Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

In the world of Shades of Grey, Jasper Fforde's newest novel, your social standing is partly decided by your ability to perceive color: most people can only see one color, and some people are more color-sensitive, allowing them to see their color better than others. In this "Colortocracy," the Greys — who can see no color at all — are the lowest class and little more than serfs, those who are most sensitive to their color become community leaders (or "precepts"), marriages are arranged to get the best possible color perception for the offspring, and inter-marriage by complimentary colors is strictly taboo.

Edward Russett is the son of a swatchman (a doctor who heals his patients by showing them specific shades of color) who is moving to a new community, situated on the Fringe of society, to replace a recently deceased swatchman. As he settles in, it gra... Read More

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde, is a young adult novel whose style will be readily familiar to those who’ve read Fforde’s adult fare such as the THURSDAY NEXT series. Unfortunately, the wit and satire don’t quite translate fully to the young adult realm here, and while The Last Dragonslayer is a fast and mildly entertaining read, it falls short of the exuberant originality and enjoyment I’ve come to expect from this author.

The novel’s setting is a not-quite-our-own world, more precisely the Ununited Kingdoms, where once upon a time magic was a more powerful and pervasive force but has been gradually weakening over time. Where wizards once mastered the winds, now they go about unclogging drains, getting cats out of trees, delivering pizzas... Read More

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde offers up his trademark sardonic wit in his new novel Early Riser (2019), though it’s more chuckle-worthy than laugh out loud and has several issues that relegate it to the category of a lesser Fforde. I was, to be honest, a bit disappointed, at least partly because I so love much of his earlier work, but despite that disappointment, the book still manages to (just) tip on the side of being a worthy read.

Early Riser is set in a world (limited to Wales for the novel’s plot) where the human race hibernates through each brutal winter, save for a stalwart group who does all the necessary work to keep the world working and the sleepers alive. This isn’t some recent apocalypse; in this universe, winters have always been far worse than our own, i... Read More