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Original Essays | September 23, 2009

Jonathan Lethem: IMG Stops: On Those Things My New Novel Forgot to Be About, Maybe

0 comments By Jonathan Lethem

For me, there's a weird, unfathomable gulf — I almost wrote gulp — between the completion of a novel and its publication. Some days this duration feels interminable, as though the book has... Continue »
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Doomsday Book

by Connie Willis

Doomsday Book Cover

ISBN13: 9780553562736
ISBN10: 0553562738
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin — barely of age herself — finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

Five years in the writing by one of science fiction's most honored authors, Doomsday Book is a storytelling triumph. Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

Review:

"A stunning novel that encompasses both suffering and hope....The best work yet from one of science fiction's best writers." The Denver Post

Review:

"Splendid work...brutal, gripping and genuinely harrowing, the product of diligent research, fine writing and well-honed instincts, that should appeal far beyond the normal science-fiction constituency." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"The world of 1348 burns in the mind's eye, and every character alive that year is a fully recognized being....It becomes possible to feel...that Connie Willis did, in fact, over the five years Doomsday Book took her to write, open a window to another world, and that she saw something there." The Washington Post Book World
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About the Author

Connie Willis has won six Nebula Awards, more than any other writer, and was the first author to win the Nebula in all four categories.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
Ambrosia4All, June 17, 2009 (view all comments by Ambrosia4All)
Again I must say, this was one of the best books I've read this year. It was entertaining and enlightening and all those other things that make novels particularly impressive. It didn't mess with history for the sake of the narrative and it didn't try to create romance in a situation where romance would be seriously out of place.

Other than that it's hard to really describe this one. As I was reading other more negative reviews, I could see where most of their writers were coming from. If you are looking for a particularly fast paced novel, this probably isn't the book to pick up. It steadily works it's way towards the conclusion without cutting corners or forgetting to detail the mediaeval world that makes this book so engrossing. The modern storyline could become tedious, but I found the way Willis tied the two together engaging. Without Dunworthy's story, I'm afraid the message of historical repetition would have been lost on me. The future also let in the comic relief that was necessary to cut the high drama of the mediaeval sections for me.

I can see why this was given so many awards, it was well researched and put together and allowed me to recall the power of storytelling (something I believe every good novel should do). This is highly recommended to those who like science fiction, historical fiction, or stories of good and evil.
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crystalsprowl, May 8, 2009 (view all comments by crystalsprowl)
I loved this book! The story line was interesting and I especially liked how she kept both story lines going and it never got boring. Kivrin was very courageous how she dealt with the situation. Connie Willis wrote a great book. My husband and i liked the book so much we named our 3rd child Kivrin.
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Jeane, February 13, 2008 (view all comments by Jeane)
The year is 2054. Kivrin is a history student who travels back to the 14th century. She's supposed to arrive a decade before the black plague breaks out in Europe, but there's a mistake and she shows up in 1348, right when plague starts appearing. The story is told in two parallels: one of Kivrin struggling to understand medieval Europe, which is not at all what she expected. The other is a confusion of woefully inept technicians and students in the future trying to figure out what went wrong so they can bring her back, while dealing with an outbreak of influenza. This book was pretty fascinating. The medieval setting was the most interesting part. Connie Willis spent five years researching and writing it. It won Hugo and Nebula Awards for science fiction. I found it a very good read.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780553562736
Author:
Willis, Connie
Publisher:
Spectra Books
Author:
Willis, Connie, (Ed)
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Science Fiction - General
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Europe
Subject:
Middle ages
Subject:
Time travel
Subject:
Black death
Subject:
Europe History 476-1492 Fiction.
Subject:
History
Edition Description:
Bantam paperback ed.
Series Volume:
68-254
Publication Date:
August 1993
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
592
Dimensions:
7.00x4.32x1.28 in. .60 lbs.
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