Doomsday Book

Title: Doomsday Book
Author: Connie Willis
Pub Date: 1992
Genre: Science Fiction; History
Nutshell: Part 1 of The Oxford Time Travel Series. A college student travels back to the Middle Ages and problems ensue both in the past and the present.

I appear to be on a roll, finally. I was beginning to think I'd forgotten how to read a book through.

This is, as stated, the first in a five-part series by Connie Willis. The present is 2054, and we have discovered time travel. The University of Oxford history department has taken full advantage of the discovery, and uses drops to research events in the past. Undergraduate Kivrin Engle volunteers to travel to 1320 in order to research the Middle Ages, over the loud objections of professor James Dunworthy, who is convinced that a young woman travelling alone in the 14th century will never survive long enough to return to the present. Kivrin manages to go, and lots of things happen after that point, both in 14th century England and in present-day Oxford.

I read this in about two days. I had profound trouble putting it down and going to bed like a normal person. Now, granted. I am a massive history nerd, and my main area of nerdery is Middle Ages England. It also intersects with another of my bizarre interests, which is historical epidemiology. So obviously, I was geared to love this book, and I did. Willis' writing, as usual, is fast-paced, with an engaging plot and well-written characters. As with the last novel of hers I read, To Say Nothing of the Dog, there were a few dead spots and places where I wanted to skip ahead and get back to the story. Some of her characters are stronger than others, and there's always at least one apparently that makes you want to scream, because no one can be that idiotic.

But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the subject matter, the story, the characters... Willis obviously did her research into the Middle Ages, and really did a wonderful job of making the 14th century very real and interesting. She doesn't fall into a very common historical fiction trap of making medieval characters think modern thoughts. Kivrin is an excellent conduit between the two times, and serves as a really interesting counterpoint to the people she encounters in the past. She acts much the same as I might, if you stuck me back there. I think that her story was the more interesting of the plot lines. Some of what happens in the present day is certainly interesting and serves to drive the plot, but some of it is overdone and gets a bit tedious. Maybe that's the point, though. But the 14th century parts were definitely my favorite, and overall had the stronger story and writing and character development.

I would say that fans of sci fi or fans of historical fiction would like this book. It's not limited to one audience at all. It's solidly done on both fronts and worth a read, if you're into the subject matter at all.