I like to think of Jasper Fforde books as a bit of an acquired taste, you will either love them or hate them. Personally I love them all, some more than others obviously but on the whole I do enjoy them. This one is a standalone so no other books to read before this which is good as a lot of his books are part of series. In this book Fforde has written a weird comedy thriller as only he can. We're on a planet very similar but also very different to planet Earth. The planet has developed severe winters, meaning the inhabitants all hibernate through the winter. Well almost all, some have to stay awake and some choose to stay awake due to the risk of dying during hibernation. The main character is one of those who have to stay awake, to protect those who sleep. He then comes into contact with zombies, and some very dodgy characters bent on their own nefarious plans. Fforde manages to insert humour into this very dark book. It's not quite as light and funny as the nursery crimes books but I have to say that's kind of why I loved it. Pick this book up to dip your toe into the Fforde (see what I did there).

For quite a while I bumbled along reading this - similar to Charles the main character not quite knowing what was going on. Then suddenly it clicked and it became brilliant. In an ice age Wales where most of the population hibernate the people who decide to stay awake during the winter face many struggles. For Charles taking a new job is perilous enough but suddenly finding yourself in the midst of dreaming, plots, counter-plots and death threats is quite hard. Not to mention the mysterious Gronk which just takes people from the snow forever.

As usual Fforde's style encapsulates fantasy, adventure and several twists on the world we know. When the Villains appeared I knew I was emersed in Fforde's world. If you want something a bit different or have read Fforde before then read this. Look out for Rick Astley.

If you are familiar with Jasper Fforde, this book will be as you probably expect - off the wall crazy, absurd, yet engaging. Set in a dystopian world where Wales suffers from severe winters and people go into hibernation, this story follows a young man who has just been promoted. Unwittingly he stumbles into a major conspiracy/cover up that will have significant consequences for everyone. Featuring zombie like characters, characters with split personalities, and generally much much fun, it is Jasper Fforde as you know and love him.

This book is trademark Jasper Fforde weirdness. A clever story with twists and turns and never really knowing who you can trust. The coldness of the winter is visceral and I really liked the way that the start of each chapter contained a small excerpt from a (fake) book about a different aspect of the winter world. It meant that the rest of the text could flow much more easily without the clunky explanations sometimes needed. A solidly good, funny yet meaningful read like I would expect from this author.

By the end of this book I was loving it, but I found the first half very hard work. I struggled with the intricate workings / social hierarchies of winter and as a consequence found the plot hard to follow.

I have to admit this was a DNF for me. I couldn't get into the story at all and gave up at 40%.

Not a reflection of the style of writing or the quality, it just wasn't a good fit for me.

Early Riser is set in Wales in an alternative Britain where winter has become long, cold and harsh and humans have taken to hibernate during the season. The lead character Charlie Worthing is new to the job of Winter Consul and has to navigate through not only the cold winter but with interesting characters such as Nightwalkers, villians and Wintervolk, not to mention the illusive Gronk. I also loved the weapons in the book such as the Thumper, that used air to create pulses. I thought the story was really interesting and gave you quite a worrying idea of what cooporations could do if they could cash in on sleep and dreams. Jasper Fforde' s Early Riser is full of wit and British humour and I enjoyed the story, although I wish I knew more about the Gronk.

A Jasper Fforde book is an autobuy for me every since I picked up a copy of the Eyre Affair while browsing in our local bookshop. I was thrilled when my wish was granted by the publisher for an early peek at this title and read it straight away. It didn't disappoint and is happily up to his usual high standard.

I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(Added to Amazon but still under review so no link as yet.)

. . . . .

Jasper Fforde is back after his "creative hiatus" of 2014-2016 and what a return!



Five stars

I have long been a fan of Fforde's books, but I have never actually reviewed one before and I'm at a loss as to where to begin. How do you describe a Jasper Fforde book? You can't do that comparison thing of "If you like so-and-so then you'll love this" because, as far as I'm aware, there isn't anything else like this. He is a style and a genre unto himself.

I'm not making this picture any clearer, am I?

The biggest thing that stands out for me, in any Fforde book, is the sheer scope of imagination. I know, when I pick up one of his books, that I am about to read something utterly unique; and yet the eccentric and extraordinary and especial will be housed within something familiar. The framework is familiar, and cosy, and safe. The childhood holidays on Rhossili beach, Tunnock's teacakes, unreliable rail travel, Rodgers and Hammerstein, stamp collecting... All in a world where humans have always hibernated, have winter coats (that even come in tortoiseshell); where dreaming is shunned, there are get-fat-quick fad diets, and your boss will punch you in the eye if you lie to her.
Where people can be stolen away in the snow on the laugh of a child, only their clothes left behind, neatly folded...

Your name is Charlie Worthing and it's your first season with the Winter Consuls, the committed but mildly unhinged group of misfits who are responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses.

You are investigating an outbreak of viral dreams which you dismiss as nonsense; nothing more than a quirky artefact borne of the sleeping mind.

When the dreams start to kill people, it's unsettling.

When you get the dreams too, it's weird.

When they start to come true, you begin to doubt your sanity.

But teasing truth from Winter is never easy: You have to avoid the Villains and their penchant for murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting, ensure you aren't eaten by Nightwalkers whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food, and sidestep the increasingly less-than-mythical WinterVolk.

But so long as you remember to wrap up warmly, you'll be fine.

I have a tendency not to read blurbs, so I went into this book not fully knowing what to expect in terms of plot - and it's a plot that creeps up on you without you realising. The pace is reasonable to start with, but before you know it events have escalated in what reads like a perfectly natural manner to the point where you're in the thick of it and you can't put the damn thing down. It builds from a whimsical "what if" story into an exciting, conspiracy-riddled (yet somehow still whimsical) twister of a story.

As ever, I don't want to talk too much about the plot for fear of giving anything away for you, but when you look past the quirks of the story there are some fascinating themes running through it; on humanity, how we treat each other and whether or not we get what we deserve. Themes of Us and Them, Class Struggle and Community. Of Corporate Greed and The Greater Good.

And talking of quirks, there are plenty, but one thing struck me in particular. It's a book set in Wales and written in English, and my automatic assumption was that everything was happening in English. So when I read this on page two-hundred-and-something, I was momentarily floored:

"You speak English?" he asked, because I'd paused. "The tongue of a civilised race?"
"We don't speak it much out this way," I replied, thinking carefully as I hadn't used my English for a while and was a little rusty. "I thought we were at peace, you and we?"

This is the kind of subtle interweaving you can expect from Fforde. Of course they speak Welsh in this Wales that has never been subjugated; but what I especially loved was Fforde's recognition that he doesn't need to waste time telling you this. He feeds you background information like a mother hiding veg in her child's pasta sauce. It's there. You just don't know it's there until you suddenly find a piece of carrot that hasn't been chopped small enough... His writing style is clever, fantastically witty, and best of all - respects his readers. 

It's so wonderful to return to an author whose book you just know you're going to love. Early Riser did not disappoint, and now I'm eagerly awaiting whatever adventure Fforde takes us on next.
Put quite simply: Jasper writes good books.

There’s been a bit of a wait for the cult novelist’s latest book – his first since 2014, having previously brought out pretty much one a year for more than a decade.

But it’s been worth the wait.

Set in an alternative reality where 99.9 per cent of the population hibernates for four months every year, we follow the misadventures of some of the 0.1 per cent. Our hero is Charlie Worthing – aka Wonky, due to his less than perfect physiognomy – who is investigating an outbreak of viral dreams as a novice Winter Consul, responsible for ensuring the safe passage of the sleeping masses.

They are not the only ones still awake – there are also the winter nomads (womads), the possibly mythical WinterVolk, the eunuch porters and other workers and the wonderfully drawn Villains, descendants of the English upper classes, vanquished in the Class Wars of the 19th century and living a lawless life in mid-Wales.

Then there are the cannibalistic nightwalkers – a product of Morphenox. Available only to the rich and privileged, the drug ensures the survival rate for the four months’ of slumber is greatly improved. However one in 2000 users end up in a zombie-like state, fit only for mindless repetitive jobs or having their organs harvested.

For those who don’t know Fforde’s work, it should perhaps be explained that despite myriad unpleasant deaths – this book is darker than his previous novels – there are many laughs and wry smiles to be had from his genre-merging writing – a mad, clever, mix of fantasy, satire, parody and thriller.

Well worth staying awake for.

I have read many Jasper Fforde books and enjoyed them. This one has challenged me in a way that the others haven't. I think it lacks the narrative strength of other books and i certainly lost track of the plot on several occasions. There are parts that i really enjoyed but this enjoyment wasn't maintained throughout. Fforde's mind must fire in so many ways this is the most out there of the novels i have read. Maybe if i read again i will capture more of what he is trying to say.

There is one quote which i think portrays his humour so well and relates to his reader's demand for more from him " i Loathe gaps, Gaps in doors, Gaps in windows... long gaps between sequels to books" Please bring out the next Nursery Rhyme Crime Jasper

There's many many bad things about social media and the web in general....eejits taking pictures of their dinner, duck mouth poses, Katie Hopkins... but something good is sites like Goodreads, book blogs, book groups on Facebook etc. Because without them I don't think I'd have heard about half the wonderful author's I've read over the last three years. And the one that I have to say has been the best unexpected discovery, and from this book alone is Jasper Fforde. Im not sure what I was expecting but I've been very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this and how much it made me belly laugh. And I've been reliably informed but a stunned friend ("You read 200 books a year and you've never read Jasper Fforde? WHATS WRONG WITH YOU??") that it's a fine book but not his best or funniest. But I can't comment on that. All I know is this alternate universe, where human hibernate in seriously cold winters and zombie like creatures called Nightwalkers can only be put off human flesh with a steady supply of Snickers and Fruit and Nut captured by imagination entirely. The main character Charlie Worthing is somehow both naive and sardonic and an absolute joy to root for. If I ever catch up on my Netgalley reading a large portion of my TBR list will be reserved for this author's works.

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde is a book full of brilliant ideas. It follows Charlie Worthing (Wonky)
who applies to be a Winter Consul, a group who look after the sleeping public whilst they hibernate
for a few months every year to protect them from the winter.

In his first month Charlie has to deal with a big business conspiracy, the mythical Gronk,
Nightwalkers (a sleep walking zombie), a viral dream which is killing people as well as
the upper class English aristocracy who have a penchant for killing, kidnapping and stamp collecting.

Fforde uses fantasy, horror as well as the occassional steam punk sci fi thrown to create a brilliant story
where our protagonist, whilst never really knowing who to trust, spends most of his time trying to complete his duties as well as just stay alive.

This is the first book by Jasper Fforde I have read and it won't be the last.

Really great read. It takes you on a really great journey of different emotions. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another excellent read from Jasper Fforde... As imaginative as his other books and as captivating. As a (sort-of) alternative future (and past) it is entirely believable and, of course, jam-packed with humour.
A fun read with enough intrigue and twists to keep the mind occupied. And the science of this sleepy world is fascinating.
If we do ever encounter alien worlds, Jasper will be the man to view those and say, "well of course they do..." as nothing would be beyond his imagination. Wrap up warm and dive in.

I did not get on with this one - humour is always difficult - and it could be all the catching up wiht various stages of hibernation and its values and how people weathered the long sleep (or not), made it difficult for me to engage - it took me very long to see what was the plot line, in a way ...

Jasper Fforde has done it again with another triumph of quirky fiction. Charlie is an instantly likeable character who the reader feels they are supporting through his first winter as the rest of the world gets ready to hibernate. The rules of winter survival are quite different but we’re with Charlie every step of the way. He’s your buddy, your old friend, the man you’d vote as class nice guy thrown into this quirky, upside-down world that could only come from the imagination of the wonderous Jasper Fforde!

This is the first new Fforde in what seems like an age and is a standalone novel set in a new world but building on ideas that we've seen in other books from him.

This time we're in an alternative reality world where every year humans hibernate for four months to avoid the winter. A few brave souls stay awake to keep order and protect the sleeping masses. And this year Charlie Worthing is one of them. He's signed up to be a Winter Consul and it's his first time trying to stay awake through Winter. But there's a viral dream on the loose and people are starting to die. And worse, Charlie's started to have the dream too. What's going on and what's going wrong in the winter?

This took me a while to get into - perhaps because I started reading it as an advanced copy on my kindle but the formatting was very squiffy and I was dancing around backwards and forwards because of the footnotes. I ended up buying myself a (signed!) hardback copy from Foyles and from there I got on a lot better - even if it took me some time to read because I don't take hardbacks on the train with me. But once you've got your head around what's going on it's really good. Bonkers - but then Fforde always is - but good. It's got all the twists and turns that you would expect if you've read his other books, but this time it's in a frozen world with cannibals and Villains and Wintervolk - who are totally mythical... until they're not. By the end of this, I could happily have read more. Lovely.

You can imagine the excitement then the crushing disappointment when I heard that Jasper Fforde had a new book coming out, BUT it still wasn’t the long-awaited sequel to Shades of Grey, which I have been waiting on for NINE YEARS now. NINE. YEARS. Nearly a third of my life.

It’s fine. I’m fine.

Early Riser more than anything is another demonstration of Fforde’s uncanny ability to create new versions of the world based on changing one element and extrapolating outwards, unrestricted by science. Strictly speaking, this book could classify as Sci Fi, but some of the elements are beyond science and definitely more into the fantastical side of things, which is why I leaned towards fantasy.

The world of Early Riser is a cold one, with humans a hibernatory species and encroaching ice caps meaning that winters are getting colder and longer every year. Society has evolved to work through summer and sleep through winter whilst a handful of people stay up and ensure that the sleepers are kept safe – from freezing, from nuclear meltdown of the heating systems in each dormitory (the only thing able to efficiently heat such a large building for such a long time), and from becoming a sleep-zombie, or a Nightwalker, due to an adverse reaction to the drug Morphenox, which keeps people safely asleep for the whole winter. Provided they don’t turn into a zombie.

Nightwalkers are all but braindead, shuffling and unfocused, inclined to eat other humans unless kept fed with more appropriate food. Some are ‘tricksy’, able to perform skills remembered from their waking lives. These Nightwalkers can be retrained into simple manual service over the summer, and then come winter they are ‘parted out’, their organs redistributed to fully awake people. Sometimes, young Nightwalker women are ‘farmed’ out to help combat the population loss due to deaths during hibernation – a social issue which has religious orders dedicated to continually bearing children, and gives every woman a social requirement to have at least one child.

Perhaps because of this, another aspect of the society is that it has become somewhat Matriarchal. This is only hinted at and never explored fully, but you get references to Jane Bond instead of James Bond, and medals given for the number of successful pregnancies.

There’s a lot to unpack in the world building for Early Riser, because Fforde throws us right in and things only come up when they are actively the focus of the narrative, rather than being packed into massive dumps of exposition. It’s nearly halfway through the book before it’s mentioned that humans in this world are furry, growing thick winter pelts and needing to groom for lice after hibernation. Missing extremities are a common thing, due to the severe cold; and the entire population strives for fatness. If you’re thing, you’re a health risk, unlikely to survive the long months of sleep without food. Beauty is ascribed to larger sizes, and society holds that up as the ideal.

The plot itself is a decent conspiracy mystery – viral dreams, unexplained disappearances, and potential winter fairies taking people from the snow. It’s good, enjoyable, but perhaps doesn’t really pick up the pace until you’ve passed halfway. Like Shades of Grey, this is a long book, and the pacing works with that. It’s never slow, and it’s certainly a slightly easier read than Shades of Grey, but there’s a while to wind the tension up to the point where you feel you have to keep reading, as opposed to just wanting to. In that way, it’s quite a relaxing read.

The cast is majority women, and as usual for Fforde there’s a delightful mix of strange, wonderful characters. Equally as usual, the society seems to follow the same traditional British mannerisms as in his other books, with a passion for Tunnock’s Teacakes and a fondness for literature and classic television.

It’s pretty much everything you’d expect from Fforde, in terms of quality and enjoyment. He lets the darker side of his narrative show through a few times, perhaps that could have been developed more for more impact, but it works well with his usual irreverent tone as well. I think it works well as a stand-alone too, as it has been advertised. The plot doesn’t carry any further questions following its resolution, and the world has been built sufficiently in the one book that I don’t think there is anything more that needs to be developed.

And, maybe, since it’s a stand-alone  it won’t mean a new series is holding up my Shades of Grey sequel. Live in hope.

Briefly:

A solid offering that sits comfortably alongside Fforde’s previous best offerings. Enjoyable and easy to read.
Same irreverent sense of humour that generally characterises his work – it’s familiar for people who know his other books and have seen it develop, may take some settling into if this is the first Fforde you’ve tackled.
Some great world building that isn’t bogged down by description and exposition, but is revealed as information becomes relevant to the narrative. This does mean continually having to re-imagine your mental picture of the scene, but that can be fun.
Continual descriptions of cold and snow, followed by descriptions of warm and toasty rooms, does make you yearn for winter to hurry up so you can get under the blankets.
Rating: 5/5 – It took me longer to read than most books, but it didn’t feel like hard work and was a lot of fun. I felt very relaxed by the end of it!