Early Riser (Fforde)

Early Riser 
Jasper Fforde, 2019
Penguin Publishing 
563 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780670025039


Summary
Every Winter, the human population hibernates.

During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, devoid of human activity.

Well, not quite.

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 the 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. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—January 11, 1961
• Where—Brecon, Powys, Wales, UK
• Education—left school at 18
• Awards—Wodehouse Prize
• Currently—lives in London, England


Jasper Fforde is a British novelist, who was born in London as the son of John Standish Fforde, the 24th Chief Cashier for the Bank of England—whose signature appeared on sterling banknotes during his time in office.

Fforde was educated at the progressive Dartington Hall School. His first jobs after school were as a focus puller in the film industry, where he worked on a such films as The Trial, Quills, GoldenEye, and Entrapment.

Fforde was also writing, and after 17 rejections he finally published his first novel in 2001, The Eyre Affair. That novel became the basis for the well-known mystery/crime series named for detective Thursday Next. He wrote six more in that series, ending in 2012 with The Woman Who Died a Lot.

The third mystery in the "Thursday Next" series, The Well of Lost Plots, earned Fforde the 2004 Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction. The series is so beloved that a number of streets in Swindon (southwest England) have been named after characters from the books.

Fforde's other works include two books in the loosely connected "Nursery Crime" series, one book (so far) in the "Shades of Grey" series, and three in the "Dragon Slayer" series, young adult fantasy novels. In 2019 he released his first stand-alone novel, Early Riser.

All of his works contain a profusion of literary allusions and wordplay, tightly scripted plots, and playfulness with the conventions of traditional genres. They also contain elements of metafiction, parody, and fantasy.

Extras facts
Fforde has an interest in aviation and owns and flies a Rearwin Skyranger.

Starting in 2005, Fforde's hometown of Swindon has held an annual "Fforde Fiesta" (think Ford Fiesta ), an event built around Fforde's books. Attended by fans from as far away as Australia and the U.S., attendees take part in a variety of events, including a re-enactment of the game show, "Name That Fruit," the "Hamlet Speed Reading" competition, and interactive performances of Richard III. (Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 2/15/2019.)

Book Reviews
Fans of Jasper Fforde's unique blend of comic dystopia and quirky British cosiness will not be disappointed with his first novel in six years, Early Riser.… Hilarious.
Guardian (UK)


Addictively propulsive.
Times (UK)
 

[Early Riser is] worth the wait.… There are many laughs and wry smiles to be had from this genre-merging writing—a mad, clever, mix of fantasy, satire, parody and thriller. Well worth staying awake for.
Oxford Mail (UK)


If a cross between the monstrous winter of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire series and dream-heist film Inception sounds appealing then British author Jasper Fforde’s standalone novel Early Riser is for you.… Fforde is wildly innovative in his world-building.… The novel builds to a thrilling climax that is worth staying up for.
Straits Times (UK)
 

[Jasper Fforde] is one of our great comic writers, a man of seemingly boundless imagination.
Scotsman (UK)
 

Endlessly imaginative and distinctively quirky, this is entertaining fun.
Mail on Sunday (UK)


[A] richly detailed, dystopic novel…. Charlie’s confused but determined mundanity is a relatable anchor in this wild winter world, leavened by Fforde’s surrealistic humor. Douglas Adams fans will enjoy the vibe.
Publishers Weekly


A wonderfully weird dystopian thriller.… As precisely built as an ice sculpture, Fforde's wintry nightmare glistens with mystery and menace. Though the zombie apocalypse elements spin a darker tale… plenty of pure Ffordian humor pops up.
ShelfAwareness


(Starred review) Readers familiar with Fforde's gleefully pun-heavy world building will relish this standalone novel, confident that everything will work out in the end for the underdog.
Booklist


[A] madcap adventure…. Charlie's journey… is so absorbing, and Fforde's wit so sharp, the reveal that the narrative is also a commentary on capitalism comes across as a brilliant twist.… [A] wonderful tale…. Whip-smart, tremendous fun, and an utter delight from start to finish.
Kirkus Reviews

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