About the book: 2024 / Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire Award. Finalist of the Locus Award. For as long as a person can remember, the world has been ruled by the Colorocracy. Color reigns supreme in society, from the underground pipes that keep greenery alive in a city park to the healing hues being considered to treat illness. Social hierarchy is also built on color: the fewer colors you see, the lower your status. In this world, you are what you can see. Young Eddie Brown strives not to be anything other than a loyal drone of the Collective. With his more refined perception of the color red, he may well marry Constance Marena and inherit her family's factory. Perhaps he even has enough red perception to take the position of perfect. For Eddie, life looks colorful. Life looks good. But everything changes when he and his father, a respected color selector, move to East Carmine. There he falls in love with a "gray" named Jane, who opens his eyes to the painful truth hidden in a seemingly ideal but tightly controlled society. Curiosity, a dangerous trait that should not be exhibited, gets the better of Eddie, and he begins to ask questions. Why are there not enough spoons? What happened to those who did not return from Upper Saffron? And why, when you start to question the world around you, does black and white certainty reduce to shades of gray? Social satire with a twist of revolutionary thriller. “A rich mix of dystopian fantasy and unbridled fun.” – The Washington Post “A full-fledged futuristic sci-fi fantasy, if that’s what you can call a book, in which the hero is valued above techno-magic… It’s funny to the point of tears.” – Los Angeles Times “The author's idea of ​​a world organized by color may not sound particularly interesting and could at most be a screenplay for another episode of The Twilight Zone.” But in the author's capable hands, it becomes a sly satirical take on the power of religion and government, as well as a constant source of entertainment. We're very lucky." – New York Post “An author with great imagination. Going beyond a few layers of Dickensian jokes and a revision of the physical universe, he creates an archaeological treasure trove for readers. The coming-of-age story and manic romance with the girl of your dreams are the icing on this cake, making the romance a whimsical and satisfying dessert.” – The AV Club “Fforde is a modern-day Lewis Carroll or Edward Lear. To dispel dark moods and banish melancholy, this witty novel offers a stunning range of remedies." — Kirkus Reviews “A novel that combines the dire warning of “Wonderful Wonderful World” and “1984” with the vision of “A Hymn to Leibowitz” and “Riddley Walker.” And it all remains amazingly original.” – Booklist“Intense fantasy. Eddie moves through a vividly imagined landscape, every facet of which is imbued with the artist’s amazingly detailed color scheme.” –Publishers Weekly