wow, not what I was expecting. It might seem a bit out of left field if readers have only read [book:Shades of Grey|2113260], but I think it makes sense, having read all the author's other books that came out in between the two.

A re-read of book 1 wouldn't go amiss. I have read [book:Shades of Grey|2113260] about 3 times and thought that would carry me through. While I had all the major plot points and characters, I had lost some of the little interpersonal bits.

eARC from NetGalley.

I’ve read all of Jasper Fforde’s books and I can say with great sadness, I could not finish this one. Perhaps it’s because I’ve aged in the 15 years since the previous was published. 15 years! I’m a different person to the one who first read shades of grey, like a person starving of thirst unable to drink water fast enough. It was such a wonderful read. Red side story, however, has way too much lead up, so much description and not enough action. It’s like he has to set the stage all over again because he too has forgotten what happened 15 years ago. I wish I could’ve finished this.

This is a book I have been anticipating since I closed my copy of Shades of Grey in 2009. It was quite good, and an effective sequel to SOG.

I do have some specific criticism. Normally, I cannot put one of his books down, I am so engrossed in the story. This is my first Fforde that took me more than 2 days to read. There is some pacing that is off. At times the action/story moves quickly, other times it is quite slow. It is, to borrow from Fforde's own cannon, as though something is wrong with the story engines on the library side.

For Thursday Next readers the following comments will make more sense. This is book that plays with the 7 (or 8/9) basic plots. It has elements of quest, overcoming the monster/rebelling against "the one", and tragedy. In speaking to a friend about Fforde the other day I noted that he was a favorite author, and I would recommend his books, but not to expect to understand the plot until it is all done. In this book, I do not know if I could easily articulate what the plot is, which is not to say that it is bad, its more unexpected in his work outside of the Thursday Next series.

The characters in this story are as engaging as they were in SOG, and several make reappearances for the better. We get additional detail into some of the most enigmatic, mysterious, and apocryphal subjects throughout the story. My recommendation for readers is to keep SOG handy so you can look back and check in with who did what in the previous story, it will help you keep track of the personalities in this one.

Overall this was a good book, I read an ARC granted to me by Soho Press from #NetGalley. With that in mind it was a review copy. I look forward to reading the final printed version as I hope there will be bonus content there for all of us who have waited so long.

As to the story, well I believe the world of Chromatacia will continue in the future. I look forward to it. Fforde ended the story by opening up a landscape of new possibilities for content. I will be anxiously awaiting to see where Ted Grey wanders off to in the next book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
6 out of 5 if I could.
I was so excited when I saw the author's (I've been a huge Jasper Fforde fan since The Eyre Affair, there's just no fiction like Fforde fiction) announcement that this sequel was being published after almost 15 years - the first book was so weird and wonderful!
In the strange (post-apocalyptic?) world of Chromatacia, social class and wealth are determined by the Book of Munsell. Eddie and Jane are accidental lovers / rebels brought together by curiosity, questioning the rules of their society and a desire to figure out what the 'something that happened' actually was. This book begins the day after Shades of Grey ended, and plays out in the course of the next day or two.
The reader will have some of their questions about life in Chromatacia answered, and be left with several more. Fforde's writing is brilliant, as is his construction (and explanation) of a very strange society. The world building here is staggering. so much odd and not-quite-familiar detail keeps the reader constantly a little off balance.
I have to say the sequel doesn't disappoint, but like Shades of Grey, it leaves me looking forward to a promised 3rd instalment.
Recommended for fans of alt-worlds like the Silo and Hunger Games (but really, so much stranger!), make sure to read Shades of Grey first if you haven't yet - I was so glad I reread it before starting Red Side Story.

I enjoyed the first book in the series and am glad to say that I enjoyed this one too. It was great getting some more background on their whole society and how everything functions. As always, there's absurdity without being ridiculous.