Definitely not as humorous as The Fourth Bear. For one thing, the Guild of Detectives crap went on for far too long and Teh Funneh didn't really kick in until about halfway through the book when Fforde stopped worrying about making sense and let the sheer surrealism of the setup he'd created take over.
I am glad I did read it before beginning The Eyre Affair though. Some of the throwaway references in each of the books compliment each other nicely.
I am glad I did read it before beginning The Eyre Affair though. Some of the throwaway references in each of the books compliment each other nicely.