Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderous Melange
Review: This is one of the most interesting literary mixes I've ever come across, all the more surprising as it appears in the form of a science-fiction time-travel book. The book itself is a mix of hard sci-fi, Victorian comedy of errors and manners, and cozy mystery. Literary homages (most notably to Three Men in a Boat) and references abound, including P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves books, Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, not to mention Tennyson's poetry and Herotodus (who are both quoted throughout). The story has to do with a project in 2057 to rebuild the Coventry Cathedral, and time-traveling historians sent back to study its contents prior to the bombing of 1940. The story is set in motion when one of the historians somehow brings a Victorian-era cat through the time-travel "net," contravening the natural laws governing time-travel. The heroes must then return the cat in order to correct any "anomalies," but this gets them enmeshed in a matchmaking fiasco with loads of fun and well-drawn archetypes of the era (the ditzy girl, the absentminded Oxford don, the seance-loving matron, and miscellaneous butlers). And of course, by the end, all mysteries are revealed, everyone is paired off, and everything neatly dovetails. Truly a wondrous feat of writing and imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: I can't say enough nice things about this book. I love history and time travel appeals to this love. Well researched and detailed, it combines all the elements that i find essential in a good book. Those being a compelling story, well defined characters, suspense, good writing, and perhaps most importantly a good and satisfying ending - not just a happy ending (i'm not one of those) but one that completes the story. One that as the story is ending, all the pieces are falling into place and creating a masterful whole.
Or maybe i'm just a sucker for a good SF love story.
Rating:
Summary: About as funny as funny can get.
Review: I can't add much to what everyone else has to say about this book - it is an absolute hoot. Even better, the book that inspired it (Three Men In A Boat) is still in print, and is also achingly funny.
Rating:
Summary: very enjoyable, witty and genre-defying
Review: I started to read this when I had a seven hours' wait at an airport. I have never had such an enjoyable wait, time flew! Readers who expect a conventional sf-novel will be disappointed, however, for the sf-element is fairly subordinate. Instead this is a delightful,witty, lively, very funny and genre-defying tale of a muddled 21st-century young man who unexpectedly finds himself in Victorian England, with the vaguely understood order to get something back to another time (but what and which time?) and winds up among characters straight out of Jerome K. Jerome and Oscar Wilde. The plot took some getting into initially, but once it was under way it swept me off my feet and I was hooked. Amid cheerful reflections on the nature of history and chaos theory a rollicking story unfolds, complete with a love-element and unexpected twists. You will enjoy this even more if you know a little of Victorian literature and society with its silly conventions, its fad for spirit-mediums, the snobbery of its upper classes and so on.
By the way, my favourite character was Cyril - the dog.
Rating:
Summary: Thomas Hardy meets Oscar Wilde meets H.G. Wells
Review: To Say Nothing Of The Dog reminded me of a rewrite of The Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde) with time travel. A very fun story that had me laugh out loud a few times, which I don't do that often, especially reading SciFi. Definitely a period piece, people who can't appreciate Victorian England should probably avoid this book. As an old Thomas Hardy fan, I definitely appreciated the setting. The story was repleat with the silly Victorian maiden, bizarre absent minded professor, somewhat crazed Colonel and dashing hero (and heroine). The only downside is that it was a little slow for SciFi, oh well, nothing's perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Something for Everyone
Review: This is a book I recommend to just about everyone. It has romance, comedy, sci-fi, adventure, on and on. I am not a sci-fi afficionado, and I loved this book for its cleverness and its heart, a rare combination.
Rating:
Summary: A very entertaining read
Review: Even if you don't catch the author's numerous references and inspirations, this book is very amusing. Willis is a clever writer and her characters are engaging and believable. Like she did in her Doomsday Book, Willis ably demostrates her ability to depict realistic characters from other periods. Her Victorians aren't stereotypes. That, alone, sets her apart from other period writers. Willis manages to avoid making her Victorians either too modern or too antiquated. Her past and future characters are appealingly real and she exploits human foibles with deft humour. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: No rest for the travel-lagged in Victorian England
Review: "To Say Nothing Of the Dog" is a charming book in which a time-traveler of the future tries to get some much needed rest and relaxation in Victorian England. He is, of course, drawn into various misadventures which include Victorian courtships, missing antiques, and half-drowned cats (to say nothing of the dog).*** I was hoping for more time-hopping action and less time in Victorian lace and boots, but credit has to be given to the author who references not only "Three Men in a Boat" but Dorothy Sayers' sublime Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane.
Rating: 
Summary: Unexpectedly charming!
Review: I won't lie to you. This book has its share of dragging moments, and sometimes the sheer twistedness of the complex coincidences and paradoxes made my head spin. But in the end, it was all worth it. The characters are sympathetic and fairly realistic, and Willis handles the rather tired premise of a stranger in a strange time quite deftly. Though I think the "comedy" angle is overrepresented in reviews, several scenes are unexpectedly hilarious. The convoluted and intertwined mysteries all make near-perfect sense in the end, and they're written in such a way that figuring out the solution to one won't immediately destroy the book because there's so much still to puzzle out. I strongly recommend this book to mystery buffs and fans of corkscrew-twisted plots.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book
Review: This is a good book. It is fun to read. The author has mastered the craft of writing; which is rare. There's a bit of Time Travel done well. It combines humor and mystery (three or four mysteries you can solve as you read if you pay attention to the clues) with enough drama to keep it moving well. Allusions to well known authors, including Jerome K. Jerome and Agatha Christie will, I think, delight anyone familiar with those authors, but you don't have to know those authors to enjoy this. Reminds me of Terry Pratchett at his best.
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