a hilarious alternate reality series set in 1980's (mostly... well the first 4 books, the last ones take place 15 years later) London (some of the time... except for the third one...mostly).
7/10
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1)
One Sentence Summary:
A bad guy is kidnapping fictional characters and Thursday Next, head of literary investigations, is on the case.
Review:
A very solid start to a great series, Fforde's sense of humor and timing is impeccable A perfect read for those who like reading as it is full of literary references and wit. In a land where the characters can literally jump out of the novels they are in and be moved to new stories the adventure never ends. Every page drips with witty quips and amazing characters. Fforde's imagination is nearly unparalleled on today's literary front.
9/10
"Take no heed of her.... She reads a lot of books."
"I'm not mad. I'm just...well, differently moraled, that's all."
"Religion isn't the cause of wars, it's the excuse."
Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2)
One Sentence Summary:
A newly married (and pregnant) Thursday's life is going good until Goliath Corp eradicates her husband.
Review:
In this novel we get to know Thursday better as she learns to book jump and meets classic literary characters. Fforde uses the classic characters we all know and love (or hate) to showcase the development of Thursday. The rest of the non-pre-existing characters are not particularly well developed. Still as witty as the first but no well written "new characters" are introduced to the series, though I am not sure there need to be.
8/10
A newly married (and pregnant) Thursday's life is going good until Goliath Corp eradicates her husband.
Review:
In this novel we get to know Thursday better as she learns to book jump and meets classic literary characters. Fforde uses the classic characters we all know and love (or hate) to showcase the development of Thursday. The rest of the non-pre-existing characters are not particularly well developed. Still as witty as the first but no well written "new characters" are introduced to the series, though I am not sure there need to be.
8/10
Notable Quotes:
"Her majesty is one verb short of a sentence. "
"You'll like it here; everyone is quite mad."
"I could almost see common sense and denial fighting away at each other within her. In the end, denial won, as it so often does."
"Marriage, like spinach and opera, was something I had never thought I would like."
The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next #3)
One Sentence Summary:
Thursday is still pregnant and preparing to be a single mom is hiding in BookWorld.
Review:
This was not as strong as the first two novels in this series but still really witty and enjoyable. The plot was a bit outlandish but so is everything else about the series. From a book lover perspective this is the best in the series because of its focus on the literature itself, the way things are written and the use of characters. The only weakness is in the way the story line sometimes gets lost.
7/10
Notable Quotes:
"Books may look like nothing more than words on a page, but they are actually an infinitely complex imaginotransference technology that translates odd, inky squiggles into pictures inside your head."
Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4)
One Sentence Summary:
Now a mother Thursday and her son Friday return to the real world from BookWorld, hilarity ensues.
Review:
This is the conclusion to the prior three novels. It is written with Fforde's typical wit with dialogue that will make you laugh till you cry. It also has literary references that will increase your to read list.
9/10
"Death doesn't care about personalities - he's more interested in meeting quotas."
"I suggest we depict penguins as callous and unfeeling creatures who insist on bringing up their children in what is little more than a large chest freezer."
First Among Sequels (Thursday Next #5)
One Sentence Summary:
Fourteen years later Thursday has to uncover a serial killer in BookWorld and raise family.
Review:
Fforde comes back strong with this one, so witty, so hilarious, so well written. That said in typical fashion the "first" in the series opens a lot of story lines and concludes none, we will have to continue reading the series (oh the horror).
8/10
Notable Quotes:
"Whereas story is processed in the mind in a straightforward manner, poetry bypasses rational thought and goes straight to the limbic system and lights it up like a brushfire. It's the crack cocaine of the literary world."
"Reality TV was to me the worst form of entertainment--the modern equivalent of paying sixpence to watch lunatics howling at the wall down at the local madhouse."
One of Our Thursday's is Missing (Thursday Next #6)
I have not read this one yet.
The Woman Who Died A Lot (Thursday Next #7)
I have not read this one yet either.
If you enjoyed this you should read:
The Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Series - Douglas Adams
Jeeves Series - P.G. Wodehouse
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