Jasper Fford Dark Reading Matter

About

What if you could step inside your favourite novel, meet its characters and change the ending? And what would happen if the characters themselves discovered that they were trapped inside a book?In this wonderfully entertaining talk, bestselling novelist Jasper Fforde explores the extraordinary literary universe he has created over the past 25 years, culminating in Dark Reading Matter, the eagerly awaited eighth and final instalment of his much-loved Thursday Next series. Combining literary satire, ingenious plotting and gloriously absurd humour, his novels have captivated millions of readers around the world.At the heart of the series is Thursday Next, a Swindon-based Literary Detective who can enter the pages of books, investigate literary crimes and move between fiction and reality. Now, after eight novels and a quarter of a century, Thursday faces her greatest challenge yet. Her enemies are determined to sabotage the very novel in which she appears, threatening not just her future but the survival of the Bookworld itself.In Dark Reading Matter, Martians escape from the pages of H. G. Wells, a Shakespeare theme park opens a gateway to Hell, Enid Blyton's fictional world falls into the hands of extremists, and the forces of Big Tech threaten to drain literature of its imaginative power. As reality and fiction collide, Thursday must draw on all her ingenuity, courage and literary trickery to secure a happy ending - with a little help from her readers.Fforde's extraordinary imagination and distinctive humour have earned him comparisons with Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Monty Python. The Daily Express describes his work as "hugely funny and gloriously imaginative", while the Herald suggests that admirers of Douglas Adams and Monty Python will feel entirely at home in his fictional worlds. Reviewing Dark Reading Matter, the Daily Mail praised its "riot of puns, in-jokes and literary allusions".In this fascinating and often hilarious talk, Fforde reflects on the origins of Thursday Next, the challenges of bringing a beloved series to an end, and his lifelong fascination with books, language and the extraordinary possibilities of storytelling. He will also explore the relationship between fiction and reality, the changing world of publishing, and the challenges that new technologies pose for literature and creativity. Why do stories matter so much to us, and what would the world be like without them?Jasper Fforde is one of Britain's most original and internationally bestselling novelists, celebrated for his extraordinary imagination, distinctive humour and ingenious blending of fantasy, satire and literary fiction. Before becoming a novelist, he spent almost twenty years working in the film industry, including on GoldenEye and The Mask of Zorro. His bestselling debut, The Eyre Affair (2001), introduced Thursday Next and established his reputation for witty, genre-defying fiction.His other acclaimed works include the Nursery Crime series, The Last Dragonslayer series, Shades of Grey, Early Riser, The Constant Rabbit and Red Side Story. With millions of books sold internationally, Fforde has established himself as one of contemporary fiction's most distinctive voices. His eighteenth novel, Dark Reading Matter, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 2026, bringing the Thursday Next series to its long-awaited conclusion. He lives in Wales.A Q&A Session will follow.