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A review by valjeanval
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
5.0
In general, I'm not a fan of time travel stories. I've been really waiting for the exception to that rule, and I've finally found it. The Doomsday Book was absolutely riveting. The time travel itself isn't the main draw, I found, but rather the dual apocalypses. I do love a good plague (though I think reading this with a slight cold was maybe not the best idea), and the parallel narratives kept the story engaging and the pacing moving despite the novel's length.
While a few characters were a little stock, the main two of Kivrin and Dunworthy as well as pretty much all the Middle Ages characters were interesting and made sensible if often wrong choices. Honestly, once I got over the initial silliness of sending a 19 year girl back to the Middle Ages by herself when no one had actually done it before, the rest of it flowed along well. Bonus: I got to dust of my own Middle English which I haven't gotten to use since undergrad.
I've never read Willis' work before, but I'm definitely game to keep going through her bibliography.
While a few characters were a little stock, the main two of Kivrin and Dunworthy as well as pretty much all the Middle Ages characters were interesting and made sensible if often wrong choices. Honestly, once I got over the initial silliness of sending a 19 year girl back to the Middle Ages by herself when no one had actually done it before, the rest of it flowed along well. Bonus: I got to dust of my own Middle English which I haven't gotten to use since undergrad.
I've never read Willis' work before, but I'm definitely game to keep going through her bibliography.