Even those new to the Nextian universe must admire the audacity of the world Fforde has created, with its Steampunk-influenced contraptions, double entendre literary landmarks and skewering of the publishing industry, even the popularity of "the ghostwriter's" books. Ironically, this abundance of material may also make this latest installment, remade world notwithstanding, a bit bewildering for those new to the series.

There is no denying Fforde’s supersized imagination, linguistic agility and love of books, Books, BOOKS. One of Our Thursdays is Missing is crowded with both classical references (he tweaks Russian literature for its of clusters of impossible to distinguish names) and bestseller citings (Shreve Plaza and Picoult Junction are suggestively close). Dickens and the great, deleted Samuel Pepys; Hemingway and FitzGerald; Ludlum and Grisham; Lord of the Rings and I, Robot — no era or genre or style of books gets left out.

Read the earlier books, then read One Of Our Thursdays Is Missing. It is pure, inspired lunacy and the funniest book you will see this year.

With places like Our Blessed Lady of the Lobster, a designated love interest and diabolical wordplays, puns and hilarious illustrations including one captioned “Don’t anyone move…I think we’ve driven into a mimefield” complete with a license plate reading ISBN, this madcap tale delivers great good fun.