I’m a big fan of escapist literature. It dovetails nicely into my choice to write supernatural fiction. Ever since I discovered the joy of reading, I’ve been drawn to books that can transport me to absolutely anywhere and any-when other than where I am. Not that there’s anything wrong with reality. Who am I kidding? Real life, most days, is boring. Why wouldn’t I want to abandon the banality of bills or the tedium of traffic jams? Reality, by comparison to the adventures to be had inside a book, often disappoints, especially since my letter from the Hogwarts Headmaster never came.
My bookshelf, much to the chagrin of my sometimes-OCD boyfriend, is not arranged alphabetically, nor by the Dewey decimal system. It is, top left to bottom right, arranged according to my favorite books of all time. Naturally, the Queen of All (cue the angelic choir music), J. K. Rowling, is first on the shelf. But who comes next? I have so many good choices. Shakespeare? Gabaldon? Bray? Ah, I know. My other favorite living Brit: Jasper Fforde. (wistful sigh) Truly, if this writing thing doesn’t pan out, I would be perfectly happy moving to the U.K. to become the stalker of Ms. Rowling and Mr. Fforde. (For you Shakespeare fans, don’t worry. He’s next in line on the shelf.)
If you are thus far unaware of Jasper Fforde’s work, allow me to introduce you. His flagship character is a dodo V1.2-owning, no-nonsense Crimean War veteran, former police officer, now Special Operations Operative by the name of Thursday Next. Her SpecOps division is SO-27, Literary Detective, or LiteraTec, for short. She polices crimes against literature such as forgery scams, or worse, theft. Her first book is called The Eyre Affair, in which she faces off against the most heinous of criminals, Acheron Hades, who has stolen the original manuscript of Jane Eyre. Thursday’s uncle is a prolific inventor who has just created a device that allows one to enter books or poems at will. Hades steals the Prose Portal and forces her uncle’s cooperation by marooning his wife inside a Wordsworth poem, and then uses the Portal to take Jane herself hostage. With the entire world watching, it is up to Thursday to save Jane, her aunt and uncle, and stop Hades. The rest of the series follows Thursday as she navigates being a LiteraTec and a Jursifiction agent while ducking corrupt ChronoGuard agents, as well as the power-drunk members of the insidious Goliath Corporation.
If you hadn’t guessed, Thursday lives in a world that parallels ours in geography only. If you’re looking for an escape, I can’t recommend this series highly enough. Even if you aren’t much of an escapist, Fforde’s wit and satirical humor shouldn’t be missed. If you’re curious and want to know more about Fforde and his enterprises, here’s his website. http://www.jasperfforde.com (I don’t get paid for my reading recommendations; this is my honest opinion.)
May the page-turners be with you.
Thalia Huntley 