Road to High Saffron

One of my favourite books of all time is one I "read" (kind of) in 2011:  Shades of Grey:  The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde.

Japser Fforde is one of my favourite authors.  I've kept up with his Thursday Next series, even though I'm pretty sure it should have stopped at book four.  I've been waiting patiently for another book in the Nursery Crimes series, although I'm beginning to think I won't get one.  I've only read the first book in the Last Dragonslayer series, but that's just because I haven't finalised my birthday list yet...

... and I loved the first book of the Shades of Grey series, and would dearly love to believe there's going to be a second (although, as I have recently noted, sometimes books are better off without sequels).

I say I "read" (kind of) the book because I haven't actually read the whole thing from start to finish.  I listened to the audiobook version one holiday and asked for the print copy for Christmas that year. When I got it, I had a few other books to read as well, so I didn't actually re-read the book, just read bits here and there to remember key lines.

So, I heard the book, more than I read it.  I still loved it.  I still love it.  It's possibly the best post-apocalyptic story I've ever read (if for no other reason than it's set so far beyond the "something that happened" that Fforde can comfortably make a post-apocalyptic story based around a guy who lied about seeing a rabbit).

I've been thinking about it in the light of the whole Hunger Games thing, recently.  There are a lot of strange similarities between the Colourtocracy and the Capitol.  Mostly, though it's the excellent world-building and way everyone is just getting on with life in this "completely normal" place, in a future that's both simpler and more complex (technologically speaking) than our present.

Plus, both books involve a game where blood will be spilled (although, in Road to High Saffron, it's just the boys v girls hockey match...)

When I have time to re-read books, I'll have to go back to that one - if only to spend some quality time in a universe where everyone knows the hex codes for colours (it could save your life) and people say things like "Munsell's hoo-haw!" when they swear.