debby_joyblue reviewed Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
Review of 'Early Riser' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Would rate 3.75 (4- vs. 3+) if I could.
Hardcover, 407 pages
Published Aug. 2, 2018 by Viking.
5 stars
(3 reviews)
Every Winter, the human population hibernates.
During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, and 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 artefact 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 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 …
Every Winter, the human population hibernates.
During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, and 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 artefact 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 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.
Acton reviewed Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
Review of 'Early Riser' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Where to begin? Early Riser is part science fiction, part mystery, definitely parody and all fun! Jasper Fforde always creates different realities for his stories and this time, he's outdone himself.
This is a world in which people survive a dangerous winter by bulking up, then hibernating. Sleep, perchance to dream--no, no, that's no good: dreams supposedly waste too much energy, too many calories. To increase the chances of surviving the winter, people take an expensive drug called morphenox, designed by a greedy corporation called HiberTech. Those who can afford or gain access to it, that is. And it may cause side effects, such as becoming a nightwalker, or one who never really wakes up (Nightwalkers are scary when they're hungry).
The protagonist of this zany novel is Charles Worthing, who has decided to join the Winter Consul to gain access to morphinox. It's a dangerous job that involves staying …
Where to begin? Early Riser is part science fiction, part mystery, definitely parody and all fun! Jasper Fforde always creates different realities for his stories and this time, he's outdone himself.
This is a world in which people survive a dangerous winter by bulking up, then hibernating. Sleep, perchance to dream--no, no, that's no good: dreams supposedly waste too much energy, too many calories. To increase the chances of surviving the winter, people take an expensive drug called morphenox, designed by a greedy corporation called HiberTech. Those who can afford or gain access to it, that is. And it may cause side effects, such as becoming a nightwalker, or one who never really wakes up (Nightwalkers are scary when they're hungry).
The protagonist of this zany novel is Charles Worthing, who has decided to join the Winter Consul to gain access to morphinox. It's a dangerous job that involves staying up during the winter to protect the general population against crimes. Cannibalistic nightwalkers, villians (some of them scary philatelists), and Wintervolk, oh my!
Basically, that is the world which forms the backdrop for this story. No spoilers, then-- go with it! It's a fun ride with lots of little twists and turns and won't get dull.
