«It is always a privilege to watch the birth of a cult, and Hodder has just cut the umbilical cord. Always ridiculous, often hilarious ... blink and you miss a vital narrative leap. There are shades of Douglas Adams, Lewis Carroll, 'Clockwork Orange' and '1984'. And that's just for starters»

Time Out

«Dark, funny, complex and inventive, The Eyre Affair is a breath of fresh air, and is easily one of the strongest debuts in years.»

Locus

«A decidedly quirky and strangely thought-provoking debut novel»

Scotland on Sunday

«The eccentric epic - A read that'll leave you breathless»

Elle

«Engaging and captivating . . . not just one of the best sequels I've ever read, but one of the best damn books to come out of the UK in some time.»

Engima

«Don't ask, just read it. Fforde is a true original»

Sunday Express

«Let yourself be entertained by a witty romp»

Sunday Telegraph

«This year's grown up J K Rowling»

Sunday Times

«Douglas Adams would be proud»

Scotsman

«The reader is catapulted in and out of truth and imagination on a hectic, humorous and neatly constructed chase that finishes by tying up every loose end in the most satisfying, novelistic way»

The Times

«What Fforde is pulling is a variation on the classic Monty Python gambit: the incongruous juxtaposition og low comedy and high erudition - this scam has not been pulled off with such off-hand finesse and manic verve since the Pythons shut up shop. 'The Eyre Affair' is a silly book for smart people: postmodernism played as raw, howling farce»

Independent

«Ingenious - I'll watch Jasper Fforde nervously»

Terry Pratchett

«A stroke of fantasy genius . . . Unashamedly silly, but also marvellously intelligent . . . Hilarious»

SFX

«An absolute joy to read. Is it a crime novel? I couldn't really tell, I was laughing too much.»

Birmingham Post

«Compulsively readable ... catnip to book lovers ... totally absorbing»

Time Out New York