One of Our Thursdays Is Missing

didn't like first book

I can never quite explain Jasper Fforde books to other people; unless they've read The Eyre Affair, it is hard to fully grasp the Ffordian universe. And because I love Thursday Next and her world, I was skeptical that I would enjoy a sequel that featured a different main character and a different manifestation of that world. But I shouldn't have doubted. The remaking of the Book World allowed for new adventures that wouldn't have worked in the Great Library, and this self-doubting version of Thursday was a relatable character whom I enjoyed in different ways. Another gem.

The initial premise and writing of this book is shockingly ridiculous, but that only highlights the decent characters and plot. Fforde knows exactly how seriously to take his writing and dances around cliches, using them to his advantage. They'res a character named Red Herring, and the entire time you wonder weather or not he's a Red Herring, trying to guess what level Fforde is thinking on. That being said, it's far from perfect. After 6 books, the concepts beginning to get a little played out. Switching the main character out for her fictional copy helped with this, giving us a new character to work with, but the books all feel kinda samey and similar. Fforde could also stand to set up his ending a bit better, as the big reveal looses a bit of punch since I didn't catch all of the setup. But it's so unique, you have to ignore the flaws and read it anyways.

Although I do love Fforde's wild imagination and great appreciation for literature, I found this book a little hard to follow. Still, it's a nice summer read if you liked the other Thursday Next novels.