Something Rotten

A Thursday Next Novel

By: Jasper Fforde

Narrated by: Emily Gray

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Jasper Fforde's time-traveling and fiction-jumping detective Thursday Next is an international hit with fans and critics. Beginning with The Eyre Affair, a Book Sense Top 76 Pick, Thursday's adventures have all cracked The New York Times best seller list.

After spending her time chasing a stray Minotaur into pulp Westerns, filling in for Joan of Arc, and raising her infant son, Friday, Thursday needs a break in the real world. But her return to Swindon is far from relaxing. Rogue fictioneer Yorrick Kaine and the evil multinational Goliath Corporation are trying to rule the world, and a deadly assassin called the Windowmaker is tracking Thursday's every move. To top it all off, her husband is still missing after being eradicated from the timestream before they met.

Fans of Douglas Adams and Monty Python won't want to miss this charming detective adventure sure to tickle the funny bone and stimulate the literary mind.

Delve into Jasper Fforde's literary universe with the other books in his Thursday Next fantasy/detective series.

©2004 Jasper Fforde (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic Reviews

"A brazenly witty series." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Opening one of Jasper Fforde's novels means stepping into a playful new universe....It's easy to be delighted by a writer who loves books so madly. (The New York Times)

Best one yet!

Of the Thursday Next series, this is my favorite. I haven't laughed out loud this much while enjoying a book in a long time. I would give the book a 10 for its overall witty fun. I felt the ending was too muddled and bogged down an otherwise perfect book. I, too, missed Ms. Sastre's narration and almost opted to read the book instead of listen. However, I decided to keep an open mind, enjoyed the narration for the most part and am glad I listened!

Re: the different narrator

This book is provided by Recorded Books not Highbridge Audio. I suspect that's why the narrator is different. Too bad - Elizabeth Sastre had it down pat!

Highly Original

Jasper Fforde is a very unique writer, you really have to like this sort of thing. I only recommend him to certain people, but if you love the odd and unusual and have a good imagination you will love his writing. I would never recommend him to someone who doesn't like sci-fi, Monty Python or Douglas Adams. If you like any of the above, Fforde is for you.

Not bad narration

Oh, I know Ms. Sastre has her fans, and she did a creditable job on the first books. But she mispronounced Acheron and Haworth, which pretty much ruined the first book for me. Many of the comments people are posting about the narrator of this book are a bit unfair, I think.

I love this series

I've listened to all of the Thursday books and I love the series and it's quirky world.

Some of these reviews puzzle me and I can only guess that some of the books have been rerecorded or something, as Elizabeth Sastre is not the narrator for any of the Thursday Next series available on Audible at the moment. Emily Gray narrates all of them, except for The Eyre Affair which is narrated by Susan Duerdan. I've enjoyed both of these narrators.

The only thing that bugs me about this series is that there seems to be an inconsistency in the pause length in between chapters. Often the pause is long enough that I am just about to reach for my iphone to make sure it didn't die on me when the next chapter starts and occasionally the pause is so short it rambles out from the previous sentence. It's a small enough flaw that it doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the series.

Witty, Original and Lots of Fun

I, too, thought the author, Jasper Fforde, was a woman. Not so. Jasper is a man. That he can convincingly put himself (and a male reader) into the mind of a woman is, itself, sufficient reason to listen to the series. (In fact, when I heard the preview of the first book, I was sure it was a "woman's book" and I only purchased it and listened because I told a woman friend about it and she challenged me to stretch my brain a bit.)
The new narrator is good. Not as good as the prior narrator, but then again, who could be? She still gives plenty of range and depth to the charcters in her reading.
The writing is consistently witty and original. I loved the antics of two-year-old Friday and the Dodo. Also loved Thursday's single parent prospective: What could be as important in a new job as the challenge of saving the world? How about adequate child care. From shooting a page running minotar with a slapstick dart to the riots of fans at the croquet matches, to the common person's obsession with literary trivia and debate, in substitution for political arguments and sports talk, Jasper will keep you scratching your head and laughing out loud.
You don't have to listen the three earlier books in the series to understand and love this one. Each stands alone. This one begins with a brief description of each character, which is very helpful. A glossory of terms, such as "page runner" might have been helpful, too. But part of the fun is figuring out what the terms and devices are.
Certainly, Lost in a Good Book is the best in the series, but none of the books ran too long or seemed to me to have dry patches. All are fives on a scale of five.
So prepare to stretch your brain and exercise your funny bones.

Why did they switch to a new narrator?

I haven't really spent much time with this new Jasper Fforde novel, but I am already disappointed in the new narrator.
Her voice is a bit too "fussy" for the calm Thursday Next.
Whatever were the audio people thinking?

Thursday Next back on track

So, The Well of Lost Plots was not my favorite book of all time. It was kind of funny in places, but I mostly found the style of humor annoying and I didn't like the way the story progressed. However! This fourth book renews my faith in Jasper Fforde! This is a wonderful book, much more in the style of the first two. There were lots of twists that I didn't predict, even when additional clues were provided. I'm tough to surprise, but it succeeded. After listening to this one, I no longer regretted the time I spent on book #3. Something Rotten is witty and fun; silly but also poignant. There were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and other places that just make your heart break. If you loved the first two books but felt your interest waning after the third one, I strongly encourage you to read this one. There are so many fantastic moments in this book--saving Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar (despite Nelson's best efforts), the cast of Hamlet going rogue, George Formby as president of England, and a minor character in a romance novel trying to take over the English government. The plot also weaves in threads from earlier books and wraps up a couple of items I'd forgotten about. Fforde writes very well. I do wonder how two world wars (which apparently were fought in this reality) were possible while the Crimean war was churning on and on for decades, but oh well! Fforde does a remarkable job of holding the alternative world facts together and bringing a kind of sense to nonsense. I highly recommend it.

who cares about the narration?

I started reading the book before I downloaded the listen. Her voice, while not Elizabeth Sastre's, worked just fine for me. The ending was beautiful! I cried buckets while smiling quite widely! Few books can make me cry and smile at the same time, this one succeeded in spades. Well done Jasper Fforde! Thank you. Enjoy the book, y'all!

Great Book, Horrible Narration

Jasper has given us another outstanding adventure from Thursday Next. Unfortunately, the narration leaves much to be desired. Elizabeth Sastre had become Thursday's voice, no doubt, and the new narrator couldn't even be bothered to learn how to pronounce many of the character's names. It's distracting, and takes away from some of Fforde's outrageous humor. I'm going to make sure to read this one on paper, so I can hear it with the "Real Thursday" in my head.