Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Early Riser

A Novel

Audiobook
3 of 3 copies available
3 of 3 copies available
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “hilarious” (The Guardian), “blindingly inventive,” (The Seattle Times) and “wonderfully weird dystopian thriller” (Shelf Awareness) from the author of The Constant Rabbit and the Thursday Next series

“A cause for celebration . . . Fforde writes witty, chewy sentences, full of morsels, and delivers them deadpan. . . . [His] relentless imagination and his affection for his characters are contagious and irresistible.”—The New York Times Book Review
Every Winter, the human population hibernates.
During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, devoid of human activity.
Well, not quite.
Your name is Charlie Worthing and it’s your first season with the Winter consuls, the group responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses. You are investigating an outbreak of viral dreams, which you dismiss as nothing more than an artefact born of the sleeping mind.
 
When the dreams start to kill people, it’s unsettling.
 
When you get the dreams too, it’s weird.
 
When they start to come true, you begin to doubt your sanity.
 
But teasing truth from Winter is never easy: You have to avoid the Villains and their penchant for murder, kidnapping, and stamp collecting; ensure you aren’t eaten by Nightwalkers; and sidestep the increasingly less-than-mythical Wintervolk.
But so long as you remember to wrap up warmly, you’ll be fine.
  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Thomas Hunt's lively narration coaxes warmth into the wintry Welsh landscape of Jasper Fforde's much anticipated new novel. In this frigid world, people must hibernate throughout the winter, watched over by a handful of slightly unhinged attendants known as Winter Consuls. Hunt captures the bumbling confusion of Charlie Worthing, a novice Consul whose initiation into winter isn't going well. With nimble pacing and good cheer, Hunt delivers Charlie's encounters with undead Nightwalkers, mystifying bureaucrats, and viral dreams populated by blue Buicks and disembodied hands. Supporting characters, including quaint, yet steely aristocrats and cheerfully murderous Consuls, are depicted with equal skill and vivacity. Hunt is particularly adept at communicating this engaging mix of snark and satire, heightening the surreal fun of this madcap adventure. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading
The Beehive Library Consortium is a consortium of member libraries and the Utah State Library Division.Funds for this program were made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Parents should be aware that children have access to all materials in the online library. The Beehive Library Consortium does not monitor or restrict your child's selections. It is your responsibility as a parent to be aware of what your child is checking out and viewing.