Something Rotten (Thursday Next Books, #4)

by Jasper Fforde

Detective Thursday Next has had her fill of her responsibilities as the Bellman in Jurisfiction, enough with Emperor Zhark’s pointlessly dramatic entrances, outbreaks of slapstick raging across pulp genres, and hacking her hair off to fill in for Joan of Arc. 

Packing up her son, Friday, Thursday returns to Swindon accompanied by none other than the dithering Danish prince Hamlet. Caring for both is more than a full- time job and Thursday decides it is definitely time to get her husband Landen back, if only to babysit. Luckily, those responsible for Landen’s eradication, The Goliath Corporation— formerly an oppressive multinational conglomerate, now an oppressive multinational religion— have pledged to right the wrong. But returning to SpecOps isn’t a snap. 

When outlaw fictioneer Yorrick Kaine seeks to get himself elected dictator, he whips up a frenzy of anti-Danish sentiment and demands mass book burnings. The return of Swindon’s patron saint bearing divine prophecies could spell the end of the world within five years, possibly faster if the laughably terrible Swindon Mallets don’t win the Superhoop, the most important croquet tournament in the land. And if that’s not bad enough, The Merry Wives of Windsor is becoming entangled with Hamlet. 

Can Thursday find a Shakespeare clone to stop this hostile takeover? Can she prevent the world from plunging into war? Can she vanquish Kaine before he realizes his dream of absolute power? And, most important, will she ever find reliable child care?

• ISBN10: 0670033596
• ISBN13: 9780670033591
• Publish Date: 3 August 2004 (first published 26 July 2004)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 December 2012
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Viking Press Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 385
• Language: English

Reviews

[brokentune]

4.5*

"I knocked at their door and, hearing no answer, walked in. When I was last working at SpecOps we rarely heard anything from the mildly eccentric members of the time-travelling elite, but when you work in the time business, you don’t waste it by nattering – it’s much too precious. My father always argued that time was far and away the most valuable commodity we had and that temporal profligacy should be a criminal offence – which kind of makes watching Celebrity Kidney Swap or reading Daphne Farquitt novels a crime straight away."

After being disappointed by book #2 and skipping book #3, I loved this one. Something Rotten had just the right mix of silliness with thoughtful digs at current affairs and contemporary discussions such as the argument about what makes humans human and what gives humans have the right to control other species, or the rights of other groups of humans for that matter.

Thursday has returned from the book world and again takes up the pursuit of a shady character that threatens the country. But, Thursday has not returned alone - Hamlet (aka the "ditherer") has come with her and so has Alan. I loved Alan, and I am having to read the rest of the series just to find out how he fares.

Yes. Never mind Thursday and the fate of Landon, my interests in this series are thoroughly invested in Pickwick and Alan!

[MurderByDeath]

Thursday has left the Bookworld after 2 years and is transitioning back to the real world and not without a fair few hurdles.  Goliath is aiming for classification as a religion, Kaine is one step away from ruling all of the UK as a dictator, Danish books are being rounded up and burned by order of the government and in her absence, Thursday was convicted of cheese smuggling.  Her husband is still eradicated and she's 20k pounds in the hole on her overdraft.  Oh, and she has to keep an eye on Hamlet, who came out of Bookworld with her so he could find himself.

Oh, so many things to love about this book.  In no particular order and without spoilers:
 - Pickwick.  Pickwick is always worth loving but Fforde makes her so expressive with so very few words.  She made me laugh out loud at least once.

 - This is not the book to be in if you're Danish.  Lots of satirical comedy surrounding the sudden discrimination against Danes (especially in the chapter headings).  Because some of my best friends in the world are Danish, I think I find it a lot funnier than some might; Fforde just nails it.

 - Neanderthals get a lot more page time.

 - The fight in the hanger.  No spoilers, but I'll just say it was masterful literary chess.

 - The fate of the world might truly rest on the outcome of a game.

This is the book that wraps up more than a couple of story arcs.  Lots of answers and very few questions remaining.  I'll admit I missed the footnoterphone more than I would have thought, and I truly prefer the shenanigans of Bookworld over the shenanigans of Real Life. Not really a surprise.  There was a bit that I think went too far and felt too convenient, but I can't even hint at it without spoilers so I'll leave it at that.

The ending of Something Rotten is what got that last 1/2 star out of me.  It was... well, just read it for yourself.  If you're a Thursday Next fan, I expect it will get you in the same place.