The Woman Who Died a Lot (Thursday Next 7) [Paperback]

Book seven in the Thursday Next series once again takes the random-fantasy/crime/met-fiction in a different direction. Thursday has a new job with new responsibilities, and is struggling with her children, one of whom doesn't exist.

As usual with Jasper Fforde's writing it's a fantastic mish-mash of thrilling adventure and literary puns. I don't know whether they've toned down a bit or my own experience has widened, but I felt that the references were more approachable than in some of the earlier novels where I knew I was missing most of them.

There are some excellent passages in this story, particularly the way that Fforde deals with the mindworm. The narration, from Thursday's point of view, is superb and presents an intuitive view of the world that tells the reader everything while managing not to realise things herself. This leads to the one plot hole that stands out, where she narrates things she shouldn't know.

I really love Jasper Fforde's novels and can't get enough of them. Reading 'The Woman Who Died a Lot' has encouraged me to go back and re-read the earlier Thursday novels. A definite must-read series for anyone who loves a bit of slightly-surreal comic fantasy.

I would love to know what exactly powers Jasper Fforde's imagination. Not only has be produced four different series of completely unique and absurd books, this is the seventh and latest book in the Thursday Next series and it's just as imaginative as ever. In addition to creating a fully-functioning world inside books (complete with the JurisFiction policing agency and grammar-stealing beasts), but the world that 'real' Thursday Next lives in is just as filled out.

It's especially great that the author takes little snippets of our real lives and tweaks them to fit into the book. TK Maxx, for example, isn't just a designer label outlet store, it's also a time-loop containment facility where dangerous prisoners are kept, condemned to spend eternity stuck in a dentist's waiting room or waiting for their girlfriend to finish trying on clothes.

This world is also a lot more literary-obsessed than our own - television and all the various gadgets still exist, but books are a much more prominent feature. I love the Marlovian preachers in the earlier books - they traipse from door to door, preaching about how Kit Marlowe was the true author of Shakespeare's works. The Woman Who Died A Lot is no different - the Swindon in this book has its own share of literary asides.

I do wish that there had been more BookJumping in this book - it's what One of Our Thursdays Is Missing suffered from. Mind, at least this book talked about the BookWorld a lot - you do learn more about its functionality and Golaith's secret interest in it. It's just not the same without the occasional literary character popping up though - where are Mrs Tiggywinkle and Emperor Zhark!?

Still, although the plot is real world-based, it's a remarkably good one. Goliath are back to their old tricks and SpecOps has been reformed so there's plenty to keep us entertained. It's fast paced and unique - god knows how Jasper Fforde hasn't repeated a plot point in seven books, but it's true.

I just didn't want this book to end - while reading I was constantly aware that I wouldn't have any unread Thursday Next books! I kept putting it down to savour it just that little bit longer. I can't wait for the next one, the title of which has already been announced as Dark Reading Matter. It doesn't sound like there will be much BookJumping in this one either, but I can always hope!

I just adore these books. If Jasper Fforde ever definitively writes an end to this series, I will literally cry. They're inventive, bookish fantasy for grown-ups, as well as producing that great little "Ah!" moment when a character from a classic novel you've read pops up to say hello.

For the first few chapters, I feared that this was going to be the same lacklustre stuff as #6, as an injured Thursday attempts to get a job as head of the newly reformed Spec Ops-27 in the teeth of opposition from young, fit Phoebe Smalls, who wants to be like Thursday, only better. Meanwhile, the Almighty has taken to smiting cities and Swindon is next on his schedule. Thursday's genius daughter Tuesday is trying to create an anti-smoting device, but is there enough time? Son Friday has lost his possible future in the Chronoguard with the closure of the programme and been given a troublesome one in its place.

Then there are the Blyton fundamentalists, who not only want Enid's books restored to their original, un-updated text, but want society restored by those criteria too, and the asteroid, whose chances of collision with the earth seem to rise daily.

Sadly, although this is much better than #6, the glory days of Lost in a Good Book or The Well of Lost Plots seem far away. There are some nice touches, such as the insane staff at Thursday's new job, the homicidal nun and the shifting of Aornis's mindworm within the family but, in the absence of any forays into the Bookworld, it doesn't add up to enough.

If you are new to Thursday Next then please don't start here. The books really need to be read in order, starting with The Eyre Affair.

I see that fforde has already committed himself to #8 but think that it's probably time to retire Thursday Next. I'm looking forward to the sequel to Shades of Grey.