The Well of Lost Plots

Jasper Fforde (author)

Hodder & Stoughton, UK: 2003; 360pp

ISBN: 0340825928

Genres: adventure, fantasy, humour, science fiction

Thursday Next, Literary Detective and favourite of the people for manipulating a happy ending in Jane Eyre, finds herself in need of a place to hide. Her husband, Landen Parke-Laine has been eradicated by a corrupt ChronoGuard, she is pregnant with her non-existent husband's child, and the all-too-powerful Goliath Corporation wants her unwilling assistance.

There seems only one solution -to take part in the Character Exchange programme and retreat into the safe environs of an unpublished book in the Well of Lost Plots, the place where all fiction is created. From her home beside the Text Sea, Thursday can have her baby in peace and quiet, plan her eventual return to the Real World, and assist with all the normal duties of a Jurisfiction agent - such as convincing Heathcliff to attend his rage counselling sessions and educating the Generics that are an essential part of any novel.

There are disadvantages to living within fiction, however. Such as grammasites (nasty little beasties that consume adjectives or verbs in text), the Mispeling Vyrus, and a voracious minotaur. In addition the BookWorld is preparing for the much-awaited upgrade to UltraWord, the new Book Operating System. Is it as wonderful as the promoters suggest? Can it really bring readers the Ultimate Reading Experience? And if so, why are the Jurisfiction agents who tested it disappearing or dying in unlikely ways? And where does that strange smell of melons come from that surrounds so many of the various characters that Thursday encounters?

In yet another wild and incredibly funny narrative, Jasper Fforde hauls his readers into Thursday's world, where literature is almost as important as politics, where Dodos make good pets, and where a nasty young woman by the name of Aornis Hades is trying to steal her memories. Fforde's work is a must read for those who like things to be on the slightly wacky side of whimsical. In the best traditions of Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Lewis Carroll, Fforde creates a kaleidoscope of famous characters, a whirlwind of wit, and a maelstrom of mischief. In a combination of highly intellectual humour and almost slapstick comedy, he has created a series of books that will have sophisticated readers waiting anxiously for his next release.

Highly recommended!