Bitchery reader Brandyllyn sent me a heads up about Jasper Fforde’s new book, Thursday Next: First Among Sequels
As Brandyllyn writes, “One of my favourite authors, Jasper Fforde, has recently released his newest book titled ‘First Among Sequels’. It is part of the Thursday Next Series in which Ms Next is an agent within the world of books. Part of her job is to make sure that all characters are abiding by the rules, and the narrative stays its course. In one instance in an earlier book, she had to disentangle ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ from ‘Hamlet’ which had created ‘The Merry Wives of Elsinore’.
In the newest book, one of the chief subplots is that the genres of ‘Racy Novel’, ‘Feminism’ and ‘Ecclesiastical’ are having border disputes – mainly over ‘Racy Novel’s’ eligibility to be its own genre. The back cover of the US version contains the ‘BookWorld Peace Treaty Resolution’ between the three parties. The text reads as below:”
“The Council of Genre, governing authority for the application of dramatic convention and irony, hereby dictates the resolution of border disputes between RACY NOVEL and the neighbouring genres FEMINIST and ECCLESIASTICAL. To facilitate the free trade of ideas and movements of characters between genres (thereby stimulating fluctuation of the Read-O-Meter), RACY NOVEL shall adhere to the following sanctions:
1. Cease and desist from panty raids on FEMINIST and ECCLESIASTICAL
2. Abide by the import ban on metaphor, characterization and competent description.Should RACY NOVEL senator Speedy Muffler fail to enforce these sanctions, the Council of Genres grants FEMINIST and ECCLESIASTICAL the right to fire salvos of long-winded intellectual dissent into RACY NOVEL’s territory. All three genres maintain access to the principality of EROTICA to the north, and export rights within the buffer zone of COMEDY to the south.
Accordance with this treaty does not annul RACY NOVEL’s inclusion, along with MISERY MEMOIRS and PSEUDOINTELLECTUAL DRIVEL, from the Council of Genre’s ‘Axis of the Unreadable.’ RACY NOVEL’s status as an independent genre will be protected by and further disputes mediated by Jurisfiction Special Operative Thursday Next.”
I’m so tickled by this cover copy. Especially the concept of panty raids on Feminist and Ecclesiastical. Anyone read Fforde?
Fforde is utterly, utterly brilliant. I’m surprised he hasn’t come to your attention more recently, but my other half and myself thought about SmartBitches when we giggled over Racy Novel (separately, since we can’t read over each other’s shoulders.)
Fforde’s books (start with “The Eyre Affair”) are incredible fun, especially if one has a knowledge of the Classics. It’s clever, funny, silly, “postmodern” and very different. He stands Literature, capital L and all, on its head, makes funny faces at it most lovingly. Tweaking the noses of Dickens and Austen and Bronte, if you will. I can’t say enough how staggeringly brilliant he is.
And of course I’m not in his pay.
Erm… go read him, now. There are dodos. There is time travel. There is a gameshow called Name That Fruit.
It is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.
I second that! I third it! I would totally build tiny shrines to Fforde if I had any spare time and croquet equipment!
The Thursday Next-verses (because there are several even within one book) are a brilliant, brilliant creation;
alternate universe where you can occasionally see the digressions from ours, and where sometimes things just
are plain amazing, indescribable creative loopiness (plus, there is even some romance!)
For immediate gratification:
http://www.jasperfforde.com/
JD
Word: Having49 (if he wrote that many books, I would be very, very happy)
I’ve read all of Fforde’s books and am unashamed to say I never tire of how stupid he makes me feel about literature. His Thursday Next and Nursery Crimes series are two of the smartest and most inventive works in print or out. This is world-building on a scale that even Rowling can’t touch, and the BookWorld Peace Treaty is only a glimmer of what he does. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to describe these books to other readers beyond saying, “Just shut up and read it, then call and thank me profusely.”
The hook, for me, was a synopsis of “The Eyre Affair.” There were JurisFiction operatives investigating the kidnapping and ransom of a minor character from “Martin Chuzzlewit,” TV news from the Crimean War in its 100th-plus year, Wales had become a Socialist Republic and no one was happy with the ending of “Jane Eyre.” Clueless as I was about everything else, I knew Jane Eyre was perfect and so took my first and fatal step into this alternate reality. Did I mention the Footnoter phone for contacting people by footnote in BookWorld (also a source of irritating telemarketing calls) or that the characters from “Wuthering Heights” had to attend mandatory anger management therapy sessions? That Miss Havisham was determined to beat Mr. Toad in a high-speed car race?
I’m sure there’s an insult to racy novels somewhere in the excerpt, particularly 2. Abide by the import ban on metaphor, characterization and competent description, but I don’t care. These books are literature lunacy of the highest and finest order and should be required reading by all. If nothing else, read them to find out why Americans don’t employ the “u” in words such as “color” and “favor.” Then write and thank me profusely.
If you like novels with quirky, unusual concepts and know your way around the classics, you’ll like Fforde. His Thursday Next novels felt like a speedboat ride at full throttle. By the end of book two I was getting ready for something with less fireworks and more depth, especially to its characterization. (My fault for reading the books back to back, probably.)
I totally agree and only want to add that I read somewhere someone describe Fforde as ‘Porn for Literature Majors,’ which is about the coolest description ever and so wonderfully fitting.
Read Fforde! Rread Fforde!
Other people have explained why better than me because it’s been a good 3 years since I’ve read the books but add my voice to those saying read Jasper Fforde.
Unless you’re like me and are crap at keeping up with a series and then feel guilty for not keeping up.
I’m another of Fforde’s rabid readers. There are just so many insane details, like cheese-smuggling as a major crime, the army of Danvers clones and even the surprise of proper names (like Millon De Floss).
I urge those who are now curious to check out thursdaynext.com. Even the usual copyright lines are given a nutso twist: “This website does not support Babbage analog computing engines, Flipettygibbit© Tachyon modem streaming or DampString© transfer systems. For optimum viewing use Quang-17 Biotech vitreoceramic file module recovery systems with the Bolton and Watt accelerator plug-in.”
Wow. I’ve never read his work. But now I think I shall. Porn for lit majors? Could life get any better?
Off to the library!
Jasper Fforde is a genius, pure and simple. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve marveled at his imagination, I’ve felt extra smart and special for getting the clever plays on words, allusions, references, oblique piss takes, etc., but at the same time, I’ve never felt like an idiot for not knowing what he may be alluding to in something. He writes up to his readers, but the tone is never condescending to those who don’t get the joke. The world building is first class, in both the Nursery Crimes and Thursday next books, and everything feels totally internally coherent and plausible – just a step away or two from the real reality.
The only bad thing about the books is the wait between them, but the fun websites help fill the time.
Er, will stop fangirling now, but I’d recommend Fforde to anyone who loves books.
Oh, Jasper Fforde is awesome! Almost on par (but not quite) with Terry Pratchett on the quirky, clever, laugh-out-loud scale.
A must read, absolutely!
I love Fforde! There are people who’ve discussed why he should be loved so much more eloquently than I could ever hope to do, so I won’t bother you with that too much.
I really look forward to rereading the books after I’ve finished my English degree, because I know there are so many references I’ve missed.
I also thought of the Smart Bitches when I read First Among Sequels. The whole thing made me gigglesnort a lot!
Others have said much better why Fforde should be read, so I will just add that I love, love, love his books! Can’t wait for the next one!
Lurve him. The Thursday Next books are so much fun!
Oh My God! I had no idea there was another Thursday Next book out! How did I miss that?
Hie to Borders with my handy dandy 20% off coupon (not that Fforde isn’t worth paying full price for 🙂 )
Also of interest, Jasper is married to Katie Fforde who writes chick lit.
Yes Fforde was one of those strange author finds you get when you have reserved a library book for Katie Fforde and the librarian gives you Jasper Fforde. On a cold winter afternoon when it’s your last stop and kids are whinging you take it home and give it a shot. One of the best decisions I made. Laughed so much I caused hiccups that lasted through the evening till I finished the book at 2am
Jasper Fforde isn’t married to Katie Fforde. I think she is his sister-in-law.
Didn’t quite know what to make of The Eyre Affair—-almost too smart and snarky,if possible, and you have to pay attention to everything, which is proving more difficult for me when I simply read to zone out. But I loved First Among Sequels. Your head will spin from the cleverness that is Fforde.
I like the Thursday Next books better than the Nursery Crime series, but they’re both worth reading.
And I think Fforde’s suggestion that dyslexia should be spelled ‘O’ is worthy of serious consideration.
Jasper Fforde’s novels are genius! I listen to the audiobooks in my car, and I lurrrrve them.
Another J. Fforde fan here (though I like Katie, too). His website has some pretty incredible photography on it, too (good enough that I forgive the ffotography title).
But no one has mentioned how hot he is in his author photos. Not that that makes a difference in whether or not I buy his books, but dayum. He’s got that literary look I wouldn’t mind seeing on a few romance covers.
Another rabid Fforde fan here.
Brilliant, funny, clever stuff.
Miss Haversham moderating anger management sessions with the cast of Wuthering Heights. Snort.
Sandy D, he’s hot in person, too, as well as non-stop funny. I saw him in San Francisco this last July and he and his partner-in-life, whose name I cannot remember, started the event with a demonstration on how to read a book, in the vein of what flight attendants do prior to takeoff. They were wonderful.
Jasper Fforde rocks my world. I and my partner are rabid fans—even to planning a trip to Swindon for the Fforde Fiesta next March.
I’ve turned on many friends to his unique writing—and can’t recommend him enough.
Count me in on the Fforde-style love fest! (and a second yes! for Terry Pratchett, and side love for Christopher Moore, who has teh funny in common with the other two)
It cracked me up that Racy Novel was encroaching on Feminist and Ecclesiastical. I kept trying to envision the bastard child of the three genres…