false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544945m/24984.jpg 24984 7 Most of us would rather not spend a lot of time contemplating death, but the characters in Connie Willis's novel <I>Passage</I> make a living at it. Joanna Lander is a medical researcher specializing in Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and how the brain constructs them. Her partner in this endeavor is Richard Wright, a single-minded scientist who induces NDEs in healthy people by injecting a compound that tricks the brain into thinking it's dying. Joanna and Richard team up and try to find test subjects whose ability to report their experiences objectively hasn't been wrecked by reading the books of pop-psychologist and hospital gadabout Maurice Mandrake. Mandrake has gained fame and fortune by convincing people that they can expect light, warmth, and welcoming loved ones once they die. Joanna and Richard try to quantify NDEs in more scientific terms, a frustrating exercise to say the least.<p> <blockquote>The brain cells started to die within moments of death. By the end of four to six minutes the damage was irreversible, and people brought back from death after that didn't talk about tunnels and life reviews. They didn't talk at all.... But if the dying were facing annihilation, why didn't they say, "It's over!" or, "I'm shutting down"?... Why did they say, "It's beautiful over there," and, "I'm coming, Mother!"</blockquote><p> When Joanna decides to become a test subject and see an NDE firsthand, she discovers that death is both more and less than she expected. Telling anything at all about her experience would be spoiling the book's suspenseful buildup, but readers are in for some shocks as Willis reveals the secrets and mysteries of the afterlife. Unfortunately, several running gags--the maze-like complexity of the hospital, Mandrake's oily sales pitch, and a tiresomely talkative World War II veteran--go on a little too long and threaten the pace of the story near the middle. But don't stop reading! We expect a lot from Connie Willis because she's so good, and <I>Passage</I>'s payoff is incredible--the ending will leave you breathless, and more than a little haunted. <I>Passage</I> masterfully blends tragedy, humor, and fear in an unforgettable meditation on humanity and death. <I>--Therese Littleton</I> 25745 2001 Passage total:1144|5:270|4:406|3:320|2:114|1:34| 1144 4196 1482 162 2 5 false true Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Aug 09 17:31:44 -0700 2007 Wed Mar 26 23:13:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 12 23:18:48 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 23:26:28 -0800 2009 Ugh. I'm sorry, Connie, I like what I've read by you in the past, but I don't think this relationship can go any further. You have some neat ideas, and granted, Doomsday Book was amazing, but dammitall, your writing style is just too unimodal for me. Every single one of your books seems to be fil...more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 04 05:51:23 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 24 10:12:55 -0700 2008 Titanic and science and people. Just.Wow.

Connie Willis writes brilliantly, drawing you in to the characters and their lives and problems. The narrative is enthralling. It's hardly possible to put the book down (meals, hungry cats and ...more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue Nov 13 18:14:21 -0800 2007 Tue Nov 13 18:22:05 -0800 2007 (1) The story of two doctors studying Near Death Experiences (NDEs) approaches the subject from a scientific bent, which is what science-fiction needs. Around the corner of every NDE is the thought, "Does this have a spiritual component to it?" but it doesn't ever ta...more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Jan 21 15:34:48 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 21 15:34:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Sat Feb 16 16:46:59 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 22 12:04:25 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sat Feb 02 22:02:11 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 22:05:24 -0800 2008 2 1 false false Thu Jan 29 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 05 08:43:08 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 29 11:33:05 -0800 2009
I thought about bailing at around page 100, and then again at page 200 and even at page 300! But I loved Doomsday by this same author, and couldn’t bring myself to g...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 09:45:36 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 10:04:57 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat May 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 26 19:48:59 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 06:26:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Dec 14 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 14:13:29 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 14:22:41 -0800 2008 Titanic -- but the novel went on way too long. Part of the plot involved searching, but the confusion of hospital corridors and passageways got tiring. In recommendations, people mentioned a "twist" at t...more...]]> 0 1 false false Sun Jul 20 18:04:55 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 13 21:44:03 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 20 18:04:55 -0700 2008
It's about this psychologist-nerd lady who studies Near Death Experiences with this hot MD who replicates the NDE with medications. Psych Nerd starts to self-experiment when they can't get enough subjects to participate. It's t...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 29 14:34:37 -0700 2007 Mon May 19 19:50:07 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 true false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Dec 28 19:52:33 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 28 19:52:59 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 08:32:05 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 08:33:38 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 12 21:19:46 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 20:46:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Dec 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 00:55:53 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 15:08:57 -0800 2008
Page 729 is a perfect example of why this book drives me nuts, and why I ultimately ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Jul 28 11:36:20 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 13:18:32 -0700 2007 Look Homeward, Angel.

I agree that some of the hospital maze scenes do get tedious, but I was white-kn...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 09:30:43 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 15:58:52 -0800 2009
"Passage" is a book that does both. You care so deeply for these people that the pain they endure becomes your own. But it is worth it because the questions aske...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 23:06:50 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 17:36:25 -0700 2009
I did enjoy reading the last words of famous people and the othe...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=24984