Review: First Among Sequels (Thursday Next #5)

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First Among Sequels, the fifth book in Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series is set some 15 years after the end of the previous installment, Something Rotten. After her adventures trying to save the real world and the book world all while getting Landen back, this novel finds Thursday in a more, settled, domestic situation. Or so it seems.
The first half or so of the novel can be slow going at times as we peer into Thursday’s everyday life with Landen, their children, and her work at ACME Carpets. The final 100 pages though are filled with everything we’ve come to expect from a Thursday Next adventure – forays into the supernatural with Spike, dealing with the wicked Hades family, trouble from the Goliath Corporation, confusing timey-wimey stuff, and several trips into the Book World. Though this one is slower at times, it is still a fun, often funny addition to the strange and wonderful series.

If you are a book lover – the kind of book lover who dreams of living inside of books – or you like your adventures with a healthy dose of craziness, I recommend diving into the Thursday Next series.  So far I’ve particularly enjoyed Lost in a Good Book (TN #2) and Something Rotten (TN #4)

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Quote of the Week

“And in despair, I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

I like this verse because it reminds us that when all seems hopeless and like there is no love left in the world, there is always hope and that we are part of making the world better.  If we just try to bring about peace in our own part of the world and if we offer good-will to all, perhaps that hope can spread.  Plus I really enjoy singing “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Peace and Good Will to all of you.

Quote of the Week

Without nations, there would be no border disputes.

~ Jasper Fforde, Something Rotten

 

This seemed appropriate.  There are a lot of words of wisdom like these to be found in Jasper Fforde’s brilliantly absurd Thursday Next series.

Review: Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4)

4 Stars

 

The fourth book in Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, “Something Rotten” is an absolute romp. After reading the fantastic second book, Lost in a Good Book, I couldn’t wait to read a book set entirely in the wacky world of fiction but The Well of Lost turned out to be a disappointment. Thursday’s return to the real world – well, Thursday’s real world – in Something Rotten was the antidote to that disappointment. There wasn’t a moment where I could honestly I wasn’t confused by the insane intricacies of Thursday’s world but it was so much fun that it didn’t really matter and it was all explained with much promise for the following books.
Mixed in with all of this absurdity are some very real messages about politics and human nature that can only be illustrated through this fantasy style. But my favorite thing about Fforde’s novels is probably the hidden (and not so hidden references) to literature, culture, and history peppered and spoofed throughout. I’m pretty sure there was even a Star Wars reference when Thursday and her pals used the Ovinator to get into Wales. I’ve piqued your interest now, haven’t I?

I have yet to find a novel or series comparable to Something Rotten but I absolutely recommend reading the whole Thursday Next series starting with The Eyre Affair.

Review: The Well of Lost Plots

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m not saying the third book in the Thursday Next series is bad. It is just such a disappointment after the first two. Especially the second Lost In a Good Book, which had a much faster pace and tighter plot line than this one. I think Fforde took his title too seriously and got lost in his own plot. There was just too much going on, ruining an intriguing concept.

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