The Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

Connie Willis - a winner of Hugo and Nebula awards may be known to you already but this was my introduction to her work.It was recommended to me by Bakka Bookstore in Toronto and I was a bit reluctant at first but after a few pages was hooked.

Willis is reputed to have spent 5 years writing this novel and she has certainly produced a "tour de force".
Her world is the near future of 2054 where time-travel is possible. It appears to be the preserve of historians who use it to travel back in time for their field studies.Great care has to be taken to adequately prepare those travelling back to prevent even a minor time-paradox occuring and so these trips are not to be taken lightly.

It is surprising then that a young Oxford history student, Kivrin, is chosen to go back to 14th century medieval England where she is supposed to be studying the times immediately preceding the Black Death.

Due to the incompetence of the historians managing the time-transfer she ends up , not in 1320 , but in 1348 , slap bang in the middle of the plague times , just as it is reaching Oxford.

She is fortunate to have received all the inoculations needed to protect her against the ravages of the disease unlike the poor unfortunate locals she encounters.I really empathisized with these characters in their suffering,superstition and ignorance of the disease.Whilst people dropped around them like flies they had hope off salvation through their religion.

One of the strongest characters that Willis introduces us to is Father Roche,the local priest that Kivrin comes to know well.

Complicating matters is the fact that the Oxford of her home time is hit by a flu epidemic an quarantined.The historians involved must try to establish a rendezvous with Kivrin in order to retrieve her,otherwise she will be marooned in the past.

I found the best scenes to be those set in the past and very convincing whilst the weakest ones were those set in the future Oxford.It really difficult to write about a country that isn`t you own and these scenes are weakly developed.

It would be nit-picking of me to complain too much for all in all this is a brilliant read whether you enjoy S.F.,Time Travel or simply historical novels.

I have read several more of her novel since and none have had the impact that "Doomsday Book " have had - it will remain imprinted on my mind for a long ,long time to come.

Harrowing,gripping.Read it !Comment upon it!Let me know your views.