Customer Reviews

Blackout

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Connie Willis is a wonderful writer, primarily in the field of science fiction but often in a humourous vein, of which there are few good sf/f practitioners. Her most recent novel, Blackout, is not among her funny stories, however; instead, she returns to future-Oxford, the setting of her earlier novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, where time travel has been developed and historians are sent to different eras in order to observe what really happened. There are rules to time travel, including that historians cannot travel back to events that are considered to be "divergence" points, incidents that, if changed, will change the course of history. But when Polly, Merope (Eileen) and Michael are sent to various parts of Great Britain during WWII, in order to observe how people coped during that time, things start going wrong and they wonder if history has somehow been changed by their presence. Especially as they find that none of the "drops" from which they arrived in 1940 are working or available, and no retrieval team has come to take them out of a very dangerous situation....I'm not big on WWII stories, in fact I won't usually read novels set in that period or watch movies set then, but I put that dislike aside for the sake of Willis' writing, and I'm glad I did - this novel as is full of richly observed characters and intense dramatic scenes and, yes, a few moments that come across as keystone-kop zany, as any she's ever written. My only real quibble with it is that the story is unfinished; we must all wait unti the Fall of 2010 for All Clear, the second half, to be published in order to find out what happens to everybody. Recommended.

This is part 1 of 2 (the second part is out in October) but so far so good--I read it in two days. Connie Willis fans, and WW2 fans, won't be disappointed. Great historical detail, likable characters, and a time travel mystery is a-brewing! --> I docked one "star" because the last third of the book bogs down a bit.

...I am a huge fan of Connie Willis books, especially "Doomsday Book", which will always be in the top of my most memorable books I have read. Those of you who have read "Doomsday",(winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Science Fiction) as well as "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and "Fire Watch", will be reunited with Mr. Dunworthy and his team of Time Travelling Historians from future Oxford.

In `BLACKOUT', a team of historian's are sent to study/observe the different aspects of the effect WW2 had on the lives of ordinary people who lived through the war in England. We meet Evacuated Children, London Shop Girls, Nurses and many others including the amazing ordinary hero's who attempted to rescue British Troops from Dunkirk, in fishing boats regardless of the Danger to themselves.

Unlike Doomsday, this book does not alternate between future and past, but once the time travelling historians leave their present (2060), the story remains fixed in the early 1940's during WW2 England.

Regardless of the desperate, chaotic and sometimes very frighteningly dangerous situations the Brits and the time travelling historians find themselves in, Connie Willis adds the needed humour now and then.

I felt totally immersed into the story. I felt it was very believable and I learnt how the Brits reacted to the crisis at hand and how life went on regardless. As the famous WW2 poster stated "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" and they certainly did. Meanwhile, the Historians are desperate to return back to the future, but because of what seems to be a technical time travelling glitch they are stranded in a very dangerous time and the fear of changing the course of history is forever present.

NEGATIVES: Yes, `BLACKOUT' is the first of two books in the series.....Yes, "ALL CLEAR" the second book does not come out till fall....Yes, it leaves you hanging....and sure there are some very "small" flaws in the writing...but hey, get over it! this is a very exciting, suspenseful book which I highly recommend reading.

...I LOVED IT AND I KNOW YOU WILL TOO!... I am pre-ordering the second and last book in the series `ALL CLEAR' right away.

This book was a huge letdown considering the hype it received. Technical writing proficiency and meticulously researched historical accuracy were nowhere near enough to make up for the fact that the story goes in circles. There were only three plot points of any significance and any number of pointless red herrings. The protagonists were completely flat and uninteresting, with the secondary characters only slightly more appealing. Perhaps if 'Blackout' had been combined with it's sequel 'All Clear' there would have been enough story to justify a 500-page novel. I'll never know, because I won't be taking the chance on a second dull and frustrating read.

"Blackout" is the first half of a novel by Connie Willis. The story is
completed in "All Clear". You really need to read both books to understand the story. Young historians from the year 2060 are sent back in time to
World War 2. Unfortunately, they are unable to return to their own time
due to the malfunction of their time travel "net". Some of them must find
a way back to 2060 to avoid meeting themselves on other time-travel expeditions, which would be disastrous. The brilliant plot is so complex that after I finished the second book I read them both again to fully understand what had happened. Loved them even more the second time around. For those who love a marvellous story and an intellectual challenge.

I loved Willis' "The Doomsday Book", "Passage" and "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and was excited to read her latest book when this was published. Unfortunately I found myself skimming through the final third of the book; it was that boring. I'm assuming that the ongoing minutiae was an attempt to fully convey what life was like during the Blitz. Well, seldom has the Blitz been rendered so dull. Disappointing.

A competent story. The various strands are managed well, and the story works well. I'm a bit of a sucker for time travel, stories.

A little bit more research would have told the author that the Victoria and Jubilee lines were not in existence in the '40s, and that pence were d, not p.

The premise of time travel especially to the Second World War is intriguing. However, the pace and plot work together to provide a very slow and uninteresting result. It was like watching a marathon of Coronation Street (which I know will appeal to some - but not me). I must give kudos though for historical accuracy (the stoicism of the British people was amazing) and interesting bon mots that are tossed in like pine nuts on an expensive salad. But the entire experience was not engaging or entertaining and the characters very cartoon-like. I appreciate the premise but not the overly long execution.

I had SUCH hopes for this work, but those hopes fell flat beneath the tedium of wading through Ms. Willis' uninspired, uneventful pages. There wasn't a single passage that gripped me. None. It just droned on and on and on, with literally nothing happening the entire 500 plus pages. To add insult to injury I bought a signed and limited edition.

Ms. Willis has taken one of the most exciting and pivotal times in history and made is supremely boring. This is definitely one for your grandmother.

By the end I wanted the inept Retrieval Team to come and save me!