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Welcome to Chromatacia, where for as long as anyone can remember society has been ruled by a Colortocracy. Social hierachy is based upon one's limited color perception. society is dominated by color. In this world, you are what you can see, and Eddie Russett, a better-than-average red perception wants to move up.Tags
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TomWaitsTables The dystopic comedy by by Jasper Fforde, not the adult novel read by housewives.
ngoomie Very different societies, and yet I can see similar threads between the two that indicate to me that Jasper Fforde was likely to some degree inspired by Brave New World, from things like the specific application of the caste system (they are based largely off of immutable traits that affect how one interacts with the world), to near-worship of a mythologized figure referred to as "Our {name}" ("Our Munsell" in Shades of Grey, "Our Ford" in Brave New World) who serves a historically and current societally important role.
Also recommended by Othemts
112
bertilak In particular, see Goethe's section on pathological colours.
12
KCLibrarian Both books create believable societies unlike our own in some ways, but recognizably human in other ways. Both raise challenging societal questions and have some surprise twists and turns along the way. Both authors deftly ease their readers into the fantasy worlds they create, and by the time the story ends, leave readers wanting more.
16
Member Reviews
Eddie Russett travels with his chromaticologist father (a doctor who treats patients by showing them swatches of particular colors) across the country to East Carmine, a semi-rural village where things are a bit weirder than Eddie is used to. He’s left behind his rich almost-half-fiancée Constance Oxblood but is confident he can earn some merits and do well on his eyesight exam and return to her. Throwing a wrench into his plans is Jane, a grey who can hardly see any color, who is beautiful, rebellious, and a stone-cold bitch (whom Eddie immediately falls in love with). Eddie gets wrapped up in the schemes of these people who don’t always follow the color hierarchy the way they’re supposed to. The high-color prefects are horribly show more corrupt, and the greys are smart and have rich (figuratively) lives, nothing really makes any sense, and the scales start to fall from his eyes. He can’t decide whether to go back to his old life or forge a new path outside of the color wheel, until he visits the abandoned city of High Saffron and learns things he can’t unknow.
This is almost a perfect, poignant dystopian story about authoritarianism, disability rights, and how fascists use complex social hierarchies to distract people from rising up against them, but it’s too chaotic and absurd for that. And yet, the chaos and absurdity somehow make it better than perfect. Nothing maps perfectly onto our world, nor any of the things that influence it, like the board game Risk or Albert Munsell (not really a horrible despot, as far as I can tell!). Everything is absurd, without real logic, and therefore there can be no gaps in logic.
My favorite absurdities:
-looking at a certain color green gets you high
-spoons are precious because they were left off the list of goods to manufacture
-librarians are deeply valued, but books keep getting banned to the point that there are more librarians than books
-for entertainment everyone listens to people tapping gossip or stories on the radiator pipes in morse code
I only have the smallest quibble with the story, which is the sense of time. The whole book takes place over 4 days, and several times there are 4 or 5 dramatic events in a row, and then everyone eats lunch. But the absurdity fills in all logic holes - maybe days in this world are much longer than ours?
Is this my favorite book ever? It might be. It just really tickles me in all the right ways. show less
This is almost a perfect, poignant dystopian story about authoritarianism, disability rights, and how fascists use complex social hierarchies to distract people from rising up against them, but it’s too chaotic and absurd for that. And yet, the chaos and absurdity somehow make it better than perfect. Nothing maps perfectly onto our world, nor any of the things that influence it, like the board game Risk or Albert Munsell (not really a horrible despot, as far as I can tell!). Everything is absurd, without real logic, and therefore there can be no gaps in logic.
My favorite absurdities:
-looking at a certain color green gets you high
-spoons are precious because they were left off the list of goods to manufacture
-librarians are deeply valued, but books keep getting banned to the point that there are more librarians than books
-for entertainment everyone listens to people tapping gossip or stories on the radiator pipes in morse code
I only have the smallest quibble with the story, which is the sense of time. The whole book takes place over 4 days, and several times there are 4 or 5 dramatic events in a row, and then everyone eats lunch. But the absurdity fills in all logic holes - maybe days in this world are much longer than ours?
Is this my favorite book ever? It might be. It just really tickles me in all the right ways. show less
Eddie Russet and his father are headed to the fringes of the Collective as Eddie's father is temporarily taking the role of Swatchman and Eddie has been assigned a chair audit as punishment. However, when they arrive in East Carmine, the Swatchman Eddie's father is supposed to be relieving turns out to be dead and the residents of the town are far more invested in loopholery than Eddie is used to. Then Eddie meets a Grey named Jane and discovers that the life he has been perfectly content with has a darker edge than he ever imagined and he must face what role he will play. If he can survive to the next day, that is.
Trust Jasper Fforde to create a strange world. This dystopian society in which people are able to perceive only a single show more colour (or in the case of Greys, none) has a lot to say about caste systems and how we divide ourselves into groups. While there's plenty of humour from occasional brushes with the world we know, which is the distant past for the characters, this is not as funny as some of Fforde's other works. An enjoyable read and if the sequels are ever published I'll pick them up but not my favourite Fforde thus far. show less
Trust Jasper Fforde to create a strange world. This dystopian society in which people are able to perceive only a single show more colour (or in the case of Greys, none) has a lot to say about caste systems and how we divide ourselves into groups. While there's plenty of humour from occasional brushes with the world we know, which is the distant past for the characters, this is not as funny as some of Fforde's other works. An enjoyable read and if the sequels are ever published I'll pick them up but not my favourite Fforde thus far. show less
For as entertaining, thought-provoking, hilarious, and downright awesome Fforde's books are, I'm surprised that more people don't know about him. If you are one of those who haven't read any of his books yet, then take note: I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books I've read by him, and while his Thursday Next series is a personal favorite of mine, Shades of Grey is also a nice place to start. For one thing, it's a dystopia (and well-written, which automatically makes it a must-read). For another, I couldn't stop reading it. From start to finish, I was completely enthralled by this strange world ruled by the color spectrum, of all things.
Eddie is an average guy who follows all the rules and who is just about to officially become an show more adult. Going to one of the outskirt cities to complete a disciplinary assignment, he is faced with corruption on a scale he has never known before. Between trying to solve a mystery involving a Grey (one who sees no color) who was masquerading as a Purple, arranging his marriage with the illustrious Constance Oxblood, and finishing his assignment so he can return home, Eddie finds himself in more trouble than he ever thought possible.
The one thing I love most about Fforde is his ability to mix genres into something completely unique. Shades of Grey is a humorous coming-of-age dystopic mystery that has something for everyone. At first, I had a little trouble adjusting to the strange world Fforde has created, but after the first few chapters, I got the hang of it. Eddie is incredibly easy to relate to, and I thought all the characters were a treat to get to know. There is a great deal of humor mixed in with what are really horrible realities of the world Eddie lives in so that instead of being horrified, I was thoroughly amused throughout the entire book.
It's hard to talk about specific plot points without ruining the rest of the novel, as everything is neatly woven together, but I will say that there is a good deal of intrigue, mystery, and drama. As is expected, this society that is governed by a handbook of rules for pretty much everything (from what to wear while traveling to what items are able to be produced -- spoons, sadly, didn't make the cut), is completely run by underhanded and corrupt dealings of those in power.
While this book is excellent and I think everyone should read it, I will say that it's probably better to wait until a sequel is out for this one. While Shades of Grey doesn't end on a cliffhanger, there are enough unresolved issues at the end to have made me incredibly frustrated.
Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less
Eddie is an average guy who follows all the rules and who is just about to officially become an show more adult. Going to one of the outskirt cities to complete a disciplinary assignment, he is faced with corruption on a scale he has never known before. Between trying to solve a mystery involving a Grey (one who sees no color) who was masquerading as a Purple, arranging his marriage with the illustrious Constance Oxblood, and finishing his assignment so he can return home, Eddie finds himself in more trouble than he ever thought possible.
The one thing I love most about Fforde is his ability to mix genres into something completely unique. Shades of Grey is a humorous coming-of-age dystopic mystery that has something for everyone. At first, I had a little trouble adjusting to the strange world Fforde has created, but after the first few chapters, I got the hang of it. Eddie is incredibly easy to relate to, and I thought all the characters were a treat to get to know. There is a great deal of humor mixed in with what are really horrible realities of the world Eddie lives in so that instead of being horrified, I was thoroughly amused throughout the entire book.
It's hard to talk about specific plot points without ruining the rest of the novel, as everything is neatly woven together, but I will say that there is a good deal of intrigue, mystery, and drama. As is expected, this society that is governed by a handbook of rules for pretty much everything (from what to wear while traveling to what items are able to be produced -- spoons, sadly, didn't make the cut), is completely run by underhanded and corrupt dealings of those in power.
While this book is excellent and I think everyone should read it, I will say that it's probably better to wait until a sequel is out for this one. While Shades of Grey doesn't end on a cliffhanger, there are enough unresolved issues at the end to have made me incredibly frustrated.
Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less
I always find it takes a bit more effort to get into a Jasper Fforde book than with most because the worlds he creates are so peculiar. Shades of Grey is typically atypical. In this novel, the first of a proposed trilogy, he creates an alternate, or perhaps a future earth in which color perception determines social class, most living things are born with bar codes, night blindness and fear of the dark is the norm, and compliance with strict social rules is not only expected but enforced. This cultural satire, which addresses questions of societal versus personal goals and class conflict, is worth a bit of extra effort.
Shades of Grey (not to be confused with Fifty, haha!) is one of the quirkiest, most genre-defying, mind-bending, and absurdly delightful books I’ve ever read. Imagine a dystopian society where your social class—and even your marriage prospects—are determined by what colors you can see. One of the many ridiculous rules? Complementary colors are forbidden to marry.
Unlike anything I’ve read before, the novel devotes about 90% of its pages to building a wacky, whimsical world and the remaining 10% to unraveling a compelling mystery filled with strange deaths, suppressed knowledge, and a slow-burn rebellion. I kept turning pages out of sheer curiosity—eager to understand how this bizarre society functions and what would become of show more Eddie Russet (a boy who sees red) as his place in the system becomes increasingly precarious.
Eddie’s father is a swatchman, a doctor who uses color to heal—because in this world, hues have medical effects. Certain shades can restore health, induce hallucinations, or even kill. The worldbuilding is wildly inventive, from forbidden technology and deFacting of books to intricate systems of merit, courtship, and class.
Jasper Fforde’s writing is dense but rewarding—brimming with eccentric details, dry wit, and laugh-out-loud moments. His imagination is second to none. I especially loved his clever nods to our own pop culture, like the Parker Brothers Map of the World (which turns out to be the Risk game board).
Though I wasn’t deeply emotionally connected to most characters, I was thoroughly intellectually engaged. Fforde explores themes of morality, conformity, and the cost of challenging a broken system.
The central mystery of “The Something That Happened” remains unresolved, and the ending left me with more questions than answers—but also with a strong desire to continue the series and see what happens to Eddie, Jane, Violet, Tommo, Lucy, and the rest.
If you’re looking for something wildly original, hilariously strange, and unexpectedly thought-provoking, Shades of Grey deserves a spot on your TBR pile. show less
Unlike anything I’ve read before, the novel devotes about 90% of its pages to building a wacky, whimsical world and the remaining 10% to unraveling a compelling mystery filled with strange deaths, suppressed knowledge, and a slow-burn rebellion. I kept turning pages out of sheer curiosity—eager to understand how this bizarre society functions and what would become of show more Eddie Russet (a boy who sees red) as his place in the system becomes increasingly precarious.
Eddie’s father is a swatchman, a doctor who uses color to heal—because in this world, hues have medical effects. Certain shades can restore health, induce hallucinations, or even kill. The worldbuilding is wildly inventive, from forbidden technology and deFacting of books to intricate systems of merit, courtship, and class.
Jasper Fforde’s writing is dense but rewarding—brimming with eccentric details, dry wit, and laugh-out-loud moments. His imagination is second to none. I especially loved his clever nods to our own pop culture, like the Parker Brothers Map of the World (which turns out to be the Risk game board).
Though I wasn’t deeply emotionally connected to most characters, I was thoroughly intellectually engaged. Fforde explores themes of morality, conformity, and the cost of challenging a broken system.
The central mystery of “The Something That Happened” remains unresolved, and the ending left me with more questions than answers—but also with a strong desire to continue the series and see what happens to Eddie, Jane, Violet, Tommo, Lucy, and the rest.
If you’re looking for something wildly original, hilariously strange, and unexpectedly thought-provoking, Shades of Grey deserves a spot on your TBR pile. show less
Shades of Grey : the Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde. Reviewed from advance reader copy received through LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program.
Wow. If you thought the Thursday Next books were weird, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!
Eddie Russett is a red in a society run by a Colortocracy. Every person can see a certain range of colours, and position in society is ruled by what you can see, from the lowest (the greys) to the highest (the purples). It's a very regulated place: original thought is not highly regarded, spoons are not on the list of things that can be manufactured, viewing colour swatches is used to heal illness and injury, whole towns support themselves by mining coloured objects from the ruins of cities from “before” show more and underground feedpipes channel colour to keep parks green. Eddie's advancement seems assured by his above average red perception and a potential marriage to a member of the prestigious Oxblood family. However, when Eddie and his father move to the town of East Carmine, everything changes. He meets the Grey, Jane, begins to see the flaws in his supposedly perfect society and begins on the road to revolution.
I really liked this book. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around the whole “colourtocracy” thing at first, and the way society had changed since the unknown event that had changed it from our world to the colour-based one, but once I was a few pages into it, the characters and the story grabbed me and I have to admire Fforde's worldbuilding, which is clever, creative and consistent. Fans of Fforde's other books will definitely enjoy this one and look forward to the two sequels. show less
Wow. If you thought the Thursday Next books were weird, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!
Eddie Russett is a red in a society run by a Colortocracy. Every person can see a certain range of colours, and position in society is ruled by what you can see, from the lowest (the greys) to the highest (the purples). It's a very regulated place: original thought is not highly regarded, spoons are not on the list of things that can be manufactured, viewing colour swatches is used to heal illness and injury, whole towns support themselves by mining coloured objects from the ruins of cities from “before” show more and underground feedpipes channel colour to keep parks green. Eddie's advancement seems assured by his above average red perception and a potential marriage to a member of the prestigious Oxblood family. However, when Eddie and his father move to the town of East Carmine, everything changes. He meets the Grey, Jane, begins to see the flaws in his supposedly perfect society and begins on the road to revolution.
I really liked this book. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around the whole “colourtocracy” thing at first, and the way society had changed since the unknown event that had changed it from our world to the colour-based one, but once I was a few pages into it, the characters and the story grabbed me and I have to admire Fforde's worldbuilding, which is clever, creative and consistent. Fans of Fforde's other books will definitely enjoy this one and look forward to the two sequels. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This is a book that tries hard, VERY hard. And the effort shows...but unfortunately a little too much.
Imagine the precocious kid in any elementary school class you've had. The kid who used words a bit too high above the grade level or tried too hard to impress the teacher or the parents of students with his extensive knowledge of language, culture, what have you, and how he didn't seem to mind that though the adults loved him the kids tended to hate him...
To start, after Crime and Punishment I needed something a bit lighter to read that wouldn't be quite so..uh..maddeningly taxing as the mad russian was, and this book was certainly that. The story and the presentation here are very clever and Fforde (dig that name) is a language master, show more really, what this guy does with puns and dialogue is incredibly impressive, I'd almost call it something like 'literary sleight of hand', so much so in fact that at times the book feels like he's just showing off his keen wit, which he has, clearly, but he unfortunately lacks restraint.
The characters are too numerous and outside of the main cast (aside from protagonist Eddie Russet who suffers from what I like to call soulless golem main protagonist syndrome who I've seen, and written, far too many times to NOT notice) aren't detailed and given enough of the spotlight. This is especially funny as my edition goes over 400 pages and one would think in that page space more could be done.
Along with the bareness of the characters Fforde unfortunately gives us far too much padding. So many instances in this book (which I realize could be construed as 'world building' but is just too damn obvious and, more to the point, boring to be to this book's advantage) just feel like happenstance set pieces to show off even more wordplay and the 'quirkiness' of the world Fforde is building.
But, he does try, oh damn how he tries. And the effort isn't completely wasted. The book gets exponentially better the closer it gets to the end. The jokes get funnier the characters (the good ones, Eddie Russet to a lesser but still evidenced extent) become more nuanced and relatable, and the book just gets, well, fun.
If the book had been trimmed, perhaps had a hundred or so pages been cut or some sequences streamlined, then it could have been leagues better. But I can say that I'm interested enough to pick up the next in the series...or just borrow it from my brother after he needed something to do on a flight besides pass out.
Decent read, decent potential, but Fforde, please, if I have anything to say it's this: WE KNOW YOU'RE FUNNY AND FULL OF WIT, but take a breath, relax, and next time just tell your damn story. I'm sure it won't hurt that much, but then, what the hell-o-how-are-you-doing do I know? show less
Imagine the precocious kid in any elementary school class you've had. The kid who used words a bit too high above the grade level or tried too hard to impress the teacher or the parents of students with his extensive knowledge of language, culture, what have you, and how he didn't seem to mind that though the adults loved him the kids tended to hate him...
To start, after Crime and Punishment I needed something a bit lighter to read that wouldn't be quite so..uh..maddeningly taxing as the mad russian was, and this book was certainly that. The story and the presentation here are very clever and Fforde (dig that name) is a language master, show more really, what this guy does with puns and dialogue is incredibly impressive, I'd almost call it something like 'literary sleight of hand', so much so in fact that at times the book feels like he's just showing off his keen wit, which he has, clearly, but he unfortunately lacks restraint.
The characters are too numerous and outside of the main cast (aside from protagonist Eddie Russet who suffers from what I like to call soulless golem main protagonist syndrome who I've seen, and written, far too many times to NOT notice) aren't detailed and given enough of the spotlight. This is especially funny as my edition goes over 400 pages and one would think in that page space more could be done.
Along with the bareness of the characters Fforde unfortunately gives us far too much padding. So many instances in this book (which I realize could be construed as 'world building' but is just too damn obvious and, more to the point, boring to be to this book's advantage) just feel like happenstance set pieces to show off even more wordplay and the 'quirkiness' of the world Fforde is building.
But, he does try, oh damn how he tries. And the effort isn't completely wasted. The book gets exponentially better the closer it gets to the end. The jokes get funnier the characters (the good ones, Eddie Russet to a lesser but still evidenced extent) become more nuanced and relatable, and the book just gets, well, fun.
If the book had been trimmed, perhaps had a hundred or so pages been cut or some sequences streamlined, then it could have been leagues better. But I can say that I'm interested enough to pick up the next in the series...or just borrow it from my brother after he needed something to do on a flight besides pass out.
Decent read, decent potential, but Fforde, please, if I have anything to say it's this: WE KNOW YOU'RE FUNNY AND FULL OF WIT, but take a breath, relax, and next time just tell your damn story. I'm sure it won't hurt that much, but then, what the hell-o-how-are-you-doing do I know? show less
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ThingScore 92
In structure, Shades of Grey moves like most other books in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, but in tone, it has more in common with comic novels such as Catch-22.
added by WeeklyAlibi
Fforde is an author of immense imagination. Not satisfied with just a few layers of Dickensian jokes and revisions of the physical universe, he creates an archeological treasure trove for readers.
added by Shortride
All this is serenely silly, but to dispel a black mood and chase away the blues, this witty novel offers an eye-popping spectrum of remedies.
added by Katya0133
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Author Information
38+ Works 74,661 Members
He worked for many years in the film industry as a camera technician. He was raised in England, he lives & works in Wales. (Publisher Provided) Author Jasper Fforde was born on January 11, 1961 in London, England. He spent numerous years as a focus puller in the film industry, where he worked on films such as Quills, Golden Eye, and Entrapment. show more His first novel, The Eyre Affair, was published in 2001. He is the author of the Thursday Next, Nursery Crime and Dragonslayer series and the novel Shades of Gray. In 2004, he won the Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction for The Well of Lost Plots. In 2013, his title The Last Dragonslayer made The New York Times best seller list. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Shades of Grey
- Original title
- Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron
- Original publication date
- 2009-12-29 (Viking USA) (Viking USA); 2010-01-14 (Hodder & Stoughton General) (Hodder & Stoughton General)
- People/Characters
- Edward Russett; Jane Grey; Violet deMauve; Tommo Cinnabar; Courtland Gamboge; Holden Russett (show all 9); the Apocryphal man (Mr. Baxter); Lucy Ochre; The Colorman (Matthew Gloss)
- Important places
- East Carmine; High Saffron; Rusty Hills; Vermillion
- Epigraph
- There is no light or colour as a fact in external nature. There is merely motion of material...When the light enters your eyes and falls on the retina, there is motion of material. Then your nerves are affected and your brain... (show all) is affected, and again this is merely motion of material...The mind in apprehending experiences sensations which, properly speaking, are qualities of the mind alone. —Alfred North Whitehead
- Dedication
- Tabitha
Welcoming you to the undeniably
enjoyable and generally underrated
sense of being known as existence - First words
- 2.4.16.55.021: Males are to wear dress code #6 during inter-Collective travel. Hats are encouraged but not mandatory.
- Quotations
- It began with my father not wanting to see the Last Rabbit and ended up with my being eaten by a carnivorous plant. It wasn't really what I'd planned for myself—I'd hoped to marry into the Oxbloods and join their dynastic s... (show all)tring empire. But that was four days ago, before I met Jane, retrieved the Caravaggio and explored High Saffron. So instead of enjoying aspirations of Chromatic advancement, I was wholly immersed within the digestive soup of a yataveo tree. It was all frightfully inconvenient.
Apart we are together. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It took part of me with it.
- Blurbers
- Charles, Ron; Maslin, Janet; Freeman, John; Rose, Lloyd
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.92
- Canonical LCC
- PR6106.F67
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