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Thursday Next #1-5
A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5
A Thursday Next Digital Novels 1–5 Fall into the world of Thursday Next with the first five novels in the New York Times bestselling series featuring the renowned Special Operative in literary detection who is “part Bridget Jones, part Nancy Drew, and part Dirty Harry” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times).
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
216 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Jasper Fforde
51 books13k followersFforde began his career in the film industry, and for nineteen years held a variety of posts on such movies as Goldeneye, The Mask of Zorro and Entrapment. Secretly harbouring a desire to tell his own stories rather than help other people tell their's, Jasper started writing in 1988, and spent eleven years secretly writing novel after novel as he strove to find a style of his own that was a no-mans-land somewhere between the warring factions of Literary and Absurd.
After receiving 76 rejection letters from publishers, Jasper's first novel The Eyre Affair was taken on by Hodder & Stoughton and published in July 2001. Set in 1985 in a world that is similar to our own, but with a few crucial - and bizarre - differences (Wales is a socialist republic, the Crimean War is still ongoing and the most popular pets are home-cloned dodos), The Eyre Affair introduces literary detective named 'Thursday Next'. Thursday's job includes spotting forgeries of Shakespeare's lost plays, mending holes in narrative plot lines, and rescuing characters who have been kidnapped from literary masterpieces.
Luckily for Jasper, the novel garnered dozens of effusive reviews, and received high praise from the press, from booksellers and readers throughout the UK. In the US The Eyre Affair was also an instant hit, entering the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week of publication.
Since then, Jasper has added another six to the Thursday Next series and has also begun a second series that he calls 'Nursery Crime', featuring Jack Spratt of The Nursery Crime Division. In the first book, 'The Big Over Easy', Humpty Dumpty is the victim in a whodunnit, and in the second, 'The Fourth Bear', the Three Bear's connection to Goldilocks disappearance can finally be revealed.
In January 2010 Fforde published 'Shades of Grey', in which a fragmented society struggle to survive in a colour-obsessed post-apocalyptic landscape.
His latest series is for Young Adults and include 'The Last Dragonslayer' (2010), 'Song of the Quarkbeast' (2011) and 'The Eye of Zoltar' (2013). All the books centre around Jennifer Strange, who manages a company of magicians named 'Kazam', and her attempts to keep the noble arts from the clutches of big business and property tycoons.
Jasper's 14th Book, 'Early Riser', a thriller set in a world in which humans have always hibernated, is due out in the UK in August 2018, and in the US in 2019.
Fforde failed his Welsh Nationality Test by erroneously identifying Gavin Henson as a TV chef, but continues to live and work in his adopted nation despite this setback. He has a Welsh wife, two welsh daughters and a welsh dog, who is mad but not because he's Welsh. He has a passion for movies, photographs, and aviation. (Jasper, not the dog)
Series:
* Thursday Next
* Nursery Crime
* Shades of Grey
After receiving 76 rejection letters from publishers, Jasper's first novel The Eyre Affair was taken on by Hodder & Stoughton and published in July 2001. Set in 1985 in a world that is similar to our own, but with a few crucial - and bizarre - differences (Wales is a socialist republic, the Crimean War is still ongoing and the most popular pets are home-cloned dodos), The Eyre Affair introduces literary detective named 'Thursday Next'. Thursday's job includes spotting forgeries of Shakespeare's lost plays, mending holes in narrative plot lines, and rescuing characters who have been kidnapped from literary masterpieces.
Luckily for Jasper, the novel garnered dozens of effusive reviews, and received high praise from the press, from booksellers and readers throughout the UK. In the US The Eyre Affair was also an instant hit, entering the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week of publication.
Since then, Jasper has added another six to the Thursday Next series and has also begun a second series that he calls 'Nursery Crime', featuring Jack Spratt of The Nursery Crime Division. In the first book, 'The Big Over Easy', Humpty Dumpty is the victim in a whodunnit, and in the second, 'The Fourth Bear', the Three Bear's connection to Goldilocks disappearance can finally be revealed.
In January 2010 Fforde published 'Shades of Grey', in which a fragmented society struggle to survive in a colour-obsessed post-apocalyptic landscape.
His latest series is for Young Adults and include 'The Last Dragonslayer' (2010), 'Song of the Quarkbeast' (2011) and 'The Eye of Zoltar' (2013). All the books centre around Jennifer Strange, who manages a company of magicians named 'Kazam', and her attempts to keep the noble arts from the clutches of big business and property tycoons.
Jasper's 14th Book, 'Early Riser', a thriller set in a world in which humans have always hibernated, is due out in the UK in August 2018, and in the US in 2019.
Fforde failed his Welsh Nationality Test by erroneously identifying Gavin Henson as a TV chef, but continues to live and work in his adopted nation despite this setback. He has a Welsh wife, two welsh daughters and a welsh dog, who is mad but not because he's Welsh. He has a passion for movies, photographs, and aviation. (Jasper, not the dog)
Series:
* Thursday Next
* Nursery Crime
* Shades of Grey
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 22 reviews
July 29, 2012
Not as much fun reading footnoterphones/footnotes on an ebook ;)
April 18, 2024
The first five Thursday Next books in one ebook!
Thursday Next is kind of like a cop who is responsible for enforcing laws governing fiction, such as forgery and such, but she also has the ability, unrealized at first, to travel physically into fictional worlds. Her uncle is a brilliant, if somewhat eccentric inventor, and her father (who has been wiped from existence and never been born) tries to keep an eye on her as he travels through time.
I'm impressed with how the fantasy world of the series is slowly revealed in the first pages of the first book, seemingly almost normal at first but then unfolding into something incredibly imaginative and different: a world in which the separation between our real world and the many worlds of fiction can be crossed by someone with the rare skill (or technology) to do so. The stories in this collection are undeniably clever and well written with plenty of literary Easter eggs, the prose can be witty, and there is a good deal of satirical cultural commentary. The characters don't have quite the charm of those of Terry Pratchett, but they are fairly relatable.
This was a two-week digital loan from my local library (through Kindle), which is almost what it took me to finish. Ten days, actually, but worth the time. I did not several errors in formatting for the Kindle edition.
(4.5 stars rounded up)
Thursday Next is kind of like a cop who is responsible for enforcing laws governing fiction, such as forgery and such, but she also has the ability, unrealized at first, to travel physically into fictional worlds. Her uncle is a brilliant, if somewhat eccentric inventor, and her father (who has been wiped from existence and never been born) tries to keep an eye on her as he travels through time.
I'm impressed with how the fantasy world of the series is slowly revealed in the first pages of the first book, seemingly almost normal at first but then unfolding into something incredibly imaginative and different: a world in which the separation between our real world and the many worlds of fiction can be crossed by someone with the rare skill (or technology) to do so. The stories in this collection are undeniably clever and well written with plenty of literary Easter eggs, the prose can be witty, and there is a good deal of satirical cultural commentary. The characters don't have quite the charm of those of Terry Pratchett, but they are fairly relatable.
This was a two-week digital loan from my local library (through Kindle), which is almost what it took me to finish. Ten days, actually, but worth the time. I did not several errors in formatting for the Kindle edition.
(4.5 stars rounded up)
August 21, 2015
This is a review of the 5-book compilation ebook. Found one typo, many annoying cases of words broken up [such as "pres sure" and in at least one case "de pen dent" - not actual word, but definitely two breaks]. Also, while the font is easy to enlarge on the KindleFireHDThing, I could not find a way to enlarge the illustrations.
I was in a hurry to finish this because it was a library ebook and would shut off after 3 weeks. Fortunately, the Great Storm of 2014 hit. Being trapped inside the house frees up a lot of time.
Jasper Fforde is a genius, I love his writing. I only found the baby and the sports annoying in Something Rotten but the convoluted and complex storylines are worth reading again and again. I love the way he intertwines the two series in The Well of Lost Plots and that long gap between Something Rotten and "First Among Sequels is explained away brilliantly.
They're mysteries (aren't all stories?), they're fantasy, they're sci-fi, they're funny, they're modern. Oh, and a bit of romance thrown in.
Best of all, the lead is a woman, one who ages but is still able to yank someone's arm up behind their back ... while her nearby teenage son rolls his eyes. Teenagers - so much better than toddlers.
I was in a hurry to finish this because it was a library ebook and would shut off after 3 weeks. Fortunately, the Great Storm of 2014 hit. Being trapped inside the house frees up a lot of time.
Jasper Fforde is a genius, I love his writing. I only found the baby and the sports annoying in Something Rotten but the convoluted and complex storylines are worth reading again and again. I love the way he intertwines the two series in The Well of Lost Plots and that long gap between Something Rotten and "First Among Sequels is explained away brilliantly.
They're mysteries (aren't all stories?), they're fantasy, they're sci-fi, they're funny, they're modern. Oh, and a bit of romance thrown in.
Best of all, the lead is a woman, one who ages but is still able to yank someone's arm up behind their back ... while her nearby teenage son rolls his eyes. Teenagers - so much better than toddlers.
December 1, 2018
Enjoyable for book lovers
Can’t believe it took me so long to read about this utopian books series about book lovers. It was fun to have an author who is so slyly in tune with the world of a reader. This was a compilation of the first five books in the series. I really liked the first few books but got a little tired of it towards the end. I liked the first few books in the “Outland” better and thought the concept of a alternative world where books are avidly read was amazing. Once the books become Jurisfiction-focused I got a little bored. Spoilers: I didn’t buy her love for Landen. He seemed to have very little personality. One wonders if the real character was on vacation and was replaced with a poor Generic substitute. I loved the Spike character and thought there was more chemistry between TN and spike. I guess I’m a Thike fan rather than a Thanden fan. Also, the book has some odd typos through out, like words being separated by syllables in the last book. One wonders if these are Easter eggs hidden by the author. Lastly,did I miss it or did they never resolve the issue of the Super Reader?
Can’t believe it took me so long to read about this utopian books series about book lovers. It was fun to have an author who is so slyly in tune with the world of a reader. This was a compilation of the first five books in the series. I really liked the first few books but got a little tired of it towards the end. I liked the first few books in the “Outland” better and thought the concept of a alternative world where books are avidly read was amazing. Once the books become Jurisfiction-focused I got a little bored. Spoilers: I didn’t buy her love for Landen. He seemed to have very little personality. One wonders if the real character was on vacation and was replaced with a poor Generic substitute. I loved the Spike character and thought there was more chemistry between TN and spike. I guess I’m a Thike fan rather than a Thanden fan. Also, the book has some odd typos through out, like words being separated by syllables in the last book. One wonders if these are Easter eggs hidden by the author. Lastly,did I miss it or did they never resolve the issue of the Super Reader?
Want to read
February 8, 201910,11,12,13,14-2019 finished The Eyre Affair on Feb 6,
Read
August 25, 2020It is an Awesome , very Intersting
January 14, 2023
A reread of the Thursday Next series after many years. Fforde gets a little out of control of his narrative flow in this early series, but still very enjoyable.
April 29, 2015
It's a world very like ours, only different: the Crimean War is still going on the 1980s, there are dodos and mammoths, time can be altered and changing a manuscript changes all copies of the book.
Yes, that is the world of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next, an eccentric alternate world that operates entirely on its own hilarious rules. "A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5" brings together the first four-book cycle of Thursday's adventures, as well as the timeskip sequel "First Among Sequels." The one real downside: the excessive pricing. Why is it so expensive when the individual kindle books are cheaper?!
"The Eyre Affair" introduces Thursday, who works for a special division dedicated to protecting literature, and is currently on the trail of the malevolent Acheron Hades. First Hades kills a minor character from "Martin Chuzzlewit," and then kidnaps Jane Eyre (in this parallel universe, the novel has a very different ending). Thursday Next teams up with the brooding Rochester and an odd bunch of characters to save Jane -- and all the other great works of literature.
"Lost In A Good Book" sees Thursday being oppressed by the publicity of the previous book -- her consolations are her new husband Landen, her dodo Pickwick, and the fact that she's going to be a mum. But then time twists, which (her dad tells her) might turn the whole world into goo. And even worse, Thursday returns home to find that her beloved husband has been dead since the age of two...
"The Well of Lost Plots" is where an exiled Thursday is currently living, waiting for the birth of her baby. But then her mentor dies horribly, and Thursday's brain is invaded by a memory-invading mindworm -- and she must set out to save the world of fiction once again, this time by uncovering a literary black market.
"Something Rotten" this way comes, with Thursday deciding to head home with her two-year-old son Friday. Unfortunately, the Goliath Corporation has become a religion, there's a politician blaming the Danes for everything, and a croquet match will determine the fate of the world. And Thursday may have only one shot at getting her husband back.
And finally, "First Among Sequels" skips us ahead several years. Thursday now has three (or two, depending on who you ask) kids, a secret job at Jurisfiction, and a dreadful plan to make book-based reality TV (NOOOOOOOOOO!). And even worse, theres now a fictional version of Thursday Next -- a foul-mouthed violent psycho -- who wants to replace her.
"A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5" has the ups and downs of any book series, but for the most part it's just a delight. Fforde peppers his book with countless delightful literary references (Lewis Carroll, Falstaff, the Questing Beast, Mr. Toad), and he gives them a wink-nudge twist worthy of the best of British comedy (this is a world where great art is pop culture). But he also knows how to wrench your emotions with rare delicacy.
And Thursday is a delightful heroine -- she's one of the few heroines who starts off hardened and jaded, and becomes more vulnerable as time goes on. And we get to see her go through some pretty weird adventures, dealing with them in her slightly dry, capable style.
"A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5" needs to come down in price before it's purchased (since currently it's a few bucks cheaper to get them individually) but the stories themselves are BRILLIANT.
Yes, that is the world of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next, an eccentric alternate world that operates entirely on its own hilarious rules. "A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5" brings together the first four-book cycle of Thursday's adventures, as well as the timeskip sequel "First Among Sequels." The one real downside: the excessive pricing. Why is it so expensive when the individual kindle books are cheaper?!
"The Eyre Affair" introduces Thursday, who works for a special division dedicated to protecting literature, and is currently on the trail of the malevolent Acheron Hades. First Hades kills a minor character from "Martin Chuzzlewit," and then kidnaps Jane Eyre (in this parallel universe, the novel has a very different ending). Thursday Next teams up with the brooding Rochester and an odd bunch of characters to save Jane -- and all the other great works of literature.
"Lost In A Good Book" sees Thursday being oppressed by the publicity of the previous book -- her consolations are her new husband Landen, her dodo Pickwick, and the fact that she's going to be a mum. But then time twists, which (her dad tells her) might turn the whole world into goo. And even worse, Thursday returns home to find that her beloved husband has been dead since the age of two...
"The Well of Lost Plots" is where an exiled Thursday is currently living, waiting for the birth of her baby. But then her mentor dies horribly, and Thursday's brain is invaded by a memory-invading mindworm -- and she must set out to save the world of fiction once again, this time by uncovering a literary black market.
"Something Rotten" this way comes, with Thursday deciding to head home with her two-year-old son Friday. Unfortunately, the Goliath Corporation has become a religion, there's a politician blaming the Danes for everything, and a croquet match will determine the fate of the world. And Thursday may have only one shot at getting her husband back.
And finally, "First Among Sequels" skips us ahead several years. Thursday now has three (or two, depending on who you ask) kids, a secret job at Jurisfiction, and a dreadful plan to make book-based reality TV (NOOOOOOOOOO!). And even worse, theres now a fictional version of Thursday Next -- a foul-mouthed violent psycho -- who wants to replace her.
"A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5" has the ups and downs of any book series, but for the most part it's just a delight. Fforde peppers his book with countless delightful literary references (Lewis Carroll, Falstaff, the Questing Beast, Mr. Toad), and he gives them a wink-nudge twist worthy of the best of British comedy (this is a world where great art is pop culture). But he also knows how to wrench your emotions with rare delicacy.
And Thursday is a delightful heroine -- she's one of the few heroines who starts off hardened and jaded, and becomes more vulnerable as time goes on. And we get to see her go through some pretty weird adventures, dealing with them in her slightly dry, capable style.
"A Thursday Next Digital Collection: Novels 1-5" needs to come down in price before it's purchased (since currently it's a few bucks cheaper to get them individually) but the stories themselves are BRILLIANT.
September 19, 2024
First read these books probably around 15-20-odd years ago, maybe (give or take?... these 5 were published between 2001-7. I forget when a good friend recommended this author but I am sure I started reading these soon after.) I’ve reread some or all once or twice since and now all these first five.
The Kindle formatting needs work - there are, as places where words are repeatedly divided or merged for no reason. 5 stars rounded up because I adore the series, the humor, the satire- I find it all grows on me with each reading. (I downloaded a free to me library loan ebook, not a $40 one.)
(Note in passing: these are not actually really-brief chapters, as they seem. It's just that the collection of 5 books has much more than 304 pages in it; that estimate is way too small. I'm calculating page number my usual way - (loc no./loc. max.) * goodreads-provided page total - and so the length of chapter is rather small, since loc. max. is 29214, the page total is 304, and the important ratio 304/29214 is _quite small_ where it should be maybe about .1 or thereabouts (depending.) )- refers to the Kindle edition.
(The other two "equivalent modulo switching-to-this-edition" e-books have 1702 and 1988 pages, respectively, which is much closer to being right. I'll probably just do that instead of griping, so that the pagination as of near the beginning of book 4 will start reflecting the actual pagination...)
The Kindle formatting needs work - there are, as places where words are repeatedly divided or merged for no reason. 5 stars rounded up because I adore the series, the humor, the satire- I find it all grows on me with each reading. (I downloaded a free to me library loan ebook, not a $40 one.)
(Note in passing: these are not actually really-brief chapters, as they seem. It's just that the collection of 5 books has much more than 304 pages in it; that estimate is way too small. I'm calculating page number my usual way - (loc no./loc. max.) * goodreads-provided page total - and so the length of chapter is rather small, since loc. max. is 29214, the page total is 304, and the important ratio 304/29214 is _quite small_ where it should be maybe about .1 or thereabouts (depending.) )- refers to the Kindle edition.
(The other two "equivalent modulo switching-to-this-edition" e-books have 1702 and 1988 pages, respectively, which is much closer to being right. I'll probably just do that instead of griping, so that the pagination as of near the beginning of book 4 will start reflecting the actual pagination...)
February 3, 2015
The other week, my aunt and uncle were kidnapped by a crazed murderer. Later that same day, I was contacted by an old flame, who asked me out on a date to a raucous rendition of Richard III. I hadn't been contacted by him in a while, so I shrugged off the whole beloved family members being kidnapped thing, and went on a date.
No. No I didn't. None of that happened to me. But it did happen in the book. For a good portion of the book I felt like the author has difficulty writing emotions and emotional reactions. The main character /says/ she's upset, but never actually acts like she is. The example above is just the silliest example, which was when I put the book down and didn't pick it up again. Life's too short to read books that silly.
No. No I didn't. None of that happened to me. But it did happen in the book. For a good portion of the book I felt like the author has difficulty writing emotions and emotional reactions. The main character /says/ she's upset, but never actually acts like she is. The example above is just the silliest example, which was when I put the book down and didn't pick it up again. Life's too short to read books that silly.
April 11, 2016
There were some good and some boring spots in this series. The first and last books in the series I enjoyed. But it took me almost a year to finish this, so I don't remember everything that went on.
July 30, 2015
I did not finish one of the books but I found it to be quite confusing. Obviously I need to be better versed in classic literature. Also, even though I liked the idea of an alternate history, I found the way the book was written to be hard to follow.
February 5, 2016
I can't help but enjoy Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books. I may buy the hard copies because there are some great how-to-write-a-novel hints in there, disguised as plot elements. Seriously, does this guy teach writing?
October 7, 2012
I have finished book I, excellent read - on to II
November 18, 2012
LOVELY!!!! All of them! <3
October 15, 2012
hmmmmmmmmm
March 4, 2013
took me a while to get through it but loved it regardless
May 8, 2013
Love 1-3, 4&5 not as strong
September 24, 2015
Made it through 3 before I had to return it to the library. Unique premise, and I liked learning the backstory to the Nursery Crime division .
February 28, 2016
Excellent, excellent! Really witty, with lots of jokes for the well-read reader.
January 26, 2022
A fun collection of stories
Displaying 1 - 21 of 22 reviews