Kyle’s Reviews > The Well of Lost Plots > Status Update
Kyle
is on page 72 of 368
I have yet to see any acknowledgements for theorists of literature, but Fforde has developed quite a solid explanation for how books are created from the characters' point of view. Fiction runs by very well established set of rules and the characters themselves are actively engaged in making stories readable, like Snell, Mr Grnksghty or newbie generics who each play their part. Or they are destroyed and parts reused.
— Aug 22, 2013 11:54PM
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Kyle’s Previous Updates
Kyle
is finished
For so much dialogue over the controversial book operating system, its demise is effectively covered in one paragraph. Very fitting for Libris and Tweed, who both conspired to rob readers of subtly and nuance, that they don't speak another word. Thursday, in her defense of the Well and all its imperfections, remains astute and thoughtfully just. Plus she helps create Nursery Crimes series while helping those in need.
— Sep 05, 2013 09:43PM
Kyle
is on page 344 of 368
Quick thinking on Thursday's part, and a well timed shot suddenly ringing out was followed by a longish pause before the main event: the 923rd Annual BookWorld Awards. Of course, Thursday and her secret ally Mimi the spurned maidservant, hatch their plot while literary heavyweights claim their Bookie statuettes. Funny to think how worked up some characters get over winners, and nobody seems to care about UltraWord..
— Sep 04, 2013 04:50PM
Kyle
is on page 316 of 368
Great couple of chapters, where all the puns, loose-ends and misspelled red herrings fall into place. The bad guy proves to be a shape shifting Machiavel who helped design the mp3 version of books, UltraWord. While seeming to be the next logical step for books, it really become a tool for conservative jerks to make more money. My respect for Fforde's anti-consumerist stance is ironically why I keep buying his novels!
— Sep 03, 2013 08:50PM
Kyle
is on page 293 of 368
According to Thursday Next herself, she defeats three of the Hades siblings, and I already know how it plays out for the older brother and younger sister. Wonder which brother will show up in Dark Reading Matter, if he even shows up at all. Things finally seem to be turning around for the failing fiction Caversham Heights with a more imaginative cast being brought in as a last-ditch effort to exist.
— Sep 02, 2013 08:50PM
Kyle
is on page 280 of 368
Once again, just as clues to the mystery start lining up, things get hazy again. At least Miss Havisham bows out doing what she loved; it would be interesting to find out how her part in Great Expectations would have ended prior to the accident. Thursday gets her history rewritten, too, as she mourns for her departed mentor. The page could not turn fast enough as UltraWord and Aornis raise the mental stakes.
— Sep 01, 2013 10:33PM
Kyle
is on page 266 of 368
Back to the Crimean war, and much more familiar ground, despite Aornis' effort to delete Thursday's memories. Randolph (not Andrew, whoops) get a lot more rounded out in his brief exchange with Thursday. Then returning to BookWorld business, first with the Jurisfiction meeting, and read an extra chapter on the Council of Genres' chamber. Love the glimpse of other languages' Great Libraries and the Last Original Idea.
— Aug 31, 2013 11:09PM
Kyle
is on page 236 of 368
One moment the plot is building, next thing it is spinning out in unpredictable ways. Even though I have read through this before, and should know what's happening with Caversham Hieghts, the newly named generics Lola and Andrew in addition to a Jane Eyre trial, I found myself struggling to keep track of all the threads. Perhaps it is the sense of disequilibrium that makes for fun on the first read.
— Aug 30, 2013 11:48PM
Kyle
is on page 207 of 368
After lots of wonderful exposition on the BookWorld, the plot gets going with mysterious deaths and a who-can-you-trust vibe among Jurisfiction agents. Hardly anything compared to the pent-up sentiments in the Enid Blyton story Shadow the Sheepdog, and now I know a bit more about what the U A of W Cat (Fforde) was hinting at in his description of her idyllic scribbles thanks to Woman Who Died a Lot.
— Aug 29, 2013 11:09PM
Kyle
is on page 173 of 368
When did Fforde have time to read so many books? Assumed it was during his "varied career" in the film industry, but as a focus puller, he had to be at constant attention both when the camera was rolling and between cut and the next shot. His childhood, during off-time? Was he once an English teacher? Perhaps he had that special obsessive quality to follow up on stories from 20,000 Leagues to nursery rhymes.
— Aug 28, 2013 06:25PM
Kyle
is on page 151 of 368
I sense from other GR user's comments on this novel a level of dissatisfaction: how the plot isn't what it should be and the characters poorly sketched. Perhaps another way of thinking about the book is exploring the many ways it isn't like other books. One point raised in the chat with Ibb is the genericlessness of Thursday and Granny Next plus her memories invaded by Aornis may be evidence of the 32-plot UltraWord.
— Aug 28, 2013 12:26PM
