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Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde’s debut book, in 2012. At the time, I described it as “wacky, zany, and addicting – candy in a book.” I promised myself that I would quickly return for more works by this outstanding author.
But as is so frequently the case, the never-ending influx of new books kept me from finding time for the Thursday Next Literary Detective Series. So when I learned that Jasper Fforde will soon be publishing this stand-alone book, I felt it was the ideal opportunity to catch up with him.
A Slow Start
Finding my reading rhythm and getting into Early Riser took some time for me. This isn’t inherently a weakness in Fforde’s writing; rather, it’s the result of the first-person narrative’s character narrator’s lack of full knowledge and the parallel world’s strangeness and eeriness with our own.
It’s impressive how much detail and sarcastic humour Fforde incorporates into his world-building, including pop culture allusions and societal satire. On the other hand, these tangential details do slow down the pace.
The scientists had predicted that it would only be a matter of time before the gases were able to trap some of the planet’s heat, but each year brought colder temperatures, further glacier progress, and shorter growing seasons. But there was at least one thing going for it for us: Wales received a large portion of its income from early CO2 emission fees that were six times more than they are now.
Topical Dystopian Flair
The universe in which our intrepid hero Charlie (gender not given) dwells has environmental problems that are cleverly the reverse of those that exist in our own, and zombie-like people—those who are unable to awaken from a dreamless coma caused by Morphenox—are used as cheap labour and body parts.
Linguistic Humour
While not everyone will appreciate the offbeat humour, the occasional verbal duel should please even the most ardent readers. The plot picks up steam when Charlie smells something foul, and I was immediately engrossed. Much of Fforde’s writing is best left unsaid, as it was in regards to some crucial plot points in the Early Riser, because the author likes to leave surprises for his readers to discover along the way. Let’s just say that a crazy adventure follows.
About The Book
Imagine a world in which all people are forced to hibernate through a bitterly cold winter, their bodies perilously close to death as they descend into a state of extremely low metabolic activity and complete dreamlessness. All humanity, that is, with the exception of the Winter Consuls, a team of officers who dutifully keep watch over the defenceless residents who are fast asleep.
Charlie Worthing is a novice who has been selected by the eminent hero Winter Consul to travel with him to the Douzey, a secluded area in the heart of Wales, to examine a dream that is producing paranoia, hallucinations, and a psychotic episode that can result in murder.
Worthing has been trained to deal with Tricksy Nightwalkers whose consciousness has been diminished by hibernation, leaving only a few skills and an intense hunger; he has also been trained to survive the coldest, loneliest winters. However, he is in no way prepared for what awaits him in Sector Twelve. Worthing has been informed that there are no heroes in Winter. And he’s going to learn why…
The Review
Early Riser
10 Score
This story was not at all what I expected and very difficult to try to describe, which I should be used to by now with Jasper Fforde! It's about an earth that is so overcome with harsh winters that its citizens mostly have to bulk up in the fall and hibernate to survive. The story centers around Charlie Worthing, a novice Consul, one of the brave 'overwinterers' who stay awake during the harsh winter to keep things running smoothly and protect the hibernating population and the early risers who, for some reason or other, can't sleep through the winter.
PROS
- Inventive World Building.
- Sparkling Prose.
- Captivating Story.
- Imaginative Fiction.
CONS
- Kerning And Puns.
- Tiresome Rubbish.
- Hugely Disappointing.
- Slow Storyline.
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