Shades of Grey (Shades of Grey, #1) in Beyond Reality

Oct 08, 2011 mark monday rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: after-the-fall, scifi-modern

the world of Shades of Grey is a nightmarish dystopia: a ruthless totalitarian regime that destroys all individualistic spirit, all creativity and ambiguity and questioning of authority; a monstrous government that divides its citizens into color-stratified class/caste systems that is based upon the inherent physical deficiencies of its populace; a place with no love and where death is the end result for the underdog and misfit.

sounds pretty bleak, right? well, dear reader, think again! this rat the world of Shades of Grey is a nightmarish dystopia: a ruthless totalitarian regime that destroys all individualistic spirit, all creativity and ambiguity and questioning of authority; a monstrous government that divides its citizens into color-stratified class/caste systems that is based upon the inherent physical deficiencies of its populace; a place with no love and where death is the end result for the underdog and misfit.

sounds pretty bleak, right? well, dear reader, think again! this rather amazing novel is as light and airy as a souffle, a real pleasure to consume from beginning to end. i was smiling constantly and laughing out loud nearly as often. the tone is brisk and drily amusing. the plot and the various details of our young hero's travails are wonderfully absurd: the punishment for his past cheekiness is to conduct a "Chair Census"; he must beware deadly carnivorous swans and "mega-fauna"; his greatest ambition is to be the head of a String Factory! upstairs from him and his dad lives the "Apocryphal Man" - an historian the state has deemed 'does not exist', and so is free to wander around naked, stealing food, muttering terrifying truths yet remaining unmolested. the love of his life is mean Jane - a Grey, the lowest caste - a rebel with a cause who does not hesitate to punish him drastically and physically whenever he gets in her way.

the writing itself is splendid. Fforde is a deadpan and satirical author with a perfect grasp of what to show, what to tell, what to keep hidden, and what to save for an exciting climax. i was reminded of a couple things when reading this book: the equally absurd and distinctly provincial post-apocalyptic settings of Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney and especially the delightful skewerings of english village life within the Mapp & Lucia series of E.F. Benson. much like the latter, the humor within Shades of Grey is derived almost entirely from the Comedy of Manners.

a Post-Apocalyptic Comedy of Manners set within a Provincial Dystopic Colortocracy! how's that for original?

best of all, for me at least, this wonderful novel does not have a genuinely cynical bone in its body. yes, it skewers hypocrisy and stupidity in the most cutting way. yes, it is about a vicious, cruel future. but it also believes in investing its hero and heroine with the power to change themselves, to fall in love, to try to bravely risk changing the world around them. and it portrays all of the good and all of the bad with the lightest, most charming of touches.

i am really looking forward to the sequel! ...more

137 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2010 Stephen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, signed-first-or-limited-edition, 2006-2010, science-fiction, fforde-pickup, humor-and-satire, world-in-the-shitter

5.0 stars. Another superb novel by one of the best writers "that not everybody reads" working in speculative fiction. I am continually impressed by Fforde's imagination, writing and his supreme talent for incorporating both well known and obscure references to literature and pop culture.

With this novel, Fforde begins a new series based in a future world that arose from the ashes of ours and in which every person's status in society is based on the portion of color spectrum that they can see. Thr ...more

46 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2010 Shanshad Whelan rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, series

Just couldn't grab me. I felt like the entire book dragged along--unlike other stories where the action keeps going, this book seemed entirely no action, and very little that wasn't predictable despite the unusual world setting. Usually enjoy Fforde, this time not so much. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2009 Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, read-2011, audio-2011

As I am a big fan of the Thursday Next series, I was not sure what to expect with this book set in a somewhat different world. I found the deliciously quirky, and slightly familiar themes drew me in immediately. My first focus was to try and discover what made Shades of Grey unique.
It didn't take long before I found myself engaged by the character of Eddie, and by the time the book was almost over I was so engaged I was reluctant to leave this cast behind.
This Chromatic world is a darker place ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 15, 2010 Megan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: quirky-fiction

After dropping out of the Thursday Next books and despising the nursery crimes books, I was wary of the new Jasper Fforde. But YAY! All the glee that I experienced in reading The Eyre Affair was back. This is darker and less jokey (and pun filled!) than some other Fforde books, but once you settle into the weirdness of the world I found it compulsively readable. Very British in that Pratchett/Adams/Python style of humor, but also completely inventive. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 07, 2011 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: from-the-public-library

Jasper Fforde is a master of the absurdly witty, and this intricate and carefully-thought-out novel is, I think, one of his best. The book is set in the far future (after the Something That Happened)in a strange society shaped by colorblindness. It's a mystery, it's a comedy of manners, it's a romance, it's science fiction/fantasy. ...more

Like · see review

Dec 04, 2009 Angela Randall rated it really liked it

Shelves: 21st-century, 2000-2009, we-own, first-book-in-great-series, i-own, humour, read-2011, fiction, fantasy, ange-recommends

Here's another bizarre world intricately created by Fforde. It's built on all the cornerstones of human civilization: blindly trusting authority, making sure you know your place in society and not stepping out of line. But, of course, people do.

The world itself is a fabulously designed colour-based system: People are ranked on how much of a given spectrum they can see clearly, while they are also affected physically by certain colours. Ingenious idea, which Jasper Fforde is very capable of seei ...more

Like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Marty rated it really liked it

I enjoyed reading it but not enough to read the next one. It sprightly in tone but the society is very dark.

Like · see review

Jul 01, 2011 Sandi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, library-express, read-2011, scifi-fantasy-horror-althistory

For the most part, an amusing (though quite dark at times) look at a future world that is governed by the rules of the chromatic scale. Lots of inventive world building and a wry outlook make up for a bit of an unfocused plot and lots of dangling threads that were left at the end. I listened to the audio version read by the always capable John Lee who seemed to be having quite a good time with the text.

Like · see review

Nov 02, 2009 Ann Hutchinson rated it really liked it

Can't wait for the next one! Full review at Mostly Fiction Book Reviews. See my interview with Fforde now atScience Fiction and Other ODDysseys http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot... ...more

Like · see review

Dec 30, 2009 Grey rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopia

The book starts off pretty goofy, but if you can get into it, the story is good. Warning: There are two sequels planned. (I did not realize this until the end.)

Like · see review