Doomsday Book

by Connie Willis

Book Overview

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."A tour de force."--The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553562738
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Spectra
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.2" x 4.1"

Customer Reviews

Disappointed

I had high hopes for this but it was just awful. How can people time travel but can’t work phones properly? I have heard her other books can be read without this one so maybe I’ll give those a shot someday.

Expectations not met!

It wasn't what I was expecting. So I'm going to give to someone who does like this type of storyline.

Like really being there

This book takes you right back to the time of the Black Plague - all the sights, sounds, smells, and everyday experiences of it. Kivrin, the time traveler, gets stuck there and doesn't know if she'll ever make it home, or even survive. I can't describe how good this book is.

TERRIFIC TIME TRAVEL TALE...

Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for science fiction, this book is a tour de force that is sure to captivate all those who love time travel themes, as well as those who have a deep appreciation for medieval history. The author masterfully melds these two genres, creating a novel that is riveting and highly entertaining. The year is 2048 A.D., and a young history student named Kivrin is preparing to do an on site study of the turbulent fourteenth century. Her mission has placed two of the University's professors at cross purposes, as the proponent for this study, Mr. Gilchrist, finds himself pitted against Mr. Dunworthy, Kivrin's mentor, who believes that this trip in time is far too dangerous. Mr. Gilchrist, however, is in the position to have the final say on the project. Kivrin is scheduled to land in the rural English countryside of the fourteenth century some twenty years before the Black Death savages England. Armed with the knowledge of fourteenth century customs, dress, languages, religious practices, and history, Kivrin is raring to go back in time. When she travels back, however, an unforeseen crisis in the present places Kivrin in a potentially deadly situation upon her arrival in the past. The book alternates between what is happening in the present and what is happening in the past, as those in the present work to unravel the mystery of what went wrong. Meanwhile, Kivrin struggles to overcome the anomalous situations she encounters that run contra to her expectations. Believing herself stranded in the past, Kivrin artfully maneuvers around the precarious situations in which she finds herself, never losing her humanity despite the horror of her situation, given what went wrong. Steeped in well-researched medieval life, it is the story of Kivrin's sojourn in the past that captures the imagination of the reader. This is a stunning book that is totally gripping. The spellbound reader will definitely keep turning the pages of this wonderful book, which is clearly written by a master storyteller. Bravo!

EXCELLENT - but not for everyone

_The Doomsday Book_ is one of the most unusual pieces of science fiction I think I've ever read. It's not what you'd typically expect in a science fiction novel - most of the action takes place in the very low-tech world of England's Middle Ages. It's also not really historical fiction. While well researched, the book doesn't flesh out the details enough to qualify in that category either. I guess this book is really just about people and how they react in a crisis. I don't think I've ever been as moved by fictional characters as I have by Ms. Booth's in this novel. No, there's not a lot of adventure here. If that's what you like, you'll hate this book. If you enjoy rich characterization & a moving story, though, you'll love it, even if you don't usually enjoy sci-fi. I read this book perhaps four years ago, and it still sticks out in my mind as one of the best I've ever read. I've bought four copies over the years, because I'll loan it to a friend who will love it so much they'll loan it to someone else, who in turn loans it out...

The Agelessness of Man (and Woman).

I should start by saying science fiction is not my usual genre. I have recently been reading historical fiction, and the reference to the Middle Ages in The Doomsday Book is what drew me in. After reading the book, what strikes me most are the parallels I believe the author was attempting to draw between the 14th and 21st century. Not only does she lay the story lines side by side in alternating chapters, but the literary imagery of the ringing bells and ever-present weather in both centuries unifies the opposing times. It might seem that the 21st century, with its technology, in time travel and communication, it's virtual eradication of most diseases, would have little in common with the superstition and ignorance of the 14th century. Her characters, however, in both centuries, display many similar characteristics. There is lust, passion, jealousy, greed, and thirst for power. Listening to Lady Imeyne, I found myself saying, "That's Mrs. Gaddison." And when both centuries are beset with mysterious and terrifying diseases, reactions of fear, panic and misunderstanding are common. The protesting students with placards of the 21st century are the doomsayers of the 14th. What makes us fully human, our wealth of emotion, is ageless. But within ourselves is also hope, love, compassion and bravery, the Father Roches and Mr. Dunworthy's of the world. There is the innocence and wonder of Agnes and Colin. The human spirit has a remarkable ability to survive devastation, and that is for me, the message of The Doomsday Book.

Definitely recommended

This novel held me in its grip for the better part of 3 days and some of the scenes and images still haunt me nearly two years after having read it. Connie Willis has certainly done her research on conditions in the Fourteenth century and the plague, as well as creating some intriguing characters. This novel is also more emotionally intense that some of her other work, which tends to be lighter and more entertaining. Although time travel is necessary to set up the plot, the sci-fi aspects of the work are actually pretty minimal. Life in the 21st century doesn't seem all that different from today, with a few technological exceptions. It seems like Willis has concentrated most of her energy on making the scenes from the 14th century as vivid as possible and in this lies the real strength of the book. The book's beauty and horror are only accentuated by the Christmas season setting.

Not your average SF, thank God. (Warning, some spoilers.)

"Doomsday Book" is probably the best book I've ever read. It occasionally still drives me nuts waiting for the real action to start, but every time I re-read it I discover something I missed. The writing alone is worth reading just to be enjoyed, even during the slow beginning.I read an incredible amount of historical fiction, and Doomsday Book is one of the only books I've ever read that sounded authentic. For once the medieval characters really seemed medieval, not just 20th century people in costumes. Also about the characters, the reviewers who say they seemed flat must not have been paying enough attention! Sure, a lot of the characters (Gilchrist and Latimer especially) were archetypal. But they all still had enough personality of their own to be very real people. Gilchrist and Latimer almost became sympathetic characters at the end when you realize that they were vulnerable too, which is quite a feat considering how they start out. Several, like Father Roche and Eliwys, are not easily categorized at all. Father Roche was a typical saint-like figure but still was human enough to have carnal thoughts about Kivrin and shout at Imeyne. Eliwys was a loving mother but, firstly, never resolved her feelings about Gawyn (notice the scene where she sends him to Bath to get Guillame) and, secondly, had her own problems and priorities and could sometimes be snobbish or cruel, unlike most stereotypical good mothers. You can also see the family resemblance between her and Rosemund just clearly enough to make it interesting. Connie Willis's people are *human*. They do make dumb mistakes and have personality flaws, just like the rest of us.But what really makes the book great isn't the characters or the story, but the writing. Anybody can write a book about a bunch of medieval villagers, but only Connie Willis could have written the scene where Rosemund dies. It just rips me apart every time. Also the scene where Father Roche quotes Romans to Kivrin after they bury Agnes, when he tries to help her stop being angry at God. And who can read "You are here in place of the friends I love" without crying?What a great book. Everyone should read it. It really does a great job of showing how much all people have in common. It's a nice change to read a SF book with real people and themes in it, not just stereotypes of good and evil and everybody getting exactly what they deserve in the end.