen to you.
I truly have no idea how Jasper's head could have come up with such a bonkers world, but I'm glad he did.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I had a fun time
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyable story and characters. This book is sometimes jarring though in its styles. One minute the narrator is musing on the cost of war and the next an eccentric professor is pulling out a paisley sock from his briefcase. The absurdity of this type of thing was a bit too much. If toned down to be less silly, this would rate much higher for me. I did like the cross over of "reality" to "fictional works" but the author never really got me to the point of suspending disbelief. Bookworms - really?
Fforde has create a wonderfully genuis and original story to satisfy my geeky bibliophilic nature. Thursday Next is an agent of the British government's LiteraTecs squad, created to protect literature from debasement, changes or other crimes. In Thursday's futuristic world, parallel universes and genetic engineering are as common as flying cars. When Acheron Hades, gets his hands on a copy of Dicken's "Martin Chuzzlewit" and threatens to kill Martin, Next is brought in to outwit Hades, as he was her former college professor. Unable to determine how Hades is able to steal original copies of heavily protected books, Next and a team of LiteraTecs can only react to Hades' next moves. Eventually, though, Next figures out Hades' secret but he's moved on to bigger and better national treasures, i.e. Jane Eyre. Fortunately, Next has already created a special friendship with Rochester, due to a childhood daliance in the novel, and is able to use his help in thwarting Hades' plans to destroy the plot. Intermingled in Next's adventure is her time-travelling father, her romantic reunion with an old flame, her special dodo bird, the mischevious interference by the Goliath Corporation's top agent, and a wonderful cast of LiteraTec supporting agents. This was a hilarious, well-written, engaging and fun read sure to keep you wanting more of Next and crew.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
Yes
First installment of the Thursday Next series. I fully enjoyed this book. The world where lines between time, literature, folklore, and the real world are all blurred. I loved the semi chaotic nature of things. Names are entertaining. Characters blatantly change the course of history subtlety throughout the novel. Thursday Next, our heroine, has a rogue time-traveling father who occasionally pops in and out, hinting at his ongoing alterations to history. The main struggle in this first adventure involves Charlotte Bronte's work "Jane Eyre." The way they accidentally "changed" the ending of the novel was brilliant. Perhaps I have found a new series to fall in love with!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Literary detective Thursday Next is after villainous Achernon Hades who has stolen an original manuscript and has started removing characters from classic novels
An excellent start to the Thursday Next series full of Ffordes fantastic sense of humour
An excellent start to the Thursday Next series full of Ffordes fantastic sense of humour
Normally, I'd be perfectly alright with reading and disliking a book like this, but I have some serious problems with people's reaction to this book. It, of course, isn't fair to blame anything on people who happened to like this book, but I don't care.
Here's why: the mind-blown nerd in me thinks comparisons of fucking Jasper Fforde to fucking Monty Python (Monty Python!) and Douglas Adams (Douglas Adams!) are pure evil. The contemporary fiction reader in me resents being told that this is exciting and original, and the writer in me resents being told this is creative.
It's not real original or creative just to come up with quirky bullshit, which is basically what this book is. It's not real original or creative just to do a genre mash-up with no further artistic reason or intent. It's not real original or creative just to think up silly scenarios (and it's certainly not funny). It's not real original or creative just to take things that previously existed and insert them into a narrative framework that in itself is incredibly dull and cliched, and do nothing other than what I just mentioned.
This book is sort of like those dull Doctor Who episodes from the Russell T. Davies-produced first few series of the revival show, the ones that for no real reason included, say, William Shakespeare, or some other major historical figure, and some other shit thrown in, and thought that was worth putting out there for people to waste their time with. And not at all like all the brilliant Doctor Who stories over the, I don't know, 33 seasons that show's been on at this point, that have pulled off this exact kind of SF/historical/alternate world+humour kind of deal.
I don't mean to suggest that this book is entirely terrible. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. What annoys me is that this mediocrity was so well-received. I also don't like being specifically sold something exciting and fun only to find something staggeringly boring. Fforde could've at least provided us with another hysterically brutal artistic failure that somehow found success, instead of another mediocrity that somehow found success. Books like this are just no fun.
Here's why: the mind-blown nerd in me thinks comparisons of fucking Jasper Fforde to fucking Monty Python (Monty Python!) and Douglas Adams (Douglas Adams!) are pure evil. The contemporary fiction reader in me resents being told that this is exciting and original, and the writer in me resents being told this is creative.
It's not real original or creative just to come up with quirky bullshit, which is basically what this book is. It's not real original or creative just to do a genre mash-up with no further artistic reason or intent. It's not real original or creative just to think up silly scenarios (and it's certainly not funny). It's not real original or creative just to take things that previously existed and insert them into a narrative framework that in itself is incredibly dull and cliched, and do nothing other than what I just mentioned.
This book is sort of like those dull Doctor Who episodes from the Russell T. Davies-produced first few series of the revival show, the ones that for no real reason included, say, William Shakespeare, or some other major historical figure, and some other shit thrown in, and thought that was worth putting out there for people to waste their time with. And not at all like all the brilliant Doctor Who stories over the, I don't know, 33 seasons that show's been on at this point, that have pulled off this exact kind of SF/historical/alternate world+humour kind of deal.
I don't mean to suggest that this book is entirely terrible. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. What annoys me is that this mediocrity was so well-received. I also don't like being specifically sold something exciting and fun only to find something staggeringly boring. Fforde could've at least provided us with another hysterically brutal artistic failure that somehow found success, instead of another mediocrity that somehow found success. Books like this are just no fun.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is an alternate universe where a terrible war has continued and books are entire worlds in themselves. The history was confusing but the journey was fascinating. I plan to continue the series.
History seemed to be changing constantly especially with her father making sure certain timelines were occuring. I couldn't keep track of all of them to see how they were changing as the story went.
It was a fun idea to pop into books and that those worlds are continuously occuring.
I am a bit disappointed over Hades' motives and how he just wanted the plasma guns. I found that to be quite dull considering how fascinating he was prior to that. We also never find out why he is so exceptional and why he is bullet proof and if he is some sort of supernatural.
I was a bit stunned that she just ran back to Landon after everything. I think she and Bowden would have more adventures.
I figured the people would love the ending of Jane Eyre better since the terrible ending was mentioned a bunch of times.
I also find it fascinating that her father gave the play to Shakespeare so anyone after that could have written the plays. I am curious to see if this mystery is solved in another book.
History seemed to be changing constantly especially with her father making sure certain timelines were occuring. I couldn't keep track of all of them to see how they were changing as the story went.
It was a fun idea to pop into books and that those worlds are continuously occuring.
Spoiler
I am a bit disappointed over Hades' motives and how he just wanted the plasma guns. I found that to be quite dull considering how fascinating he was prior to that. We also never find out why he is so exceptional and why he is bullet proof and if he is some sort of supernatural.
I was a bit stunned that she just ran back to Landon after everything. I think she and Bowden would have more adventures.
I figured the people would love the ending of Jane Eyre better since the terrible ending was mentioned a bunch of times.
I also find it fascinating that her father gave the play to Shakespeare so anyone after that could have written the plays. I am curious to see if this mystery is solved in another book.