Rating: 
Summary: palatable comedy of manners -- with a side of chaos theory
Review: In 1889, JK Jerome published "Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog", a witty British commentary on Victorian culture, characters and taste; Connie Willis plays off, and pays homage to, Jerome's beloved comedy as she tells the tale of harried mid-21st century time travellers who find love in the late-19th. Allusions abound, from Conan Doyle and Sayles to Wilde, Wodehouse and Wilkie Collins. The format is fun, with humorous introductory quotes and chapter outlines that pique the reader's curiosity. The pacing is fine, though the book runs long. I enjoyed each of the characters, from Ned Henry and Verity Kindle, to Finch and Terence, Professor Peddick and Baine, and Cyril and Princess Arjumand, though I thought the plot resolutions were fairly transparent (and I'm not usually good at figuring things out in advance). In addition to a thick layer of chaos theory, this literary casserole also slathers on lots of historical speculation -- namely, the role of penmanship, disease, sleep, weather, murder, assumptions, fire and swans on historical events. So, while it's not perfect, it is a book that works on many levels -- as comedy, as satire, as speculative fiction. It will wake up your brain AND entertain you, though you might gain some enjoyment from reading "Three Men in a Boat" before picking it up.
Rating: 
Summary: To say nothing of the cat . . .
Review: Connie Willis, who apparently can work in almost any style, this time out turns to farce in a delightful sendup of Victoriana, time travel, and the British mystery story. Taking her title from the subtitle of Jerome K. Jerome's late-Victorian comic novel, "Three Men in a Boat" (its characters even make a cameo here) Willis leads the gentle reader on a giddy chase from Coventry Cathedral at the time of the Luftwaffe's bombings in 1940, to mid-21st-century Oxford (where time travel has arrived but cats are extinct), and back to the Oxford of 1888, and then back to the burning again (the scene in which the Cathedral burns down will probably make you tear up). Like Ms. Willis's time travelers Ned Henry and Verity Mering, you'll meet a lot of not so eminent victorians--a swain, a looney Oxford Professor or two, a Colonel obessed with exotic fish, several butlers, the formidable Mrs. Mering, and her screamlet-filled daughter Tossie who talks baby to her cat, Princess Arjumand--to say nothing of the dog, named Cyril (his likeness appears on chapter opening pages). Much is made of an item known as the Bishop's Bird Stump, which may (or may not) have been in the Cathedral at the time the Luftwaffe destroyed it, and the status of which the 21st-century woman who funds the time travel enterprise, the formidable Lady Shrapnell (pun almost certainly intended), wants determined--she's also funding the reconstruction of the Cathedral at Oxford. (She's pretty much taken over the time-travel ops after the military et al. discover there's nothing in time travel for them because you can't transport objects back from the past--well, except for this cat . . . ) In addition to the references to Jerome K. Jerome, Ms. Willis tosses into the pot Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, Willkie Collins, Conan Doyle, and mid-20th-century writers of classic British mysteries. Don't worry that Ms. Willis seems to make up the rules as she goes along--it matters not a bit (and the publisher clearly knows this--the sci-fi "Bantam Spectra" logo is set aside in favor of the standard-issue rooster trademark). Fans of the profoundly serious and moving "Doomsday Book" (arguably one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time) may at first be disconcerted at finding the some of the same characters in a comic novel this time out. But the author brings it off. Think of it as a special holiday episode of one of your favorite TV dramas.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: This is a fun and very quick read (you probably won't be able to put it down---I found myself sneaking glimpses of it while stuck in traffic). Ned Henry is a time traveler who thinks he knows what his mission is...to locate the bishop's bird stump in Coventry Cathedral right before the raid which destroyed the cathedral. But, as it quickly becomes clear, the search for the bishop's bird stump isn't really Ned's mission---altho' just what Ned's mission is is never clear. After returning to the future without the bishop's bird stump, Ned is sent back into the past yet again. But this time he's wandering (quite literally) around the Victorian era---searching for a lost cat and trying to ensure that the proper Victorian miss, Tossie, meets the right man on the right date. Problem is Ned doesn't know what the right date is or who the right man is. Adding to all the confusion are proper (or improper?) butlers, eccentric Oxford dons, spiritualists, lovesick undergraduates, apoplectic colonels, scheming matrons...and one very interesting young woman who hails from Ned's time as well. Sound confusing? It is! But it's a wonderful tangle---if you have ever read Victorian novels, murder mysteries or even just visited Britain, this is a book you'll really enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: StrangeHorizons.com Reviews Editor says:.
Review: Willis combines a hard-sf approach to time travel, an expert historian's love of "what-if" chronologies, and the hilarious turn-of-the-century aesthetic of authors such as Jerome K. Jerome and P.G. Wodehouse. Mixing romantic intrigue, specualtion on all manner of historical details, and a disaster that threatens the existence of the world, this is one of the finest works of comic sf ever written.
Rating:
Summary: stunning
Review: Amoung my very favorite Willis books, our discussion group liked it so much we went off and read Jerome K. Jerome's original "Three Men in a Boat, to say nothing of the dog" and liked that even more!
Rating:
Summary: Great fun - even for non sci-fi fans
Review: I've never knowingly read a science fiction book before, but a good friend whose opinion I trust recommended this book to me. I checked it out from the library and was astonished at how much I liked it! The pace of the book moves very quickly, and I didn't want to put it down. On the flipside, I also didn't want the book to end. The story is delightful in its mystery, and Willis' sense of humor is fantastic. I laughed out loud at so much of this book, which I rarely do. The friend who recommended it said, "I think the only reason it's in the sci-fi category (aside from the fact that Willis has written other sci-fi stuff) is that it involves time travel." And I'd tend to agree with her - the rest of the story is less about sci-fi (or time travel, for that matter) and more about solving the mystery of a mess of human creation. It's clever and will certainly get you thinking. And even if you're not a sci-fi fan, this one might convert you.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Willis, will you marry me?
Review: Okay, so maybe that's not realistic, but you know the old taunt that if you love something so much then why don't you? I have yet to find a work by this author that I was disappointed with and I have gone out of my way to hook my friends. "To Say Nothing of the Dog" was as delightful as "Doomsday Book" was wrenching, yet both of them were just as good at keeping you with your nose burried. Feel free to buy this book, but if you love it so much you want to marry it then get in line behind me.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute
Review: Well written tale and really enjoyable to read. Ms Willis shines a humorous light on the Victorian age with characters that for some reason remind me of a Shakespearian comedy. At the same time she draws us into the same every stresses we each share. The overbearing boss, the deadline that can't be missed, saving the time-space continuum (well we don't ALL share these stresses.) Ms Shrapnell wants to re-build the Coventry cathedral, destroyed by the Natzis in World War II. And she wants every detail to be exact. Thanks to time travel she has that opportunity as historians pop back and forth from the present and past to provide those details. All but one, the Bishop's Bird Stump is missing. Ned, who is exhausted and time-lagged from his search for the Bishop's Bird Stump is sent back to the Victorian age to rest for a couple of weeks (far from Ms Shrapnell's reach.) But alas, an incongruity has appeared. The plot is unique and light hearted, but not laugh out loud funny. Probably a great book for the non dyed in the wool science fiction fan, but to anyone that has seen more that five episodes of Star Trek it may be a little too predictable. Dog and cat lovers will give it extra points. Definately a good read, but not great.
Rating:
Summary: Romantic Victorian Comedy with a touch of Sci-fi
Review: A penchant for Victorian literature is probably essential for appreciating this time travel novel that takes place largely in Victorian England. If you haven't read Jerome K. Jerome's classic Victorian-era comedy "Three Men in a Boat", you really should consider reading it before undertaking this volume, which (in the beginning at least) is heavily laden with
references to it. The plot is rather complicated, and indeed most of the mystery (and the fun) in this book is trying to understand exactly what's going on and why, but suffice it to say that a time traveler on a routine mission unwisely brings back a cat from the past, causing a casual meeting to not take place, and eventually endangering the outcome of WWII. This is an insanely funny book, with lots of belly laugh despite its substantial length, and just when you feel like the story is bogging down a bit, here comes another unexpected twist. Willis has some unique answers to the basic conundrums of time travel, but in actuality this isn't much of a science fiction novel. The focus is on the delightful romances that develop between the exquisitely satiric characters, and the culture clash between the very contemporary time travelers and the socially complex Victorian era. If you liked Jane Austen's classic "Emma", this may be your favorite sci-fi/fantasy of all time. Most readers should agree that it's certainly the funniest.
Rating:
Summary: The best Connie Willis book yet
Review: I have read a few Willis books, and have enjoyed them, but disliked elements of writing style and plot development. This one, however, does not have the problems of the others. You, gentle reader, will be instantly sucked into the story line, interested in the story's complications, like the characters, and want to stay up all night (I did till 2 am) to finish. Well-researched elements of Victorian society are included, but the piece does not become a parody of Victorian lit. There's enough for a laugh and a smile of recognition, but the book remains thouroughly for the modern reader, while not making fun of the elements of Victorian. Ultimately a fantasy/mystery story, you will smile when you learn "whodunit" in every case. In an episode of Star Trek with Captain Janeway, she once commented on how she hated those "time travel paradox" scenarios and had vowed to never get into one. This book has that time traveller's dilemna-- what are the things you're doing while in the past affecting in the future? How does even the smallest detail affect the way the world will be? And what if you, time traveller, are the real reason for things going right/wrong? A worthwhile, rewarding use of your time. Truly a fabulous book that will both keep you guessing, laughing, and feeling that you got to know a new place and new people who you will treasure.
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