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24th out of 42 books
—
47 voters
Inside Job
Professional debunker Rob, proprietor of the Jaundiced Eye magazine, considers himself incredibly lucky to have Kildy as his sole employee. Smart, dedicated, gorgeous, and, thanks to her last movie before she hung up on Hollywood, rich, she's a pleasure to oblige when she says Rob has to witness this channeler Ariaura's act--on her, not the Eye's, nickel--despite channeler...more
Hardcover, 99 pages
Published
August 30th 2005
by Subterranean Press
(first published 2005)
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Sep 11, 2011
Flannery
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Other Connie Willis Lovers
Recommended to Flannery by:
My Love of Connie Willis
You might like this book if:
You’re a skeptic, you get depressed by this, you know a lot (or a little) about the Scopes Trial, you think séances, channeling, and psychics are a bit of a joke, you love Connie Willis, you are making your way through all the Hugo Award Winners (best novella), you can laugh at yourself for at least thinking once or twice of ordering stuff off of infomercials, or you like H.L. Mencken quotes.
You probably won’t like this book if: You are a creationist, you believe t...more
You probably won’t like this book if: You are a creationist, you believe t...more
19 likes · like · see review
view all 10 comments
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
I have a goal of eventually reading all of the major SFF award winners, including novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories, so that’s why I picked up Connie Willis’s Inside Job when I saw that it was available on audio. Inside Job won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2006. Just a couple of months ago, by the way, Connie Willis received the SFWA Grand Master Award (January 2012).
Inside Job is a story about Rob, a professional debunker of pseudoscie...more
I have a goal of eventually reading all of the major SFF award winners, including novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories, so that’s why I picked up Connie Willis’s Inside Job when I saw that it was available on audio. Inside Job won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2006. Just a couple of months ago, by the way, Connie Willis received the SFWA Grand Master Award (January 2012).
Inside Job is a story about Rob, a professional debunker of pseudoscie...more
Una añeja amistad (la relación, no la amiga en cuestión) me prestó hace un par de años un libro de Connie Willis que debe encontrarse en algún baúl de mi morada; no había pensado en ese nombre hasta que, recientemente, lo vi en la portada de un saldo en una librería: la obra en cuestión, “Infiltrado”, no llegaba al centenar de páginas y, a un precio casi irrisorio, decidí adquirirlo. Si valía la pena, leería aquel facilitado años ha.
Nacida en una víspera de año nuevo, en 1945, Willis ha obtenido...more
Nacida en una víspera de año nuevo, en 1945, Willis ha obtenido...more
INSIDE JOB won the Hugo for best novella in 2006--didn't even know that was an award. I knew they awarded for short-stories, but not for novella. I wonder how many high quality science-fiction novellas are published every year? Anyway, I enjoyed this breezy, over in a heartbeat book from Connie Willis. I have liked Willis in the past [DOOMSDAY BOOK, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG] and recently hated her BLACKOUT. I was really let down by BLACKOUT as time-travel and WW2 and Willis seemed a perfect fit...more
1 like · like · see review
Jul 13, 2009
Joan
added it
Rob is a professional skeptic. He makes a living debunking psychics, channelers, mediums and other frauds. One day, his employee, Kildy Ross, urges him to go see Auriaura Keller, who channels a spirit named "Isus", but she won't tell him what's so different about this woman. They go, and, what a surprise! In the midst of the usual New Age b.s. from this so-called spirit, a second voice interrupts, calling the proceedings "hokum" and Keller a "snakecharming preacher". What the heck is going on?
As...more
As...more
It seems I either give a four star or two star rating with Connie Wills' books. This fell into the latter category.
A potential buyer should be aware that this is a novella only 99 pages long and the publisher’s price tag is hefty for such a slim volume.
A writer for a magazine that exposes fraudulent psychics thinks he’s being duped by the person who led him to the story. The psychic then starts channeling H.L. Mencken. That’s essentially all there is to it outside of the filler. You don’t have t...more
A potential buyer should be aware that this is a novella only 99 pages long and the publisher’s price tag is hefty for such a slim volume.
A writer for a magazine that exposes fraudulent psychics thinks he’s being duped by the person who led him to the story. The psychic then starts channeling H.L. Mencken. That’s essentially all there is to it outside of the filler. You don’t have t...more
This is a very enjoyable novella. It's about a publisher at a skeptics' publication called Jaundiced Eye who comes across something he can't immediately debunk. The odd thing is, he can't disprove that someone is channeling the famous skeptic, H. L. Mencken.
As Mencken is a hero of his, our narrator, whose only name given is Rob, attacks the problem head-on, doing everything in his power to disprove it as a phenomenon.
It was a short novella, though, so I'm only writing a short review: I enjoyed i...more
As Mencken is a hero of his, our narrator, whose only name given is Rob, attacks the problem head-on, doing everything in his power to disprove it as a phenomenon.
It was a short novella, though, so I'm only writing a short review: I enjoyed i...more
The sons of bitches are gaining on us!
connie willis! i love you, connie willis. i love everything you write. i love that you are so intelligent and funny and sharp all the damn time, and i love how you can make all these strange and amazing historical events/figures come to life, and i love that you mention my favorite authors all the time - LIKE JAMES M. CAIN AHHHH "baby in the icebox" reference!! - and i love that your main characters are always people i wish i could know in real life.
but i a...more
connie willis! i love you, connie willis. i love everything you write. i love that you are so intelligent and funny and sharp all the damn time, and i love how you can make all these strange and amazing historical events/figures come to life, and i love that you mention my favorite authors all the time - LIKE JAMES M. CAIN AHHHH "baby in the icebox" reference!! - and i love that your main characters are always people i wish i could know in real life.
but i a...more
I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. It is very short, which may be a blessing.
The story centers around the experiences of a paranormal investigator and his beautiful assistant. They investigate paranormal frauds of every kind and publish a paper about them. The beautiful assistant attends the "channeling" efforts of a fraud, and finds that she is quite convincingly channeling an 18th century skeptic. The book deals with the investigator's efforts to discredit her channeling.
In the end,...more
The story centers around the experiences of a paranormal investigator and his beautiful assistant. They investigate paranormal frauds of every kind and publish a paper about them. The beautiful assistant attends the "channeling" efforts of a fraud, and finds that she is quite convincingly channeling an 18th century skeptic. The book deals with the investigator's efforts to discredit her channeling.
In the end,...more
Another Connie Willis gem. Don't let the length fool you - this pithy little book is chock full of Willis's trademark rich, entanglingly layered, often humorous, occasionally surprising prose. It's a comedy of manners, the manners being a skewering of Hollywood's obession with psychic healing and mediums, the comedy a debunking journalist and his insider actress assistant who discover that a medium may be channeling the ghost of all time greatest debunker of all, H.L. Mencken. And there is a rea...more
Very short and a good entertainment, Inside Job is about a professional skeptic-pair working on a magazine "The Jaundiced Eye" to debunk all kind of fake mediums, channelers, healers, therapists and so on.
Rob is the editor, while Kildy is a famous and rich actress, who - for some unknown reason - turned away from Hollywood one day to join the magazine. Her monthly salary as Rob's employee is probably less, than what she spends on a dinner, and she even pays for the tickets when they go on a new...more
Rob is the editor, while Kildy is a famous and rich actress, who - for some unknown reason - turned away from Hollywood one day to join the magazine. Her monthly salary as Rob's employee is probably less, than what she spends on a dinner, and she even pays for the tickets when they go on a new...more
Decent, but I expect far greater stories from her.
i really hate to give ms. willis anything less than 4 stars, but this book just really didn't have it for me. it's a novella, but it is short enough that it could have been in an anthology with no problem. i just couldn't get behind the characters, or even care much about them. it was kind of an amusing premise, but i couldn't decide if it went on for too long or not long enough (not long enough meaning she needed more time/pages for development). a good effort, but not generally what i expect f...more
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Nov 14, 2010
Michele (Mikecas)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantascienza
da: http://www.webalice.it/michele.castel... Dopo L'Anno del Contagio, che avevo brevemente presentato nel lontano gennaio 2005 nella mia rubrica di consigli mensili di lettura, che si limitava allora a brevi spunti senza entrare nella descrizione della trama, La Voce dall'Aldila' e' il secondo lavoro di questa eccellente scrittrice di cui mi trovo a parlare. Questa volta si tratta di un racconto lungo, e le sue dimensioni non permettono alla Willis di sviluppare appieno la sua capacita' di crea...more
I couldn't remember what it was about before I started listening, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out it was about a skeptic! She obviously did her research about skepticism and the skeptical community too. The only goof I noticed was someone thinking that Newton's second law disproved evolution when it is usually the second law of thermodynamics. The whole thing was quite fun, as I would expect from Connie Willis. Hehe... H.L. Menckin coming back through channeling... Love it.
I love Connie Willis. I came across this in the library. It's a novella and I read it in a couple of hours. About a man and his partner/assistant defrauding psychics and channelers, etc. I love how some of her books, like Bellwhether (weather?), include so much information about a certain topic. I was introduced to H.L. Mencken in this book and enjoyed learning more about him. Very short, but quite amusing.
Aug 06, 2011
Alan
added it
A novella about debunking charlatans. Ariaura is "channeling" the spirit of Isus. Rob runs periodical called The Jaundiced Eye. As is customary in Willis' writing, there is a love interest that you hope matures, a sweet sensibility to the work and intelligent writing. Ariaura winds up channeling someone who stands against every con and lie she is trying to pass off. Fun quick read
What can I say? I love Connie Willis, even when a book is this slight. Editor Rob is afraid his beautiful assistant, Kildy, is conspiring with a so-called channeller to fool him. After all, he can't be expected to believe that the spirit of H. L. Mencken, noted skeptic, is working for a new age charlatan. The ending is disappointing, but Willis' writing continues to be irresistible.
Willis is a great writer (well, we knew that), but I had fundamental problems with this book. I simply don’t agree with the assumption that science and rationality and logic are the basis by which everything should be judged. I mean, I wasn’t bothered by it, but when you disagree with a book’s premise as thoroughly as I do, it’s hard to really like it. [Nov. 2011]
This novella might feel slightly dated, since it takes on fraudulent New Age seminars at the peak of their crystal-gazing heyday. But the premise is still hilarious: what if a fraudulent channeller started actually channelling a spirit? And not just any spirit, but the spirit of H.L. Menken, the famous skeptic newspaper reporter who covered the Scopes trial?
This is just a short story with big type and wide margins -- I'm not sure why it was published as a "novella." Maybe because its defense of reason and attack on charlatans was considered too timely to wait for an anthology? It's far from Willis' best -- too rushed, too forced, and too sketchy. Green-plucked fruit that should have been allowed to ripen.
The plot: Rob is a professional debunker. Kildy is a gorgeous actress who has turned her back on Hollywood and started working alongside Rob for...more
The plot: Rob is a professional debunker. Kildy is a gorgeous actress who has turned her back on Hollywood and started working alongside Rob for...more
This Connie Willis novella is clever, snappy, and doesn't pull the easy punches it could. It's about the modern-day New Age movement told from the perspective of a muckraker who owns a debunking magazine. It involves a case of channeling from a medium who may or may not actually be possessed by the spirit of H.L. Mencken.
Basically, it was great!
Basically, it was great!
3.5 stars.
Quick premise summary: A fraudulent medium may or may not have channeled H. L. Mencken, the great skeptic with more famous quotes than Mark Twain (possibly). This causes serious issues for skeptical newspaper owners who both want to believe Mencken has returned...and who couldn't possibly believe in the charlatan who's acting as his channeler.
Quick premise summary: A fraudulent medium may or may not have channeled H. L. Mencken, the great skeptic with more famous quotes than Mark Twain (possibly). This causes serious issues for skeptical newspaper owners who both want to believe Mencken has returned...and who couldn't possibly believe in the charlatan who's acting as his channeler.
Ah, the black & white world of Connie Willis. There are two kinds of people in Connie Willis' books, foo foo busybodies who have no connection to reality and hard hearted, learned cynics who set out to destroy the foo foo. But at least you'll learn some fun trivia along the way and the stories are always enjoyable! This book is far too short, but enjoyable!
This isn't really SF...not hard SF like Heinlein or Niven or... What it is is a thoroughly delightful novella about a debunker of phony phenomena, his beautiful Chandleresque assistant, and H.L. Menken. It's also just about perfect. And I have to say, I was given it by the author herself, so doubly treasured.
Novella from one of my favorite sci-fi authors, about a sceptic confronted with the possibility that a fake channeler may inadvertantly be channeling another sceptic from an earlier time. Fun, quick, easy read. Trying to get my Connie Willis fix in before All Clear comes out at the end of the summer.
This was a short little book by a great author. Premise: a psychic appears to be accidentally channeling a skeptic who's been dead for 5...0 years, enter a skeptic who publishes a debunking magazine into the fray, mix with a little romance and enjoy.
Mildly amusing and interesting novella, neither drama, action, nor humor. Concentrates on the story of a pair of skeptics (debunkers) investigating a new "channeler" in town whose New Age musings are occasionally interrupted by something else again.
A very quick little novella (more of a short story really) about a channeler who is channeling H. L. Mencken that king of all skeptics. The book is very funny and well told as is typical of Willis and the resolution is compelling and interesting.
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Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She is one of the most honored science fiction writers of the 1980s and 1990s.
She has won, among other awards, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for All Seated on the Ground (August 2008). She was the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Ficti...more
More about Connie Willis...
She has won, among other awards, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for All Seated on the Ground (August 2008). She was the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Ficti...more
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