Connie Willis

I read Connie Willis' Doomsday Book several months ago, and I'm currently reading her To Say Nothing of the Dog. There are relatively few authors whose characters or events or narrative captivate me so effortlessly -- Charles DeLint is another that springs to mind, and I've been drawn in by Card and Jordan and a few others. The surprise in this case is that Willis has been writing hordes of short stories, novellas, and novels since 1980 (maybe earlier?), has won 6 Nebulas and 10 Hugos, had gobs of additional nominations, and somehow, I'd never even heard of her until I stumbled upon an audio copy of Doomsday Book in the library.

Both "Doomsday" and "To Say Nothing" are set in near-future Oxford, a credible time-traveling department within the University, but the similarities end there. "Doomsday" is a very serious novel that explores the nature and effect of epidemic in the modern day as well as during medieval times. Somehow, Willis manages to keep the same tone, the same manner of writing with "To Say Nothing" and yet produce a delightfully comical story as the main character tries to get some rest in Victorian times. Willis does a great job of capturing human qualities, and exploring the problems with modern society and politics.

Certainly, I'll be reading more of her work in the future! Any recommendations?