Review of 'First Among Sequels'

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
5th book in the 'Thursday Next' series

Literary detective Thursday Next has retired from the BookWorld police force heading out every day to work at Acme Carpets…or so she tells her husband but in reality she is even more active in BookWorld where she is working with her fictional self the meek-mannered “Thursday5” from the book “The Great Samuel Pepys Fiasco.” In the meantime a much more ambitious “Thursday1-4” is out to sabotage the real-life Thursday by impersonating her. Unable to fire Thursday5, Thursday is busy hoping from novel to novel as always and at the same time trying to stop Racy Novel from going to war…then her Travelbook is stolen. There is also the small matter of the impending end of time with her recalcitrant son Friday who is destined to save them all but is not at all interested in becoming part of the ChronoGuard instead preferring to hide away in his bedroom. To add more confusion the evil Goliath corporation appears to have turned a new leaf and want to help Thursday…

Yes, if you did not have at least a passing understanding of the Bookworld series you might be a bit lost but with some careful reading it is possible to just dive on into this fifth novel in the “Thursday Next” series from satirist Jasper Fforde. Despite the complications of all the twists and turns “First Among Sequels” is a relatively easy book to read and, as always, quite amusing with the author poking fun at not only the literary world but the real world as well (the “stupidity surplus” that Britain's government is struggling over a case in point). This book sees a serious (!) self-referencing jab at it's own series with commentary on how the characters differ from one book to the next, indeed, it is a major plot point.

Less committed readers may find “First Among Sequels” a bit of a tough slog but it is worth spending a bit of time to get into the novel and hang on for the ride.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2022-03-20

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Hodder

Publication Date: 2008

ISBN: 9781444784305

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