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To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel #2)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 12,288 ratings · 1,621 reviews

From Connie Willis, winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, comes a comedic romp through an unpredictable world of mystery, love, and time travel...

Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest.He's been shuttling between the 21st century and the 1940s searching for a Victorian atrocity called the bishop's bird stump.It's part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral...more

Mass Market Paperback, 493 pages

Published December 1st 1998 by Bantam (first published January 1st 1998)

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Nov 20, 2012 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-library, favorites, time-period-fantasy, i-d-marry-this-book-if-i-could

If ever there was a symphony as book (Beethoven's 8th?), it would be this one. Like a symphony, To Say Nothing is a wonderful composite that is almost impossible to deconstruct. In many books, there might be a chapter that stands out, whether due to brilliance or failure; this is largely a harmonious, excellently written whole, with only one or two incongruous passages near the end. Then there's the writing: amazingly developed and interwoven, it takes a number of incongruous themes and juxtapos...more

27 likes · like · see review

May 04, 2013 Clouds - (¿head-in-the?) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-series, locus-sci-fi, hugo, science-fiction, 5-star, reviewed

Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.

On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.

While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became...more

18 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Jon added it

Recommended to Jon by: Lori

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, read-in-my-40s, award-winners, hugo-winner, time-travel, loved-it

3.5 stars.

Due to the acquisition of GoodReads by Amazon on March 28, 2013 and my existing and continuing boycott of all things Amazon, the review I wrote after reading this book has been relocated to my blog and can be found in its entirety by following this link: http://bit.ly/XZlka2

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 ~Geektastic~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gmc-2012, sci-fi, timey-wimey, currently-borrowed, reviewed, 2012

4.5 stars, just to be clear.

Part time travel adventure, part comedy of manners and part mystery, To Say Nothing of the Dog is a little bit of everything I love about books.

To Say Nothing of the Dog takes its name (and much of its sensibility) from the famous novella by Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat, To Say Nothing of the Dog. This choice is not incidental, but neither is it overwhelmingly important to the novel as a whole. The story is told through the eyes of Ned Henry, a time travell...more 4.5 stars, just to be clear.

Part time travel adventure, part comedy of manners and part mystery, To Say Nothing of the Dog is a little bit of everything I love about books.

To Say Nothing of the Dog takes its name (and much of its sensibility) from the famous novella by Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat, To Say Nothing of the Dog. This choice is not incidental, but neither is it overwhelmingly important to the novel as a whole. The story is told through the eyes of Ned Henry, a time travelling historian in the not-too-distant future, as we witness his adventures into the late Victorian past. Poor Ned is overworked and just looking for a bit of a rest. His employer, the excessively demanding and ridiculously overbearing (and appropriately named) Lady Shrapnell, is looking to collect the various “treasures” that once resided in Coventry Cathedral in order to complete a restoration project, including a mysterious object known as “the bishop’s bird stump.” With no concern for the health of her staff or the laws of time, Shrapnell runs her team into the ground, and Ned into an advanced case of time-lag, the mind-muddling result of excessive time travel. Think jet lag but about 100 times worse and 1,000 times more entertaining. Prescribed two weeks of rest to recover but perpetually hounded by Lady Shrapnell, Ned is given the chance to travel back to the late Victorian countryside for a bit of R&R. However, Ned is no expert in the chosen time, so naturally hilarity ensues. Of course, time travel is never so simple as a quick jaunt into the past, so Ned must confront a tangle of time related difficulties while also trying to maneuver through the intricacies of straight-laced Victorian society.

Time travel is a notoriously difficult narrative tool to handle properly. Even the most phenomenally plotted story can collapse under the weight of disbelief a slip in mechanics can create. The key is to focus on the most important “rules” and to try to stick to them assiduously, while simultaneously avoiding the tendency to bog everything down in too much detail. Connie Willis has built a career and reputation on her ability to render time travel with just the right amount of detail and vagary to make her mechanics credible without overshadowing the plot with technical terms and excessive exposition. Granted, I’m making this statement based on this particular book and hearsay, but I stand by it. Willis’ time travel mechanics are simple, while their implications are much more complex. In Dog, the system is gradually revealed, rather than dumped on the reader first thing. This is beneficial in keeping things simple, but at the same time causes an occasional head scratching when an unexplained technical term is used. Everything is clarified in due time, however, so it’s not really any hindrance to the story.

The heart of the story isn’t really the time travelling anyway. Most of the fun comes in the form of the characters Ned meets as he stumbles and blunders his way to a not-very-successful rest. A jaunt down the Thames soon introduces Ned to a myriad of famous Victorian types, including a poetry-spouting undergrad, an eccentric professor and a stiff-upper-lipped butler, to say nothing of the dog. Luckily for Ned, he also meets a fellow time traveler, the brilliant and beautiful Verity, who guides him through the social faux-pas minefield that was Victorian England. Verity is in 1888 on a mission, and when Ned becomes entangled as well, his rest goes right out the window and the trip becomes a mad dash to save all of time while still maintaining a stiff Victorian veneer.

I really loved this book. It’s so difficult not to go on and on about every little fascinating reference to Victorian culture and literature, and every brilliant twist in the time travel narrative, but the enjoyment is in the gradual reveal of detail, so I don’t want to give anything away here. I will say that, while it’s not really necessary, you may enjoy this book even more if you read Three Men in a Boat first. Also, as much as I found to love in this book, I had some difficulty with Ned at first. As a narrator he’s well up to the task, but as a character he could have used a bit more fleshing out. We never really know what he looks like, or much about him at all, other than the fact that he is a historian and not very well versed in Victorian history. Essentially, Ned plays the straight man, observing and reflecting the comedy going on around him, so once this is accepted the story rolls along quite nicely. Now, in the finest tradition of “show, don’t tell,” we do learn that Ned is very capable and intelligent by observing his reactions and puzzle solving abilities, rather than hear him go on about himself, and I think this is what finally won me over in his favor.

If you like time travel, P.G. Wodehouse, Victorian novels or any combination of the three, this would be the book for you.

(Warning: If you have never read Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and plan on doing so, read it before picking this up. It gives the whole twist away. I know I shouldn’t be peeved about spoilers over 100 years old, but I was.)
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Apr 11, 2009 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ron by: Jon Moss

Shelves: science-fiction

Fantastic story; exquisitely told. The story engaged me from the first chapter. Many books--even good ones--take about fifty pages before they grip me.

Humor and romance help--not hurt--a story, but if the science fiction doesn't work, chances are the whole story falls apart. Willis' works, even though she tells us little about its mechanism. That's all right: this isn't that kind of science fiction.

A key to suspending belief willingly, I believe, is to create a setting in which the story unfolds...more

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Jun 04, 2007 thefourthvine rated it 5 of 5 stars

First, know that I am deeply biased when it comes to this book: it's got time travel, which I love with a love that is more than love, and it's got Cyril, who I love with a love that makes my time travel love look like a Tuesday afternoon romance. Plus, it's inspired by - and references, oh my god, REFERENCES! - one of my favorite books, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat.

So, you know, I won't even attempt a qualitative review. I'll just say that this is fun, and funny, and it hits my narra...more

21 likes · like · see review

Apr 01, 2011 Corinna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Corinna by: Phil

Many people know that Three Men in a Boat: to Say Nothing of the Dog! is probably my favorite book. What many people don't necessarily know is that I first read it because I bought a very old copy of it at a book sale, and the reason I bought it was because I had read Have Space Suit-Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein, (to whom To Say Nothing of the Dogis dedicated) in which the main character, Kip, interrupts his father as he is reading HIS favorite book, Three Men in a Boat, in which, he claims...more

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Dec 12, 2008 Lori (Hellian) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ah, I was so bummed when this book was over, I would have gladly stayed with these characters for at least a month for, that's how delightful they were. Even when Willis writes about the more annoying characters, it's such with such bonhomie they become like irritating family members that you hope will leave soon but they are still family so you're stuck with them, and after they leave you can have a good laugh and roll your eyes at their antics. And I miss Cyril and Princess Amahajumed the most...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Veeral rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, time-travel, funny, favorites-of-2013

As you might have guessed from the name of this book, it was written as an homage to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome and thankfully, it is as funny.

But the thing that impressed me most was the amount of restraint shown by Connie Willis. Here you are, writing a time travel story, and you have all the options open to you. Kill Hitler! Kill Anakin Skywalker! But nope! Willis does it her own way and she has a different and a more interesting story to tell. Although the book does not dwell m...more

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May 12, 2009 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Colleen by: Goodreads Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Group

Shelves: humor, sci-fi, historical-fiction

2 1/2

I picked up this book because it was the read of the month for the Sci-fi/Fantasy group here on goodreads. Time travel tends to hurt my head, and this was no exception, but that's not what dragged it down.

Honestly, I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't like it - but I'll try.

To start with, I felt like it took a long while for the book to actually start. I guess there was too much set-up, or it was belabored too much. I didn't feel like it really got going until well into 200+ pages.

An...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2008 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, read-in-2008, to-be-read-challenge, obscure-references-book-group

Not exactly a sequel to "Doomsday Book" but a novel set in the same universe with the appearance of several minor characters from the original. Ned is suffering from time lag, a condition brought about by making too many jumps to the past to try and find the bishop's bird stump. In the future, a rich benefactor is restoring the Covington Cathedral at great expense and wants every detail perfect. She has promised the University funding if she can utilize their time travel technology to make sure...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 02, 2008 Hannah Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Hannah Grace by: John

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is my absolute favorite book. A perfect blend of sci-fi, historical fiction, mystery, comedy, mistaken identity and romance; this book has it all.

Its the not-too-distant future, but time-travel has been around for awhile. Oxford historian Ned Henry is trying desperately to find a hideous Victorian object, the Bishop's Bird Stump, shuttling back and forth between World War Two and the Victorian Era. Meanwhile, another historian, Verity Kindle, accidentally brings something back from the pas...more

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2009 Laurele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2009, audible

Jolly good fun! I love all the allusions to my favorite books and poems. I guessed early on who "C" was, but that was probably in the grand design of things. I was very much worried about the extinction of cats and very happy with the ending.

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2008 Lightreads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, historical, derivative-fiction

So, it’s 2057, and a time travel device has been developed. But the corporate sponsors and big researchers gave up the project in disgust when it was discovered that, though people can go back to most times, they can not bring anything forward. History is profitless, and so it is left to the historians. When we begin, the project has been overrun by Lady Schrapnell and her enormous donation to reconstruct the cathedral of Coventry, destroyed in a 1940 German bombing. Ned Henry, a historian, and...more So, it’s 2057, and a time travel device has been developed. But the corporate sponsors and big researchers gave up the project in disgust when it was discovered that, though people can go back to most times, they can not bring anything forward. History is profitless, and so it is left to the historians. When we begin, the project has been overrun by Lady Schrapnell and her enormous donation to reconstruct the cathedral of Coventry, destroyed in a 1940 German bombing. Ned Henry, a historian, and his associates are being run ragged as she sends them back and forth through time to collect details and make measurements so the re-creation will be exact. Ned has made so many time jumps in trying to track down a particularly ugly bit of ornamentation that he is time lagged, a condition which leaves the sufferer confused, slow, and with difficulty distinguishing sounds. Ned is put on medical rest, but he is ensnared in the outward spreading consequences stemming from the actions of a historian stationed in 1888, who has brought a cat forward and may just have destroyed the universe. Ned is sent back to 1888 to keep him away from Lady Schrapnell, and on an urgent mission . . . which in his time lagged state he cannot remember.

The brilliant thing about this book is that it’s a science fiction story written as a Victorian comedy of manners. No, really – in the background there are time incongruities and something is wrong with the cathedral in 1940 and something is much worse in 2018 at the beginning of the time travel project. But the story plays itself out with cats and croquet and butlers and smelling salts and jumble sales and Victorian romances. This book is a tapestry of homages, most notably to Three Men in a Boat and various mystery authors like Christie and Sayers. Willis plays the style to a fault sometimes – Ned appears not to have any personal history before the beginning of the book, the protagonists spend a great deal of time running around missing the completely freaking obvious, and the whole thing goes on about 50 pages too long. I can’t decide whether it is worse that an author consciously make these choices in pursuit of a greater stylistic ambition, or unconsciously stumble into them. But that’s all part of the package, and it also has more than its share of the giddy charm of the style and characters, to say nothing of the adorable dog.

But really, it’s a science fiction story written as a Victorian comedy, and how freaking cool is that? The journey is rather nonlinear and rambling, and the conclusion satisfying for what it says about the nature of history (though much less so for what it says about the role of individual people). The concept is brilliant, strange, and occasionally hilarious, and that alone is more than worth the price of admission. Good stuff.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this - I fell in love with the characters, the writing style, the settings (all of them, even 1395), and actually slowed down reading toward the end because I didn't want it to end. The ending was kind of lovey-dovey, but not in a cheesy way. I haven't read a book with so much sarcasm in awhile, SO GREAT!

I feel like Connie Willis just made it to my favorite authors list.

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2011 Kaethe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cats, fiction, humor, romance, time-travel, scifi, beloved, retellings

1998 Dec 21
1999 June 7
2004 Apr 09
1999 May 15

I read it again, and I loved it. this is definitely a comfort read for me. Ah, the madcap chaos of it all. The naughty cat, the charming Cyril, the annoying people. Total love.

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Algernon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

A most entertaining adventure where Oxford dons get to meddle with time travel and a chance for the author to exercise her wit and to pay homage to great British authors. Everything is thrown into the pot - from ancient Greek battles to the decisions that sealed the fate of Napoleon at Waterloo, from Shakespeare to Tennyson, G K Chesterton to P G Wodehouse, Victorian morals and artistic expressions, boating on the Thames or the raid that destroyed the Coventry Cathedral in World War II, Lord Pet...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Our Intrepid Heroine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys a good tale

Shelves: 2010, books-about-books, clever-ladies, sci-fi-and-speculative, mystery, reviewed, rereads, 2011, simply-delightful, time-travel

I finished this book about five minutes ago. I've been practically unable to put it down since I picked it up yesterday morning (screw all your practical reasons for not reading like work, socializing, food... I mean, who really needs to sleep, anyway?).

Basic premise: In the year 2057, a domineering aristocrat has financed the reconstruction of Coventry Cathedral to its prior glory (it was decimated in a Nazi blitz in 1940). To make the cathedral historically accurate, she's shanghaied every his...more I finished this book about five minutes ago. I've been practically unable to put it down since I picked it up yesterday morning (screw all your practical reasons for not reading like work, socializing, food... I mean, who really needs to sleep, anyway?).

Basic premise: In the year 2057, a domineering aristocrat has financed the reconstruction of Coventry Cathedral to its prior glory (it was decimated in a Nazi blitz in 1940). To make the cathedral historically accurate, she's shanghaied every historian in the UK to search out the artifacts. As historians, each is prepped in his or her scholarly field, then sent through time to observe history in the making. Unfortunately, the safeguards fail and a historian accidentally brings something back from the Victorian era, potentially altering the space-time continuum and putting the threads of reality dangerously close to paradox.

Enter Ned, a time-lapse sufferer, who, under Lady Shrapnell's insistence, has made far too many time jumps in too short a timeframe and come close to a nervous collapse. He disappears into the Victorian era to hide from the shrill matron and try to set right the fabric of time. On the way, he meets an affectionate bulldog, a bumbling Oxford don, a proprietary pussycat, and prevents a Classics major from meeting his One True Love. The historians try to fix time and find the lost artifact (the bishop's bird stump) before the universe implodes.

That, and there's a lot of adjustment to Spiritualism, Victorian manners, and jokes about Jeeves, Lord Peter Whimsey, discussion on the nature of a good mystery (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayrs, Wilkie Collins, et. al), and a few church bazaars with the dreaded jumble sales.

The writing is phenomenal. I can't believe I hadn't read Connie Willis before now! This book had me laughing aloud and wishing there was more so that I wouldn't be done yet. I'm definitely reading some of her other stuff. I figured out the twists partway through, but that's mainly because I've read a lot of mysteries. It didn't hamper my enjoyment at all. In fact, I liked knowing more than the heroes (though, to be fair, I am not time-lagged and hallucinating. I am merely an insomniac). To say nothing of the cats (or the dog, who was quite lovable) and the time-traveling historians. TIME TRAVELING HISTORIANS.

So yeah. This is a great book. Go read it.(less)

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Dec 30, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Mike by: A very good real life and goodreads friend

Shelves: time-travel, speculative-fiction, the-blitz, hugo-award-winner, locus-winner, nebula-nominee

TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, or How I stopped worrying about the space-time continuum and learned to love discontinuity

This review about a novel concerning time travel is a bit of an exercise in time travel, itself. I had gone to add a book to my to-read shelf and there sat To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis as big as life. Now that can't be right, I thought. I read this in 2010. I loved this book. I'm sure I even reviewed it. I thought. Therefore, there are no read dates I can assign to t...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, female-authors, time-travel, british, near-future, made-me-laugh, mystery, steampunk, alternate-history, 2010-best-reads

Part of my March 2010 Hugo Award winner bonanza.
________________

Wow that was really a fun mash-up of historical fiction, time travel and humor! All lovers of time travel and its implications should give this a go. Certainly if you enjoy the zany humor of Douglas Adams, you should give this a go. I might even suggest that if you're a fan of Victorian England and its foibles, you should give this a go. And most certainly, definitely if you know what a penwiper is, you have no choice but to read th...more Part of my March 2010 Hugo Award winner bonanza.
________________

Wow that was really a fun mash-up of historical fiction, time travel and humor! All lovers of time travel and its implications should give this a go. Certainly if you enjoy the zany humor of Douglas Adams, you should give this a go. I might even suggest that if you're a fan of Victorian England and its foibles, you should give this a go. And most certainly, definitely if you know what a penwiper is, you have no choice but to read this book.
________________

June 26, 2010:

I saw two interesting reviews about TSNOTD.

The first is the ever insightful Jo Walton at Tor.com:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/06/acad...
"To Say Nothing of the Dog takes place in Willis’ “Firewatch” universe, along with her earlier Doomsday Book and more recent Blackout (and much anticipated All Clear). In this universe, there’s time travel but it’s for academic research purposes only. It’s useful to historians who want to know what really happened, and experience the past, but otherwise useless because time protects itself and you can’t bring anything through the “net” that will have any effect. The thought of time tourists hasn’t occurred in this universe, or rather it has been firmly squelched—and just as well, considering the problems historians manage to create all on their own. Despite having time travel and time travel’s ability to give you more time, Willis’s historians seem to be like my family and live in a perpetual whirlwind of ongoing crisis where there’s never enough time for proper preparation."

The second is Suvudu's 25 Years of (Bantam) Spectra series, which has a short intro from Willis herself:
http://www.suvudu.com/2010/06/25-year...
"I’d also always wanted to write a Victorian novel. You know the sort, crammed with eccentric characters and an incredibly convoluted plot full of butlers and afternoon tea and ruffles and séances and Oxford dons and falling in the Thames. To say nothing of the dog. And time travel.
"
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Jun 27, 2009 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Richard by: SciFi & Fantasy Group 2009-05 SciFi Selection

Shelves: scifi, bookclub, silly, detective-and-mystery, scifi-fantasy, scifi-time-travel

This was the Sci-Fi selection for the Goodreads SciFi and Fantasy Book Club for the month of May 2009. Visit this link to see all of the discussions, group member reviews, etc.

I am not a fan of sustained silliness. Actually, I'm not a fan of silliness at all unless it has an undertone of something clever, such as satire or irony. Monty Python and Wallace and Grommit are usually — although not always — easily tolerated, while Bean and Benny Hill are execrable.

Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: victorian, time-travel

Well, I finally found out what a penwiper is.

She started to write and then stopped and frowned at the pen. She pulled an orange dahlia penwiper out of her pocket.
"What are you doing?" I said.
"Wiping my pen," she said. She stuck the pen into the dahlia and wiped it off between the layers of cloth.
"It's a penwiper," I said. "A pen wiper! It's used to wipe pens!"

So obvious, in hindsight, and possible in foresight as well, but that's penwipers for you.
That's Willis for you, as well, because her fo...more Well, I finally found out what a penwiper is.

She started to write and then stopped and frowned at the pen. She pulled an orange dahlia penwiper out of her pocket.
"What are you doing?" I said.
"Wiping my pen," she said. She stuck the pen into the dahlia and wiped it off between the layers of cloth.
"It's a penwiper," I said. "A pen wiper! It's used to wipe pens!"

So obvious, in hindsight, and possible in foresight as well, but that's penwipers for you.
That's Willis for you, as well, because her foreshadowing is second to none. Chekhov said that, "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off," and this is a principle to which Willis clings. She scatters her rifles throughout the book, some glaring and some subtle, and anyone who has read a mystery or a comedy of manners must know the end result -- and yet, Willis makes the journey so absurdly delightful that it doesn't matter that you know what's going to happen.
The characters were great, the literary allusions and prolific quotations made me chuckle, and Cyril is clearly one of the great dogs of literature.
I folded down some corners:

"Did the dearie doggums come to see his Tossie? Did he know his Tossie missed her sweetums Cyril?"
Cyril looked appalled.

Cyril shoved and shoved again, until he had the entire bed and all the covers, and Princess Arjumand draped herself across my neck with her full weight on my Adam's apple. Cyril shoved some more.

(In the preceding quote, replace "Cyril" with "Oscar" and "Princess Arjumand" with "Buster", and you will basically have my nightly sleeping situation.)

Mrs. Chattisbourne said, "Tocelyn has just been telling us about your brush with death, Mr. Henry."
When I almost said "pregnant"? I wondered.

I v. much enjoyed many of the epigraphs as well; one of my favorites was from Wodehouse: "...there is no more admirably educational experience for a young fellow starting out in life than going to stay at a country house under a false name..."
Willis describes the bishop's bird stump as a "cast-iron footed pedestal firugeal urn. Or possibly a fruit compote"; I had to look up "firugeal" and discovered that it's not a word.(less)

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Jan 26, 2010 Jared rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, a-z-authors-2008

This is a great book, although it's so thick with literary and poetic allusions that it made me feel ignorant. O, for a classical education!

The story centers around a time-traveler/historian, whose time traveling research group is being ordered about by a Lady who is obsessed with recreating a cathedral that was bombed in World War II. Of course, too much time travel results in serious side effects, akin to jet lag. The main character is under orders to locate the Bishop's bird stump, a hideous...more

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Feb 20, 2008 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, time-travel, top-shelf

Yes, it's a Connie Willis Time Travel Double Feature! And in this book, we are introduced to the lighter side of time travel - something that was sorely lacking in The Doomsday Book. I mean, it's not that the Black Death didn't have its lighter side, it's just the overall it's not so much fun.

This book is a follow-up to The Doomsday Book. Not a sequel, really, but it's in the same world, and some of the main characters make appearances in this one. But whereas The Doomsday Book was all about how...more Yes, it's a Connie Willis Time Travel Double Feature! And in this book, we are introduced to the lighter side of time travel - something that was sorely lacking in The Doomsday Book. I mean, it's not that the Black Death didn't have its lighter side, it's just the overall it's not so much fun.

This book is a follow-up to The Doomsday Book. Not a sequel, really, but it's in the same world, and some of the main characters make appearances in this one. But whereas The Doomsday Book was all about how your image of a far-away place never really matches the reality of it, this book is more about how what you think you know about what's going on isn't actually what's going on.

To explain: Ned Henry is an historian, working for the implacable Lady Schrapnell who is determined, against all possible odds, to rebuild Coventry Cathedral exactly the way it was when it was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1940. The reason for this goes back to the water-damaged diary of her many-times-great grandmother, who visited the Cathedral in her youth and whose life was changed forever. The credit for this change was given to her sight of an atrocious example of the worst in Victorian art - the Bishop's Bird Stump.

Schrapnell has enlisted every historian at Oxford to help get the new cathedral exactly as it was, regardless of their own personal safety and in complete defiance of everything that is known about time travel and its effects on the human body. And so Ned, who is suffering from severe time lag, is sent to recuperate in the Victorian Era, 1888. He has one simple job to do - return an object that was brought through from the past, something that should not have been possible to do. Once he accomplishes that relatively simple task, he has two weeks to enjoy an idyllic life of leisure among the upper crust of English society.

Of course, it's never that simple. Which is kind of the point of the book.

History is a chaotic and complex thing, one where the ultimate cause of an event can be hard to pin down, and even harder to change. There is no such thing as a non-significant object when it comes to history, and everything is important. Cats and seances and penwipers, fish, maps, croquet, candles and jumble sales - everything affects everything else, and the results of those interactions are sometimes very difficult for us to see. In the course of trying to correct one apparent incongruity, Ned and Verity (another historian, whose beauty pretty much snares Ned from the get-go) discover that they are part of a greater pattern to solve a far greater problem.

It's a great book, and a wonderful read. Very funny, too... Pick it up.(less)

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Feb 10, 2008 Belarius rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People Who Consistently Travel Forward In Time

If you're like me, you hate Jane Austen, not because she's a bad writer but because you want to throttle all of her characters. You could say that Jane Austen wrote smart depictions of an era of profuse ignorance and stupidity. So imagine my delight when author Connie Willis comes to the rescue with To Say Nothing Of The Dog, a razor-sharp time-travel-themed comedy that playfully takes the stupidity to task.

The premise behind the story is a technology that allows operatives to be inserted into t...more If you're like me, you hate Jane Austen, not because she's a bad writer but because you want to throttle all of her characters. You could say that Jane Austen wrote smart depictions of an era of profuse ignorance and stupidity. So imagine my delight when author Connie Willis comes to the rescue with To Say Nothing Of The Dog, a razor-sharp time-travel-themed comedy that playfully takes the stupidity to task.

The premise behind the story is a technology that allows operatives to be inserted into the past at historically unimportant times where they can record historical data without disrupting causality. Attempts to insert into important times or places lead to "slippage" to other times and places, preventing this time machine from substantively changing the past. Protagonist Ned Henry is participating in a private project to rebuild a pre-WWII Coventry Cathedral as precisely as possible, but is unable to track down a specific object called the "Bishop's bird stump" because of the history surrounding Coventry's WWII bombing. Due to his repeated trips to the past, he suffers from a temporary form of disorientation called "time-lag," and ends up being given a vacation in the form of a cake-walk in the rural English countryside, circa 1888. His disoriented behavior subsequently leads to a hilarious comedy of errors.

The brilliance of Willis' satire is that Victorian novels only work because the protagonists are seemingly afflicted with congenital idiocy, and the phenomenon of "time-lag" is a wonderful mechanism for inducing that idiocy in her modern-era heroes where necessary. This, combined with 19th century characters who are clever parodies of famous cliches,and a consistently adept writing style makes To Say Nothing Of The Dog a pleasure to read.

The most difficult task an author has in writing a time travel comedy is to weave the non-linearity of the story into the humor, and Willis does this masterfully as well. Her writing is clever and funny throughout, but she saves the best punchlines for the very end.

All things considered, there's very little I can think of to say that's negative about the book. The Victorian idiocy of the protagonists is a temporary time-lag-induced misfortune instead of a systemic character trait, making their misfortunes and mistakes hilarious accidents rather than contemptible oversights. The story is riddled with twists, intrigues, and surprises.

Also, there is a dog.(less)

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Jan 09, 2012 Janis rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hugo Award 1999

Shelves: sci-fi, favorites, time-travel, hugo-award, recommend-to-joann, read-more-than-once, read-in-2010, recommend-to-lacey, own-on-audible, given-to-susan

2nd after "The Doomsday Book", but a seperate story - do not need to read "The Doomsday Book" first. A lighter read, fun story involving time-travel. One of the few books I try to get all my friends to read because I enjoyed it so much.

Edit - January 31st, 2010 -

I've read this book twice, and now just finished listening to the audio version. I love this story. It has time-travel, Victorian England, London during the Nazi air raid, literary references, historical references, humor, romance, a bi...more

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Aug 12, 2007 Brownbetty rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: not-to-be-parted-from

A marrow is a sort of squash; imagine a zucchini. I mention this because you may otherwise be distracted from the delightful opening of this book. I wouldn't spoil you on the mystery of Mr. Spivens. When you discover it, you will feel delighted at having been deceived. But I'm fairly certain there was not meant to be any mystery about the marrows.

To Say Nothing of the Dog is my favourite novel written by Connie Willis. I love almost everything she writes, so this is not faint praise. The back pi...more A marrow is a sort of squash; imagine a zucchini. I mention this because you may otherwise be distracted from the delightful opening of this book. I wouldn't spoil you on the mystery of Mr. Spivens. When you discover it, you will feel delighted at having been deceived. But I'm fairly certain there was not meant to be any mystery about the marrows.

To Say Nothing of the Dog is my favourite novel written by Connie Willis. I love almost everything she writes, so this is not faint praise. The back piece says it is "at once a mystery novel, a time-travel adventure, and a Shakespearean comedy," which I feel is putting it fairly well. The title warns you that the author is fond of Jerome K. Jerome, and that there will be literary allusions. This is putting it mildly. Each chapter is headed by a quote; from Alfred Lord Tennyson, Jerome K. Jerome, Lewis Carroll, and persons I have not heard of. The first chapter begins:

"It would have been nice to start fresh without those messy old ruins," she said.
"They're a symbol, my dear," said her friend.

Mollie Panter-Downs

CHAPTER ONE
A Search Party -- Wartime Headgear -- The Problem of Nepotism -- Royal Headgear -- The Bishop's Birdstump is Missing -- Jumble Sales -- A Clue to Its Whereabouts -- Astronomical Observations -- Dogs -- A Cat -- Man's Best Friend -- An Abrupt Departure.

I adore this, but if it bothers you, it's easily skipped.

The story is a bit reminiscent of an Elizabeth Peters mystery. The mystery is really more of a clotheshorse to hang the characters on, and unless you are serious about your mysteries, I don't think you will mind. If you are serious about your mysteries, you may mind, because I'm not sure that the author plays fair with the reader: knowing the solution, I don't really believe there was any way to derive it from the evidence presented.

Connie Willis is an author who, in my opinion, just keeps on getting better. This is good news for her readers, and also means that if you pick up some of her earlier work, you may be, as I am, somewhat amused.(less)

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Mar 19, 2007 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People too rational to have survived in Victorian England.

Shelves: my-happy-books, five-stars, elves-witches-vampires-and-the-like, top-25-of-all-time

If you know a lot about Victorian England from literature, this book will be a hundred times funnier. I haven't read Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men In a Boat," to which this book apparently owes a great deal, but it's still plenty hilarious. I cannot overstate the comedy genius of this story about a snarky time traveler forced for research purposes to live in Victorian England, amid seance-crazy mothers, jumble sales, idiot village curates, and swoony young men smitten with nitwit girls. You'll k...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

When two of your friends, both of whom have excellent taste in books, say "you haven't read that?!" it's a good idea to pick up the book in question. So thank you, Sarah and Charlotte, for suggesting this to me, because it's great fun. After all, who doesn't love a novel that references not only Dorothy L. Sayers and various Victorian novels (especially Wilkie Collins), but also The Princess Bride? And, of course, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, which was part of the inspiration for the...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-collection

I’ve just finished reading TSNOTD for the second time and could start all over again right away! This is definitely one of my favourite books ever:) Take time travel and the space-time continuum, add some Victorian screwball comedy, throw in a bit of P.G. Wodehouse here and some Agatha Christie there, cast a cat and a dog as two of the main characters, mix well and you get this one of a kind story only Willis could come up with. Reading doesn't get much better than this!

1 like · like · see review

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Ciencia Ficcion e...: Mejor no mencionar al Libro	21	64	9 hours, 49 min ago
SF Masterworks Group: To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel #2) by Connie Willis	1	4	Apr 26, 2013 08:13am
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Beyond Reality: TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG: finished reading (SPOILERS)	25	55	Jun 27, 2012 03:47pm
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About Connie Willis

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 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 Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).

She lives in Greeley, Colorado with her husband Courtney Willis, a professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. She also has one daughter, Cordelia.

Willis is known for her accessible prose and likable characters. She has written several pieces involving time travel by history students and faculty of the future University of Oxford. These pieces include her Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog and the short story "Fire Watch", found in the short story collection of the same name.

Willis tends to the comedy of manners style of writing. Her protagonists are typically beset by single-minded people pursuing illogical agendas, such as attempting to organize a bell-ringing session in the middle of a deadly epidemic (Doomsday Book), or frustrating efforts to analyze Near-death experiences by putting words in the mouths of interviewees (Passage).

Other themes and stylistic devices include:

a scientist as protagonist (the main theme of Bellwether, but also present in Uncharted Territory, Passage, and—to a lesser degree—the Fire Watch universe stories)
an aversion to rampant political correctness (notably the over-appreciation of indigenous cultures in Uncharted Territory, anti-smoking stances in Bellwether, censorship of "addictive substances" in Remake)
the inclusion of meticulously researched, detailed trivia related tangentially or symbolically to the narrative (fads in Bellwether, mating customs in Uncharted Territory, old movies in Remake, the Titanic disaster in Passage, famous pairs of ill-fated lovers in To Say Nothing of the Dog)
the constant presence of trying to come to terms with grief, loss, and death; this is often attributed to her mother having died while Willis herself was still a child.[citation needed]
Willis is acclaimed as a science-fiction writer, most often exploring the "soft" or social sciences. She weaves technology into her stories only to prompt readers to question what impact it has on the world. For instance, Lincoln's Dreams plumbs not just the psychology of dreams, but also their role as indicators of disease. The story portrays a young man's unrequited love for a young woman who might or might not be experiencing reincarnation or precognition, and whose outlook verges on suicidal. Similarly Bellwether is almost exclusively concerned with human psychology.

Among other themes, Uncharted Territory contemplates the extent to which technology shapes expectations of gender; "technology" here ranges from a land rover and binoculars to Bult's online "chopping" and the pop-up holograms—even socioexozoology. Remake embraces old movies and the computer graphics revolution, as well as intellectual property, digital copyright issues, and the question of public domain.

Other Willis stories explore the so-called "hard" sciences, following in the classic science fiction tradition. "The Sidon in the Mirror" harks back to the interplanetary and interstellar romanticism of the 1930s and 1940s. "Samaritan" is another take on the theme of Heinlein's "Jerry Was a Man", while "Blued Moon" is similarly reminiscent of Heinlein's "Year of the Jackpot".
(less)

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“Cats, as you know, are quite impervious to threats” — 68 people liked it

“The reason Victorian society was so restricted and repressed was that it was impossible to move without knocking something over.” — 19 people liked it

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To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel #2)

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