Doomsday Book

By: Connie Willis

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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)

So Good!

I read the book when it first came out and loved it back then.
And all these years later I purchased the Audible version, And wow so good!
It is very detailed ,which is what I like.
Its time travel and set in the future. When I read the book , it was set 50 + years in the future. Now it's nearly 2022.
Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors.
Thank you!

Characters will live in your heart forever

My paperback copy of this book is falling to pieces. I decided to try the audio version for a camping trip and it did not disappoint!

The narrator gives a distinct voice to each character, bringing the story to life. Mr Dunworthy, Dr Ahrens, Kivrin, Agnes…to hear these characters I’ve loved for so long come to life was wonderful!

There are two story lines in this book, one in the near future and one in the Middle Ages. It’s a story of an adventure, and of a worried parent, and of unforeseen circumstances.

This is the first time I’ve re-read since the COVID pandemic, and let me tell you it hits MUCH differently now. Ms Willis was remarkably prescient in several aspects of the story regarding human behavior in trying times.

Great Book

Really love the characters. When I wasn't listening to the book, I found myself wondering what the characters were doing.

One of my favorite books ever!

I’m a real fan of books about the middle ages, and I am also an Anglophile. So this book actually rings two of my bells. Yes there are valid criticisms that that perhaps the story could have been truncated a bit but I found myself thoroughly immersed in the settings that are described here. This is my second reading ( in this case listening ), with about 15 years between the readings. The first time I was in England and we stayed for a couple of nights in a place that had been the site of a plague village, which made it all the more real for me.

Don't let the bad reviews stop you!

I loved this book! I listened to another Willis book "To Say Nothing of the Dog" (also an award winner) and enjoyed it immensely. Then, I debated downloading this one. The terrible reviews almost stopped me - but I'm so glad I didn't listen to them. I imagine fans of action/adventure-oriented Science Fiction would not appreciate it. However, if you like more character-oriented scifi, historical novels and British literature, you are likely to enjoy this as I did. I agree that the narration isn't especially outstanding, but I found it perfectly adequate. The characters are very well-developed and many are truly lovable. Try it!

A good story...if you can be extremely patient

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only if my friend has the patience required to wait around during the first 13 or 14 chapters while the characters have headaches, go for drinks, bicker, ask questions and are ignored, make pointless phone calls, get sick, lay around thinking about things that they really need to do...but then don't do them, bumble around accomplishing nothing, worry about the supply of toilet paper, contemplate the various possible outcomes of their every possible action, and generally spend quite a lot of time waffling about. A friend summarized their (and my) difficulty with this book rather nicely: the problem is that the reader knows what will happen and what needs to be done long before the characters do. The roadblocks to their understanding are largely circumstantial - things like untimely coughing fits, people who don't answer questions because they're distracted, or petty squabbles. So, it is deeply frustrating to wait while the book catches up with you. The result is a desire to grab these ineffectual characters by the arm and drag them where they need to go in order to get to the next bit. Not that the basic story isn't good, but this could have been edited down to about half its length and would have been a much more engaging read.

This book came highly recommended and the story is definitely a good one - but prepare to wade through a great deal of inconsequential fluff. The story starts off promisingly - we go straight to the time travel! - but then we have to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait and WAIT before the plot gets really intriguing.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wished the author had spent more time on the beautiful themes revealed at the end than on all the aforementioned waffling.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jenny Sterlin?

I usually do, although she's a bit slow and precise for my tastes. Unfortunately, she reads a lot of books I like, so I grit my teeth and deal with it.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably - a movie version would probably focus more on the interesting bits and less on the five-chapter struggle of one character to place a phone call.

Any additional comments?

Nope!

Tedious

I took this book on the basis of the reviews I read here and elsewhere. Normally the reviews I read here afford wonderful insight into the quality of the work offered. This strategy proved ineffective this time. I agree that the story line was good. In fact it was really good, thus the 3 stars. What I objected to was the burdensome, effusive, descriptive prose about characters, situations, conversations, he said; she said; ad nauseum. The constant descriptions of the texture and colors of fluids flowing from extremely ill people was tiring. Finally I wouldn't recommend this "listen" to anyone who might be planning an otherwise productive existence in the immediate future. This is a wonderful story that could have been nicely told in half the time. I wish Audible could have offered an abridged version.

A riveting dive into history

This book starts out a bit slow, there's no denying it, but by the end I was so thoroughly immersed and engaged (and on the edge of my seat) that I could hardly get anything useful done while waiting for the conclusion of the book. Willis brings the people of the Middle Ages to life with a deftness and understanding hardly to be rivaled. In a word: incredible.

Time travel at its best

Best: It gets time travel right. A simple premise, simple rules. Without tryng to explain every aspect of how it works.

Worst: The story takes a solid three hours to get used to all the characters and keep them straight.

Good: The main story in the past. Character development. A memorable child named Collin. The suffering of various characters in the past story line.

Bad: Not much, the book in my opinion should have had another ten pages to give more closure, but hey sequels.

The voice actor takes getting used to, but does well after an hour or so.

Author in a paradoxical bubble

There were a few things that bugged me about this book like phones. The book was published in 2008, but in 2054 people have not improved upon the cell phone? Yes, they have video phones, but they have to look up their coworkers contact information. Why have a phone installed in a room when people should have a cell phone? This is a time when time travel is possible, but people can't get ahold of someone in their own time. I swear, the editor should have caught these issues even if the author lives in a pre-cell phone bubble.