Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious literary fun
Review: This third installment of the Thursday Next series is just as magical, offbeat, and hilarious as the previous two. I was thoroughly impressed with the world that Jasper Fforde created with the first book, The Eyre Affair, and was glad to discover the same kind of imaginative detail in this novel. I can only think to compare the quirky world of The Well of Lost Plots with that of The Wizard of OZ (but for book lovers!). In this novel, Thursday Next is hiding out in the book world, the world of fiction. She joins the character exchange program, fills a role in a novel so bad that it's threatened to be broken up and recycled in the text sea, befriends some generics that have yet to be actualized into characters, battles a mindworm that is destroying her memories and struggles to solve a series of murders all at the same time. As an English major graduate with a good knowledge of classic fiction under my belt, what I love most about the Thursday Next series is the amount of humor in the text. Fforde sprinkles witty tongue-in-cheek jokes about all kinds of literature and literary characters throughout the story. The cast of Wuthering Heights is enrolled in a rage counselling group, everyone ends up waiting for Agent Godot, and a multitude of other characters from well known novels have cameos in this book. My only complaint about this novel is that I was eager to have the plot regarding Thursday's erradiacated husband Landen furthered more than it was. This novel mainly deals with Thursday's own inner battles against her mindworm and the murders in the Well of Lost Plots. --But perhaps I'm too eager. The next Next book is slated for release this August...so the rest will come in time. I would highly recommend this novel to fans of the Thursday Next series. For those unfamiliar, read The Eyre Affair!
Rating: 
Summary: LAUGH-OUT-LOUD LISTENING
Review: Those who have read Fforde's "The Eyre Affair" (2002) and "Lost In A Good Book" (2003) have already been won over by his playful pranks and prose. Now, listeners will be enthralled by Elizabeth Sastre's performance of his third venture into the real/fantasy book world. At times dramatic, at other times ditzy Ms. Sastre is our heroine, Thursday Next, come to amazing, stupefying, and, yes, silly life. All in good fun, friends, all in good fun. For those who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting her Thursday is a bit of a literary detective. As it happens, she is now a very pregnant literary detective looking forward to taking her ease for a while. Hopefully, she can find r&r in the character Exchange Program located deep down in the Great Library. However, there's no rest for the well read and Thursday is up to her britches in murder and mayhem. Her hideout in the B" novel has not proven to be a restful retreat. Shockingly she's awash in plots too contrived to be set down on page and surrounded by wooden characters who are being recycled by the dozen. It's up to our girl to solve not only mysteries but to return to her "real" life. This is a laugh-out-loud lark for all who listen. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: The Most Original Series Around
Review: Thursday Next is at it again in another book hopping adventure. Now Aornis Hades, the sister of Achernon, emerges as the evil villain. And what a wonderful villain she is. Here we have a pregnant Thursday taking a break from her job at SpecOps as a literary detective to go to the Well of Lost Plots by joining the Jurisfiction Character Exchange Program (similar to a student exchange program) for a little rest and relaxation, but alas, there is no rest for our Thursday. She finds herself in many battles with Miss Haversham of Dicken's Great Expectations fame by her side. If you like fun books, with a sense of humor that don't take themselves too seriously, that are as satirical as they are silly, then this is a book for you. You need to be willing to suspend disbelief and enter another world, just enough different enough from ours to make it truly special. But I must say I loved this book as much as I loved the other two - which is five stars worth. If you loved Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book, you'll love the Well of Lost Plots. If you haven't read those, then I would start at the beginning of the series with Eyre Affair.
Rating:
Summary: Clever, funny, with a well integrated message. Good one
Review: Thursday Next is in trouble. Her husband has been stricken at age two and now only Thursday's memories of him keep him alive. She plans on getting him back, but a memory virus is attacking even her own memories of him. And, while the world of literature is getting ready for its annual book awards and for the release of a new book reading experience (the biggest change since the upgrade from Scroll to Book), Jurisfiction agents are vanishing or being murdered. Somehow, Thursday, who has taken refuge in a terrible detective mystery under the character exchange program, must solve the murders, keep herself alive, and regain the memories of her husband. Thursday's adventures take her across multiple novels--from Sense and Sensibility to Wuthering Heights to The Stars My Destination (one of my favorites) to a variety of pot-boiler mysteries and to the mysterious Well of Lost Plots itself. In Thursday's universe, books are created from characters that are composed of words. Characters dream about moving from stock roles to having a backstory, a name, even taking over a book. Of course, there's plenty of danger and the Jurisfiction agency is responsible for ensuring that books aren't changed--say by having the evil squire actually fall in love with the chambermaid and letting them live happily ever after. Author Jasper Fforde writes a very funny book, but with some serious political agendas to hone. His mix of clever ideas, cliche, and hackneyed plots (done tongue in cheek) from every new writer's first attempt at a novel kept me laughing and reading. I especially enjoyed the dramatic moment when Thursday nearly fell into the vanished boxing gym--which the author had apparently cut out to use in another book. The magical word creatures add a nice touch. This is a different kind of fantasy--so much so that I considered reviewing it in general fiction rather than fantasy, but it is fantasy. Fford's strong writing, clever plot devices, and well integrated agenda all add up to a superior novel. WELL OF LOST PLOTS is definitely one to add to your must-read list.
Rating:
Summary: Delightfully Funny
Review: Thursday Next, our heroine lit tec, is hiding from those who would do her harm. She may have stopped the 130-year-old Crimean War, killed arch villain Acheron Hades and changed the novel Jane Eyre for the better; still she's a thorn in the side of the Goliath Corporation and some of the Chroniguard. She's also pregnant by her husband Parklane. He's been killed at age two and Thursday is in danger of forgetting him.
THE WELL OF THE LOST PLOTS is delightfully funny. I mean, the characters from Wurthering Heights needing therapy, Heathcliff crossing over into the real world and working as Buck Stallion in movies, the generic characters, the riffs on Star Wars and Flash Gordon and so much more. Jasper Fforde is ingenious, witty and irreverent. Anyone who loves literature, word play, satire and just laugh-out-loud fun will love this third installment in the Thursday Next series. But do yourself a favor, read them all.
Rating:
Summary: Fictional cops are all the same
Review: What if you could visit the world of fiction, interacting with characters like Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, all at the same time? And what if Miss Havisham was running anger-management classes for Heathcliff and his fellow Heights characters? We get to find out in The Well of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde's third novel in his Thursday Next series, following intrepid literary detective Next as she gets involved with literary conspiracies that will affect how you and I read books, as well as teaching two blank slate "generics" how to become true fictional personalities. Fforde, as ever, is irreverent and full of great concepts. However, this time his lack of true characters hinders the reader's enjoyment just a little bit. Jasper Fforde is the master of imagery and a very creative man. In his previous books, The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book , Fforde has created a world where fiction is real and can be traveled through, but he also created an alternate reality where history isn't quite the same, where the Crimean War between Russia and Britain has been going on for 150 years. This time, while the Crimean War setting is very vital to one plot point, Fforde immerses us entirely in the fictional world, with characters from bad detective novels interacting with characters from Wuthering Heights. As always, Fforde's trademark wit and humour make the book a lot of fun and a joy to read. In previous books, I've said that Fforde stays away from characters in favour of providing a strong setting and vivid images. In The Well of Lost Plots, Fforde does the same, but he goes a bit overboard. The one well-realized character has always been Thursday Next, but this time even she isn't that well done. Sure, she's still a strong character, but Fforde seems to be drifting on her past characterization, depending on the fact that we've probably read the previous two books to provide her character. With the exception of her having to relive the last day of her brother's life over and over again, she receives no development whatsoever. The other characters are the same way, relative ciphers that interact with the plot but that's about it. Fforde is hampered in this by the fact that all of the other characters in this novel (save one) are already established literary characters, or they are literary cliches on purpose. Inevitably, these characters are established by having a couple of traits different from their "on-screen" personalities in their books (i.e. Miss Havisham is still a prickly old lady like she is in Great Expectations, but she actually does have a true heart beneath her harsh exterior). The detective novel characters fit their stereotypes, but they are just slightly different to show off the same effect. Thus, there are not truly memorable characters. Instead, there are memorable character differences ("Oh, Prometheus is really like that!). Without characterization, what are we left with? Plot and imagery. For a long while, there didn't seem to be much of a plot, though Fforde does an admirable job of making the wandering about in the first part of the book actually mean something. In the meantime, while we are wandering, the settings and concepts that Fforde has created are still top notch. I really enjoyed learning about all the different aspects of fiction, and how the characters are able to interact. When a character is not front stage in a book, they can do pretty much what they want. It sort of begs the question of how this is possible, considering the fact that, especially in the classics or bestsellers, each page in the book is inevitably being read by somebody somewhere. But it's a conceit the reader makes to revel in the world Fforde has created. It's a fun place, with some wacky events. Who but Fforde could imagine Miss Havisham trying to break the land-speed record in a souped-up car? Or an assassination squad trying to take out Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights because he's such an arrogant scoundrel? Fforde really brings his world alive, and the reader is carried along with the flow. One problem that Fforde has, however, is how to tell the reader about this fabulous world. Exposition is very heavy as Fforde has the fictional characters explain what is happening to Thursday, a Jurisfiction novice. While this is much better than having two characters talk to each other about things they should already be aware of, even having them explain it to Thursday becomes old after awhile. There are just so many new things (something we probably shouldn't complain about) that I don't know how else it could have been done, but it was starting to get annoying. Still, The Well of Lost Plots is a satisfying read, just not as much so as the previous books. I really enjoyed it, and plan on coming back for the next one. Don't worry if you're not the most literary reader. Most of the literary references are either obvious or will zoom by without you even knowing about it. Give this series a chance. I think you'll enjoy it. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite contemporary writers!
Review: When you enter a Thursday Next book, you enter a new world, one in which books are national treasures, characters are real, and the fate of the world rests in the hands of a single literatec agent. As a scholar and devotee of classic literature, Fforde's books make my favorite characters come to life. I can't wait for the next Thursday Next book. This book is not quite as strong as the first two, but still an exceptional read. If you haven't read the first two books of the series (_The Eyre Affair_ and _The Well of Lost Plots_), I suggest you do so as the plots are interconnected. (Hint to fans, Fforde's books are always released first in England. Book 4 is scheduled to be released 8/2/04 in the UK. You can preorder on Amazon.co.uk).
Rating: 
Summary: Lost in the well...
Review: While I thoroughly enjoyed the first two Thursday Next novels, I had a lot of trouble falling into Jasper Fforde's world the third time. There was very little advancement of the story; instead most of the book involved the description of the world-within-a-world, The Well of Lost Plots. I felt like I was watching one of those movies that rely far too much on special effects: all the razzle-dazzle of the gramasites, the Text Sea, plots being sold on the black market, etc. try to distract the reader from the lack of an actual STORY. Here's hoping the next book is better.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing world, disappointing read
Review: Yes, the Well of Los Plots is dazzlingly imaginative. But it delivers precious little of the Thursday Next we know and love from Fforde's previous two (delightful) efforts. Here she is little more than a projectile careening from one madcap scene to the next. The hilarity, too, is sadly superficial. Ultimately, the alternative world of The Well of Lost Plots is a joyless place, where literature is, really, just another dreary industrial product. This novel feels like an unwelcome digression from the REAL story, which, hopefully, will resume very soon.
Rating:
Summary: Busily Plotted, Shamelessly Exciting and Grandly Absurd
Review: You don't have to have read Jasper Fforde's two previous novels in the Thursday Next series to enjoy his latest, THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS; he kindly provides a plot synopsis. In THE EYRE AFFAIR Fforde introduced his main character, Thursday Next, a literary detective who rescues a kidnapped Jane Eyre and returns her to Emily Bronte's novel. In the follow-up, LOST IN A GOOD BOOK, Thursday teamed with Miss Havisham from GREAT EXPECTATIONS to stop a power-hungry fictional character who had escaped into the real world. Such few words do little to hint at the dizzying complexities of these two novels --- which involve government and corporate conspiracies, pet dodo birds, time travel and a narrowly averted Dream Topping apocalypse --- so "The Story So Far." section brings both new and faithful readers up to date on what has led Thursday to hide out in the Well of Lost Plots, which is home to half-finished or unpublished novels. Distraught over the time-eradication of her husband (a villain time-travels to kill him when he is only two years old), hunted by a powerful corporation and sidelined from active duty by her pregnancy, Thursday has taken up residence as a bit player in "a dreary crime thriller set in Reading entitled Caversham Heights," wherein she has minimal obligations to the plot and reluctantly boards two character blanks named ibb and obb. In her sleep she is tormented by a mnemonomorph named Aornis Hades, who can invade and alter her memories. Thursday defeated Aornis's brother Acheron Hades in THE EYRE AFFAIR, and now the villain wants revenge. While she regroups and tries to protect her memories from Aornis, Thursday works for JurisFiction, which is akin to a literary FBI. Its agents, including a pistol-packing Miss Havisham and an argumentative Beatrice from Dante's INFERNO, keep order in the realm of fiction, ensuring that characters keep to their storylines and reading is not disrupted in the real world. Part of the fun of this busily plotted, shamelessly exciting and grandly absurd series is following Thursday as she jumps from one book to another, and Fforde has grown bolder in his choices with each novel. THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS is set mostly within unpublished novels --- mostly bad crime and science fiction --- but Thursday manages to escape these unread annals in order to attend ludicrous courtroom proceedings in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, give Enid Blyton's SHADOW THE SHEEPDOG a happy ending and help Miss Havisham lead a therapy group in WUTHERING HEIGHTS. If Fforde has grown a little more adventurous in his book jumping, he has grown even more imaginative and adventurous in his wordplay. Early in THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS Thursday meets "an untidy man wearing a hat named Wyatt." But "Wyatt is my name," he explains to her, "not the hat's". His disheveled appearance translates into grammatical errors in his textual description --- or vice versa. Either way it's a condition he cannot cure; no matter how hard he tries, he cannot get rid of the dangling participles that describe and define him. Clever text games such as this continually prevent the reader from completely visualizing the story, which in 2004 flies in the face of trends towards increasingly literal-minded prose and books as stepping-stones to movie deals. Fforde gently subverts this trend by mixing the tactile elements of storytelling with the conceptual, creating a playful metaphysics, a literary version of The Matrix. For instance, one character is attacked by a flock of grammasites, which are word predators, "who reduced the unfortunate wretch to a few explanatory phrases, which were then eaten by scavengers waiting on the sidelines." In the BookWorld, as in the book itself, characters are nothing more than the words that describe them; they are bound securely to the page. This textual rootedness is no drawback and in fact represents a considerable accomplishment: the story Fforde is telling could only take place in a book, never in a movie or television show. THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS, like its two predecessors, demonstrates how alive and dynamic fiction can be, how a story can change from moment to moment, from one reading to another. To quote Miss Havisham, "Anything is possible in the BookWorld. The only barriers are those of the human imagination." --- Reviewed by Stephen M. Deusner
|
