I love the fantastic residing amid the mundane--day to day life with the spike of the amazing running through it. This is either why I love the old Twilight Zones or this was inspired in me by watching old Twilight Zones...possibly a chicken and egg question. In THE EYRE AFFAIR, Fforde creates a world where the fantastic is often mundane and only something more fantastic can top it. At once a procedural thriller, sci-fi adventure and romantic fantasy--I enjoyed the elements but did not always feel it was cohesive. Being able to literally enter the world of a book and interact with its characters has been appealing to me since watching Gumby and Pokey as a tyke and that aspect of the story is handled quite well--though it takes too long to get there. I enjoyed the ride until then, many literary puns and allusions, but I really wanted to love this book--maybe I let my expectations get in the way. In the meantime, there are secret government agencies and literary cults involved in great crimes--career upheaval and great villains. Thursday Next, the main character/narrator, more than holds your interest but many of the good guy characters were kinda flat (including her love interests) and others that seemed ripe disappeared completely for a hundred pages. I was interested in one closeted werewolf in particular who was completely wasted. I suspect he was saved for a future book--but such a juicy introduction left me distracted by his absence. The quibbles I have are mostly redeemed by the creation of a unique world where literature is the driving force in most people's lives and the arrival of a marvelous villain and where he ends up at the end of the book. Quite enjoyable and still interested in reading further adventures--maybe the next chapter will knock my socks off. This one knocked off my shoes and loosened my socks just a little....