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reviewed Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde: Something Rotten (2005)

Something Rotten is the fourth book in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. It …

Strange character motivations in an otherwise stellar book

I understood one of the mysteries of what happened when the incident happened closer to the end, but I have so many questions as for why.

I can't criticise the book without spoilers, but I will say that the big baddie didn't get anything out of their kindness, the henchperson didn't get anything of their screw-ups, the most resultive evil character, on the other hand, felt really too keen.

That said, it's an extremely astute book, and another study of trumpian fascism.

It was – of course – inspired by German nazism, but it is striking how, if you add a little bit of modernity and neoliberalism to hitler, you get trump.

To solidarity with Danes! (Oh how unintentionally modern)

Finally, there was a proof that the real world in the Next series is happening in the real book world, which has a book world inside it! We know it from the dialogue with Hamlet about the steamroller as well as the reunion 4th-wall-breaking scene.