Science Fiction

Cheryl Morgenstern
ILS 593
Genre Assignment 1

GENRE: Science Fiction

BOOK TITLE: The Doomsday Book

AUTHOR: Connie Willis

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1992, Bantam Books, 592 pages

AWARDS: Hugo and Nebula

SETTING: Oxford University in 2048, and a small village outside of Oxford in 1348.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Kirvin, a graduate student in history at Oxford and Mr. Dunworthy, her tutor, Father Roche, a priest in 1348

OTHER CHARACTERS: Badri, the technician who runs the time travel “net,” Dr. Ahrens, an Oxford University physician, Colin, Dr. Ahrens’ 12 year old nephew, Rosemund and Agnus, two children from 1348 Kirvin cares for during her time there.

PLOT SUMMARY: Kivrin is a dedicated, enthusiastic history student at Oxford in 2048, when students study history by actually going back in time to experience it for themselves. She has studied for years to be the first student to go back to the Middle Ages. Her tutor Mr. Dunworthy, while constantly warning her of the dangers, helps her tirelessly to prepare. She needs extensive knowledge of fourteenth century language and customs to blend in with the “contemps.” Her destination is 1320, but a catastrophic combination of errors sends her to 1348, the start of the Black Plague. The action switches from Kirvin in 1348 facing the Plague to Dunworthy in 2048 trying to rescue Kirvin.

APPEAL: This book is actually a blend of science fiction and historical fiction, and should appeal to many fans of both genres. Though the book is dark in parts, there are humorous observations on human nature as well. Her characters are mostly down-to-earth, fallible, and easy to relate to.

Doomsday Book may not be “hard-core” enough for some science fiction fans; those who enjoy reading extensively about technology might be bothered that Willis does not fully explain how time travel works. And some historical fiction fans may not enjoy the parts that take place in the future. There are some graphic descriptions of the agonies people suffered during the Black Plague.

PACING: Doomsday Book is an engrossing page-turner, but it isn't fast-paced with a lot of action and adventure on every page. Willis focuses more on describing the setting and the characters.

SIMILAR AUTHORS: Jasper Fforde, Robert J Sawyer, Cory Doctorow, Terry Bisson, Jack Finney, Kurt Vonnegut, Kate Wilhelm

REFERENCES:

Moyer, J.A., & Stover, K.M. (2010). The Readers' advisory handbook. Chicago : American Library Association.

Novelist- http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=noh&tg=UI&an=062673&site=novelist-live

Saricks, J.G. (2009). The Readers' advisory guide to genre fiction: 2nd ed.. Chicago: American Library Association.

Willis, C. (1992). Doomsday book. New York: Bantam Books.