Doomsday Book

Rating:
Summary: Nothing special
Review: I bought and read this book a long time ago, when it first came out on paperback. I remember distinctly that I thought it was very flat; I was not at all impressed. Guess they're giving awards based upon the amount of research that goes into writing a book, not how interesting, engrossing, or compelling it is.

Rating:
Summary: Book of the decade
Review: I read Doomsday Book shortly after if came out in paperback and throughly enjoyed it. It is a book I have recommended to friends without reservation. One friend came back to me in hysterics complaining that I hadn't warned her how funny it was. This may seem like an odd comment about a book dealing with parallel plagues, but the humor of the 21st century nicely balances the horror of 1348. I know I'll never hear bells again without thinking of this book. Recently, I picked it up again to refresh my memory on a scene, and was hooked all over again. I started reading from the middle to the end, and then back to the beginning. This book has become my touchstone for the 90's the way Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer series defined the 80's

Rating:
Summary: Doomsday is right!
Review: If you want sci-fi, developed characters AND engrossing storytelling than avoid this book at all costs. Then pick the Hyperion (in this case the Hugo was deserved) series by Dan Simmons, a modern master

Rating:
Summary: Connie Willis does it again
Review: Connie Willis continues to convince me to buy anything with her name on it. I originally discovered her short fiction in anthologies, and she has again delighted me with a riveting story, with wonderful historical detail and characters that were totally involving. A facinating look into the past that I was sorry to see end. I could see the adventures of our time traveling heroine repeated in future books gladly, what a wonderful, intelligent, and resourceful protaganist! This book would certainly win many readers over to the joys of speculative fiction.

Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read in years!
Review: This is a wonderful combination of science fiction, suspense and historical fiction, all of which I enjoy. More important, it has characters you care about. My daughter recently lent me this book. I got very little sleep that night, and did practically nothing but read the next day until I finished it. It held my interest like no book has in years. Even though I know my daughter would lend it to me again any time I want it, I must own it for myself, and am ordering it today.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Suprise!
Review: I'll be honest I had never heard of the author or anyone who had read the Doomsday Book. I bought the book based soley on the exciting title and the awards. Turns out I made a really good choice! Through the compassionate yet resolved Kivrin, the reader vicariously experiences the dark and fearful era of 1348. I love how the future of 2048 and the past of 1348 are used to explore the universal nature of beliefs, fears and inner strength. Even in such different eras, similarities between characters exsist ( as seen through Mrs. Gaddson and Lady Imelyne, as well as Kivrin and Father Roche, especially)

Rating:
Summary: [yawn]An unexciting [yawn] book [zzzzzz...].
Review: Forester said that there are three kinds of characters in fiction: the round, the flat, and the flat masquarading as the round. Doomsday Book doesn't even attempt the first, but offers the last two ad nauseum. Despite this, the portions of the book set in the Black Plague are at least readable, being judiciously arrayed with 14th century grunginess. These parts are, however, mercilessly hacked apart by present-day scenes packed with phone calls, hospital visits, little yellow stick-em notes, and lots of irritating characters (fanatical bell-ringers, overly-protective mothers, anal assistants, snooty deans), as if we don't have enough of those in real life. Willis tries to build suspense in these scenes by having characters swoon whenever they are about to say something revelatory. Can you say CONTRIVED? The most moving character in the story is Blackie, a puppy that dies of being handled too much. Considering the way Willis shoves her characters around, I'm surprised they didn't all die that way. Each can be summed up in a few words and nothing any of them does is surprising in the least. If you want more complex characters, just read the Sunday comics.

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable book
Review: A truly remarkable book...not really science fiction at all, but rather historical fiction. Connie Willis uses the device of time travel to make the past feel real. Her medieval characters, from five-year-old Agnes to the social-climbing Lady Imeyne, are unforgettable. Oddly, Kivrin--the main character--is not as well developed. But perhaps this makes sense since she is primarily there as an observer

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding science fiction
Review: A book that shows what science fiction can do in the hands of a master. Brings the middle ages alive while creating characters the reader will truly care about

Rating:
Summary: How did this win the Hugo and Nebula?
Review: The mental movie running in my mind while reading this was produced by the BBC in the 70's; the characters uninteresting and cliched, the colors washed out and the picture grainy. Am I becoming bitter and cynical about awards? Are they now given to the works that are the least imaginative and most user-friendly? If I find any answers I will probably also discover how Braveheart won an Oscar and the blandest top 40'ish musical groups win Grammies. Hugo and Nebula award winners are are not necessarily the vanguard of the genre, but they are usually sure bets for good reading. Read something that did not win an award for that year