Andy R. (mazeface) reviewed on 9/28/2007 + 66 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 11

Imagine a Britain where Winston Churchill never lived past his teen years; a Britain that has been at war with Russia for over a hundred years; a Britain where time travel is practiced; a Britain where literature is as popular as sports or reality shows are in our reality. This is the Britain where Tuesday Next lives. She is an agent for a government agency that solves crimes involving literature. When the evil Acheron Hades begins using a device that can send humans into the world of a poem or a novel, he uses it for his own gain.

For book geeks, The Eyre Affair is a hilarious treat. Jasper Fford's wit is on par with Douglas Adams and his imagination is reminiscent of J. K. Rowling. Many lit references abound in the story, and I'm sure I missed many of them, but the ones I caught were great. The first two/thirds of the story really serve to set up the last third, where Agent Next must rescue Jane Eyre, who has been pulled into our reality by Hades. If the reader has read Jane Eyre, there is probably no need to re-read it for The Eyre Affair, but the reader who has never read Charlotte Bronte's classic, I recommend reading it first the get the full effect.

The Eyre Affair is my favorite new book. It's just so much jolly-good fun.

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