The Eyre Affair

Fforde, Jasper. (2003). The Eyre Affair. New York, NY: Penguin.

ISBN: 9780142001806

Pages: 374

Genre: fantasy, sci-fi, adventure

Annotation: Thursday Next must save Jane Eyre among other challenges.

Summary: Thursday Next, a dedicated Literary detective, is jolted out of her routine when a supposedly secure book is stolen. This brings her into disastrous contact with a villain who wants to use literature for his own gain. His plan is to use a device which literally allows people to step into the pages of books, and if they have the original story, change them forever. As if this is not enough, Thursday also comes into contact with the man she loves but also feels betrayed her ten years ago. A jaunt into the pages of Jane Eyre can help her with both problems.

Evaluation:  Excellent read.

The characters are engaging. Thursday is a lot like Jane Eyre: dependable and struggling to deal with emotions. Hades is an over the top villain the reader loves to hate. Landen Park-Laine is at once a romantic and/or someone the reader wants to yell at depending on the interpretation. The storyline keeps the reader interested: the premise of being able to step into a book alone is worth it. Thursday’s encounters with Hades, Goliath Corporation, Landen and those in Jane Eyre provoke laughter and/or thoughtfulness. The literary allusions, the mentions of societies and other elements help the reader to feel they are in a world where literature is king. The use of jarring elements such as dodos, airships versus airplanes and the Crimean War lasting over a century show the reader this is a world much different from our own. This book is an excellent read for readers who love books, retold tales, alternate history and humorous fantasy.

What else to read:

The other books in the Thursday Next series.

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moer, translated by John Brownjohn, for another book about books.

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey for a retold tale.

Heroics for Beginners by John Moore for humorous fantasy.

Harry Turtledove is a master of alternate history who has various “what if” scenarios from different time periods.