Doomsday Book

Rating:
Summary: Gripping Tale
Review: "Doomsday Book" is a great read because it blends a high-quality sci-fi with developed characters. This is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Poignant
Review: This book was a real page-turner for me, but not just in the sense of "chewing gum for the eyes." The book is well-written and logical, despite the fact it deals with time-travel. I even used it as a text for a college honors class this fall, and the students had the same reaction I did. The characters are sympathetic and well-drawn. The intricacies of the plot unfold as in a good murder mystery. The details of the two centuries (21st and 14th) are well-researched and accurate. I'm thinking a certain author whose new book on the same idea is receiving extensive media coverage should have taken lessons from Connie Willis!

Rating:
Summary: In Response to Mr. Palermo's Review...
Review: Now I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion and while I completely respect yours I have never read a reivew with which I disagree more. This book is in my opinion one of the greatest pieces of literature I have ever read, and I consider myself pretty well read. I say this not to pick a fight but to encourage those who might not read the book on the basis of such reviews to give it a chance. I found the novel brilliant, there's no other word for it. The detailed descriptions ere fascinating to me and the characters humorous and intriguing and lifelike. It's one of the saddest books I've ever read and I can't even think about certian passages without tears welling up in my eyes. It is a long long book but the writing style makes it impossible to put down. It's obvious the author did her homework and I realize I'm gushing on and on about it but I simply can't say enough about how much I loved it. I realize I'm not being very specific but if you want more information email me ([e-mail]) I'm always ready to discuss Connie Willis. So I guess I'm basically saying try it for yourself, if you hate it ok, but if you love it you'll LOVE it, and it will be one of your favorite books ever.

Rating:
Summary: Tour de force? Yes!
Review: I am usually wary of books that are branded with the label, "tour de force." This one does not disappoint. It is a moving story about both the joy and sufferings of life in the past and in the future. The scenes from the 14th century are unforgettable.

I admit that the writing isn't the best; I don't think you will find this being studied in any literature classes. However, the story is overpowering and the 14th century is brought to life in all of its glory and horror.

This isn't just for sci-fi fans. I highly recommend this for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept, but slow-paced
Review: The book had an interesting concept - a historian from the 21st century travels to the 14th century, but it's slow paced. It's also only nominally science fiction. The author avoids time travel paradoxes glibly. It's also shocking to see a sci fi book written in 1992 fail to predict cell phones and email. Not sure why this was so award-winning, but not painful if you're interested in the 14th century.

Rating:
Summary: Avoid like the plague ...
Review: The Doomsday book promises, by its provocative cover blurb "to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit." What it does, rather, is explore the many limitations and cheap devices of a mediocre novelist and her apparent lack of editor: an ageless problem in itself.

Ms. Willis' gives us a convoluted plot complete with such afternoon soap-opera devices such as characters uttering cryptic words as they fall in and out of consciousness ("there's something wrong with ..." and then he passed out) and flat cartoon charaters such as Gilchrist and Mrs. Gaddson that are not funny, as intended, but ludicrous and simply tiresome. If I have judged the tone of the book correctly, she seems to be purposefully (having not read her other works) writing in an old English drawing room style. Experiment or no, the narrative is cluttered with page after page of micro-detailed reflection and pointless action. Characters weigh every possible action again and again, from choice of umbrella to Christmas wrapping, leading one to feel a bit resentful of Ms. Willis' lack of respect for the average memory of her readers. The book is filled with main and side characters that have little depth or purpose other than to populate Ms. Willis' world. Her endless descriptions of Kivrin's observations in the manor house and Dunworthy's myriad choices feel forced and padded. Lacking a sound prose style or a gift for insightful description, these winding narratives simply test the patience of the reader.

When one finally beaches oneself on the last few hundred pages, one is treated to an in-depth viewing of plague victims slowly and horribly dying and a ridiculous rescue mission complete with man who takes along insistant youth (Did anyone really buy Dunworthy taking Colin with him?) At that point, we are supposed to care enough about these people to sympathize with the horror of their disintegration but since we have been supplied with narrative lacking solid characterization, it simply turns into melodrama and ultimately, to a false ending full of holes and completely unsatisfying (if she goes back with Dunworthy, how do they find her recorder?).

There are one or two interesting ideas, such as the problems of her translator with dialects and the well-researched (I imagine) social roles of the time but these ideas could just as well have been part of a very sucessful short story.

The Doomsday Book could have been edited considerably for poor sentence structure and obvious padding but even in the hands of a surer novelist it would have made a fair diversion at best. The reviews above prompt one to wonder of any of the critics bothered to read past the first fifty pages. I saw no evil here, no indomintable spirit of humanity - in fact, I saw no 'universal' themes whatsoever that even warrant mention, let alone superlatives. A poorly written, over-praised book that should be avoided ... like the plague.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: A great story of time travel, the 21st century, and life during a very difficult time in the Middle Ages. Those who want a science fiction superhero to save the day will be disappointed, but let's face it, too many authors have already used that formula. An outstanding book.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is one fantastic book. Few authors glue me to a book like Connie Willis, and this one is her greatest.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent time travel adventure
Review: I love time travel books and this is a good one. It's beautifully written with characters that really come alive. It starts slow, however, and drags a bit in the middle, but sooner or later you will get totally hooked. My only complaint would be with the ending. Not to give anything away, but the book ends with a thud instead of a bang. I was expecting a time travel twist at the end, a subtle Rod Serling epilogue, but it never came. Despite those warnings, I would say don't miss it, it's a goodie.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I can't believe the negative reactions some readers have. This book is worth every penny I have spent on it. It is one of the best fantasy books I've seen so far. I recommended it to all my friends and they loved it as much as I did. Even my mother enjoyed it and she usually hates SF. The voters who gave this book a Nebula and Hugo award obviously knew what they were doing. Connie Willis has written a realistic story with a "fantastic" touch.