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Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)

Connie Willis

Start date: July 1, 2020

Finish date: July 31, 2020

Discussion: Buddy Reads - Completist

Why we're reading this: Completist Buddy Read - July 2020
[close] Completist Buddy Read - July 2020

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Buddy Reads - Completist

Doomsday Book - Completist Buddy Read - July 2020
By Matthew , Assistant List Master · 35 posts · 30 views

last updated Jan 05, 2021 07:23AM

The Joy Luck Club - Completist Buddy Read - July 2020
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last updated Jul 14, 2020 10:27AM

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What Members Thought

Dec 06, 2020 Matthew rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020, own, completist-book-club, sci-fi, buddy-read, historical-fiction

2.5 to 3 Stars

This book took me about half a year to finish. I started it in the middle of a book slump caused by anxiety early on in the COVID-19 pandemic. In hindsight, maybe this wasn't the best book content-wise to get over pandemic caused anxiety!

A few thoughts . . .

Why did this take me so long to read?: I started this as part of a buddy read. I believe my fellow readers finished it months ago. I tried to get myself to read at least a chapter a day, but something about the book made it feel ...more

67 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2018 Phil J rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I just read 578 pages of people talking about disease symptoms, and I'm cranky. I thought this book was going to be a sci fi masterpiece about time travel, but it was really mostly descriptions of diseases and how to prevent the spread of diseases.

The plot of the book was predictable, sometimes painfully so. When the reader figures things out faster than the characters, it makes the characters look stupid. Kivrin was especially frustrating. She should not have been confused about the identity of ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2014 Valerie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, z-2014sffchallenge, sf-f-bookclub

This is one of those books that I could not help but wonder how it had escaped my notice for so long. From the very beginning, I was pulled into the plot(s) and never looked back.

The story is set in a near future Oxford where time travel is not only possible, but seems to be an accepted practice for historians. I must admit, the book is a bit dated by a lack of technical advances and proliferation since publication, but I was able to set those concerns aside to focus on the story at hand. This s This is one of those books that I could not help but wonder how it had escaped my notice for so long. From the very beginning, I was pulled into the plot(s) and never looked back.

The story is set in a near future Oxford where time travel is not only possible, but seems to be an accepted practice for historians. I must admit, the book is a bit dated by a lack of technical advances and proliferation since publication, but I was able to set those concerns aside to focus on the story at hand. This story diverges into two concurrent plot lines that unfold in different time periods.

The first story follows history student Kivrin Engle, who brushes off the advice of her mentor to face the dangers of time travel back to the Middle Ages. The second story follows said mentor, Professor Dunworthy, who faces challenges during the fictional present time and his concerns for Kivrin's safety. Both plot lines hinge on the fact that things have gone wrong during Kivrin's drop as a result of the tech falling seriously ill at that time.

From this point, the book is filled with beautiful chaos. The author does a phenomenal job of depicting similarities in circumstance despite the very different natures of the two time periods. For example, in both time periods there is a certain mass hysteria as people try to place blame when disease arises, tending to assign a cause that in understandable even it it has not merit. In the Middle Ages they blame sin and the devil, whereas in the future they blame several unsupported factors such as travel abroad and time travel itself. In both cases, people act out in zealous protest.

Ms. Willis also presented a very interesting a diverse cast of characters. I love how she played upon different character stereotypes in both worlds, but then balanced them with solid more solid and well rounded characters to surround both Kivrin and Dunworthy.

I won't say that this is the happiest of stories. If you are adverse to a melancholy tale, you should give this a miss. However, think it through carefully because this book is fantastic despite its tragic theme. ...more

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Jul 11, 2020 Eileen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, historical-fiction, 2020, 2020-ng-group-challenge, audiobook, time-travel

Based on the fact that this book had mixed reviews and that my husband hated the book when he read it 20+ years ago, I wasn't sure how I would end up feeling about this book. But I decided to give it a try because of a buddy read and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The book probably could have used some editing because it seemed to bog down at times, but overall, I enjoyed the story once I viewed it more as historical fiction than as science fiction. While the story was e ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 Judy Robertson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is not a book I would have routinely picked up but I’m so glad it was recommended to me. The setting is 2054 and revolves around time travel gone wrong in the 14th century. The events are so well researched that it felt real. It was nerve wracking and tense at times. The details of the era were fascinating and never boring. I enjoyed this read and had no idea where it would take me. It didn’t disappoint. Enjoy the ride.

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Jan 01, 2014 Christine PNW rated it it was amazing

1/2014

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2015 Jess Penhallow rated it liked it

Shelves: uk, sci-fi, 14th-century

Although I really like the concept of time travelling historians and there was some wonderful characterisation in this book it really needed better editing. It was far too long and dragged in numerous places. There were also a lot of typos and small mistakes that took me out of the action. Its a shame because I enjoyed this story and it deserved more care. As this is the first full novel by this author I hope she picked up a good editor for her later books which I still intend to read.

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