The story in the past and present run side by side more or less and the same themes of confusion and miscommunication echo in both storylines. It got very repetitive and I started to wonder if all the confusion and miscommunication, or lack of ability to communicate between characters was really necessary.īut in hindsight after finishing this book finally (I put it aside and picked it up again a few times) I realize what all the mess in the middle was all about.

This book could have edited for content in the middle act. Connie Willis tells a subtle yet harrowing tale of disease and time travel. It combines two of my favorite genres: historical fiction and science fiction. Highly recommended for everyone who likes to get lost in a good book, whether they're science fiction fans or not. The novel takes its time and layers on elements of drama and comedy, and because it takes it's time it is incredibly affecting in its final pages.

Some reviewers complain about the characters' anxiety over seemingly little things, but that's how people are, and Willis' ability to put the reader into her characters' heads ends up making the story she tells incredibly satisfying. The main thing is the characters, the Oxford academics who have real relationships and real worries. I didn't even read the whole back-cover description. All I knew was that it is about academic time travel between future and Medieval Oxford. I didn't know much about the premise, because I wanted to let the story do it's work. When a friend recommended it, I finally plucked it down and started reading. I bought this book because I wanted to read something by Connie Willis, and then it sat on my shelf for a few years.

Connie willis doomsday book review