Early Riser

Jasper Fforde

Jasper began his career in the film industry, and for nineteen years held a variety of posts on such movies as Goldeneye, The Mask of Zorro and Entrapment. Secretly harbouring a desire to tell his own stories rather than help other people tell their's, Jasper started writing in 1990, and spent ten years secretly writing novel after novel as he strove to find a style of his own that was a no-mans-land somewhere between the warring factions of Literary and Absurd.

After receiving 76 rejection letters from publishers, Jasper's first novel The Eyre Affair was taken on by Hodder & Stoughton and published in July 2001. Set in 1985 in a world that is similar to our own, but with a few crucial - and bizarre - differences (Wales is a socialist republic, the Crimean War is still ongoing and the most popular pets are home-cloned dodos), The Eyre Affair introduces literary detective named 'Thursday Next'. Thursday's job includes spotting forgeries of Shakespeare's lost plays, mending holes in narrative plotlines, and rescuing characters who have been kidnapped from literary masterpieces.

Luckily for Jasper, the novel garnered dozens of effusive reviews, and received high praise from the press, from booksellers and readers throughout the UK. In the US The Eyre Affair was also an instant hit, entering the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week of publication.

Since then, Jasper has added another four to the Thursday Next series and has also begun a second series that he calls 'Nursery Crime', featuring Jack Spratt of The Nursery Crime Division. In the first book, 'The Big Over Easy', Humpty Dumpty is the victim in a whodunnit, and in the second, 'The Fourth Bear', the Three Bear's connection to Goldilocks disappearance can finally be revealed.

In January 2010 Jasper will be revealing a new book, called 'Shades of Grey', in which a fragmented society struggle to survive in a colour-obsessed post-apocalyptic landscape. Don't worry, it's not that serious.

Jasper lives and writes in Wales and has a passion for aviation.

What kinds of books does Jasper Fforde write?

Fforde writes comic, metafictional fiction that blends literary pastiche, absurdist humor and mystery. His work often plays with books, characters and narrative structure and spans contemporary fantasy, mystery and speculative fiction.

Where should I start with his books?

A common entry point is The Eyre Affair, the first Thursday Next novel. It introduces his tone and recurring themes. If you prefer standalone or different tones, try Shades of Grey for a colour-based dystopia or The Last Dragonslayer for lighter fantasy.

What is the recommended reading order for the Thursday Next series?

Read in publication order: The Eyre Affair; Lost in a Good Book; The Well of Lost Plots; Something Rotten; First Among Sequels; One of Our Thursdays is Missing; then The Woman Who Died a Lot. That preserves continuity and character development.

What is the Nursery Crime series about and which books are in it?

Nursery Crime reimagines nursery-rhyme characters in detective-style whodunnits, featuring investigator Jack Spratt. Key titles include The Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear.

Has Jasper Fforde received notable recognition for his work?

His debut, The Eyre Affair, entered the New York Times Bestseller List and his novels have received strong critical and reader praise.