It is always with mixed emotions that I finish reading a Jasper Fforde book, and this is no exception. Another wild romp through the unUnited Kingdoms with Jennifer Strange and her assorted band of misfits is ultimately delightful and satisfying, a perfect way to finish my 2015 reading list. Fforde's imagination seems to know no bounds, as every possible creature comes to life in his pages, somehow couched within a recognizable political paradigm that, not unlike a Pixar film, contains enough adventure to entertain the young and a healthy dose of farcical realism to tickle the more sophisticated reader. Bravo, I'm already anticipating the next Kazam adventure. ( )

More adventures of Jennifer Strange, this time questing (shh, don't tell anyone) for the Eye of Zoltar in the Cambrian Empty Quarter. There are some gloriously inspired Ffordian moments (the discovery of where the Leviathans Graveyard is is fabulous, as is the princess's grasp of finance and economics). Having sacrificed the quarkbeast and the transient moose in books 1 and 2, there isn't a lot of space for 'what can we sacrifice that Jennifer cares about' emotional arc, so Jennifer's relationship with Perkins (much more convincing when it was 'this slightly spotty wizard has a crush on me and I'm not reciprocating') has to become a real thing, so that he can nobly sacrifice himself. It does feel a bit like a middle book, the ending is one big cliff hanger of misery ready for book 4 to come along and hopefully sort things out for them all! ( )

Another wacky adventure, this time with survival statistics, a rubber dragon and an extreme cliffhanger. Curse you, Fforde! ( )

I received an advanced readers copy (after publication) as my first Goodreads giveaway. YAY!!

Jennifer Strange, now Court Mystician to the King, is summoned to the palace and asked to help the rude and spoiled princess become a humble ruler. Then, the Mighty Shandar threatens to kill the two remaining dragons (Feldspar and Colin) that Jennifer has spared from extinction (in an earlier book) unless Jennifer finds the mysterious Eye of Zoltar. She and her assembled team, including the princess, have to go to the Cambrian Empire, a place where perilous tourism keeps the national economy stable and everything can kill you. Unlike
the first two book were an escalating juggling act, this book is linear, as Jennifer's expedition gains and loses members and fights through more travails and dangers than can be described here. Highlights were the princess, who was bright and matured during the quest, and the tour guide, Adele.

Other things I liked were: (1) All-Rise, the combined bakery/courthouse in Llangurig, (2) "Being a clairvoyant is 10% guesswork and 90% probability mathematics," and (3) the grading system for reality: Grade I "proven non-existent", Grade II "no proof of existence", Grade III "really not very likely at all", Grade IV "not very likely, to be honest", and Grade V "okay some basis in fact, but still partly unexplained." ( )

Spectacular story. But in true Jasper Fforde fashion the ending leaves you dying for the next installment which will inevitably take YEARS to be produced. He's getting almost as bad as George R. R. Martin. ( )