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Doomsday Book

By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
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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)

Featured Article: The 10 Best Time Travel Book Series for Today


Time travel books are so entertaining because they meld exciting historical settings with big what if? questions. What if you knew what would happen next in your timeline? What if you could change history? What if you did change history? We’ve compiled an exciting list of the best time travel book series that are out now, all varying in tone and subgenre. We hope you’re ready to get lost in time!

What listeners say about Doomsday Book

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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???

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly apocalyptic

A beautiful, haunting and funny unforgettable story.
Loved the characters. The authors brilliance shines brightly through her words

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sooo good!!

Such an uncanny resemblance to some of the events we all went through only 2-3 short years ago. I preferred book 2 of the Oxford Time Travel series just for the lighter subject matter and the humor, but Willis did a great job with this one too. Masterfully written!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Time travel

Really good time travel story. I always love the rules around time travel for different authors. Connie Willis does a great job presenting her time travel system and creating a compelling story around it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A beautiful yet 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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Ok

A good story but some editing to make it less repetitive would have made it even better.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and Tedious

The best parts were set in the past. I thought the story about trying to understand. Old English and navigating local customs was excellent.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the contemporary portions of the novel. Didn’t take long before I got tired of hearing about bell ringers and toilet paper shortages and endless phone calls.

I think the author could’ve deleted at least 100 pages of this repetitive nonsense.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It goes on and on and on and on!

The story was good,but come on! you hear what happens in excruciating detail, then the character tells someone what happened in almost as much detail, then guess what? it happens again. And all the gruesome details. . . . ick! I really wanted to like this book; but won't be back for any more! The narrator was good, tho.

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30 people found this helpful