Early Riser

I did not think I liked this book at all for at least the first quarter. But, as with most Jasper Fforde books, once I better understood the world he had created, I was more compelled as I got deeper into the story. It is definitely darker and more of a thriller than his previous works, which is probably why it is not my favorite. But I am once again blown away by the imagination and creativity of the story and the world he's built.

Worthy.

A cumbersome beginning, with a few stumbles along the way; and the interactions between characters is curiously affectless; and you're going to need a heaping dose of Extra-Strength Disbelief-Suspensio™ because the rules of this new world aren't even internally consistent. But I found myself not caring: the story was good, the characters interesting in themselves. A tad heavyhanded near the end (in ways that were predictable from the first few chapters), but oh god much less so than that stupid rabbit book we won't mention. Fun plot twists, some predictable but most not: overall, it just kept getting weirder as it progressed, weirder in quirky and engaging ways. It must be interesting to have an imagination like Fforde's, and obviously not all of it works for everyone (cough rabbit book *cough), but this one worked for me. Fforde writes with compassion and grace, and I promise you that this will take you to interesting and thoughtful places.

This is a provisional review and rating because I've read the book only once so far.

Good points:

1. Fforde has a remarkable ability to imagine a totally bizarre world and bring it to life in every detail, and he's done it again here. I was impressed throughout.

2. At least at first reading, the story is gripping. Circumstances prevented me from reading it at one sitting, but I wanted to come back to it.

Bad points:

1. The scenario is rather grim and macabre: a world in deep freeze, haunted by nightmares.

2. The characters are varied, but mostly lack positive appeal, and appearances can be deceptive: some apparently nice characters turn out to be bad, and at least one nasty character turns out to be good.

3. The first-person protagonist seems to have a weak sense of sexual identity, and his/her sex isn't well established; for no particular reason, I initially assumed that I was reading about a woman. In Chapter 2, the name ‘Charlie' is introduced, which is usually male, but could be a diminutive of various female names. It's unusual to get some way into a book without being sure of the sex of the main character, and it's not clear whether Fforde is doing this on purpose or by mistake.

Although Fforde books always have some element of humour, they tend to be set in more or less dystopian scenarios, and I read them despite this, not because of it. I usually avoid dystopias.

I only got Early Riser as a stopgap between Shades of Grey 1 & 2 (still waiting for 2...), and didn't know what to expect. I really don't like reading spoilers before starting a book or film or tv series, so only knew it was about humans hibernating as the norm over winter and that was about it. As I got further into the story I knew I was going to enjoy it, and I did. Fforde's wit shines through, and I love the references to things outside of the specific universe he built here, and the nun's names are brilliant!
Definitely on my ‘to read again' list.

It’s a world as only Jasper Fforde can imagine it: a climate-change alternative history where dreams are suppressed for those who can afford it, villains are obsessed with stamps, and “coffee” is any warm liquid that is brown — it’s probably not toxic, maybe. Charlie gets a new job in Sector Twelve and has to bite off more than he can chew or be chewed by nightwalkers. Who can Charlie trust?

I didn’t love this, but I didn’t hate it either. Since I was disappointed, my beef with this one stands out. The first 50% is a bit of a slog. Charlie is bumbling yet clever and witty, and somehow still manages to be a lackluster character outshined by others in his own story. The humor was too intellectual for me so I missed a lot of it. I never felt cold even though the setting is essentially a tundra. And last, the ending (while worth it) was a little anti-climactic.

I highly recommend Shades of Grey over this one for new readers of Fforde.