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DOOMSDAY BOOK
  
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DOOMSDAY BOOK (Hardcover)

by Connie Willis (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (341 customer reviews)

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3 new from CDN$ 101.39 8 used from CDN$ 4.59

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Connie Willis labored five years on this story of a history student in 2048 who is transported to an English village in the 14th century. The student arrives mistakenly on the eve of the onset of the Black Plague. Her dealings with a family of "contemps" in 1348 and with her historian cohorts lead to complications as the book unfolds into a surprisingly dark, deep conclusion. The book, which won Hugo and Nebula Awards, draws upon Willis' understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.


From Publishers Weekly

This new book by Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning author Willis ( Lincoln's Dreams ) is an intelligent and satisfying blend of classic science fiction and historical reconstruction. Kivrin, a history student at Oxford in 2048, travels back in time to a 14th-century English village, despite a host of misgivings on the part of her unofficial tutor. When the technician responsible for the procedure falls prey to a 21st-century epidemic, he accidentally sends Kivrin back not to 1320 but to 1348--right into the path of the Black Death. Unaware at first of the error, Kivrin becomes deeply involved in the life of the family that takes her in. But before long she learns the truth and comes face to face with the horrible, unending suffering of the plague that would wipe out half the population of Europe. Meanwhile, back in the future, modern science shows itself infinitely superior in its response to epidemics, but human nature evidences no similar evolution, and scapegoating is still alive and well in a campaign against "infected foreigners."p. 204 This book finds villains and heroes in all ages, and love, too, which Kivrin hears in the revealing and quietly touching deathbed confession of a village priest.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews

341 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (341 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars This is not Hollywood, Jun 7 2008
By Greg Slade "Grga" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Doomsday Book (Mass Market Paperback)
The time is the mid-twenty-first century, and the development of time travel has changed history from a scholarly discipline to one involving direct observation. Kivrin Engle is a history student at Oxford, and she's determined to visit the Middle Ages. Everything has been carefully arranged: she has learned half a dozen languages, and basic household skills appropriate to the period, and they have selected a time and place carefully calculated to present the lowest risk. She is set to go back to a Yorkshire roadside in 1320, 28 years before the Black Death first appears. However, something goes wrong, and she gets deposited in the middle of a forest at the height of the plague.

I'll be blunt: people die in this book. Lots of people: people you figure are getting their just desserts, and people you like; people who seem destined to die, and people you expect to survive. The rising body count doesn't numb you to each successive death, as you might expect, but makes each one more tragic, as you want to cry, "enough!" This is not Hollywood. Willis takes on one of the greatest disasters in human history, and stares into it unblinking. In doing so, she raises (but does not resolve) one of the most enduring questions: how could a good, loving God allow the suffering of the innocent?

The truth is that suffering is real, and it comes to both the guilty and the innocent. Neat, simplistic philosophies which try to explain suffering and prosperity in terms of punishment and reward simply cannot work in the real world, with all of its mess and complexity. If we as Christians come under fire from unbelievers who have a problem with the problem of pain, it is because we have all too often hidden behind such philosophies like Job's comforters, instead of having the courage go to God with our problems like Job.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Wherever you go, there you are, Oct 22 2006
This review is from: Doomsday Book (Mass Market Paperback)
It's impossible to speak about this book without mentioning THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. Don't get me wrong---the only similarities happen to be time travel---otherwise totally different stories. BUT, for me, DOOMSDAY BOOK has a bit more going for it. The plot is this: Take one history student, say, in the year 2048, and transplant/transport THEM to England in the 14th century. Sounds simple, almost contrived---a sort of "Back to the Future," type of scenario, but again, it's not the idea but what the author does with it. In this capable writer's hands, the story comes to life as no other. I was really outright "shocked" at how well the tale was handled. No cliches here, folks. Just good writing and pacing that makes sense and keeps things moving.

Just to kick things up a notch, our time traveler arrives just as the Black Plague is getting underway. And why not? Now, all this is good and well for a nice story that will keep yo flipping the pages, but something else is happening here. There's an underlying metaphorical touch that I couldn't quite put my finger on---a veritable "this is really about something else" feeling that leads me to believe Willis is a much "deeper" writer than one might expect. No, I don't think I'm reading too much into this great tale, but you pick up a copy and decide for yourself. So many books disappoint---this isn't one of them.

Also highly recommended: TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - Great Premise, Mar 21 2005
By NorthVan Dave (North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Doomsday Book (Mass Market Paperback)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The premise, in which students travel in time to learn about history, is unique and extremely well handled by Willis. The descriptions she uses to describe the time travel mechanism, and the 'rules' in place to prevent the alteration of the time line, are also well done. In the past I've always felt that time travel was poorly handled by authors. They either left too many gaps, or made the system so overly complex that I found myself spending more time thinking about how impossible the time travel was and less time on the 'meat' of the story. Thankfully, this story has none of these inadequacies.

I especially liked the characters. Each one was well written, and presented in a believable manner. I think an author does a good job of writing a book when they make you, the reader, want to meet the individual they have written about in person. Willis, in my opinion, achieves this.

And finally, the descriptions Willis manages to convey with regards to the 14th century make one think that she was actually there herself! For anyone interested in historical fiction, or has a passing interest in time travel (with a bit of humor thrown in) I'd say this book's for you.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I could put SIX stars...
After finishing this book all I could say was "WOW"!!!! I was at a loss for words. I haven't read anything quite like it before or since. Read more
Published on Jul 11 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Full past and thin future
With 300+ reviews, maybe it has all been said. But just in case....

The parts of this book that deal with the middle ages are wonderful. Read more

Published on Jul 8 2004 by Shady Ave Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, interesting, but VERY sad
This book was very engaging emotionally, without insulting your intelligence about time travel (you know who you are, Michael Crichton!). Read more
Published on Jul 7 2004 by Christopher P. Ware

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection
Connie Willis is simply one of the finest contemporary SF writers and here is the proof. I bought this book on a whim after reading the cover blurb. Read more
Published on Jul 7 2004 by Trixie

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, If Not Brilliant
Time-travel fiction is its own subgenre of science fiction, and pretty much anyone who reads sci-fi has their own take on it. Read more
Published on Jul 4 2004 by A. Ross

5.0 out of 5 stars You are there
A time traveler visits the Middle Ages and finds she may not be able to return -- and the Black Death is devestating Europe. Read more
Published on Jun 13 2004 by A. Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate time travel book
For the second time around, I am amazed by the character development in this book and Willis' ability to bring people and situations alive. Read more
Published on Jun 4 2004 by Jill Zimmer

5.0 out of 5 stars exceptionally absorbing!
I love time travel stories when I want to just have some fun! This is by turns exciting, moving, and funny. Read more
Published on Jun 2 2004 by ophelia99

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
This is my first book by this author but I will pick up a few more. I loved the time-travel concept and this one was well done. Read more
Published on May 26 2004 by Susie Sharon

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-Notch Research...And A Great Story Too!
In the mid-21st century time travel has been perfected and is used by historians as a method of exposing oneself to one's research. Read more
Published on May 15 2004 by themarsman

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