I re-read this book two months ago and decided to write a blog about it, but then it never happened. Things got busy and 'Shades of Grey' fell through the gaps, as the series itself has fallen through the gaps. It has been years since this first book of the three-part series! Years!
I like Jasper Fforde books, especially his early ones. They're inventive, creative and witty. Unfortunately my two favourite sequences of books were interrupted, the sublime 'Nursery Crimes' stories and this fun only barely begun saga. They both seem to have far more potential than his main series, the erratic adventures of 'Thursday Next', which has wallowed a little in its second cycle. I still love all the books though, just some more than others. (Haven't read the 'Last Dragonslayer' sequence yet though.)
Now, on to 'Shades of Grey' specifically. It's an interesting new type of book from Fforde, a story set in the future, after a mysterious Something That Happened. What happened we do not yet know, but the consequences are deeply felt in that people generally can't see colours anymore, and not at all at night. The class system is based on the fact that some people can see a single part of the spectrum colour, and that some colours are more important than others (ROYGBIV). It's all very strange and indeed the book takes a long time to get going but when it does you're in permanently. Something did this to humanity, and it's almost certainly connected to the killer swans and the authorities performing technological LeapBacks, permanently removing gadgets and equipment from use. Is it like this everywhere or just in the area that is presumably Britain? And why is no-one allowed to make spoons anymore?
The novel is biased heavily toward the concept of the dystopia rather than rich characterisation, and that is the primary problem when reading it. The emotional interest builds over time while the intellectualism is heavily front loaded. In many ways it's the slowest building of the Fforde books I've read, but it's ultimately worth it as the whole novel serves as an intriguing mystery as well as the setup for a much larger scale story into how the world ended up the way it has.
Ultimately I recommend 'Shades of Grey'. The weakness in it is that we've waited so long for the next book and still have longer to wait now. Hopefully it will be worth it. If you like a slow build and some intriguing ideas, and some wit then this book is for you. Oh, and there's extended chromatic arranged marriage plotting. And it all begins with someone being eaten by a tree.
Enough said?
O.
PS I rate 'The Big Over Easy' and 'The Fourth Bear' even higher due to the shear audacity of that world. Go read those too if you can!
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