As far as Jasper Fforde goes, I love the gimmicks and the book-related humor and dorkery, and things like audience participation Richard III fill me with glee! However, I have a hard time caring about the characters or plot - I sort of feel like he spent all his energy going "WOULDN'T THIS BE COOL" and filling the book up with Devices That He Thought Would Be Cool, and then forgot to actually develop anything besides the gimmicks. So as books, I find them entertaining enough but a bit disappointing, even though I like the ideas. It's sort of like Jasper Fforde tried to novelize one of those wacky e-mail chains full of brilliant ideas that you send back at forth at 3 AM. And in fact I sort of wish I was on an e-mail chain with Jasper Fforde, because then he would just be like "HOW COOL WOULD IT BE IF MISS HAVISHAM WAS A SECRET POLICE OFFICER," and then I could be like "THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!!!!" and not have to worry about actual characterization or plausibility or whatever.