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)

Grows very dark

I was ready for time travel. I was ready for a close-up look at the middle ages and the difficult way of life then, but this grew very dark as it went along. My wife and I managed it okay, but I probably won't get her to try book two. We are now listening to something much lighter to lift our spirits.

Excellent story that I couldn't stop listening to

This is a good mix of modern day and medieval history. The author made you care about the characters. I wanted to know if everything will turn out all right or not. There's a lot about sickness, the black plague, and death. It was very well researched and written. No violence and no sex. I wish I could hear more about the aftermath. I highly recommend this story.

Moving story

Loved this. Well drawn characters in a suspenseful story including parallels between past and future. Time travel makes it sci-fi but like the best of every genre it's about human nature.

Riviting!

Having only read "And to Say Nothing of the Dog" from Connie Willis, I was not prepared for the depth of emotion that this book brings out. Sure it has its funny moments, but this is no comedy. After listening to this book, I started reading everything I could from Connie Willis, but I still think this is my favorite. Get it, you won't regret it!

A beautiful heartbreaking story

It took me a bit to get into it but I’m glad I pushed through. It’s a beautiful story about friendship and loss. I’m a new fan of Connie Williams.

magnetic and catalyzing. Very entertaining

although elements of the story have been used before, I've never heard of story with so many epidemics within epidemics, old new and ancient. Heroism love affection children home and Oxford University. Actually I was rather hoping and how it works but that's not important and I cared for them in their Joy and their life and in their death some of them took me by surprise like a good story does. Anyway I highly recommend it and I'm going to see about Connie Willis's other writings.

I laughed, I cried

Where does Doomsday Book rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's definitely in the top 5

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character is Kivrin. We experience it all through her eyes

What does Jenny Sterlin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I'm addicted to audible because work and commuting leave me little time to read. Audible makes my commute a joy. It brings the books to life, and I'm there.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No spoilers, but at the end I cried real tears

Any additional comments?

I intend to read all Connie Willis' books. She's one amazing author.

Great book!!!

But the end! So abrupt!!! Really!!! I just knee I would get a bit more closure with all of the words debited to the most benign conversations and descriptions. Then the end was ... And then they were there???

Haunting detailed time travel

The writer and narrator took me in and I became a fly on the wall witnessing the historical scourge that was just a paragraph in my history book.

Good story . - narrator terrible

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

History

Would you be willing to try another one of Jenny Sterlin’s performances?

No

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

Yes indeed

Any additional comments?

Jenny Sterlin was a terrible narrator. She could not do male character voices- she just lowered her volume & slowed her speech whenever she had to read a male characters dialogue. Pretty awful.