Title: Early Riser
Author: Jasper Fforde
Pages: 402
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 2nd August 2018
Blurb from Goodreads:
Every Winter, the human population hibernates.
During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, and devoid of human activity.
Well, not quite.
Your name is Charlie Worthing and it's your first season with the Winter Consuls, the committed but mildly unhinged group of misfits who are responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses.
You are investigating an outbreak of viral dreams which you dismiss as nonsense; nothing more than a quirky artefact borne of the sleeping mind.
When the dreams start to kill people, it's unsettling.
When you get the dreams too, it's weird.
When they start to come true, you begin to doubt your sanity.
But teasing truth from Winter is never easy: You have to avoid the Villains and their penchant for murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting, ensure you aren't eaten by Nightwalkers whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food, and sidestep the increasingly less-than-mythical WinterVolk.
But so long as you remember to wrap up warmly, you'll be fine.
During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, and devoid of human activity.
Well, not quite.
Your name is Charlie Worthing and it's your first season with the Winter Consuls, the committed but mildly unhinged group of misfits who are responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses.
You are investigating an outbreak of viral dreams which you dismiss as nonsense; nothing more than a quirky artefact borne of the sleeping mind.
When the dreams start to kill people, it's unsettling.
When you get the dreams too, it's weird.
When they start to come true, you begin to doubt your sanity.
But teasing truth from Winter is never easy: You have to avoid the Villains and their penchant for murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting, ensure you aren't eaten by Nightwalkers whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food, and sidestep the increasingly less-than-mythical WinterVolk.
But so long as you remember to wrap up warmly, you'll be fine.
My Review:
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*
Every Winter humans hibernate to escape the freezing temperatures. Those that can take the drug Morphenox which stops them dreaming, saving them precious calories.
Charlie "Wonky" Worthing is preparing for his first Winter working at the Winter Consul.
When things don't go to plan, Charlie finds himself investigating a viral dream.
But the weather isn't the only danger that Winter brings as Charlie soon discovers.
Is there more to Morphenox than meets the eye?
Why are people dreaming about hands and a blue Buick?
Jasper Fforde is my favourite author so I couldn't wait to read Early Riser.
I thought Charlie was a good protagonist and it was different that he had a congenital bone deformity, meaning that one eye was lower than the other (hence the nickname). He was thrown in the deep end but I thought he coped very well given the circumstances.
There were several other characters that I liked as well.
The plot was interesting and held my attention. The idea of humans hibernating through the winter was very intriguing. I liked the idea of a viral dream.
It did take me a while to get into the story but then I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading.
As usual Jasper Fforde has created a world that is detailed and unique. I love his writing style and can't wait to see what he comes up with next!
Overall this was a very enjoyable read set in an interesting, unique world.
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