Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Dystopian Satire
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is This Book About?: Welcome to a world where humans are forced to hibernate through arctic winters – for their own good, of course. While most of the calorie-hoarding population sleeps dreamlessly, the Winter Consul are tasked with keeping them safe. Lured by the promise of extra pudding, blundering Charlie Worthing must fulfill his new consul responsibilities while investigating an outbreak of murder-inducing dreams and surviving treacherous coworkers, cannibalistic Nightwalkers, shadowy WinterVolk, the mythical Gronk, and more.
My Review: I’ve loved Fforde since first devouring Shades of Grey and his Thursday Next series years ago, and this book doesn’t disappoint in delivering his signature triumph of words and worlds. His flair for absurdism mixes elements of sci-fi and fantasy with razor-sharp wit and detailed satire that takes on capitalism, classism, big pharma, reproduction, bureaucracy, and more. In the midst of romping through all that, some truly poignant moments occur. Readers may find the ridiculous details overwhelming at first, but persevering will bring clarity and Fforde’s inventiveness is always fun to experience.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Clever, Farcical, Intriguing
Give This a Try if You Like… The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Shades of Grey or The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Rating: 4/5
