Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next, #2)

by Jasper Fforde

Planet, Destroyed, Soonest. What does that mean? The world’s about to end?”

That is so very Dirk Gently.

If I wasn’t of the opinion that coincidences are merely chance or an overused Dickensian plot device,

I recently re-read Oliver Twist and would just like to say NO KIDDING.

“Miniaturization is a technology that needs to be utilized,” explained Mycroft. “Can you imagine tiny nanomachines barely bigger than a cell, building, say, food protein out of nothing more than garbage? Banoffee pie from landfills, ships from scrap iron—! It’s a fantastic notion. Consolidated Useful Stuff are financing some R&D with me as we speak.”

I feel like we might be hearing more about this later.

entroposcope.

Love this idea.

Granny Next

So, I assume this is the first time Thursday ever met Gran. I wish there had been some explanation of how she dropped into Thursday's life without anyone noticing how odd it was. I mean, Fforde couldn't do it here, obviously, but it would have been neat to have an explanation on Gran's deathbed. Fforde's winking explanations are best thing about these books!

As I walked towards the fortune-teller I thrust my hand in my bag and pulled out a sheet of the Nakajima pages at random, then, just as I passed the little nut-brown man, I stabbed arbitrarily on the page with my pen and broke into a run.

I wish I was that smart.

“I am already one hour and five minutes late!” I announced to scattered applause from the room. “Then,” said the Magistrate simply, “you have complied with the court’s ruling and we may proceed.”

A good line, but really I highlight this to avoid highlighting the entire Kafka section.

daypers,”

Just think that's a cool word.

It had been a long time since the Jurisfiction offices had been used as a ballroom.

I'm pretty sure this phrase turns up in every subsequent volume in this series.

please tell them that it was my husband’s decision—I tried to stop him, believe me!”

I have read Sense and Sensibility and this is a ridiculous lie. Does she really expect anyone to believe it?

until his assassination.

Assassination? As I recall, he dies of old age.

“Oh, nothing yet,” he replied, readying himself to leave, “but you will.”

This is the biggest reason I'm hoping for the eighth book, because through the first seven this promise never pays off. As best I can recall, it's the only thread Fforde has left hanging.

“I’ll tell you what love is,” I told her. “It is blind devotion, unquestioning self-humiliation, utter submission, trust and belief against yourself and against the whole world, giving up your whole heart and soul to the smiter!”

Hey, that sounds familiar...

“We’re in a pseudoscientific technobabble.” “Ah!” replied Wilbur, having witnessed quite a few at MycroTech Developments. “One of those.”

It's nice that he's up-front about it.

She spoke to me—from my memory.

This is such a cool concept. Aornis is by far the most interesting of Thursday's foes, the one that gives Fforde the most creative latitude.

“That’s some catch,” I observed. “It’s the second-best there is,” Dad agreed.

A nice aside to my favorite American novel.