The third installment in Jasper Fforde’s New York Times bestselling series follows literary detective Thursday Next on another adventure in her alternate reality of literature-obsessed England—from the author of The Constant RabbitJasper Fforde has done it again in this genre-bending blend of crime fiction, fantasy, and top-drawer literary entertainment. After two rollicking New York Times … rollicking New York Times bestselling adventures through Western literature, resourceful BookWorld literary detective Thursday Next definitely needs some downtime. And what better place for a respite than in the hidden depths of the Well of Lost Plots, where all unpublished books reside? But peace and quiet remain elusive for Thursday, who soon discovers that the Well is a veritable linguistic free-for-all, where grammasites run rampant, plot devices are hawked on the black market, and lousy books—like the one she has taken up residence in—are scrapped for salvage. To make matters worse, a murderer is stalking the personnel of Jurisfiction and it’s up to Thursday to save the day. A brilliant feat of literary showmanship filled with wit, fantasy, and effervescent originality, this Ffordian tour de force will appeal to fans of Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse.
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Utterly delightful!
Loved every page. It might have helped somewhat if I’d known originally that this was the third book in the series, but that didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story.
I felt the plot was utterly original, and the characters, and the sub plots, and the Grammersites…
If you love reading, then this is the series for you. My imagination was blown away by the author’s creative imagining of what happens inside of the Well of Plots, and the likely graveyard of discarded verbs and nouns.
Once again, this book was so delightful, I’m fairly annoyed that the local library (where I’m currently staying), doesn’t open again until tomorrow morning! I want to read more by this author!
3 of 5 stars to The Well of Lost Plots, the third thriller and mystery book in the “Thursday Next” series written in 2003 by Jasper Fforde. For those new to the series, it’s a detective story where crimes occur inside books, and real-life people can jump inside the book to fix the problem or solve the crime. In book 3, things take a bit of a turn… Thursday, the main investigator, needs some down time, and goes to the “Well of Lost Plots,” where unpublished books go to die. But crimes and murders start happening there too… and it’s confusing poor Thursday because she doesn’t understand who would care about a book that hasn’t been published yet having its story changed! (Not sure how I feel about that as a writer myself…) But then she’s trapped inside a story she doesn’t know much about. That can be scary. The series is complex, full of fantasy and drama you never quite understand. The concept of the well of lost plots is delicious, but it made things even more complicated. It was here that I decided to stop reading the series as it started going over my head a little bit. I felt silly and inept! I may go back soon to pick it up again, as I’ve never read another series of books like it… and this one takes the cake of all 3 I’ve read to date. Hope you enjoy.
This book has a quirky premise that is set in an unusual world of lost plots and the regulatory machinations required to determine which which plots bite the dust and which carry-on. Very creative and a lot of fun, but it takes a while to catch on to what is happening. Keep at it though and you’ll find an interesting and fun story.
I discovered Jasper Fforde by accident when I forgot to mail back the refusal for a book club monthly selection. When it arrived, I opened it and read the first couple pages and found myself in new world, one where books and literature were far more important than in my own reality. I have recommended it for years to friends I thought would like it. Still do.
Thursday Next is one of my all time favorite characters.
Jasper Fforde is one of those authors that makes me want to read everything they write.
Fforde finally hits full stride with this funny installment of his Thursday Next series. What better place for a respite than in the hidden depths of the Well of Lost Plots, where all unpublished books reside? The Well is a veritable linguistic free-for-all, where grammasites run rampant and plot devices are hawked on the black market. Grammasites are parasites that live in books and feed on grammar. Adjectivores are particularly dangerous as they drain all the description from an object. Intrigued? Read on…..
One of my favorite books of all-time! And, that says a lot!
Read them in order; begin with The Eyre Affair.
If your mind twists with wry British humor, this is the series of books for you! A world where literature is real, where book characters exist outside their books … Thursday Next is a detective with the Department of Jurisfiction … need I say more?