Early Riser

A Novel

By: Jasper Fforde

Narrated by: Thomas Hunt

Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times best seller

The new stand-alone novel from Jasper Fforde, the best-selling author of the Thursday Next series and the forthcoming stand-alone The Constant Rabbit

Every Winter, the human population hibernates.

During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, devoid of human activity.

Well, not quite.

Your name is Charlie Worthing, and it's your first season with the Winter Consuls, the committed but mildly unhinged group of misfits who are responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses.

You are investigating an outbreak of viral dreams which you dismiss as nonsense; nothing more than a quirky artifact borne of the sleeping mind.

When the dreams start to kill people, it's unsettling.

When you get the dreams, too, it's weird.

When they start to come true, you begin to doubt your sanity.

But teasing truth from the Winter is never easy: You have to avoid the Villains and their penchant for murder, kidnapping, and stamp collecting; ensure you aren't eaten by Nightwalkers, whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food; and sidestep the increasingly less-than-mythical WinterVolk.

But so long as you remember to wrap up warmly, you'll be fine.

©2019 Jasper Fforde (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Early Riser has all of the elements and sensibility that have earned Fforde a sizable and devoted following.... Fforde writes witty, chewy sentences, full of morsels, and delivers them deadpan.... [Fforde's] relentless imagination and his affection for his characters are contagious and irresistible.... Every book of Fforde's seems to be a cause for celebration and a source of pleasure for many people, and for good reason." (Charles Yu, The New York Times Book Review)

"Charlie's journey...is so absorbing, and Fforde's wit so sharp, the reveal that the narrative is also a commentary on capitalism comes across as a brilliant twist.... Whip-smart, tremendous fun, and an utter delight from start to finish." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) 

"Jasper Fforde is in fine form in his 14th novel, stringing along this adventure with wry wit." (BookPage, starred review) 

A different book from Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde has written some of the funniest books I've ever read. You know, the kind of book you read in bed, but you are laughing so hard it makes your partner wake up and irritably ask what the hell you are laughing at?

This book has moments of humor and a once in a while chuckle, but there's a seriousness to this story that none of his other books had. This isn't so much humor as a warning about where our climate is going and who is running our world. I don't know which is more terrifying: the obvious sub-arctic winters in Scotland ... or the deathgrip the mighty "pharma" company has on all humankind.

There are fighters against pharma. Who's the good guy, who's the bad guy. There's not "history" about how the world got to this place, but if you have been reading even the headlines, it isn't hard to put it together. So this is science fiction, except ... it's not all that far-fetched. Sometimes, I found myself not merely listening to the story but worrying if this what I'm reading or hearing is really the future history of my Earth -- unless we DO something about it. Like ... NOW.

Of course, it's beautifully written because everything Jasper Fforde has written is wonderful, though I still am in love with Thursday Next.

I do recommend this book very highly, but I have to warn you -- it isn't like his other books. It isn't hilarious and sometimes, it's pretty serious. But he's telling us a story that I think we need to think about ... while being well-entertained.

Is this science fiction or is it our science future? I think you have to decide.

I have mixed emotions about the narrator. He was good ... but I think I'd have preferred a deeper voice? Or maybe I'm just being overly picky.

Unique story, hard to get into

Fforde never ceases to impress with elaborate unique stories, but this was harder than usual to get into. I kept losing track of the characters and eventually just had to restart the audiobook from the beginning. It was better the second time but still it wasn't a 'passive' listen. I'd have to back track from time to time to figure out what was going on. Fforde's unique writing style and terminology are always fun and it was worth it in the end. I'm glad I stuck it out

Winter has arrived

I am a fan of Jasper Fforde’s books because he has this unique ability to create new worlds that just emphasize enough of the ridiculous in our own world while taking us somewhere new. They are witty and exciting, and filled with the most random bits of pop-culture.
Early Riser is yet another treat. Set in a world that’s positively arctic during the winter months, where most humans are forced to hibernate, those who don’t must survive the weather, strict food regulations, villains, cannibalistic sleep walkers, mythical creatures, and knowing who you can trust, including your own dreams.

The First 12 Hours

The first 12 hours of the recording were a little rough. It takes some time for the setting and overall universe of the book to be explained and start to finally pick up a flow. It had good reviews which is why I purchased it and the last 3 hours of the book were really enjoyable. The story ties itself up rather well but it was a push to get there.

marvelous world building!

I really enjoyed the feeling of being in the world! Charlie is a sympathetic and relatable character!

bit difficult and different

Found book difficult to follow at times. Interesting story but still not sure what story line truly was. Wonderful descriptions of characters snd events kept my interest

Slow build but great book

Starts off slow if you can get past the first 100 pages then this turns into a wonderful book. Very thoughtful and interesting take on a world where we hibernate in the winter.

Fforde does it again

Another excellent book from an excellent author, well performed. Structurally somewhat similar to shades of grey, but imaginative enough that you won't mind.

Fforde through and through!

Another imaginative story/world from Jasper Fforde! A bit all-over-the-place at first, but rounds out into an interesting tale.
Thomas Hunt’s performance was excellent, hope to hear more from him soon!

not my favorite.

the story was slow to build up any caring for any characters. has stronger second half.