Back in time

I really can't recommend Connie Willis's book The Doomsday Book highly enough. I was aware of it when it came out, but I didn't read it because I don't usually like historical fiction. I finally picked it up when it came out in paperback, and read it only because I had liked other of Willis's books. To my surprise, I absolutely loved it.

So when I was looking for an audio book to listen to in the car a few weeks ago and ran across the audio version in the library, I snatched it up, and I've been listening raptly on my commute to and from work since. I'm on the last cassette and will probably finish the book on my drive home tonight. If I don't, I'll probably end up sitting in the driveway until it ends.

The premise is this. The book is set at Oxford in the near future, something like 2050, at Christmas. Kivrin, a historian, is sent back in time to 1320. There are suspicions about problems with the "drop" (mostly by Mr. Dunworthy, Kivrin's advisor), but before anything can be done about it, an influenza epidemic hits modern day England, and everyone starts falling ill. The ones, that is, who aren't out of the country on Christmas vacation.

It isn't long before they realize that the suspicions are coming true -- Kivrin isn't in 1320 at all, but in 1348, when the black plague arrives in England. Mr. Dunworthy is frantic to try to figure out a way to save her, but with the epidemic, he is thwarted at every turn. One of my favorite characters is Colin, a 12-year-old boy who ends up inside the epidemic perimeter and becomes an errand runner, and eventually a friend of, and co-conspirator with, Dunworthy.

Willis's books are always witty and humorous; even this one, with its terrible darkness and tragedy, is lightened by having the scenes alternate between the 1600's and present day. There is tragedy in the present day scenes, too, though, and I had forgotten enough of the book in the ten years or so since I've read it that I've been surprised several times, and I'm waiting breathlessly to find out what happens at the end.

It's just a wonderful book, and I'll be sorry to have it end, although the last few chapters have been wrenching. There's a long excerpt here at Amazon.com.

The book I'm listening to on my iPod is a little lighter fare -- The Stupidest Angel, by Christopher Moore, who also wrote Bloodsucking Fiends and Practical Demonkeeping, among others.

I love books set at Christmastime, the weirder the better, frankly, and this one certainly fits the bill. A little less weird, but still delightful and a bit surreal, is another of Connie Willis's books, Miracle and Other Christmas Stories. This is a wonderful collection of Christmas-themed science fiction/fantasy short stories, although the science fiction theme is very loose--they're pretty mainstream, I would say.

In honor of Willis, and Christmas, and weird fiction, I thought I'd give away a copy of Miracle. I was looking for something in my bookcase the other day, and discovered that I have two copies of it. Willis's introduction to the book is here, again at Amazon.

So in order to win it, send me an email with the subject "Miracle" before Thanksgiving (November 25), and I'll randomly select one winner. Don't worry about giving me a mailing address in the email, I'll contact whoever wins to get an address at that time.

I forgot to watch Branson's Quest for the Best last night. I never watch reality shows, but this time I really meant to, because one of the cast members, Jermaine Jamison, is a friend of Dan's, one of the guys I work with, and we did his website. Hopefully I'll remember to watch it next week.