Fans of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series may be a bit blue when they hear that it will be another year before she returns. In the meantime, however, Fforde has another treat in store for readers. Shades of Grey, due out December 29, introduces fans to even more facets of this creative and quirky author's mind. There's an official page for the book in addition to Fforde's own official page, and there are tons of goodies there for readers including an interview with Fforde about the new book.
Here's the product description from Amazon just to get you all hot and bothered:
Part social satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, Shades of Grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means.
Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.
Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.
Stunningly imaginative, very funny, tightly plotted, and with sly satirical digs at our own society, this novel is for those who loved Thursday Next but want to be transported somewhere equally wild, only darker; a world where the black and white of moral standpoints have been reduced to shades of grey.
Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.
Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.
Stunningly imaginative, very funny, tightly plotted, and with sly satirical digs at our own society, this novel is for those who loved Thursday Next but want to be transported somewhere equally wild, only darker; a world where the black and white of moral standpoints have been reduced to shades of grey.
Anyone who's ever gotten lost in the madness and mayhem of Jasper Fforde's world knows that this foray into a new one is going to be amazing and well worth the trip. I can't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy.
And for rabid Thursday Next fans (of which there are many) here's a teaser for the next Next book.
So, mark your calendars and save your holiday gift cards for Shades of Grey! And, if he's going to be in your area, I highly recommend turning out for it (check his Tour page for details). He puts on a fabulous show. I only wish Denver was on the agenda this time around.
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