All Clear

By: Connie Willis

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren, Connie Willis (introduction)

Length: 23 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

In Blackout, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060, the setting for several of her most celebrated works, and sent three Oxford historians to World War II England: Michael Davies, intent on observing heroism during the Miracle of Dunkirk; Merope Ward, studying children evacuated from London; and Polly Churchill, posing as a shopgirl in the middle of the Blitz. But when the three become unexpectedly trapped in 1940, they struggle not only to find their way home but to survive as Hitler's bombers attempt to pummel London into submission.

Now the situation has grown even more dire. Small discrepancies in the historical record seem to indicate that one or all of them have somehow affected the past, changing the outcome of the war. The belief that the past can be observed but never altered has always been a core belief of time-travel theory, but suddenly it seems that the theory is horribly, tragically wrong.

Meanwhile, in 2060 Oxford, the historians' supervisor, Mr. Dunworthy, and 17-year-old Colin Templer, who nurses a powerful crush on Polly, are engaged in a frantic and seemingly impossible struggle of their own - to find three missing needles in the haystack of history.

Told with compassion, humor, and an artistry both uplifting and devastating, All Clear is more than just the triumphant culmination of the adventure that began with Blackout. It's Connie Willis' most humane, heartfelt novel yet - a clear-eyed celebration of faith, love, and the quiet, ordinary acts of heroism and sacrifice too often overlooked by history.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an introduction written and read by author Connie Willis.

Also listen to the first book, Blackout.

©2010 Connie Willis (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2010
• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2011
• Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2010: Readers' Choice (SF Site)

"By the time the three historians and Mr. Dunworthy have unraveled the mystery and arrived at the full-on, three-hanky finale, you’ll no longer be a disinterested observer. Drawn in Willis’s skillful storytelling, you’ll be back in 1941, wondering what’s about to happen next." ( The Village Voice)

"Katherine Kellgren's delightful English accent is perfect for the many characters she portrays." ( AudioFile)

“As vivid an evocation of England during World War II as anyone has ever written.... You’ll find here a novelist who can plot like Agatha Christie and whose books possess a bounce and stylishness that Preston Sturges might envy.” ( The Washington Post)

great historical fiction.

loved the story and the historical aspects. could have used a little less of Polly and her obsessing with guilt. skipped some to get through

A tale of sacrifice

This is a review of the "Blackout" and "All Clear" combined.

I understand the time travel aspect is just a tool to bring the three main characters into the same story, give them deadlines and give them knowledge of how the war works out. I have trouble suspending reality, though, and struggled to put down the thought that it would be silly in the extreme to use a time machine to send people to a very well documented time in history to record - minutiae. Stuff that if anyone cared to study, they could look at the diaries and memoirs that were kept, or read someone else's PhD thesis.

Anyway, I found the book in general to be interesting, and liked the characters. I do not like the author's style of ending every chapter on a mini or full cliffhanger, then flipping to one of the other characters. In a lot of those cliffhangers, I would have been interested in getting some of the characters thoughts about the development. Instead, as others have noted, the characters spend a lot of time agonizing over the same issues of "will they get back in time". To give a trivial example, at the end of one chapter, Mike is presented with a going away gift of a book of English crossword puzzles. He has struggled to learn how to do them in the hospital. Does he like the gift? We don't ever find out, as the chapter ends right there. From the way the gift seems to be a punchline, I'm guessing he does not like it, but I'd prefer to hear his reaction. Did he have to resist screaming, did he laugh, did he resignedly say to himself "of course"? I also wish the characters had some backstory, and more personality besides just wanting to time travel to WW2. They are somewhat one dimensional.

The book is unnecessarily confusing, as it jumps back and forth in time. Within the WW2 era, the book jumps between the beginning of the war and the end of the war.

------------------------ Minor spoiler that might avoid confusion ---------------------------
It might help to know that in the first part of the war, the male principal character goes by Mike. In the latter part of the war he goes by Ernest. The book introduces you to Ernest fairly early, and unless I missed something, it does not explain who he is until much later.
It gets more confusing in that one of the female characters goes by Polly in the first part of the war and by Mary in the last part of the war. Polly/Mary experiences the last part of the war first, though, as she makes two time travel trips, in reverse chronological order.

------------------My take on one theme of the book I haven't seen elsewhere: contains a major spoiler-------------
Unlike most science fiction stories, this one treats Christianity favorably. Characters visit "The Light of the World" painting in St. Paul's cathedral in London several times, and get something different out of it every time, as the guide in St. Paul's points out almost as often. This is obvious symbolism. The painting is of Christ standing at a door and knocking. The door has no outward handle.
I may be wrong, but I think the author may be echoing the Christian themes of original sin and redemption by a sacrifice of a single person. (I went to public schools, but they still often asked us if such and such a story had a "Christ figure".) Just as an aside, the Lord of the Rings has no less than four: Frodo, Sam, Aragorn and Gandalf, each showing a different aspect of Jesus Christ. I'll leave you to do a duck-duck-go search on that if you are interested.
Anyway, I <think> you could say this book has the idea of original sin (one person's sin or mistake that many people may have to pay for) and a Christ figure in Mike/Ernest. As the story unfolds, the characters are all worried that something one or all of them have done may change the case of the war. But the continuum (whatever that is) seems to satisfied with the death of Mike. Characters are not able to travel back into WW2 until the precise moment that Mike is close enough to death that even the medicine of 2060 cannot save him. Why is Mike the person who must die? We don't know, but we do get the strong sense that he would have willingly died if he had the choice and knew that the lives of his companions and possibly the outcome of WW2 were on the line.

Love the Series

But you really have to read them in order! It's been a little while since I read the last book so I was a little lost at the beginning, I can't imagine diving into this series at this point. Well worth finding the first book and going from there!

Great book

Great book
The story was fascinating, the narrator was great, stayed up late to finish! Loved the ending.

One of my favorite books

Everything will come right in the end. 😊. I love the time period depicted and the way I see another connection every time I read the book again.

Still..... too many details

I was slightly disappointed with this book and Blackout. The many, many details in both books got in the way of the story and the time travel twist at the end was a bit of a stretch.

Not my cup of tea part two.

Part two is a continuation of a pretty good story, very good performance but still far to chatty. Children appear to be carbon copies of each other and a bit cliche. Story is gripping despite the few problems. However if chatty chick flick sci-fi is your cup of tea, enjoy.

Like Agatha Christie, you won't guess ending

Would you listen to All Clear again? Why?

Yes, I loved the audio performance. I enjoy history so this type of audio book is right down my alley.

What was one of the most memorable moments of All Clear?

I can't give it away.. but the closing chapters of the book left me in tears.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis (introduction) ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't recall

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

The resolve and determination of the characters and historians trying to survive the Blitz

Any additional comments?

Connie Willis has me hooked on her books. Her level of historical detail, empathy and ability to give Agatha Christie a run for her money on an ending you don't expect.

I love Connie Willis but....

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'd cut 100 pages out of the book and I'd make the characters stop reminding me of their plight every time someone asks them a question.

Would you be willing to try another book from Connie Willis? Why or why not?

Connie Willis is probably my favorite modern author. But, I think this was her worst book. (along with blackout) But yes, I would try her books again. She's entertained me quite a bit in her other novels.

What does Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis (introduction) bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Katherine is a good narrator. I think she added to the story. The introduction added nothing, really.

Do you think All Clear needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. I think the subject has been covered

Any additional comments?

This two book set was far too long. I don't see how the editors let so much filler go. Clearly, its a good book as it won both Hugo and Nebula awards. And there were times when I was on the edge of my seat per se, but all and all, it's not her best effort. And I've read nearly everything she's written

A Comedy Certainly, but How Very Tragic...

After finishing the book, I had to look up the classification referenced in the title of the review. I won't spoil the scene from which it comes; but I think it applies to the book as well as the subject of the conversation. It is that conversation among others, towards the end of the book that leads me to rate All Clear and Blackout as 5s, regardless of their shortcomings. Given that Blackout isn't even a complete novel, this should say something to you.

I was a bit taken aback by the radiant praise heaped upon Ms. Willis's writing when I glanced over the publisher's summary while waiting for the book to download. I mean sure, I'd been enthralled enough by the characters and world of Blackout to forge on (I'd bought the book long ago and just had to download it) but seriously, "uplifting and devastating?" Well, regardless of whatever else I might have thought then, the acclaim is worth it. This book brings to life the struggles of ordinary people by contrasting them with very extraordinary observers trapped by a very different sort of peril than the blitz. The author also uses time travel as a means to depict the depth of love represented by truly selfless sacrifice in entirely amazing ways. It is one thing to give one's life in a spontaneous act, quite another to devote what might very well be the rest of your life engaged in mundane tasks seeking the rescue of a friend you might, and probably will, never see again. At the same time, along with the time travelers, the reader meets any number of people "doing their bit," by putting out fires, decoding German messages, driving ambulances, putting on silly shows, and raising other people's children. Many characters embody a spirit that is often ridiculed or exploited, and through the magic of Ms. Willis's words, bring out its power and beauty.

There are a great many scenes in which characters deliberate, perhaps overly much, on the unique pitfalls of their situation, but I think it's generally relevant to the story, despite its repetitiveness. I also think it unfair to the characters to dwell overly much on how often they worry about delayed arrivals, given the very uncertain dangers and the singular nature of the people involved, the only person who knows who you really are is going out into a city regularly beset by aerial bombardment on top of every conceivable "normal" hazard of urban life; I actually worried every time the characters separated.

I've come to think of the degree to which I miss the characters of a story as a measure of just how much I enjoyed it; I think I'll be carrying around memories of Polly and Merope's triumphs and tragedies with me for quite a long while.