Monday, December 14, 2020

First among Sequels / Jasper Fforde

First among Sequels
(Thursday Next #5)
by Jasper Fforde

humour, fantasy

copyright 2007
read in December 2020

rated 8/10: really quite good

It's been a while since I read other books in this series. Yet my feeling is... this is the best one yet :-)

There are references to the previous four Next books, they don't seem to make sense ... till it all comes together. There are references to a later book, as yet unwritten, which ... eventually fits perfectly into the plot.

There is a secondary plot -- time travel -- which is completely unrelated to the "bookworld" plot. Until... it all fits into place. There is a complex -- yet wholly comprehensible, finally -- plot. Amazing!

Then there are the constant allusions to other books. The cast of Pride and Prejudice are a delight. (I'm a P&P fan.) Others are (to me) less familiar, I have taken to reading with regular cross-checks to Wikipedia. Cold Comfort Farm... through the barn... see "something"... search for Ada Doom... and *then* I chuckle :-)

Then: Thank you to Fforde for "plot, pace, character and atmosphere", an interesting addition to my knowledge. And finally: The book provides an extremely clear and very logical explanation of the creative process of reading and writing novels. At last, it all makes sense.



Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
...        Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
===

It's a dog eat dog world. Bring a bottle of something ... per Ginger Meggs

===

Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)



No comments: