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Thursday Next #8
Dark Reading Matter
Win a free print copy of this book!
26 days and 09:24:17
10 copies available
U.S. only
Dark Reading Matter is the 8th and final novel in the New York Times bestselling Thursday Next series, following 2012’s The Woman Who Died a Lot. Readers have been anticipating this book, whose concept is teased in the plot of Book 7, for over a decade now.
10 pages, Audiobook
First published October 6, 2026
About the author
Jasper Fforde
46 books13.4k 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
Want to Read
March 29, 2017March 29, 2017: I'm just sitting over here waiting for any sort of update on Dark Reading Matter, trying not to go more insane.
September 20, 2017: I need more Thursday Next
April 10, 2018: I might be starting to go insane.
June 21, 2019: And we wait.
September 20, 2017: I need more Thursday Next
April 10, 2018: I might be starting to go insane.
June 21, 2019: And we wait.
November 25, 2020
Actual rating: 5.95568469874630 stars
Jasper Fforde is a creative genius. Blown my mind is.
Review to come and stuff.
• Book 1: The Eyre Affair ★★★★★
• Book 2: Lost in a Good Book ★★★★★
• Book 3: The Well of Lost Plots ★★★★★
• Book 4: Something Rotten ★★★★★
• Book 5: First Among Sequels ★★★★
• Book 6: One of Our Thursdays is Missing ★★★★★
• Book 7: The Woman Who Died a Lot ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
I have been waiting for this book for FOURTEEN BLOODY SHRIMPING YEARS.
Jasper Fforde is a creative genius. Blown my mind is.
Review to come and stuff.
• Book 1: The Eyre Affair ★★★★★
• Book 2: Lost in a Good Book ★★★★★
• Book 3: The Well of Lost Plots ★★★★★
• Book 4: Something Rotten ★★★★★
• Book 5: First Among Sequels ★★★★
• Book 6: One of Our Thursdays is Missing ★★★★★
• Book 7: The Woman Who Died a Lot ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
I have been waiting for this book for FOURTEEN BLOODY SHRIMPING YEARS.
October 24, 2026
After a very long wait the eighth book in the Thursday Next series has arrived and it is the last. As such it ties up all the details nicely with all our major players in a good place. That's the goodies of course. The baddies end up where they deserve to be. It seems though that Fforde had become bored with Dodos and we were lucky to get the odd mention of Pickwick.
It is a long time since I read the previous books and it took me a while to get back into the narrative. I loved the way Jenny slipped back in although at first I did not remember who she was. Perhaps the mind worm got me too. All was quickly restored and I enjoyed every minute of the book thereafter.
Basically I just love the way this author writes. I enjoy his humour, his satire, his imagination and his brilliant world building. This applies to this series as well as all of his other books. May there be many more.
It is a long time since I read the previous books and it took me a while to get back into the narrative. I loved the way Jenny slipped back in although at first I did not remember who she was. Perhaps the mind worm got me too. All was quickly restored and I enjoyed every minute of the book thereafter.
Basically I just love the way this author writes. I enjoy his humour, his satire, his imagination and his brilliant world building. This applies to this series as well as all of his other books. May there be many more.
Want to Read
May 1, 2021Gee... I hope that Goliath and ChronoGuard haven't forbade Jasper Fforde from writing the book...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As always, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Like many long-time Thursday Next readers, I have been waiting for this final instalment of the series for a loooong time, and it... well, unfortunately, it did disappoint.
A few months after the events of "The Woman Who Died a Lot", Thursday and Landon are taking a holiday to Wantage, just down the road, Tuesday is still experimenting with anything she can get her hands on and Martians are invading Bookworld.
The whole thing felt rushed, despite being published around 12 years after the previous book came out. It felt like there was a lot going on, but never really seemed to go anywhere, and the 'interlude' in the last third felt self-indulgent and a completely unnecessary author ego-boost.
Fforde's use of language is, as always, nothing short of genius, but -- although sort of explained why later in the book -- parts of the text were extremely difficult to read due to missing letters (mi ing le ers), substitutions (i with an accent instead of ee), etc., which meant most of the time in these sections I was trying to figure out what the heck the author meant instead of a smooth, enjoyable reading of the book.
I'm not sure whether when writing "The Eyre Affair" this was how Fforde intended the story to end, but it fell flat and is one of the weaker books in the series. A disappointing finale to a fantastic series.
Like many long-time Thursday Next readers, I have been waiting for this final instalment of the series for a loooong time, and it... well, unfortunately, it did disappoint.
A few months after the events of "The Woman Who Died a Lot", Thursday and Landon are taking a holiday to Wantage, just down the road, Tuesday is still experimenting with anything she can get her hands on and Martians are invading Bookworld.
The whole thing felt rushed, despite being published around 12 years after the previous book came out. It felt like there was a lot going on, but never really seemed to go anywhere, and the 'interlude' in the last third felt self-indulgent and a completely unnecessary author ego-boost.
Fforde's use of language is, as always, nothing short of genius, but -- although sort of explained why later in the book -- parts of the text were extremely difficult to read due to missing letters (mi ing le ers), substitutions (i with an accent instead of ee), etc., which meant most of the time in these sections I was trying to figure out what the heck the author meant instead of a smooth, enjoyable reading of the book.
I'm not sure whether when writing "The Eyre Affair" this was how Fforde intended the story to end, but it fell flat and is one of the weaker books in the series. A disappointing finale to a fantastic series.
October 6, 2026
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the gift of an eARC of this book. The thoughts and opinions contained in this review are as unbiased as I can make them.
Okay, so, wow.
I've just spent the last month and a half reading through the previous seven volumes in the Thursday Next series in anticipation of reading this one, and when I say this is most definitely my favourite of the lot, I almost feel like I'm selling the book short. It's been twelve years since book seven (The Woman Who Died a Lot) came out but the gap doesn't show in the style and substance of Fforde's writing.
I'm not going to lie, for maybe the first third of this one I was a little bit worried. To begin with it reads like really bad fan fiction, or like someone gave ChatGPT the prompt to write a new Thursday Next but badly, and I honestly wondered if he'd lost that spark. But then it all clicked in place and suddenly I couldn't decide if Fforde was a certified genius, or just certifiably insane. Or maybe both.
If you thought the first seven books were a bit fourth-wall-breaking and surreal then you ain't seen nothing yet. Without giving away any spoilers, this one has all the action and introspection you could ever want, and is so self-referential it's damned near solipsistic. There's even a bit of authorial self-insertion going on that would leave Micheal Moorcock a little in awe.
Is this a good end to the series? Hell yeah! Is it worth grabbing a copy and inhaling it as soon as it hits the shelves? Also hell yeah! A pretty much note-perfect way to end the series, and I definitely recommend it to all fans of Thursday Next.
Okay, so, wow.
I've just spent the last month and a half reading through the previous seven volumes in the Thursday Next series in anticipation of reading this one, and when I say this is most definitely my favourite of the lot, I almost feel like I'm selling the book short. It's been twelve years since book seven (The Woman Who Died a Lot) came out but the gap doesn't show in the style and substance of Fforde's writing.
I'm not going to lie, for maybe the first third of this one I was a little bit worried. To begin with it reads like really bad fan fiction, or like someone gave ChatGPT the prompt to write a new Thursday Next but badly, and I honestly wondered if he'd lost that spark. But then it all clicked in place and suddenly I couldn't decide if Fforde was a certified genius, or just certifiably insane. Or maybe both.
If you thought the first seven books were a bit fourth-wall-breaking and surreal then you ain't seen nothing yet. Without giving away any spoilers, this one has all the action and introspection you could ever want, and is so self-referential it's damned near solipsistic. There's even a bit of authorial self-insertion going on that would leave Micheal Moorcock a little in awe.
Is this a good end to the series? Hell yeah! Is it worth grabbing a copy and inhaling it as soon as it hits the shelves? Also hell yeah! A pretty much note-perfect way to end the series, and I definitely recommend it to all fans of Thursday Next.
Want to Read
April 29, 2016Its now 2016 and this book has not appeared. Disappointing.
Edit - its now 2022 and still nothing yet its still listed
Edit - its now 2022 and still nothing yet its still listed
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really wanted to enjoy this book. It felt like Christmas had arrived early when #Netgalley and #Hodder& Stoughton approved my request. I started reading with trembling fingers turning the pages, I giggled, I chortled at the sardonic tone, I smiled at the puns and witty playfulness aimed at the publishing industry. This was a Thursday Next series and I couldn’t have been happier.
Until I wasn’t.
The blurb explains why. ‘The Martians have broken out of their HG Wells novel and threaten both the real world and the Bookworld. Agents from a higher reality want unfettered access to the Dark Reading Matter, the realm where deleted books and unrealised literary ideas end up. A Gateway to Hell has opened up at Wantage's Shakesmania, the nation's second to worst Shakespeare theme park and the cosy world of Enid Blyton has been hi-jacked by Ultra-Right Wing Nationalists. With Reality Field Distortion experiments going haywire, a partially redacted donkey, a Bookworld on the brink of losing its imaginative energy to Big Tech and a murderous stamp collector with Philaticide on their mind, Thursday has to navigate a tightrope of borderline unusable narrative devices to bring the series to a satisfactory conclusion.’
That description doesn’t include all the characters who’ve featured in the series. It reminded me of the Avengers films, where every superhero needs their five minutes of screentime otherwise they have hissy fits. When you have sequences that achieve that goal, the plot expands to epic proportions that makes Homer look positively tightly edited.
That’s not all. The borders of reality suffer from such transparent fragility it’s not always possible to discern which is which. For instance, the sequences featuring the Goliath sub-plot is written in a different font, where words become phonetic or simply lose letters. It requires real care to ensure you’re correctly reading the text. It was meant to convey coded communication I assume – I found it annoying and rather indulgent because it took me out of the story. I wondered if that was deliberate.
There are so many interesting ideas in the story yet none of them got chance to develop because we’re rushed on to the next sub-plot. It’s like being in an express train, wondering if the stations actually were that pretty as they flashed past. I wish Fforde had focused his attention on one or two concepts so it allowed the wit and the surreal details to truly grow.
I won’t say much about the climax of the story beyond this: it’s just as rushed so it left me feeling frustrated and disappointed. I’d love to know what the author wanted to do with this story because it feels so muddled and rushed that I can’t see its point.
I found myself thinking of other lengthy series and how they ended (if indeed they ever did – just sayin’ Patrick Rothfuss and George RR Martin!). It’s a thankless task, trying to ram as much as you can into a story – like packing a suitcase without knowing what the climate will be like for your destination! That’s what’s happened in Dark Reading Matter and the bulging pages provide their own warning.
Until I wasn’t.
The blurb explains why. ‘The Martians have broken out of their HG Wells novel and threaten both the real world and the Bookworld. Agents from a higher reality want unfettered access to the Dark Reading Matter, the realm where deleted books and unrealised literary ideas end up. A Gateway to Hell has opened up at Wantage's Shakesmania, the nation's second to worst Shakespeare theme park and the cosy world of Enid Blyton has been hi-jacked by Ultra-Right Wing Nationalists. With Reality Field Distortion experiments going haywire, a partially redacted donkey, a Bookworld on the brink of losing its imaginative energy to Big Tech and a murderous stamp collector with Philaticide on their mind, Thursday has to navigate a tightrope of borderline unusable narrative devices to bring the series to a satisfactory conclusion.’
That description doesn’t include all the characters who’ve featured in the series. It reminded me of the Avengers films, where every superhero needs their five minutes of screentime otherwise they have hissy fits. When you have sequences that achieve that goal, the plot expands to epic proportions that makes Homer look positively tightly edited.
That’s not all. The borders of reality suffer from such transparent fragility it’s not always possible to discern which is which. For instance, the sequences featuring the Goliath sub-plot is written in a different font, where words become phonetic or simply lose letters. It requires real care to ensure you’re correctly reading the text. It was meant to convey coded communication I assume – I found it annoying and rather indulgent because it took me out of the story. I wondered if that was deliberate.
There are so many interesting ideas in the story yet none of them got chance to develop because we’re rushed on to the next sub-plot. It’s like being in an express train, wondering if the stations actually were that pretty as they flashed past. I wish Fforde had focused his attention on one or two concepts so it allowed the wit and the surreal details to truly grow.
I won’t say much about the climax of the story beyond this: it’s just as rushed so it left me feeling frustrated and disappointed. I’d love to know what the author wanted to do with this story because it feels so muddled and rushed that I can’t see its point.
I found myself thinking of other lengthy series and how they ended (if indeed they ever did – just sayin’ Patrick Rothfuss and George RR Martin!). It’s a thankless task, trying to ram as much as you can into a story – like packing a suitcase without knowing what the climate will be like for your destination! That’s what’s happened in Dark Reading Matter and the bulging pages provide their own warning.
currently-reading-series
June 10, 2023What bothers me is that Pickwick's been stuck in the dark reading matter for more than ten years.
October 11, 2026
When I use the word “masterpiece”, I mean it. And this one is a masterpiece.
Dark Reading Matter was the satisfying end to the Thursday Next series and well worth the decade long wait. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me feel that love is true. Fforde’s love for literature jumps out from the page, and there are so many intricate and fantastic callbacks to previous books in the series.
I am so grateful to exist in the same universe as this series. Thank you.
Dark Reading Matter was the satisfying end to the Thursday Next series and well worth the decade long wait. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me feel that love is true. Fforde’s love for literature jumps out from the page, and there are so many intricate and fantastic callbacks to previous books in the series.
I am so grateful to exist in the same universe as this series. Thank you.
Want to Read
September 9, 2024We're finally getting this one now, too?? JASPER WHERE IS NURSERY CRIME 3.
October 11, 2026
It's been 14 years and I'd about given up on another Thursday Next novel. Lo and behold, Jasper still had more to say.
I think what inspired this was the prevalence of LLMs to hoover up all the content of books regardless of copyright, and of the market being flooded with e-versions of AI-generated stories. It's a major plot point here.
The Hades family is involved in the nefarious schemes, of course, and the Martians from the three-volume set (?) of The War of the Worlds are threatening to take over the Bookworld. Without a Prose Portal, how will Thursday stop them?
Jasper pulls out all the metafictional stops in this one. I mean, he even drops himself into it at one point (sort of) and the characters have to reconcile themselves to the idea that they are fictional. There's fictional, and then there's the realm of the Dark Reading Matter where all the unpublished work has been relegated. Even Ambrose Bierce's grave is there. (He doesn't have one - he disappeared in Mexico.)
I could include innumerable quotes that are hilarious and biting in satire, but why spoil the fun? Fans of Thursday Next will want to read this regardless, and I don't want to spoil it for you. I will state that there is a truly groan-worthy pun dropped in ten pages before the end, that has been set up a couple hundred pages earlier. It gets him out of a major plot dilemma. Jasper, you rascal, you have no shame, and it's so much fun.
I think what inspired this was the prevalence of LLMs to hoover up all the content of books regardless of copyright, and of the market being flooded with e-versions of AI-generated stories. It's a major plot point here.
The Hades family is involved in the nefarious schemes, of course, and the Martians from the three-volume set (?) of The War of the Worlds are threatening to take over the Bookworld. Without a Prose Portal, how will Thursday stop them?
Jasper pulls out all the metafictional stops in this one. I mean, he even drops himself into it at one point (sort of) and the characters have to reconcile themselves to the idea that they are fictional. There's fictional, and then there's the realm of the Dark Reading Matter where all the unpublished work has been relegated. Even Ambrose Bierce's grave is there. (He doesn't have one - he disappeared in Mexico.)
I could include innumerable quotes that are hilarious and biting in satire, but why spoil the fun? Fans of Thursday Next will want to read this regardless, and I don't want to spoil it for you. I will state that there is a truly groan-worthy pun dropped in ten pages before the end, that has been set up a couple hundred pages earlier. It gets him out of a major plot dilemma. Jasper, you rascal, you have no shame, and it's so much fun.
October 20, 2026
Fforde’s books (Thursday Next and all the rest) have always been a bit off the wall. In general, I am not a reader who enjoys fantasy or other non-logical, non-reality based fiction. I’ve never understood why I’m so easily able to let go when I read Fforde. But I can absolutely call the TN series my favorite of all time. I was so anxious about this final book, partly because I was so disappointed by the end of Fforde’s The Last Dragonslayer series. But I ended up having nothing to worry about. DRM is, by far, the most unhinged book in the series. And, yes, that is absolutely a compliment! From the dedication onward, it was nonstop hilarity. Multiple font types, redactions, footnotes, a character-saving flashback, the appearance of Jasper himself (sort of), acknowledgments 100 pages before the end of the book, ads, a Rick Astley video, multiple chapter 13s, and Thursday agreeing to the worst series ending ever (even if it did make me laugh out loud!) in order to save Jasper for all of us in the future. Thank you, Jasper, and thank you, Thursday, for a terrific ride! My only real disappointment, that I will eventually get over, so I won’t deduct any stars from my rating, is that this book is not the same size as the other seven in the series, thanks to a change in publishers. So very aggravating! Why??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2026
RTC. For now, suffice to say . . . it warms a reader‘s heart. Amen, Mr. Fforde.
Review of advance copy
A fitting end for a fantastic series. There are so many clever ideas and solutions, I genuinely don’t know how he does it. Definitely must be the muses. Thank you Jasper, this was a total blast.
Currently Reading
February 11, 2026Jasper Fforde writes exceptional books of satirical 'what-if' sci-fi but not. ‘Dark Reading Matter’ is the eighth and final Thursday Next book, set for release around September 2026 according to various sources. It will be the conclusion of this uniquely popular series. Bring it on Jasper! Satirical note: Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931) the renowned Australian operatic soprano was famous for her extended farewells. A habit that gave rise to the Australian idiom ‘doing a Melba’ prolonging retirement or a goodbye. Like Nellie Melba, Thursday Next is well worth waiting for!
November 2, 2026
I'm always wary when an author returns to a beloved series many years after the previous installment. All too often the sequel falls flat, or worse retcons important parts of the story. And/or succumb to fan service with nothing new to say. Happily, Fforde avoids all the pitfalls, and closes out the series with a tour de force.
It is probably the most meta book I've ever read. On top of the already meta-ness inherent in the series with the book world interacting with the "real" world, we now have several layers on top of that. Up to and including the actual author talking about himself with his own voice (he literally narrates the sections in the audiobook himself). The line between fiction and reality isn't just blurred, it's trampled on, tied in knots, and tossed overboard.
Not only do the characters talk to the reader (normal Fourth Wall breaking) and to the author, but in a unique twist the readers are given the opportunity to talk back to the characters and influence their actions! Truly wild stuff, and so expertly executed that it feels surprisingly natural and not as gimmicky as it should be.
It is probably the most meta book I've ever read. On top of the already meta-ness inherent in the series with the book world interacting with the "real" world, we now have several layers on top of that. Up to and including the actual author talking about himself with his own voice (he literally narrates the sections in the audiobook himself). The line between fiction and reality isn't just blurred, it's trampled on, tied in knots, and tossed overboard.
Not only do the characters talk to the reader (normal Fourth Wall breaking) and to the author, but in a unique twist the readers are given the opportunity to talk back to the characters and influence their actions! Truly wild stuff, and so expertly executed that it feels surprisingly natural and not as gimmicky as it should be.
October 21, 2026
A wild trip through the brilliant world of Thursday Next. In the real world - or is it? - fascists are angling to take over the government, while in the book world a new villain (Roger Thatt) aims to make a fortune through mining content for AI to eliminate the need for authors. Sounds simple enough but this is Jasper Fforde and nothing is simple. It's funny and meta and insightful and jam-packed with things to warm a booklover's heart. That gloomy donkey who isn't out of copyright yet so has to be redacted every time his name comes up, and the characters can't quite hear his name. Instructions to the reader to read certain bits out loud - we find out why much later. The author himself, stuck on how to finish the book, contemplating a tempting offer. There are Muses, "Bacon wrote Shakespeare" theorists, misguided Blytonians who want to return Britain to an imagined idyllic past a la the Enid Blyton books, and ten - no, eleven - different fonts, not counting the mirror writing that shows up in a couple of places. Some choice comments about librarians that I wish I'd marked when I came to them so I could share them with my librarian friends. And a really nice tribute to readers and our contribution to the story.
If you're already a Thursday Next fan, you'll probably love it. If you aren't, you probably shouldn't start with this one. It's plenty confusing if you're already oriented to the BookWorld.
Oh - and Dark Reading Matter? It's everything that either never got published in the first place (authors' trunk novels, unfinished ideas, children's imaginary friends) or that have been forgotten and their last surviving copy turned to dust.
If you're already a Thursday Next fan, you'll probably love it. If you aren't, you probably shouldn't start with this one. It's plenty confusing if you're already oriented to the BookWorld.
Oh - and Dark Reading Matter? It's everything that either never got published in the first place (authors' trunk novels, unfinished ideas, children's imaginary friends) or that have been forgotten and their last surviving copy turned to dust.
October 8, 2026
When I say that Jasper Fforde is one of my favourite novelists and the Thursday Next series one of my favourite series and then I add that this eight and (probably) final book in the series came twelve years after the last, then you will know how very excited I was to get my hands on an eArc.
There is no way to easily sum up the series so far except to say that Fforde is a wildly inventive, anarchic, clever, well-read, original writer and the Thursday Next books are like nothing you will have ever read before. Our heroine is an intelligent, courageous, wise cracking literary detective and librarian, who goes into books to ensure they don't deviate away from the author's intent and whose career is dedicated to taking down wrongdoers. All these threads come together in this eighth book which takes on the rise of populism, the threat of AI and corporate greed in a wildly entertaining, meta, fourth wall breaking ride. It's not always an easy read, the reader has to do some of the work, but it's absorbing nontheless.
If you are new to Fforde then this is not the book for you, go buy or borrow The Eyre Affair and embark on a new book love affair some of us have been indulging in for over twenty years. Lucky you! If, like me, this book has been on your 'please come out soon' list for many years then you will not be disappointed.
There is no way to easily sum up the series so far except to say that Fforde is a wildly inventive, anarchic, clever, well-read, original writer and the Thursday Next books are like nothing you will have ever read before. Our heroine is an intelligent, courageous, wise cracking literary detective and librarian, who goes into books to ensure they don't deviate away from the author's intent and whose career is dedicated to taking down wrongdoers. All these threads come together in this eighth book which takes on the rise of populism, the threat of AI and corporate greed in a wildly entertaining, meta, fourth wall breaking ride. It's not always an easy read, the reader has to do some of the work, but it's absorbing nontheless.
If you are new to Fforde then this is not the book for you, go buy or borrow The Eyre Affair and embark on a new book love affair some of us have been indulging in for over twenty years. Lucky you! If, like me, this book has been on your 'please come out soon' list for many years then you will not be disappointed.
October 12, 2026
Like coming home. The most absurd, meta thing I have ever read.
Jasper did an amazing job reminding readers about any thing they might have forgotten along the way but did it in a way that wasn't an info dump.
Jasper did an amazing job reminding readers about any thing they might have forgotten along the way but did it in a way that wasn't an info dump.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a highly anticipated book for me. The publication date has been pushed back so many times that the excitement just increased. However, I'm afraid to say I was left disappointed. It perked up a bit at 70% when the author was heavily mentioned, but this book just didn't seem to fit in with the other 7. It was missing something for me and this felt like an anticlimactic ending to the whole series.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
August 25, 2021
It’s like the Chronicles of St Mary’s had a baby with The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and it came out a librarian. I loved it.
October 27, 2026
This final entry in the amazing Thursday Next series begins with the former Literary Special Ops agent home with the family awaiting the end of her story. But enemies old and new are unwilling to let her go quietly. The Martians from War of the Worlds are wreaking havoc in both the real world and the Bookworld, a portal to hell has opened up in an amusement park devoted to Shakespeare, and the bad guys are trying to force Thursday or her author to read them into the Dark Reading Matter.
If any of that makes sense to you then you have read the previous seven books in this series and presumably had a great time doing it. I know I did. Fforde is a writer who defies description. Suffice it to say that if imagination were money, he might just be the richest man in the world. I have read everything he has published and will continue to, but Thursday will always be my favorite of his creations. I will miss her.
If any of that makes sense to you then you have read the previous seven books in this series and presumably had a great time doing it. I know I did. Fforde is a writer who defies description. Suffice it to say that if imagination were money, he might just be the richest man in the world. I have read everything he has published and will continue to, but Thursday will always be my favorite of his creations. I will miss her.
October 23, 2026
This final installment in the Thursday Next series was a long time coming. It was very different from what I expected. It is not set within the Dark Reading Matter.
But no matter, it is satisfactory in its own over the top way.
Fforde goes completely meta, breaking so many walls I lost count.
There is allot of fan service with the return of many favorite characters, vignettes into the authors own struggle, finishing the TN 8 and jokes at his expense.
But foremost this is Fforde's attempt to tackle the LLM crisis in the literary world.
But no matter, it is satisfactory in its own over the top way.
Fforde goes completely meta, breaking so many walls I lost count.
There is allot of fan service with the return of many favorite characters, vignettes into the authors own struggle, finishing the TN 8 and jokes at his expense.
But foremost this is Fforde's attempt to tackle the LLM crisis in the literary world.
October 7, 2026
A fun ending to one of my most favorite book series.
October 11, 2026
I started this series in high school, and I couldn’t have anticipated being delighted the final book was published 25 years later (or that I’d read it on my phone, pregnant with my 10th kid. 2001 me has so much to learn.) This one is even more speculative than usual, with an appearance by Fforde himself, and touches on AI in writing, writers’ block, and also haddock making a comeback. Make yourself some toast and prepare to be confused by changing timelines while Thursday saves all the worlds one more time.
October 16, 2026
3.5 stars. After enjoying each of the previous Thursday Next novels this one was a disappointment. There were parts that were vintage Thursday Next, but overall it disappoints.
September 28, 2026
I knew this was going to hurt my brain, I knew it and embraced it - but I still have to say “ouchie!”
I really enjoyed this finale, but I’m definitely going to have to reread the whole series in order to make it make sense.
Fourth wall - broken
Footnotes - hacked
Future - foretold
Funny bone - tickled
Thank you Mr Fforde, may the muses ever favour you.
I really enjoyed this finale, but I’m definitely going to have to reread the whole series in order to make it make sense.
Fourth wall - broken
Footnotes - hacked
Future - foretold
Funny bone - tickled
Thank you Mr Fforde, may the muses ever favour you.
October 21, 2026
Rating: 3.4/5
It has been a long wait, but finally, after 14 years, here is the final instalment in Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" series, that actually started 25 years ago with the wonderful "The Eyre Affair".
Firstly, I would have to advise anyone new to the series that you really should go back to the beginning and read the seven books preceding this one first. This isn't one of those occasions where you can just pick up the backstory as you go along. There would be certain elements that you could piece together, but there would be so much that you miss out on that would detract from your full enjoyment of "Dark Reading Matter".
As you would expect from Jasper Fforde, there are plenty of clever literary and socio-political references throughout the narrative and his satirical wit is evident throughout. In spite of that, this doesn't quite hit the mark as consistently as some of his other publications. Personally, (and I expect many Fforde fans may disagree) I think the Thursday Next series reached its zenith in the fourth book, "Something Rotten". I don't believe that any of the subsequent books in the series have matched up to the quality of the first four, even though they have still been very enjoyable. "Dark Matter" certainly has its share of noteworthy moments, but I couldn't avoid the feeling that it often seemed like one of those television shows, where the final programme is made up of series highlights with the addition of some previously unaired footage.
Although the key emphasis of the novel is the humour, in common with other recent books, Jasper Fforde again displays a side to his writing that is a little more sombre and poignant. This comes across in the journal sections of this book (you will know the bits I mean when you get to them), which, I am not ashamed to confess, moved me to tears.
I am a long-standing admirer of Jasper Fforde's work and I have read every book he has had published. I don't expect that is likely to change - I would probably even read his weekly grocery shopping lists if Hodder & Stoughton collated and published them! I always look forward to a new book from the double-consonanted one and this eighth and final Thursday Next adventure was no exception. That said, I have to say that, on the whole, I would describe "Dark Reading Matter" as a good, but not great ending to the series.
It has been a long wait, but finally, after 14 years, here is the final instalment in Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" series, that actually started 25 years ago with the wonderful "The Eyre Affair".
Firstly, I would have to advise anyone new to the series that you really should go back to the beginning and read the seven books preceding this one first. This isn't one of those occasions where you can just pick up the backstory as you go along. There would be certain elements that you could piece together, but there would be so much that you miss out on that would detract from your full enjoyment of "Dark Reading Matter".
As you would expect from Jasper Fforde, there are plenty of clever literary and socio-political references throughout the narrative and his satirical wit is evident throughout. In spite of that, this doesn't quite hit the mark as consistently as some of his other publications. Personally, (and I expect many Fforde fans may disagree) I think the Thursday Next series reached its zenith in the fourth book, "Something Rotten". I don't believe that any of the subsequent books in the series have matched up to the quality of the first four, even though they have still been very enjoyable. "Dark Matter" certainly has its share of noteworthy moments, but I couldn't avoid the feeling that it often seemed like one of those television shows, where the final programme is made up of series highlights with the addition of some previously unaired footage.
Although the key emphasis of the novel is the humour, in common with other recent books, Jasper Fforde again displays a side to his writing that is a little more sombre and poignant. This comes across in the journal sections of this book (you will know the bits I mean when you get to them), which, I am not ashamed to confess, moved me to tears.
I am a long-standing admirer of Jasper Fforde's work and I have read every book he has had published. I don't expect that is likely to change - I would probably even read his weekly grocery shopping lists if Hodder & Stoughton collated and published them! I always look forward to a new book from the double-consonanted one and this eighth and final Thursday Next adventure was no exception. That said, I have to say that, on the whole, I would describe "Dark Reading Matter" as a good, but not great ending to the series.
November 2, 2026
In the final book in the Thursday Next series, Thursday and Landen seem destined to vacation in Wantage, despite having no desire to do so -- and signs also point to Thursday visiting the Dark Reading Matter, despite the fact that she doesn't see how this could be possible. The bad guys are up to even more nefarious deeds that threaten the entire Bookworld. Will this be the time that Thursday fails to stop them? Or will the author run out of inspiration before the book manages to draw to a close?
I've enjoyed all of the Thursday Next series, and I feel like I would have benefitted from rereading all of them before diving into this one, as the events of previous books are all a bit muddled in my head. Still, this was as funny and delightful as ever, and a fun excursion into Thursday's world one more time. I highly recommend book-lovers read this series, starting with The Eyre Affair -- seriously, don't start with this one, what are you even thinking?
I've enjoyed all of the Thursday Next series, and I feel like I would have benefitted from rereading all of them before diving into this one, as the events of previous books are all a bit muddled in my head. Still, this was as funny and delightful as ever, and a fun excursion into Thursday's world one more time. I highly recommend book-lovers read this series, starting with The Eyre Affair -- seriously, don't start with this one, what are you even thinking?
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