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161st out of 630 books
—
2,151 voters
The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories
"Variety is the soul of pleasure," And variety is what this comprehensive new collection of Connie Willis is all about. The stories cover the entire spectrum, from sad to sparkling to terrifying, from classics to hard-to-find treasures with everything in between -- orangutans, Egypt, earthworms, roast goose, college professors, mothers-in-law, aliens, secret codes, Secret...more
Hardcover, 700 pages
Published
September 25th 2007
by Subterranean Press
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For some reason, it took me awhile to get into the title story. It's classic Connie and once I picked it back up after vacation, it flew. But it's still not my favorite.
I did immediately love Cash Crop. It was an early story, so haunted, very reminiscint of Daisy, in the Sun. I wasn't surprised by the twist, but I had thought she was a carrier. Still, this was gorgeous. I thought it was my favorite, until I read the next new story.
Curse of the Kings was creepy and scary and if you love The Mummy...more
I did immediately love Cash Crop. It was an early story, so haunted, very reminiscint of Daisy, in the Sun. I wasn't surprised by the twist, but I had thought she was a carrier. Still, this was gorgeous. I thought it was my favorite, until I read the next new story.
Curse of the Kings was creepy and scary and if you love The Mummy...more
A great collection. My favorite stories are Fire Watch, Even the Queen, Newsletter, Inn, and The Soul Selects Her Own Society. I love her fascination with Christmas and with The Blitz.
Stories included:
The Winds of Marble Arch
Blued Moon
Just Like the Ones We Used to Know
Daisy, in the Sun
A Letter from the Clearys
Newsletter
Fire Watch
Nonstop to Portales
Ado
All My Darling Daughters
In the Late Cretaceous
The Curse of Kings
Even the Queen
Inn
Samaritan
Cash Crop
Jack
The Last of the Winnebagos
Service for the Bu...more
Stories included:
The Winds of Marble Arch
Blued Moon
Just Like the Ones We Used to Know
Daisy, in the Sun
A Letter from the Clearys
Newsletter
Fire Watch
Nonstop to Portales
Ado
All My Darling Daughters
In the Late Cretaceous
The Curse of Kings
Even the Queen
Inn
Samaritan
Cash Crop
Jack
The Last of the Winnebagos
Service for the Bu...more
Ms. Willis has done a lot of research into the bombings of London during World War II. This is evident through her inclusion of three (three!) different stories in this collection that have some connection to that theme. “The Winds of Marble Arch” is one; “Night Watch” is another; and “Jack” rounds out that triptych of stories.
Now, am I complaining? Heck no! Ms. Willis is a fine, extraordinary writer, and she has a knack for writing stories that are a lot like those zany romantic comedies from t...more
Now, am I complaining? Heck no! Ms. Willis is a fine, extraordinary writer, and she has a knack for writing stories that are a lot like those zany romantic comedies from t...more
Connie Willis makes me crazy. How can she be so prolific, and so brilliant, and such a masterful craftsman, and make it all look so easy? (All right, yes: the middle two explain the last.)
This collection of short fiction, while a door-stopper, is amazing. (Actually, my biggest complaint is that the Subterranean Press designer did a pretty unprofessional job with the cover font. Let that be the last I speak of it.) Connie Willis, now, writes in -- could we call them several different modes? One o...more
This collection of short fiction, while a door-stopper, is amazing. (Actually, my biggest complaint is that the Subterranean Press designer did a pretty unprofessional job with the cover font. Let that be the last I speak of it.) Connie Willis, now, writes in -- could we call them several different modes? One o...more
I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but of course I'll read anything Connie Willis writes. Even the ones that have been published before are fun to read again. I was thrilled to see "Firewatch" included in this collection, and felt the ending as strongly this time as I did the first time I read it. Other stories, like "Blued Moon" and "At the Rialto" carry Willis' trademark corporate stupidity and mangled language, but others, like "A Letter from the Clearys" and "Nonstop to Portales" ar...more
SF, Short Stories. This isn't the definitive Connie Willis collection -- it's missing a few stories from Miracle and Other Christmas Stories and Impossible Things -- but it's close.
Of the ones I hadn't read before, I liked Nonstop to Portales, a bus of tourists in the middle of nowhere; Ado, in the future, teaching Shakespeare will only take a minute; In the Late Cretaceous, a university's paleontology department has to evolve or die; The Last of the Winnebagos, a future where dogs are extinct a...more
Of the ones I hadn't read before, I liked Nonstop to Portales, a bus of tourists in the middle of nowhere; Ado, in the future, teaching Shakespeare will only take a minute; In the Late Cretaceous, a university's paleontology department has to evolve or die; The Last of the Winnebagos, a future where dogs are extinct a...more
I'm about halfway through this collection. Willis is amazing. She is the best writer of screwball comedy alive, but she also has amazing range and depth. The title story is a clear-eyed story about love in middle age, while "The Curse of Kings" is a short thriller as full of twists as Law and Order, and "Even the Queen" is just one of the best stories ever written.
Now I got to look up some Jack Williamson, because of Willis things he's a good writer, he must be great.
***
I think "Last of the Win...more
Now I got to look up some Jack Williamson, because of Willis things he's a good writer, he must be great.
***
I think "Last of the Win...more
As usual, short story anthologies are notoriously difficult for me to read, since I never love all of the stories and skip the ones that don't grab my interest. Still, this one showed a very wide variety of the types of writing that Connie Willis can do.
Here are the ones that I read, with commentary about those that stood out. I didn't make it through all of them since it's quite a big book.
Stories I loved:
- The Last of the Winnebagos: Loved it. Loved. Almost made me cry. Want to re-read it.
- A...more
Here are the ones that I read, with commentary about those that stood out. I didn't make it through all of them since it's quite a big book.
Stories I loved:
- The Last of the Winnebagos: Loved it. Loved. Almost made me cry. Want to re-read it.
- A...more
This is a book that I treat almost as a life-saver. When the drudgery of everyday tends to cover everything with its banality of existence, i try to escape to a strange world where poignancy, tragedy, love and screwball comedy live together. It is a world that is created by Connie Willis, and ever since Subterranean Press had gifted us with this compendium of most of such wonderful things within a gorgeous volume, this book has accompanied me as a portal to that world. How I had missed out "revi...more
Some stories in this collection are repeats of stories in other collections. I'm not repeating them here, sorry!
"The Winds of Marble Arch" is the story that the collection is named for. It was a good story- set in London, and told the story that... pretty much suffering can be felt. It lingers. Not my favorite of her work, but made for a good mystery.
"Blued Moon," is utterly zany and fun! One of her "screwball comedy" stories. They always make me smile.
"Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" had m...more
"The Winds of Marble Arch" is the story that the collection is named for. It was a good story- set in London, and told the story that... pretty much suffering can be felt. It lingers. Not my favorite of her work, but made for a good mystery.
"Blued Moon," is utterly zany and fun! One of her "screwball comedy" stories. They always make me smile.
"Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" had m...more
I will read just about anything Connie Willis has written, simply because she is a fabulous writer (and okay, after reading her introduction to this collection of short stories, I realize I'm also drawn to her because we share a lot of interests). However, I don't *love* everything she's written (I could never recommend Lincoln's Dreams or Passage to anyone I liked)--but Doomsday Book is beautiful (if wrenching) and To Say Nothing of the Dog (set in the same world as Doomsday Book) has got to be...more
I'm giving this one five stars, not because all the stories were perfect, but because taken as a whole, the collection presents a fabulous variety. Some of the stories are science fiction (like "Cash Crop"), some are contemporary with odd little twists (like "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know"), some have time travel (like "Fire Watch," which has the added bonus of a Doomsday Book reference), and one is so downright creepy I'd like to forget it. Some short story collections feel awkward, not be...more
I read an audio version of The Winds of Marble Arch (not the "Other Stories")
Originally posted at FanLit.
Tom and his wife are visiting London so Tom can attend an academic conference while his wife goes shopping with a friend. When Tom takes the Tube to the conference, he feels a strange wind in the Underground. It’s more than just the normal drafts created by trains coming and going; this wind smells ancient and deadly and makes him feel afraid. Skipping the conference, and forgetting to buy th...more
Originally posted at FanLit.
Tom and his wife are visiting London so Tom can attend an academic conference while his wife goes shopping with a friend. When Tom takes the Tube to the conference, he feels a strange wind in the Underground. It’s more than just the normal drafts created by trains coming and going; this wind smells ancient and deadly and makes him feel afraid. Skipping the conference, and forgetting to buy th...more
This is a wonderful collection of short stories/novellas by Connie Willis that fall in the fantasy/science fiction/speculative fiction genres. The title story "Winds of Marble Arch" keys off of the London Underground where Tom experiences flashes from the past from the Blitz and other horrors which seem to be affecting his current life but finds that hope is present, if he looks hard enough. She makes fun of the Christmas newsletter in "Newsletter" adding in an alien takeover that makes everyone...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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3.17 stars to be exact. For mini-reviews of all the short stories, please see the comments associated with my status updates.
My six favorite stories were:
The Blued Moon - This was laugh out loud hilarious. It reminded me of my favorite episode of Fawlty Towers.
A Letter from the Clearys - Post-apocalyptic stressed out family with a non-barking dog making do on the slopes of the Peak.
The Last of the Winnebagos - Good mystery and interesting alternate future with a Gestapo-like Humane Society.
A...more
My six favorite stories were:
The Blued Moon - This was laugh out loud hilarious. It reminded me of my favorite episode of Fawlty Towers.
A Letter from the Clearys - Post-apocalyptic stressed out family with a non-barking dog making do on the slopes of the Peak.
The Last of the Winnebagos - Good mystery and interesting alternate future with a Gestapo-like Humane Society.
A...more
I picked this tomb up predominately because of the story, "The Firewatch," which ties into Willis' time travellers of Oxford series. Like all of her writing, this story was fabulous. It is the tale of a man from 2060 who finds himself fighting to save St. Paul's cathedral during the London Blitz. It was heart-wrending and funny and intriguing. I ended up reading a few of the other stories as well and enjoyed all of those that I read. I found the story "The Last Winnebago" to be particuarly poign...more
A collection of the short works of Connie Willis. Her skill as a short story writer is shown off to high form. She is sometimes serious, sometimes very sad, but always gripping and readable. It took me a long time to get all the way through all the stories because I do find that her writing style is similar enough that I feel like I'm reading the same story each time (she has lots of people looking for things often). But they are still very good, just best in small doses (like ice cream).
I don't usually have the patience for short stories: by the time the characters and story have blossomed in my head, the narrative is done, and I feel cheated. These are an exception. Connie Willis is such a fabulous writer. Her stories are humane, humorous and bursting with imagination. It's a delight to turn them in ones mind after reading.
Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors, so this was a no-brainer for me to read. Unfortunately, it's a compilation of existing stories, most of which are in other collections already, so I'd read a lot of it already. I do hear that she's working on a new book (or further along than I'd last heard) set in the world of my favorite novels of hers (the time travel stories), so this will have to tide me over until then.
I was disappointed that most of these stories have actually appeared in other collections, so I only had about half a dozen new ones to read (which did not justify the inconvenience of reading such a gigantic book). "The Winds of Marble Arch" was my favorite new one; the others were unmemorable.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a bit of a race to finish this 700-page library book by the library due date. Being a collection of short stories didn't help as there were so many convenient stopping places!
This large collection was classic Willis and really showed off her breadth of both style and subjects. Some of the darker stories were my least favorite but I think that is mainly because, for me, Willis is usually a "comfort read."
I'm going to have to keep an eye out for a us...more
This large collection was classic Willis and really showed off her breadth of both style and subjects. Some of the darker stories were my least favorite but I think that is mainly because, for me, Willis is usually a "comfort read."
I'm going to have to keep an eye out for a us...more
ok, I've been living under a rock. I just learned of ms willis earlier this year. I promptly added some of her books to my library TBR list.
MK - after reading your 2 reviews, I bumped her up on my list and got this one from the library. I've only read 3 stories, but she is so what I am in the mood for!!!
as with any short story collection, there are hits and misses. but I do like her style of writing!
MK - after reading your 2 reviews, I bumped her up on my list and got this one from the library. I've only read 3 stories, but she is so what I am in the mood for!!!
as with any short story collection, there are hits and misses. but I do like her style of writing!
I love Connie Willis, but her rapid-fire dialog and interweaving plots start to feel a little tiring after the fifth or sixth short story in a row. This is definitely not a book to read all in one week.
This was a HUGE book of short stories and novellas. They were in the Connie Willis style of missed opportunities and close calls. Confusion and miscommunication. But they weren't as frustrating (or as good!) as her novels. They all had an element of sf but not over the top. You felt like they could happen to you.
Well up to the usual Connie Willis standard, which is very high! Besides the stories themselves, I enjoyed her introduction very much, in which she talks about her favorite things....
An absolute TOME, but worth reading every story, many of which are award-winning. Sci Fi for people who think they don't like it (and, of course, for those who think they do!).
If you've read Willis's other short story collections, you've probably read most of this one--I didn't realize that when I got the book so that is why I'm giving it 3 stars. The stories themselves are mostly great, particularly the Blue Moon one which I had not read before. And I did notice a recurring theme throughout the book of how the English language is continually being degraded (this is one of the primary themes in the Blue Moon story).
Love Connie Willis. The title story in this collection left something to be desired, but the stories just got better from there. Definitely worth picking up.
I've been trying to get hold of this one for ages so was delighted to find it on audible. It's a long short story. Disappointing though. Atmospheric but repetitive.
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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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“The entire range of human experience is present in a church choir, including, but not restricted to jealousy, revenge, horror, pride, incompetence (the tenors have never been on the right note in the entire history of church choirs, and the basses have never been on the right page), wrath, lust and existential despair.”
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