Red Side Story

This is a provisional review after first reading, but it seems a worthy sequel to [b:Shades of Grey 2113260 Shades of Grey (Shades of Grey, #1) Jasper Fforde https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327563734l/2113260.SY75.jpg 2118671], and I found it gripping throughout.Rather to my alarm, it's even more dystopian than [b:Shades of Grey 2113260 Shades of Grey (Shades of Grey, #1) Jasper Fforde https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327563734l/2113260.SY75.jpg 2118671], but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it seems to have a happy ending. I say ‘seems' because this is the second volume of a planned trilogy, and novelists write “they all lived happily ever after” at the end of a story, not two-thirds of the way through it.From the first volume, I couldn't tell whether the series was intended to be fantasy or science fiction. As more secrets are revealed here, it begins to seem more like science fiction: although the scenario is extremely weird, we're beginning to uncover rational explanations of it all.It's difficult to uncover the secrets of a novel without a feeling of disappointment creeping in: to travel hopefully is better than to arrive, and to wander in a land of mystery is more wonderful in a way than to find the mysteries explained. However, so far I don't feel too disappointed by this volume, and I still hope to read the third volume someday and find out more.I note that one of the characters is named Violet Elizabeth deMauve: Fforde has mischievously taken the first names of Violet Elizabeth Bott from [b:Still William 742818 Still William (Just William, #5) Richmal Crompton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358746731l/742818.SX50.jpg 728971], and there is some degree of similarity between the two girls.