2009 novel by Jasper Fforde
Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron (2012, simply titled Shades of Grey originally) is a dystopian novel, the first in the Shades of Grey series by novelist Jasper Fforde. The story takes place in Chromatacia, an alternative version of the United Kingdom wherein social class is determined by one's ability to perceive colour.
Plot
Chromatacia is a future dystopian society that exists at least five hundred years (although possibly more) after the collapse of our own society, identified as 'the Previous'. All life is governed by the laws set by Munsell, the supposed and revered founder of Chromatacia. The rules range from sensible, such as outlawing murder, to bizarre, such as outlawing the manufacture of spoons (though old spoons are often kept as personal heirlooms). The social hierarchy of Chromatacia is defined by the ability to see colour, which is limited in most people to varying degrees of one hue, or at most two. Those who can see red predominantly are in the second-lowest social order (only ranking above 'Greys', who cannot perceive colour), and 'Ultra Violets' hold the highest rank. The perception of colour also affects their health and wellness: certain colours have medical effects on people. Doctors in this world are called "swatchmen", since they show swatches of colour to their patients. Shades of green, especially Lincoln green, act as a narcotic, and are often abused as recreational drugs. Surnames and names of towns are usually derived from various shades of colour, such as jade, carmine and saffron.
Protagonist Eddie Russett is a 'Red' sent to the outer-fringe town of East Carmine to conduct a chair census, which he speculates is punishment for a practical joke played on the son of a prefect. There he meets Jane, a Grey with an upturned nose and a fierce temper, who often causes personal injury to whomever she meets. Eddie's father becomes the swatchman of the village and is well liked by the Greys. In the course of the story, Eddie discovers that much of what the government has told the public is not true. Specifically he learns that misfits, supposedly sent to Emerald City to be brainwashed, are taken to the deserted town of High Saffron where they are killed by looking at a building whose colour is poisonous.
Details reveal that East Carmine is located in Wales (the A470 road is mentioned), and the description of the town close to the lower of a series of five dams suggests it is Rhayader, at the foot of the Elan Valley.[1] Nearby Rusty Hill was once Builth Wells.[1] The town of Vermillion used to be Hereford.[1] The town of High Saffron is on the coast beyond the dams, which suggests Aberystwyth.
The colour values as described in the book supposedly come from the Munsell color system as described by Albert Henry Munsell, but are derived from the HSV color model. The "Ishihara", a test used to determine one's colour vision, is a reference to Shinobu Ishihara, the inventor of the Ishihara colour perception test.
Inspiration
The beginning of the book contains a quote from philosopher Alfred North Whitehead on the subject of colour:
There is no light or colour as a fact in external nature. There is merely motion of material. ... When the light enters your eyes and falls on the retina, there is motion of material. Then your nerves are affected and your brain is affected, and again this is merely motion of material. ... The mind, in apprehending, experiences sensations which, properly speaking, are qualities of the mind alone.
Series
In a 2009 interview, the author mentioned two further books in the series.[2] In February 2021 Jasper Fforde announced on twitter @jasperfforde that
"In March I start work on Shades of Grey II, which should be published 2023. Now, those pesky swans.."[3]
The sequel, Red Side Story, was published in the UK in February 2024.[4]
