Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1) in Around the Year in 52 Books

Mar 01, 2014 John Warner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: time-travel, science-fiction, historical-fiction, medieval-europe

The year is 2054 and time travel is now possible; however, accomplished only under strict temporal laws. Graduate historian student Kivrin Engle, specializing in medieval history, convinces her professor, Dr. James Dunworthy, to send her to a community near Oxford, England in 1320. Dr. Dunworthy is reluctant because no one had yet traveled that far back in time. Kivrin is to spend a couple of weeks in the past and then return to the drop zone where she will be returned to the future. Although so ...more

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Sep 11, 2007 Katie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

Re-read thinking about adding it in as a read-aloud as we study the Middle Ages this year, but forgot just how heartbreakingly sad it is. Might have to wait til the next time through this time period to add it back in. Such a good book despite the fact that it makes me cry! Connie Willis writes some of the most loveable characters ever.

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Jan 02, 2018 Kelley J rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, historical-fiction

I have to admit that I read "To Say Nothing of the Dog," "Blackout," and "All Clear" before I read "Doomsday Book" so I was already familiar with Willis' frustrating style of writing and character conflict development but had skipped the book that essentially introduced us to how time travel exists in this future, as well several characters who appear all throughout the series at various levels of importance.

I honestly went back and forth over whether or not to rate this book a 3 or a 4 and ult I have to admit that I read "To Say Nothing of the Dog," "Blackout," and "All Clear" before I read "Doomsday Book" so I was already familiar with Willis' frustrating style of writing and character conflict development but had skipped the book that essentially introduced us to how time travel exists in this future, as well several characters who appear all throughout the series at various levels of importance.

I honestly went back and forth over whether or not to rate this book a 3 or a 4 and ultimately settled on the higher end because by the time it was over, I was in love with the characters and the setting and the concept, even if the execution was clunky. I could see this book hooking me in even if I hadn't already read the next in the series which is enough for me since I tend to rate more with head heart than I do with my head.

That being said, there are a couple of things about this book that could frustrate readers. Others have pointed out the issue of having time travel but not cell phones. I can overlook this because I know the book was written in the early 90's and while it was indeed an oversight for a science fiction writer (the technology was new and novel at the time but it did exist and if 60's Star Trek could figure out portable communication, 90's time travel could do the same) the shtick of constantly missing calls and not being able to get in touch with the appropriate people for me was somewhat humorous (in the next novel at least) so I looked past it. It did, however, get old after a while. There are times when I began to believe certain characters existed only to be hard to reach just so there would be unnecessary conflict. And this is probably my main issue with the book and with Willis' writing in general. This is her main go-to whenever she needs something to get in her characters' way of accomplishing her goal. She's not good at branching off into other possible avenues of roadblocks so resorts to "I need to reach so-and-so and get their permission" only to spend 100 pages chasing so-and-so down. But then a major even happens, like a character death, that we don't even get to see and gets explained away in one simple sentence. This to me just isn't fair to the characters or to the reader.

But beyond this, Doomsday book does a great job of balancing two simultaneous stories. In Middle Ages, Kivrin has been sent 20 years too late into the future and finds herself at the start of the Black Death in England. Just as she gets to know the people of the village, she has to watch them be overcome with illness and struggle to accept what is happening to them and that there is little she can do to stop it. Meanwhile, in the present day, a new super flu hits and begins to infect the very people who can pull her out of the past. The city is put under quarantine as they try to discover the origins of the flu and how they can treat it. The story goes back and forth between the two times as we witness to parallel events and what the characters must do to survive.

Overall I thought the book was effective and a good kickoff to what is an interesting series. "To Say Nothing of the Dog" will forever and always be my favorite, but this is without a doubt a great introduction to a different take on the standard time travel story. ...more

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Mar 29, 2008 Jana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scifi

This was a really good book! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even more than "To Say Nothing of the Dog"! I like the time travel and the way the two stories paralleled each other throughout the novel. Very well done. ...more

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