Doomsday Book Audiobook By Connie Willis cover art

Doomsday Book

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Doomsday Book

By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
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One of the most respected and awarded of all contemporary science-fiction writers, Connie Willis repeatedly amazes her many admiring fans with her ability to create vivid characters in unusual situations. With Doomsday Book, she takes listeners on a thrilling trip through time to discover the things that make us most human.

For Oxford student Kivrin, traveling back to the 14th century is more than the culmination of her studies - it's the chance for a wonderful adventure. For Dunworthy, her mentor, it is cause for intense worry about the thousands of things that could go wrong. When an accident leaves Kivrin trapped in one of the deadliest eras in human history, the two find themselves in equally gripping - and oddly connected - struggles to survive.

Deftly juggling stories from the 14th and 21st centuries, Willis provides thrilling action - as well as an insightful examination of the things that connect human beings to each other.

©1992 Connie Willis (P)2000 Recorded Books Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Adventure Scary

Critic reviews

  • Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1993
  • Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1992

"Ms. Willis displays impressive control of her material; virtually every detail introduced in the early chapters is made to pay off as the separate threads of the story are brought together." (The New York Times Book 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)

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previous reviews seem to either love this book, or find it to be overwritten. I fall closer to the latter.

There were elements that were very good. The narrator is excellent, superb. The amount of detail that Willis gives for the preparation of time travel was, at first, intriguing and unique. The story does have imagination.BUT, a big but, the length of the book, ( and I mean how long she takes to tell the story, not the length per se) and the unnecessary ( often boring) detail, and meanderings off the main trail, made it very tedious to get to the end. I finished it only because of two reasons. One, well, I'm OCD about these things. Two, the latter portion of the book got considerably more interesting than the former.

I recommended only if you have lots [and lots] of patience with the developing story. Otherwise, a pass.

Good and Bad

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The interplay between the events in future Oxford and 14th century Oxford is beguiling and dizzying. The theme of the ringing of bell changes is a metaphor for this intricate counterpoint of events. The historical details of the past are solid and convincing, and so are the characters of both periods. Agnes, presented with all the exasperating traits that five-year-olds try adults with, is probably the most convincing and lovable portrayal of a young child I have ever encountered in literature. The account of the Black Death and all its horror and grief is not easy reading, but it shouldn't be. It is a real reminder of what life can be like for human beings in any age. The tale is, in the end, consoling and hopeful.
Oh, and in parts, it is very funny.

One of the Absolute Great Books

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I really enjoyed this book. The author did a fine job switching from life in the future (2056, I believe), with time travel to the middle ages. The narrator made the characters quite believable.

Great listen!

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Overall I enjoyed this book, but it did get bogged down at times. It is an interesting and personal insight into a dark period of history and the people who lived through it. You need to wade through some repetition and waffle at times, but if you can make it I thought it was worthwhile.

Good concept. Drags on a bit.

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There were two features that detracted:1 the level of detail and repetition were tiresome, very! 2 the character of Colin was annoying even irritating, really!
The premise was interesting and if I ever wanted to know what the Black Plague was like this sure conveyed it.
Helpful editing would easily reduced this book by half or more without losing any of it’s good qualities. Just my opinion

For science fiction this was only so-so.

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I liked this book so much that I got two other books from the same author: "To Say Nothing of the Dog," and "Blackout." The narration is excellent, and I would be happy to get another book by the same narrator.

One of my favorite books ever

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This is a new writer for me, and I wish I had discovered her earlier. This was an interesting, exciting tale in which the characters were not only real but entertaining! I enjoyed every second of the listen. The narrater was terrific - the various characters had their own accent and tone. Again, wish I'd discovered Ms. Willis sooner.

Absolutely Wonderful

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But don't bother with Ms. Sterlin's ploddingly slow interpretation. I loved this book when I read it years ago. Unfortunately, Jenny Sterlin reads as if it's the phone book and she's bored witless. Listening to her l.o.n.g pauses between words just puts me to sleep. Yawn.

Read this book,

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I learnt much about the Black Death from this work, and often felt quite sickened but informed. An entertaining read, with the time-travel theme similar to that of "To Say Nothing of the Dog", which I also enjoyed.

One easily relates to each character, in typical Connie Willis style.

My heart bled for the cow!!!!!

Excellent narration. I loved the British accent, and I love lengthy, quality books from Audible.

Sickening but Excellent!

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It’s official— I love Connie Willis’s writing style. Something about it just resonates with me. I first read To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is a light and delightful confection of a time travel comedy, but somehow Connie made this poignant novel about a very dark time in human history also a delightful read??? The balance she is able to strike between comedy and tragedy, hope and despair, is exquisite. I didn’t find the repetition in the book to be tedious, but perhaps it’s because I’ve realized that repeated statements or concepts are usually important to the twists at the end or bringing home a major theme/element of symbolism. Stellar reader, but some listeners may want to increase the speed.

Loved it!

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