Weekly Reader Thursday Next Edition: First Among Sequels (The Thursday Next Series Vol. V) by Jasper Fforde; New Adventure Makes Thursday More Metafictional Than Before

Weekly Reader Thursday Next Edition: First Among Sequels (The Thursday Next Series Vol. V) by Jasper Fforde; New Adventure Makes Thursday More Metafictional Than Before




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: Well he did it. I did not think it was possible but Jasper Fforde achieved it. I didn't think his Thursday Next Series could not get more meta and it has.

While the first four books in the series followed a straight story arc and carried concepts that were resolved by the book, Something Rotten, Fforde decided to do something completely different with the next tier of the series.


This time around over 20 years have gone by moving the series setting to the early 2000’s. Thursday is now in her early 50’s and lives with her uneradicated husband, Landen, her lazy son, Friday, her genius daughter, Tuesday, and her other daughter, Jenny who spends most of her time at her friend's houses.

Thursday is much older but still very active. She works at Acme Carpets, actually a front for Spec Ops which is forced to go underground. She also works for Jurisfiction as a sometimes agent so yay Book World is back!

Of course Thursday and Co. are in trouble (aren't they always?) in both worlds. People who were affiliated with Thursday's arch enemy, Acheron Hades are back and causing trouble. The Goliath Corporation are rearing their ugly heads once more. The Chronoguard want Thursday's son, Friday to join them to eventually become their leader and they don't mind killing the current Friday to send their Friday to replace him.

Meanwhile in Book World, Sherlock Holmes has been killed. He was last seen by Reichenbach Falls during “The Final Problem” with no Generic to immediately replace him. (Oh if only Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had written a follow up story taking place near “The Empty House.” Oh wait.) Now Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan is in fear of her life inside her book. (Bones so far is the only copyrighted character to be featured in Fforde's series. He thanks author, Kathy Reichs, in the acknowledgement). The clones of Mrs. Danvers, the creepy housekeeper from Rebecca who are often required to do grunt work in Book World, are acting creepier than usual and now attack Thursday. Thursday is also training two new recruits which are……herself and….herself.

That's right, Fforde introduces the concept that if Thursday Next is technically a fictional character, then she should be subjected to the same regulations as the other fictional characters in the Book World including having fictionalized versions of herself.

Thursday's adventures in the previous four books became a fictional series of its own inside the series. However, they went through a change than the ones we know.
The first four books are dark, violent, sexy gritty noir tales and the Thursday that emerges from that is a tough talking gun toting badass.
Our Thursday, the one from First Among Sequels, wanted the fifth book, The Great Samuel Pepys Fiasco to be more diplomatic and peaceful and the Thursday that emerges from that is a flighty dizzy hippy. So Thursday has to train her fictional counterparts, I mean her more fictional counterparts...I mean oh forget it!


The moments between Thursday and her fictional counterparts, Thursday 1-4 (the violent one) and Thursday 5 (the hippy) are some of the highlights.
Our Thursday has to come between them as Thursday 1-4 goes really bad and Thursday 5 goes really good.

Thursday also comes to realize that her counterparts, and by extension, she are fictional characters so they too are controlled by the whims of Author, Reader, and the limitations of fiction hood. The three share this realization as they impersonate each other and even take turns narrating First Among Sequels for stretches at a time. At one point, Thursday 5 recites the opening of the Eyre Affair which is word for word the opening of The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde from our world.

Understand, this is not breaking the fourth wall. This is jumping on the fourth wall, smashing it with a hammer, obliterating it, selling the spare parts for scrap, removing any evidence of it, and acting like the fourth wall never existed in the first place and doing the same to the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Walls while Fforde is at it.

With a plot as meta as this involving three versions of the same character, time travel, and other plot devices things intentionally get confusing. Perhaps some coherence in the narrative would not be too much to ask. The time travel aspects get hand waved leading to a plot hole with the other books in the series that is too headache inducing to get into. The murdered fictional characters subplot starts strong but is left open ended possibly for a resolution for another book as does the possible non-identity of one of the characters. Thursday's fights with her counterparts are intriguing as she realizes that she truly met her match, literally.

While this one is the most confusing and meta of the series, it definitely stretches Fforde's imagination to its limit. It makes any fan of the series clamor for the next book, One of Our Thursdays is Missing.

At the very least, it will be entertaining to see how many more walls Jasper Fforde can break.

New Book Alert: Shiri by D.S. Taylor; Strong Leads Steer Dark and Violent Novel About Slavery in Ancient Egypt

New Book Alert: Shiri by D.S. Taylor; Strong Leads Steer Dark and Violent Novel About Slavery in Ancient Egypt




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: Shiri is a book that begins dark and violent and pretty much stays that way. When early on the protagonist's family and the entire village is wiped out except her, you know that you won't be in for a fun jolly time. Also considering the majority of the book involves slavery, regicide, child rape, forced prostitution, abuse, and characters having to assume false identities for decades, you are in for a disturbing but unforgettable time.

One thing that keeps the narrative from being oversaturated in violence and dark images are the protagonists. They are both strong figures that use their wits and persistence to fight against these circumstances which they are forced in. They are both survivors and fighters to the end.

The first of our main characters is Shiri, who lives in a Habiru village in the desert. (There is no specific time set but the plot suggests that it is pre-Biblical days since the people around Shiri worship Ba’al and they fight one of the Amenhoteps though no number is given).

Shiri is shown to be close to her loving family particularly her father, a former warrior turned diplomatic village leader. The Egyptian Army massacres the entire village at the orders of their Prince Amenhotep. There are many graphic moments but one of the hardest to read is when Shiri is an eyewitness to some Egyptians cutting her father down with a sword then raping and murdering her mother.

Shiri manages to escape and runs to the dwelling of the so-called Shepherd King, the ruler of the various desert tribes. His wife, called The Beautiful One, was abducted and possibly murdered by the Egyptians so he has been at war with them ever since. Shiri arrives to warn the Shepherd King of the approaching army.

In other novels, this may lead to a decisive battle in which the protagonists come out if not the winners then at least ahead. But in this novel, all her actions do is lead the Egyptians right to them and we are witness to another violent battle in which the villagers are captured or killed including the Shepherd King leaving behind his son, Joseph, our second protagonist.

Joseph has to face some quick decisions after his servant, Yuya turns traitor on him. Joseph kills Yuya and assumes his identity. The Egyptians “reward” him with a new slave, of course, Shiri. When the two are alone, they quickly realize that they are on the same side but must play the roles of Yuya, the Egyptian Master and Shiri, his new Habiru slave, while in Egypt.

So begins a masquerade that lasts over 20 years as Joseph assumes Yuya’s identity, his place in his family home, and his arranged marriage with Tjuya, the High Priest's daughter. When Tjuya threatens Shiri with revealing that she knows that the man claiming to be Yuya is a fraud, Shiri willingly submits herself to the abuse given by her vain mistress and Tjuya’s sadistic handmaiden, Meira.

D.S. Taylor puts brilliant lead characters in this dark setting. The antagonists are terrible but they are supposed to be. Amenhotep is written as a spoiled Prince committing foul deeds for his father's attention. Tjuya is a manipulative jealous bitch who delights in abusing Shiri. Meira gleefully humiliates Shiri on her mistress's behalf. They are a ghastly bunch which makes Shiri and Joseph more likable.

In Shiri and Joseph's struggles with their enemies, we see how they differ in gender and social structure and how those differences play into their conflicts. Shiri is forced to endure the worst treatment that a slave woman has to overcome. She is raped by male masters and abused by Tjuya. She is forced to allow her daughter, Tiye, to be raised in Tjuya's household, but she stoically holds her ground and bonds with the girl in secret.

Shiri is maternal and loving towards Tiye and she continues to love Joseph even under his false identity. While their romance begins rather quickly, it makes sense considering that Shiri lost her family and only has Joseph to hold onto.

Shiri fights as well as she can by showing kindness when none is given to her, strength when her body is weakened, and courage when her masters try to break her. She is able to endure the long years of suffering.

Joseph has a different path facing his antagonists. Acting as a wealthy Egyptian male, he has to play the role of stern overseer on the outside while being the Shepherd King on the inside. He shows kindness to slaves so he can gain their loyalty and they act as his army in an eventual rebellion. He is a consummate politician negotiating and strategizing between allies that aid him in facing his Egyptian enemies. He also is able to see the big picture and plan far ahead for the future of his people while Shiri has to live day to day, moment by moment for herself, her daughter, and the man she loves.

However, Joseph has to keep up the lie of being Yuya for years. He is forced to compromise his beliefs and religion, hide his allegiances with his former people, and his love for Shiri all under the guise of being a wealthy Egyptian. This makes Shiri a stronger character than Joseph. She may be in horrible circumstances, but at least she is honest about who she is, who she loves, and what she believes.
Fortunately, as dark as the book is, there are some great hopeful moments towards the end as secrets are revealed and unions are made. Even when some characters die, their legacies live on.

In one juicy moment, the tables are turned as a master becomes a slave and vice versa. This moment shows the real heroism in Shiri and Joseph and how they are able to use their strength, leadership, and endurance to visualize a better world than the one they entered.

New Book Alert: The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore; Intriguing Suspense, But Lack of Character Development In Novel About Forbidden Love and Murder in 19th Century New England

New Book Alert: The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore; Intriguing Suspense, But Lack of Character Development In Novel About Forbidden Love and Murder in 19th Century New England




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews





Spoilers: Kim Taylor Blakemore’s The Companion is one of those novels that begins in a way where you think you know everything, but then it turns you around into being about something else entirely different. In this case, it makes for a novel with an intriguing suspenseful plot but lacks in character development.

In the opening, a woman is awaiting her execution and tells the Reader that she is responsible for three maybe four deaths. So, the Reader prepares for a novel about a serial killer explaining how she killed her victims. Instead, we learn that everything is not as cut and dry as we thought and the woman on death row is less a villainess and more of a victim.


The woman on death row is Lucy West and she was originally hired as a maid in the home of a 19th century well-to-do New English couple, The Burtons. Even in the first few pages, there are hints that all is not as it seems. There is the fact that Lucy's predecessor, Mary mysteriously drowned. Eugenie Burton, the mistress of the house, is blind and has to be led around but harbors some other eccentric behaviors. Rebecca, Eugenie's companion is highly suspicious and intensely jealous of any attention that anyone else gives Eugenie. Then there is Lucy who is herself a contradiction by hinting that her references are fake and is in grieving for her deceased son.

Blakemore is great at building suspense. Even though the book is told in flashback from Lucy's first person perspective, we only get droplets of information as Lucy (and Blakemore) sees fit to show us. Early on we learn her son, Ned, died but we don't learn how or the circumstances surrounding his birth and death and why this results in her being on the run until later in the book.

We learn about the death of poor Mary, but don't learn how it is connected to the rest of the book until later. For a long time, Mary is almost a red herring until suddenly she isn't.

While the suspense is palpable and makes you question the plot and character, unfortunately it comes at the expense of good characterization. The Reader is always on guard so they don't get much of a chance to understand or even empathize with the characters including Lucy.

Lucy purposely hides information and doesn't let the Reader in on her real intentions that once the resolution is made, we have to read back a few pages to make sure we understood it. It doesn't help that Lucy makes herself a subject of suspicion as many people sharing prison with her remark that she doesn't feel remorse for any of her crimes, when at least one should have based on the information we are eventually given.

The lack of characterization in favor of suspense also doesn't do other characters any favors. Rebecca seems to have been auditioning for the role of Mrs. Danvers in Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca (maybe intentionally so, considering the name). We get the creepy servant part, but we don't get what made her so trustworthy and alluring to Eugenie in the first place.

Eugenie Burton, who is by far the most intriguing character, falters as well. She and Lucy get involved in a romantic relationship which has some sweet moments but is tempered with more suspense. Their romance of course plays into the conventions of its day and it is interesting how the two women manage to coordinate their alone time away from prying judgmental eyes. However, Eugenie and Lucy's romance is hampered by accusations that Lucy is one of many extramarital Sapphic flings Eugenie has had. We are not sure whether it's malicious gossip or the truth and honestly Eugenie's behavior suggests that it could go either way.

Unfortunately one of the strongest most emotional moments, when Lucy and Eugenie agree to run away together is muted by the machinations of the plot and the realization that nothing in either woman's previous behavior suggests that this is plausible or even a believable outcome.

A novel that is built on suspense cannot just rely on the twists in the plot to keep the Reader interested. Sure it will keep them reading and guessing. In the end, it may even surprise them. But a good suspense novel has to give us strong identifiable characters that experience the twists and surprises. Otherwise, the suspense falls flat.

An Apology

First off I want to apologize for being so late with my reviews. Earlier in July, I was seriously ill and in intense pain with a bad ear infection. I took some medicine and recovered but because the pain was so severe, it was difficult to read and write. By the time I got better I had to catch up on my reading then catch up on my reviewing. I didn't realize until now that I haven't updated my blog or reviewed in a month. I apologize and I will try not to take so long between reviews again.





The upshot is that I have approximately two weeks worth of reviews to write. So here they are, again I am very sorry.