Book Review: Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

Lost in a Good Book is a humorous sci-fi novel by Jasper Fforde. This is the second book in his Thursday Next series, following on from The Eyre Affair. It was first published in 2002 by Hodder & Stoughton. This review is intended to be free of spoilers, but because it is a sequel, there may be implied spoilers for The Eyre Affair. Consider yourself warned! No review copy was provided; I bought and read this book when it first came out and have recently re-read it with a view to re-reading the whole series. There are affiliate links at the end of this review.

Blurb:

Thursday Next, literary detective and newlywed is back to embark on an adventure that begins, quite literally on her own doorstep. It seems that Landen, her husband of four weeks, actually drowned in an accident when he was two years old. Someone, somewhere, sometime, is responsible. The sinister Goliath Corporation wants its operative Jack Schitt out of the poem in which Thursday trapped him, and it will do almost anything to achieve this – but bribing the ChronoGuard? Is that possible?

Having barely caught her breath after The Eyre Affair, Thursday must battle corrupt politicians, try to save the world from extinction, and help the Neanderthals to species self-determination. Mastadon migrations, journeys into Just William, a chance meeting with the Flopsy Bunnies, and violent life-and-death struggles in the summer sales are all part of a greater plan.

But whose? and why?

Review:

Lost in a Good Book is the second installment in Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, continuing the adventures of the literary detective Thursday Next. This novel picks up where The Eyre Affair left off (here come those spoilers for the previous book), with Thursday navigating a world where literature and reality are intricately intertwined. We’ve all dreamt of that, surely?

In this sequel, Thursday faces new challenges as her husband, Landen, is eradicated from existence by the nefarious Goliath Corporation. To rescue him, she must delve into the world of Jurisfiction, a secret organization that polices the literary universe. Along the way, she encounters a host of memorable characters from the canon of literature, including the formidable Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.

Fforde’s writing remains as witty and inventive as ever, filled with clever literary references and puns that will delight book lovers. The novel’s plot is fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers hooked. The world-building is rich and imaginative, expanding on the unique universe introduced in the first book.

The Eyre Affair introduced Goliath and SpecOps, and they continue to be fleshed out in this book. I actually explored them a while back when I wrote about roleplaying in the world of Thursday Next. SpecOps is delightfully weird and Goliath is as oppressive (yet vulnerable) as their name would suggest. Jurisfiction is new, and it will continue to see development over the coming books. Miss Havisham takes on a wonderful mentoring relationship with Thursday, and the decision to engage in this type of meta-fiction gives Fforde an infinite playground for his stories. He can draw on anything, make literary references galore, and introduce the most delightful jargon. I love the three major ‘factions’ in these books; they are all unique, well-defined, and an integral part of the world and the story.

I would say that this is where the series finds its feet. The first book was excellent but narrow. This introduces us to the world of fiction and massively deepens the mythology of the series. As a result, this book is a lot of fun and is great in building out the series, but doesn’t work as effectively as a standalone story. This will be a recurring theme now, across the series. Fans of the first book will appreciate the continuation of Thursday’s story as she straddles both this new world, and the alternative vision of the 1980s that she inhabits. Lost in a Good Book is a charming and entertaining read that showcases Fforde’s talent for blending humor, fantasy, and literary critique.

Rating: 4.5/5