Book Review: Thursday Next

Not only has it been awhile since I've done a book review, but it's summer and people need good reading for the summer. Then it occurred to me that Oprah's book club rarely has fun books. She mainly has socially responsible, new age, and classic books. Those books are fine (except for maybe the new age), but I like to have light reading in the summer. And so, I have decided to review the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde.

Thursday Next Series: The Eyre Affair, Lost In A Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten, and First Among Sequels
by Jasper Fforde
Rated PG-13



The Thursday Next series are parts Sherlock Holmes/Charlie's Angels/Dr. Who/Monty Python/Pride and Predjudice. An alternate interpretation of how the world could have been in the 1980's, 90's, and 2000's, the story is set mainly in a quiet suburb in England. Thursday Next is an SO-27 literary special ops agent. She is crass and frumpy, but very passionate about literature. Her adventures take her to meet some of her idols, as well as to take out of a lot of bad guys. Next is often tripped up by time travelers (Chrono Guard), cheese inspectors, and lots of bad guys.

Fforde is very clever in his writing, keeping it very imaginative (think the depth of J.K. Rowling), but very believable, and he seems to know how to write a proper cliff hanger. By the end of the series, it seems completely possible to have a previously extinct dodo as a pet.

These books are very light, fun page turners recommended to me by my personal librarian, Cousin Liz, cousin to the world, and masters level English/Lit teacher. They are intelligently written enough to keep readers from getting bored, and by the end of the series you'll be salivating for the next release (which is sometime this summer).

They have earned a PG-13 rating for some language, and slightly mature themes, but nothing I wouldn't feel comfortable handing to a teen reader, or my mom. You're local library should have the series, so happy summer reading.