Jasper Fforde Ffan

[AussieWriter]

Does anyone know when the follow-up to Shades Of Grey will be released. I have just finished the book and I want more!!

[Maud Fitch]

The second book in the "Shades Of Grey" trilogy is tentatively entitled "Painting By Numbers" and won't be released until 2016. Jasper Fforde has three other series on the go; Thursday Next, Nursery Crimes and The Last Dragonslayer which I have reviewed below.

“The Eye Of Zoltar” is the third book of a planned four in The Last Dragonslayer YA series.

Jasper Fforde has the ability to make the commonplace highly uncommon, and can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary with his pseudo-scientific rationales which leave you thinking “Yes, that can be done, it seems perfectly logical” even though you know the story is set in the make-believe Kingdom Of Snodd which shares a border with the Cambrian Empire which is part of the unUnited Kingdoms. Dubbed the land Health & Safety forgot, it has a Calculated Fatality Index for tourists who want high jeopardy adventure.

Third book in the Dragonslayer series, mostly aimed at teenagers, this tale has magicians, dragons, disgusting creatures and feisty leading lady Jennifer Strange who is assisted by an assortment of oddballs. Orphan Jennifer is the manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management and she’s considered daring, resourceful and a person of considerable moral worth. She controls the employment of many loony sorcerers and wizards, with names like Moobin and Lady Mawgon and Once Magnificent Boo, who use magic to fix things, from blocked drains to capturing wild Tralfamosaur.

To satisfy the demands of The Mighty Shandar over a breach-of-contract, Mystical Arts has to supply the Eye Of Zoltar jewel; thus a daring mission is launched to Llangurig deep in enemy territory. They need help from Sky Pirate Wolff but get Addie Powell, their ‘extreme tour’ guide on the quest and she’s a real Lara Croft type. In this story, Jennifer’s friend Tiger stays home, replaced by handsome boyfriend material Perkins. As if the search for the Eye Of Zoltar, a magnificent and valuable pink ruby the size of a goose’s egg, isn’t scary enough, the band of travellers is attacked at every turn by marauding beasts and bandits and human-eating slugs.

King Snodd and Queen Mimosa think their daughter Princess Shazine is over-indulged and spoilt rotten so the Queen asked Jennifer to take Princess Shazine as a work experience trainee and she gave “Not an ordinary glare, but one of those fiery, hard stares that leave your neck hot, cause you to fluff your words and make you prickly inside your clothes” which sealed the deal. The Princess turns out to be a right Royal pain but before she joins their quest, clairvoyant Kevin Zipp foresees her future and says she will almost die “but will be saved by people who do not like you, nor are like you, nor that you like” and her Highness is unfazed. Beware, some chapters are grim.

The quest for the Eye Of Zoltar could be compared to a video game, the way it unfolds is cinematic, and the characters are head-strong and blatant which adds to the fun because you know sooner or later justice will be served, for better or worse. There are names like Colin (he’s a dragon) Curtis, Ralph, Ignatius and Wilson but nobody bears the Fforde trademark of double entendre. Watch out for nods to sci-fi and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld after a wizidrical surfeit of magic spells change one of them into a chimpanzee-like human.

Although my bookcover features Jennifer’s blue VW, she drives a Bugatti Royale and a sturdy ex-military half-track throughout their journey. Set in Welsh borderlands, it’s a simple plot but unfolds with diversity in each chapter. It’s written in a rugged way, with remarks about moral codes of conduct, tradition, the futility of war, environmental concerns and the ruthless pursuit of power. I can recommend this book, it has great appeal for imaginative readers, although I defy anyone to like the Cloud Leviathan.

If you've managed to read all of the above, I think you could manage to read this book!

[Fran]

@Maud Fitch
Welcome back Maud, missed you lots

[Maud Fitch]

@Maud Fitch
Welcome back Maud, missed you lots

Hi there, Fran, good to see that you're still holding the reins of moderatorship!

Thank you for the nice welcome back. My absence has been exacerbated by the lack of material being published by Mr. Fforde. However, I must confess that I dabbled in other online book readers websites and have been sorely disappointed at their lack of 'chat' between members. They seem to review/promote a book and no discussion is entered into. I think it's boring if you don't get feedback on a book.

The above mentioned "The Eye Of Zoltar" is a to-be-continued story and I did enjoy it even though I'm not the target audience. There's a superfluity of unexpected concepts .

[gali]

I have read and loved the "Shades Of Grey" and eagerly waiting for the second book. I have read a few books from the Thursday Next series and liked it. I have yet to read The Last Dragonslayer. Thank you @Maud Fitch for the review and welcome back.

[Maud Fitch]

I have read and loved the "Shades Of Grey" and eagerly waiting for the second book. I have read a few books from the Thursday Next series and liked it. I have yet to read The Last Dragonslayer. Thank you @Maud Fitch for the review and welcome back.

Thank you, gali, it's nice to tread the old familiar forums.

As you can see from previous posts, I'm a Jasper Fforde Thursday Next devotee, however I do think 2016 is too long to wait for the follow-up to "Shades Of Grey". I guess I'll have to be patient!

[gali]

I have read and loved the "Shades Of Grey" and eagerly waiting for the second book. I have read a few books from the Thursday Next series and liked it. I have yet to read The Last Dragonslayer. Thank you @Maud Fitch for the review and welcome back.

Thank you, gali, it's nice to tread the old familiar forums.

As you can see from previous posts, I'm a Jasper Fforde Thursday Next devotee, however I do think 2016 is too long to wait for the follow-up to "Shades Of Grey". I guess I'll have to be patient!

Indeed I saw. As I said I have read 3-4 books from the Jasper Fforde Thursday and plan to read the rest. I have to admit though that I liked the "Shades Of Grey" more.

Indeed, I agree 2016 is a way too long to wait for the follow-up.

[Maud Fitch]

Gali, you and Thursday Next have one thing in common - you've both been lost in a good book!

[gali]

Gali, you and Thursday Next have one thing in common - you've both been lost in a good book!

The best place to be lost...

[RussetDivinity]

I read the first few books of the Thursday Next series, but college got in the way of finishing them. I do intend to go back and reread them, especially since they're the reason I bought Jane Eyre. I may even start over, just so I can enjoy them all the way through.

[Maud Fitch]

I read the first few books of the Thursday Next series, but college got in the way of finishing them. I do intend to go back and reread them, especially since they're the reason I bought Jane Eyre. I may even start over, just so I can enjoy them all the way through.

Sounds like a good plan! As you get further into the Thursday Next series, the book concepts change so you may end up reading other books (or viewing works of art) to see how much fun he's had writing them into the plot.