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)

Downloaded by accident

If you could sum up Doomsday Book in three words, what would they be?

Different, engaging, quirky

What was one of the most memorable moments of Doomsday Book?

The plague

Which scene was your favorite?

nursing the ill

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

bringing the plague to life

Any additional comments?

I accidentally downloaded this one, go figure. Turns out to be a really good book. Totally apocalyptic. (quote from the book)

Very realistic

I think the dialog of the characters and description of the setting were highly realistic. I could easily imagine both based on the description. The story was a little slow moving in places, but the high level of realism made up for it.

Great Book and i don't like sci-fi

Would you listen to Doomsday Book again? Why?

Yes i would listen to this book again and plan on it when i get all the books. I am buying book 3 today. I'm not a sci-fi person at all but this book or the whole series is great so far. i still have two books to go. But the charecters are great you really get to know them. And the narrator did an awsome job on the voices.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not sure.

Which character – as performed by Jenny Sterlin – was your favorite?

Kathren.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I can't say without given it away. So i'll just say yes.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to listen to book three. I recommend this book to whom ever is into time travel or fantasy.

Good story, bit long for the content

the story has two parallel stories that while similar themes are different. I think the goal was to contrast between today's approach and the middle age approach .. to what end .. I don't know. I enjoyed the middle age (time traveled) part of the story, but the modern parallel part of the story was .. aaa.. Too much talk about medicine and hospitals and sequencing (etc.). kind of almost projected into the future (because they have to have the ability to time travel).. medicine.. but not as captivating IMO.

still over all though.. it's a fun story if you can sit through the 26 hours of narration.

Wasn’t as impressed as I’d hoped to be

I don’t know what I was expecting but having read multiple glowing reviews that described this as a “must read“ I expected to be more impressed. It was a decent read, Or listening in this case although, I won’t be purchasing a printed copy or putting it on the “re-read“ list.

love/hate

this writer is so redundant as to make you insane with constantly reiterating what you already know. the characters are neurotic and their anxiety seeps into your subconscious. I listen for about 1 chapter per night before bed and dream of their plight waking anxious to hear what will happen next. I have read all of this series (in the wrong order) and absolutely love it! highly recommend although you may want the fast forward button on occasion

My Favorite Time Travel Series

Connie Willis is a master storyteller. This series is beautifully told with characters I loved following in future stories.

Well worth reading

I wasn't expecting to go from one pandemic to another but it was an amazing journey

More for the history lover, rather than sci-fi

Several other review mention this book is slow and somewhat dry, and unfortunately, viewing it purely from a narrative perspective, that's mostly the truth. However, as both an avid history and sci-fi lover, there is appeal in the story Willis has wrought for both sides of the aisle.

Firstly, there is some really incredible world-building when it comes to the whole idea of first-hand anthropological study of the past. Of course we have to hand-wave the time-traveling plot device that is also somehow intelligent enough to prevent history alteration, but beyond that, the entire concept of dedicating one's entire career to a being able to fit in with the peoples of a specific point in time feels like one of the more "real" application's of time travel. I loved the fact that Willis dismisses the "aliens speak English" trope by forcing the traveler to learn the language of the time (I guess the aliens speak Old English), not to mention experience the sights, sounds, and smells (very bad smells as personal hygiene was lower priority 800 years ago).

Secondly, I have to applaud the build up to the unleashing of the Black Death. There are numerous hints dropped in the beginning that foreshadow the main character's unsuspecting drop into the midst of the pestilence. However, we are immersed in the culture and and relationships of the period before Everything Goes to Shi*t™, gaining a better understanding of how humans of the 13th century viewed their world, and how they use those beliefs to frame their approach to the wave of death that begins to befall them.

That being said, I wasn't as much enthralled with the idea of the parallel pandemic happening in the present to somehow compare and contrast with the past. Personally, it felt ambiguous to me whether Willis was trying to say humans have changed in the intervening centuries or not. I thought the idea had potential, but most modern humans don't blame "demons" or "rich food" as the cause of fatal disease. Though given the current pandemic, it's sometimes hard to believe that we have changed, even knowing what we know now.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand what it was like "on the ground" in the 13th century. Most historical reading is dry as-is since it's a regurgitation of facts and figures, but when characters (even fictional ones) are created to embody those facts and figures, it can reveal a whole new perspective and perhaps help us understand why our ancestors believed what they did.

Plus, I just loved that the narrator was forced to read some Old English out loud. What a challenge that must've been!

Very good book. Fantastic narration !

In spite of already knowing "The Horrible Truth" from the beginning, this book held my attention throughout. Soft, loving, brutal, hating, harrowing and so on. No types of feelings are missing in this listen. A bit too long but so wonderfully written that I didn't really mind.

An impressive piece of writing, yes. But an even more impressive narration from Jenny Sterlin. She made me really FEEL. Can't think of saying it any other way.