By James Rogol Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
In retrospect, the 80s are mildly entertaining. Some, like Welsh author Jasper Fforde, think there is still room for improvement. By replacing pet rocks with pet dodos, imposing a Gordon Gekko-esque corporation on society and envisioning a Britain governed by literature, he creates a decade even more bizarre than the real thing.
Like Fforde's previous two novels, "The Well of Lost Plots" immerses readers in this mutated version of the 80s as they follow the exploits of literary detective Thursday Next. For those unfamiliar with her past appearances, Thursday has the ability to physically enter the realm of written text. Once within a book, she maintains order in the Book World as an apprentice of the literary law enforcement agency, Jurisfiction.
Fresh off her victory over the villainous Acheron Hades in "Lost in a Good Book," Thursday takes a deserved leave of absence from Jurisfiction. Her vacation in "Well" is interrupted by the appearance of Hades' vengeful little sister, Aornis, who begins to tamper with Thursday's memories.
In addition to combating Aornis' memnomorphic attacks, Thursday must also investigate the mysterious disappearances of her Jurisficion colleagues. Their departures coincide with the upgrading of the Book World operating system (which transfers the plot to the reader) to UltraWord, which the missing/deceased characters had been testing.
Although this may sound like some sort of Philip K. hybrid of mystery and science fiction, Ffordian fiction reads more like Monty Python teaching a course in classic literature. In fact, Jasper's irreverence carries the first third of the book, before the main plot is introduced.
The humor manifests itself in a variety of ways, from ubiquitous word play to subtle gags, such as listing a 13th chapter in the table of contents without actually writing one. Fforde's wit bears its ripest fruits as he re-characterizes classics. He turns "Great Expectations'" Miss Havisham into a maniacal motorist equivalent to one of New York's finest cab drivers and subjects the cast of "Wuthering Heights" to group anger management -- all in the spirit of the characters' existing personalities.
Bibliophiles are sure to delight in these witty literary references, yet those less knowledgeable are not left behind. While certain cameos, like Beckett's perennially late Godot, will lose their potency if a reader has never heard of "Waiting for Godot," countless other references can be enjoyed on the merit of their sheer absurdity.
Many of these ridiculous moments occur when the characters are not the focus of their native novels, which is more often than not. Fforde deftly handles these scenes, showing his full comprehension of other author's characters. His greatest coup de grace, though, is his creation of the Book World itself.
Although it figured prominently in Thursday's previous outings, the Book World was never fully explained until now. In "Well," Jasper explores how the writing process functions in the Book World, effectively legitimizing the fantastic premise. Instead of having an author compose a text, a book essentially writes itself as the characters reenact scenes for each reading.
The system is explained with such detail and enthusiasm that it is difficult for one to deny such a fantastic concept, however flawed it may be. The idea that denizens of unpublished works can roam the titular Well (where all such novels are shelved) and can buy plot devices on the black market is pure genius.
In that sense, Fforde's growth as an author coincides with the growth of his odd world. He uses these advancements to explore new narrative techniques, as well. For instance, as Thursday is being pursued, she evades her foes by jumping into the footnoterphone conduits (akin to telephone lines linking characters in books). Thus, her scene takes place in the footnote to the scene of those pursuing her.
Despite these innovations, the novel still has its drawbacks. As mentioned previously, the plot is slow to develop. While the initial chapters are by no means unreadable, they do tend to drag in comparison to the subsequent ones. Similarly, Aornis' story gets lost amidst the rest of the action, and never receives the attention it deserves.
More importantly, Fforde draws on the previous books in the series and builds on them. Without the knowledge of Thursday's past, a reader will likely become rather confused. A heroine pregnant with the child of someone who does not currently exist can only be explained away with a trip to the library or an uncanny willingness to suspend one's disbelief.
Shortcomings aside, "Well of Lost Plots" is an entertaining, energetic ride well worth one's time. There is even a sly critique of writers and their lack of originality not-so-subtly woven into the plot, giving it more depth than the average best seller. Like the Cat formerly known as Cheshire, long after the book vanishes from sight, a smile will still remain.
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