Listener 4268 Check This Out By Charybdis

[Warden]

Enjoying this so far. I have a full grid but, as yet, don't understand the instruction. Think I'll leave it till tomorrow, as inspiration often comes after a break.

[starwalker]

I'm also enjoying this. With most of the grid filled, I now have an inkling of what is going on, after a long spell of total ignorance.

[AHearer]

I, too, have a full grid and have found the author and quotation. I can see what to do with the instruction, and I have a suitable filling of the unclued grid entries. I suppose I'm done, but I had rather hoped for a closer thematic relationship than my entries show. Maybe I'd better take another look in the morning.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes indeed. It took us an age to start but once we had the quotation, the grid fill became fun. We too still have some tidying up to do but have thoroughly enjoed this.

[Ruthrobin]

Brilliant endgame. Thanks,Charybdis!

[upsetter]

Nice Friday Club material, but we daresay tricky for those who are unfamiliar with the Listener.

PS just realised that we hadn't finished when on the verge of posting.
All done now

[starwalker]

Sublime.

[olichant]

Took me an age to get into this, but what a delight. And I must dig out the novel for old times' sake.

[aldanna]

I seem to have finished this without as yet finding the quotation. Hmm.

[jim360]

I think if you haven't found the quotation you won't have finished this. I almost made that mistake.

[contendo]

Neatly constructed. It took me a while to spot the final step.

[Scorpius]

As always with Charybdis, great fun to solve. I didn't find it too hard until near the end, when there was quite a bit of tying up loose ends. I've been puzzling for some time over the very final stage but just seen the light, I think. I wish I could be sure I have the correct solution; it makes and uses the thematic material, but by observing the preamble statement that all final grid entries are real words, a character I expected to be in the grid isn't, though he would be if an abbreviation were allowed.

Has anyone else had a similar thought?

[Scorpius]

Oops. I meant to say, "it makes sense and uses the thematic material..."

[s_pugh]

Thanks Charybdis for a fun puzzle. As usual I didn't look on this site until after I had it completed (or rather thought I had). After a bit of staring I spotted the final step as alluded to by jim360, however the need to do this doesn't really seem to be made clear other than by the oblique reference in the preamble to "how solvers must fix it". Very neatly done but the need to perform the final operation could (and should) have been made clearer.

[Scorpius]

I don't see how anyone can think they have finished the puzzle before they have. There are three entries that could be completed in different ways, and the only way to resolve the ambiguities is to understand how the puzzle has been constructed. Anyone who has a full grid but not seen a problem and how to fix it must have filled 3 cells by guesswork.

[tilbee]

Saw what was going on very early which led to a very speedy grid fill. Last step however took longer than the grid fill itself, though in truth this was much more straightforward than I made it for myself. A very nice construction if certainly on the easier side, so thanks to Charybdis.

[s_pugh]

Re the last post Scorpius, I did understand the puzzle and it's construction and determined how the three cells had to be completed - no guesswork required. There is however more to it than that (as jim360 helpfully alluded to whereas the preamble didn't really). Put simply, the final operation is NOT the identification of the three cells.

[sunny-dave]

Tricky Tricky Tricky

Took ages to get properly started, then unravelled very nicely, then had a lovely (and beautifully executed) sting in the tail.

Thanks Charybdis - a real treat.

[BobHWW]

Many thanks for this Charybdis - lovely final step. Yet another fine puzzle in what has been an exceptional Listener year. And next week it's the numbers game. Yippee!

[Contrarian]

Very clever. As mentioned above, very difficult for one new to the Listener. Charybdis is, perhaps unfairly relying on solvers' acquaintance with the Listener's idiosyncratic clueing conventions.

[aldanna]

Indeed I had not finished it without finding the quotation, which I was a bit suspicious about. Thank you Jim. Yet again an example of the fact that if a Listener doesn't seem 100% right, I've gone wrong. All done now, and very amusing.