This is Jasper Fforde's debut novel, introducing literary detective Thursday Next. Thursday lives in an alternate 1980s where the Crimean War is still ongoing - and, even more surprising, the public is incredibly interested in books. She's part of SO-27, the Literary Detective Division of the Special Operations Network. Fraudulent Shakespeare plays and stolen manuscripts are her work, until someone starts stealing characters.

Things get anarchic once Fforde's characters get into fiction. Thursday has to repair Jane Eyre, fight evil, and sort out her own love-life. She has a pet dodo, a missing aunt, and an uncle who's an eccentric inventor (Uncle Mycroft - nice Conan Doyle reference). Her opponent is the implacable Acheron Hades.

We're starting a bookray for this, as part of The Lost Book project. The Lost Book is an animated web series which you can help write. It follows the adventures of investigative journalist, and BookCrosser, Aileen Adler and her dog Watson as they try to solve the crime of a stolen book.

As well as inviting you to help write the web series, we have a creative writing competition to create the stolen book. Jasper Fforde is our special guest writer. He has set the scene with two intriguing newspaper articles about the book - the journal of a 2004 expedition to Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World. We're inviting 100-word entries each week and will gradually reconstruct the missing book from these microstories.

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Bookray - PM at any time, with your shipping preferences, to join.
Martjxox, Italy (EU preferred, Int if needed)
kittychia, Italy (EU)
katacs, Hungary (EU)
AdamRivers, UK (Int)
KiwiinEngland, UK/Ireland (Europe/Asia/Australisia)
Hayes13, Italy (Int)
jneni, Singapore (Int)
Bug2004, USA (USA)
leoluvr, USA (USA)
NMReader, USA (USA) - asked to be skipped
sunfi, USA (USA/Canada preferred, Int if needed)
galleycat, USA (USA)
Rrrcaron, USA (USA)
judygreeneyes, USA (Int assumed)
disneyfreaksam, UK (Int assumed)
Bookray complete!

Please could you all do four things:

1. Make a quick journal entry when you receive the book.
2. Read and send on within four weeks - or make a journal entry to let us know how you're getting on if you need longer.
3. Make a journal entry when you've finished.
4. Use the cheapest method of shipping available.

And, enjoy the book! If you liked it, we also have a bookray for the sequel, Lost in a Good Book, and the third book in the series, The Well of Lost Plots - PM to join.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This will travel to Martjxox in Italy on Monday. Happy reading!

"The Lost Book" postcards enclosed for everyone on the book ray so far.

I got it yesterday! Safe and sound here! Following another ring. Will read it asap!!!


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March 29th 2009

Leaving to Kittychia tomorrow.

Arrived here 5 minutes ago safe and sound!
I have to read 2 books before this so, I guess I need to keep it with me for about 3 or 4 weeks. Do you think is it ok?
If it's too much time, let me know and I'll send it away within the next week.
Anyway... thanks for let me join!

Probably I was not in the right mood but I didn't really enjoy the book...
I'm going out in 5 minutes, to send it to the next reader!

Hope you like it more Katacs! Happy reading!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Going to the post office... the book is ready for travel to Katacs! :)

Arrived today safely. Thank you, kittychia.

05.20. I enjoyed this book so much! It's funny, interesting and quite original. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

AdamRivers asked to be skipped. The book is on its way to KiwiinEngland. Happy reading!

The parcel was postmarked the 25 May in Hungary and it turned up in Dublin 2 days later!! Top marks to the Hungarian postal service.

I shall not be able to read the book as fast as that, but will read ASAP. Thanks katacs for sending it on, and TheLostBook for starting the ring.

Fforde has managed to create a fast paced action book, with literary puns, almost credible scientific discoveries, and a romantic subplot come together really well.
This was a fun book, and I really enjoyed how Wales was a republic and the English police had no sway over it.

I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:






Posting to Italy by media mail with Royal Post.

Arrived this morning! How wonderful! I can't wait. Thank you thank you thank you!!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

A weirder book I have never read!! Stephanie Plum meets Voldemort, or something...

Lots of fun, but I have the sinking suspicion *alas* that I have missed most of the word play.

Moving on to Singapore!!

EDIT: the day got away from me!! Will put this in the mail Monday 27 July.

Got the book in the mail today! I still have several books in front of this so I will get to this asap! Thank you for including me!

I finished the book today! :-) It was really a good read. I found the characters funny, entertaining and very creative. It is especially fun since I absolutely loved Jane Eyre! As I was reading the book, how I wished that I could also travel into the book and have a nice long chat with Jane. The book did a good job in blending the 'real' characters and the 'fictional' characters together. I also like how the author gave creative and imaginative names to the different departments. The touch of romance was also heart-warming! Thank you for including me in this ring, I will PM the next person for an address :)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is now on its way to Bug2004! :-) I hope you'll have a nice rendezvous with Jane too!

Arrived safely.

What a ride!! This was a great read..just loved it!! You simply have to hop on and go where it takes you!! Great fun!!

Thanks for sharing and terribly sorry for the long delay. It should be off by the weekend...weather permitting!

**Mailed off yesterday, 1/15**

I just got this in the mail today; things are a little crazy right now but I'll do my best to read it in a week or two. Thanks for letting me be a part of this ray!

I absolutely adored this book. I was hooked after the first few chapters. . . I just couldn't put it down. So much for taking a few weeks to read the whole thing. A friend told me a few years ago that I should read The Eyre Affair and I'm so glad I finally took his advice. The plot was extremely ridiculous, just like I like 'em. And although all of the characters were hilarious, there's a special place in my heart for Acheron Hades-- he is quite possibly the most totally devious villain I've ever encountered.

I'm awaiting an address, and I'll get the book off as soon as I know where to send it.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

NMReader asked to be skipped, so this book is now off to sunfi in Ohio. Happy reading!

I have a number of other rings/rays ahead of this one but I'll get to it as soon as I can. I keep my profile updated on weekly basis so you can see how close this one is to the top. Thanks for mailing this to me!

Just finished this one, the first part dragged on for me but the last half definitely picked up. I'm not up on my historical British literature as I should be to make this book go more smoothly, I'm sure there were a number of jokes that I didn't get. I"m withholding my thoughts on the series until I finish the next one. I'm going to try to pass this one on today. I'll JE as soon as I get to the post office.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sorry I didn't JE as soon as I mailed it, I just remembered this morning. Its on its way to the next reader and it should arrive in the next few weeks.

The book was waiting for me when I got home tonight. Excited. I'll get it read and move it on.

Thanks, TheLostBook.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It got off to a slow start, then picked up nicely. I enjoyed the mix of real and fictional characters ... and I especially loved the villain, Acheron Hades. It was a nice change of pace. I'm glad I got a chance to read it.

I'll mail it forward as soon as I get an address.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to Rrrcaron. Enjoy!

I received this book in the mail yesterday. Will get to it soon.
Ruth

I really enjoyed this book. Woudn't it be great if you could really enter books, and have characters exit them? Or, change the outcome? I found that all so cool!! Sending on to next reader....
Ruth

This book has arrived in San Diego, thanks all for sending it forward. I just finished "The Night Villa" by Carol Goodman, and so this has arrived at an opportune time!

Just an update -- I'm thoroughly enjoying this story, and am more than 1/2 way through the book. I already have disneyfreaksam's address...

This was a totally fun story! Thanks for sharing it, I may have to pick up the next one in the Next series! Onward by mail to the next reader.

Thank you very much for your kindness, it is greatly appreciated. I will read this and pass it on

Great book. Good story, totally wacky.

I will send off tomorrow as a RABCK.

Enjoy

xx

The book arrived in mail today! It made my perfect day even better: today is my 20th engagement anniversary. We're going out to celebrate, me and my wonderful hubby.

Thank you for sharing the book! I look forward to reading it - and the sequels ;)

Y'all have a great day!

What a wicked and whimsical book! It took me about 100 pages to get up to speed but after that I was all in ;) I absolutely adore the idea of bookworms and a portal through which you can hop into the book world. I'd love to be a book tourist guide - you know, visiting all those wonderful imaginary worlds as if they were real... going to the movies would be so lame after that :D

Thanks for sharing this brilliant book, I'll start looking for the next reader around the Finnish forum.

EDIT August 13, 2011: Bookray continues to the following destinations.

1. madpocky, The Philippines
2. bookguide, The Netherlands

Sending this book to the Philippines. Happy reading!

Got this in the mail yesterday! There are just a few other books that I need to read and release first and then I'll read these afterwards. Thanks very much for sharing! ^-^