My book review of Jasper Fforde's "Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron"

Who knew totalitarianism could be this vibrant? British fantasy author Jasper Fforde brings a colorful perspective to this normally drab and dreary world in his newest novel “Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron,” the first in a new series.

Here, Fforde has created a complex and elaborative futuristic society where social classes are determined solely by one’s ability to see primarily one color. The message the novel is trying to convey may not be original (think “1984” in living color). Nevertheless, “Shades of Grey” uses a unique setting to deliver this message, and Fforde creates plenty of intrigue and suspense through the plot and his writing.

The protagonist in this series is 20-year old Eddie Russett, a Red who lives in the futuristic society of Chromatacia. Simply put, he is a Red because he can only see the color red. Chromatacia’s social class is divided into colors: Yellows can only see yellow; Blues can only see blue, and so on.

Among these classes of color, Yellows are considered to be the highest and most powerful of the classes, while the lowest class is the Greys (those who can’t see color). Eddie and his father are sent to the distant town of East Carmine. Eddie’s father is a swatchman (aka doctor) who’s been sent there to replace a swatchman who has mysteriously died.

Eddie is sent there as a mundane punishment, and quickly wears out his welcome, especially after accusing the powerful Yellow Sally Gamboge and her son Courtland of murdering another Yellow. He digs himself so big a hole that the only way out is to volunteer to lead a deadly expedition to the abandoned town of High Saffron.

Meanwhile, Eddie also falls for a rebel Jane named Grey, who has a “retrousse” nose and a hostile attitude towards others, especially Eddie. She becomes attracted to Eddie for his questioning of the system and courage to lead the trip to High Saffron.

The two make the trip to High Saffron, where Eddie discovers that Jane is leading an underground resistance against the governing body of the Head Office and its late founder Munsell, and discovers firsthand just how far the organization is willing to go to protect its hold on Chromatacia.

Totalitarianism as a theme is nothing new in this genre. Classics like “1984” and “Farenheit 451” covered it long ago, although “Shades” has less emphasis on the topic. Fforde cleverly incorporates many complex storylines (most involving Eddie) that keep the reader enticed, and only at the end are some of them influenced by the emerging theme of totalitarianism.

Both Jane and readers gain a parallel attraction for Eddie as the novel progresses. Eddie goes from obedient citizen in the beginning to everyman science-fiction hero. He musters up the courage to stand up to the Gamboges, question the system, and lead a supposedly death-defying journey to High Saffron. Winston Smith would be proud.

Fforde also adds plenty of chilling suspense through constant mentioning of Chromatacia’s deadly dangers. These include killer swans, deadly lightning strikes, man-eating plants called yateveos, and a plague-like epidemic called Mildew, among others.

But the audience is left disappointed given the deadly hype and aura surrounding High Saffron. Eddie and Jane’s trip is pretty uneventful with (unfortunately) no killer swan attacks or lightning. Fforde’s humor in the text shines, as his characters use plenty of witty sarcasm throughout, reminding readers of dialogue typically heard in an episode of “Family Guy.”

Fforde also displays humor in the ridiculous rules he describes in the beginning of each of the small chapters, like Rule 9.3.88.32.025 on page 46, which states “To assist with the dietary requirements of vegetarians, on the first Tuesday of the month a chicken is officially a vegetable.”

One contradiction comes from the narrator, Eddie. How can someone who only sees red give such vivid descriptions of his surroundings throughout the text? Readers will also have to thrash their way through lots of technical language and RGB talk in the first half of the book, cumbersome descriptions even by science-fiction standards. But overall, the plot has few holes, and Fforde should be applauded for creating this complex world based on color and enticing readers to see what happens next in the series.

The Munsell Book of Wisdom warns that “Imaginative thought is to be discouraged. No good ever comes of it-don’t.” It will be interesting to see where Eddie’s imaginative thoughts lead him before Fforde’s newest literary series is complete.