★★★★☆ What are these people?

Red Side Story

Jasper Fforde

When I reviewed Shades of Grey, the first novel in Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey series, I asked

Although I referred to Eddie as a young man, it is not clear to me what the people of the Collective are. I think they are more-or-less human. ... However, in some ways they behave like automata. These are puzzles that I hope Jasper Fforde will clear up in subsequent novels in the Shades of Grey series.

Now I'm patting myself on the back, because that is indeed what Red Side Story is about. Or so say I. You might think it is about other things -- a love story, a fight to survive, a battle for justice, a cycle race -- and you would not be wrong. Red Side Story contains multitudes.

Shades of Grey ended in a flurry of revelations about the Collective. Eddie, Jane and Courtland Gamboge visited the abandoned town of High Saffron, where Jane revealed that all the people supposedly sent to Reboot were in fact sent here to die. Eddie and Jane vowed to work for the overthrow of the Collective. Courtland did not survive the trip, and Jane and Eddie stand accused of his murder. So, that's where we start.

Will Eddie and Jane survive? Well, OK, let's be honest -- that is never really in doubt. That's not really a spoiler, because Eddie begins the book with a brief précis of what's to come. Although cryptic, it leaves no doubt that Eddie and Jane will still be alive when we get to the end. HOW will they survive? That's a real question, and I will, of course, not give you an answer.

The good news is that we do eventually get a complete answer to the puzzles I asked about in my review of Shades of Grey. And it's a great story. Aside from learning the nature of the people of Chromatacia, we have drones and robots and a reenactment of a famous scene from Star Wars -- you will recognize it immediately. And the big reveal at the end is entirely satisfying.

I am left wondering whether there will be a third Shades of Grey. Red Side Story ends in a good place. I didn't feel that there were any major loose ends. However, on his Next Book page, Fforde suggests that after wrapping up Thurday Next he may write "SofG III".

I liked Red Side Story a lot. I enjoyed it more than Shades of Grey, because, now that we know all we need to about the dreary Chromatacian dystopia, there is room for action and fun. You do, however, need to read Shades of Grey -- Red Side Story won't make much sense without.

I thank Edelweiss and Soho Press for an advance reader copy of Red Side Story. This review expresses my honest opinions.

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