Favourite authors: Jasper Ffore

[birdienl]

I've been running around with the idea of giving my favourite authors some exposure here on my LJ and now I'm finally starting it.  I will leave out the well-known classic authors (Austen, Dickens, Tolkien) etc, mainly because most people already know them and appreciate them, and so much has been said, what could I possibly add? So, let's get started with the first part of my-favourite-authors-that-you-might-not-yet-know-and-maybe-will-give-a-try-after-reading-my-posts.

 

Jasper Fforde

I've only read three books by this author, but I was already sold after, let's say, 50 pages of the first book! In the Thursday Next series, Fforde creates a world which I can only describe as a cross between Doctor Who and Lost in Austen, minus aliens. A 1985 in which traveling in time is an everyday reality, airships are the main public transport, many people keep re-engineered dodos for pets and the Crimean War is still ongoing. All seemingly random and silly inventions, but Fforde gets away with it, because reading his books, the world he created feels alluring, charming and most of all real. After all, what is so very strange about Wales as a Socialist Republic and traveling through the center of the earth to reach Sydney? But ofcourse for book nerds, such as most of you people on my f-list are, the best part about the Thursday Next series is the fact that the main character can travel into books. Wouldn't we all like that!? Well, it's not much of a holiday for Thursday (I could write a review about Fforde's brilliant use of names only...), as she is recruited into the police force of the book world and has to solve crimes which include characters being kidnapped from books, but also ordinary pest control (grammasites and so forth). The title of the first Thursday Next book: The Eyre Affair, already sort of gives it away: the more classics you've read, the more fun reading Jasper Fforde is. His books are loaded with allusions to works of Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens etc. Try to catch as much of them as you can, but mostly, as a reviewer for the Sunday Telegraph said about Fforde's work: 'Forget all the rules of time, space and reality; just sit back and enjoy the adventure.'

 



 

Comments

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I love Fforde! Great post, and great idea for a series.

But don't be afraid to talk about the classics, and don't be too sure everyone appreciates them. As a Dickensblogger, I certainly haven't found that to be the case (alas). Even at C19, it's not that easy to get a good conversation going about Dickens.

[runfreebee.livejournal.com]

I also appreciate the Fforde post, as I am a huge fan of Thursday Next :)

I agree with this comment! ^^ I try and spread the classical love, especially Dickens. I bet you will post some though! Looking forward to seeing some more<3

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

I've still got a Dickens novel, as well as an Elliot, a Hardy and a Brönte on my TBR list for 2010. So very likely one of those will inspire me to write something for LJ!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you liked my post. I have been posting about the classics, concerning Dickens I wrote a 'review' about The Pickwick Papers a while back. I just sometimes feel unsure while writing about those authors and their books whether I can say anything new and not just repeat other people.

[sparklyglampire.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to pick up The Eyre Affair! :D I've heard a lot of good things about Fforde and this series, so I'm definitely going to check it out.

And I love your idea of doing posts about your favourite 'unknown' authors, since I'm always on the lookout for new things to read, but usually I have no idea what is good so I just go for the classics!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Yes, do start reading Fforde! I think you will like it. I think there are even some Sherlock Holmes or other A. C. Doyle references in the books.

[plumeriandeity.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Just this week I re-read The Eyre Affair, fell in love with it all over again, and also re-read The Big Over Easy, which is from Fforde's Nursery Crimes series.

I love Jasper Fforde's books too. I'm eagerly awaiting his next novel in the Thursday Next series. You should read the one from his newest series too: Shades of Grey. I'm hoping to earn enough money this summer to just get all his books to keep forever in my library :D

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

I'm also eagerly awaiting the next Thursday Next! I only have one book left, don't really wan't to pick it up, because after that, I'll have no more BookWorld stories to read...