Doomsday Book

Rating:
Summary: Quite Brilliant
Review: Science fiction rarely makes it in the literature stakes largely because characterisation and the other elements necessary to a story are submerged in the technology. This book has the distinction of using time travel as a mere device to enable the main character to develop through the vicarious experience of tremendous suffering at the time of the black death. And develop she does, though not in ways that are desireable. A truly moving book that describes the human empathic response in believable human terms. 11/10 if you ask me.

Rating:
Summary: Must be approached the right way...
Review: Along about the middle of the book I discovered the right way to approach it... every fifth or sixth page or so pick a paragraph at random and read it until you get to the end of the story..

Rating:
Summary: A fabulously dark and richly textured time travel tale.
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. It successfully crosses between science fiction and historical fiction, it's grim and dark and wonderful, the characters are superb and the action is relentless. Loved it!!! (And I don't normally read SF!

Rating:
Summary: Great for medievalists; junk for science fiction junkies...
Review: While tha characterization of this novel is admittedly rather flat, the universal viewpoint is facinating. The main fault of this novel is the great chasm between Medieval England and some England-of-the-future. Willis's acknowledgement that modern historical re-creation carries some great misconceptions generates food for thought, incorporation of Arthurian characterization (Gwayne and Gringolet) provides interpretive challenge, and the consideration of the chasm between modern and medieval perceptions of childhood all challenge the reader to further thought. Overall, this is a very good read. The low ratings of some critics must lie in the works failure as Science Fiction because it is compelling for the literary historian.

Rating:
Summary: A superb tale of time-quirks
Review: I picked this book up at my local library, and could not put it down! The tale of a seemingly unprepared history student, Kivrin, transported back to the Black Plague, and the unusual plague that struck her hometime, capitvated me. The depths of human evils, adaptations, and the good inherent in all of us fill this book and make it come alive. The size of the novel is forbidding, but once into the story, the lights don't go out until the book is finished! The only part I did not like was how the author jumped back and forth between times. That was understandably necessry, but it confused me a little. The idea of a recording chip activated by a semblance of prayer caught my attention right away. It is only one of the intriguing ideas and inventions Connie Willis details in her book. A very good read.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Wonderful
Review: It is rare that a book can be so easy to read, draws you in so emotionally and is so historically accurate. This novel is simply wonderful. It portrays the Black Death in Europe and forces the horror of the bubonic plague to become a personal tragedy for the reader. This is the first novel I have ever read that has actually made me tear up at the fate of a family in 1348 England. I found it rather enjoyable to realise the connection of Father Roche in the story and the Saint Roch of the plague-times after I had finished the story. If you see this book, buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Time-Travel 101
Review: Connie Willis gives us a "tour de force" in "Doomsday Book." Willis has not only created intreging characters, but she has also obviously done much detailed research into the world of Plague England. This book is worth reading. Also (if you can find a copy, it's out of print), check out her short-story prequel, "Fire Watch," published in her original collection of short stories, "Fire Watch."

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary...
Review: This book has an incredibly engaging, well rounded description of both the 14th and 21st Centuries. Absorbing and terrifying, it shows that people now are little changed from the people in the 1300s through parallel plague stories taking place both in 1348 and the near future. I identified strongly with Kivrin - as I was reading I felt I was her. This book's description of the 14th century was so vivid that when my phone rang, I started in terror, being so wrapped in the middle ages that I could not understand where that sound was coming from

Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Review: I read two recent customer reviews in amazement. How could any reader of fantasy and/or science fiction not love this book??? The premise of this novel is something new and Ms. Willis makes it absolutely believable. The characters, especially Mr. Dunworthy and Kirvin, are so real that reading the book put a crystal-clear "movie" in my mind. The fact that the author took the time to research a very murky period of history to write the book with detail any history buff will savour is even more impressive. I strongly recommend this book to anyone. (Another great book by Connie Willis-and a winner of the Newbery Medal- is "Lincoln's Dreams." As a Southerner and a lover of science fiction/fantasy, I found it a must-read.)

Rating:
Summary: Arrrgghh!!!
Review: I read science fiction to be entertained. While I can assume from the great reviews of this book that there is some substance to the material it contains, it was amazingly slow and boring. Obviously there are different ways to review a book besides page-turning entertainment. I am still recovering from a bruised nose from when, during my attempt to get through chapter four, my head suddenly hit the table. Used book, anyone