Doomsday Book

By: Connie Willis

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the most respected and awarded of all contemporary science-fiction writers, Connie Willis repeatedly amazes her many admiring fans with her ability to create vivid characters in unusual situations. With Doomsday Book, she takes listeners on a thrilling trip through time to discover the things that make us most human.

For Oxford student Kivrin, traveling back to the 14th century is more than the culmination of her studies - it's the chance for a wonderful adventure. For Dunworthy, her mentor, it is cause for intense worry about the thousands of things that could go wrong. When an accident leaves Kivrin trapped in one of the deadliest eras in human history, the two find themselves in equally gripping - and oddly connected - struggles to survive.

Deftly juggling stories from the 14th and 21st centuries, Willis provides thrilling action - as well as an insightful examination of the things that connect human beings to each other.

©1992 Connie Willis (P)2000 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1993
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1992

"Ms. Willis displays impressive control of her material; virtually every detail introduced in the early chapters is made to pay off as the separate threads of the story are brought together." (The New York Times Book Review)
"A stunning novel that encompasses both suffering and hope....The best work yet from one of science fiction's best writers." (The Denver Post)

Good but with a slow pacing

This is a slow book, with a lot of building and some repetition. It’s not bad and serves it’s purpose, but just know that as you go into it. Also, the ending is both fitting in parts, for the historical context, with some aspects of the rather unbelievable magical narrator save aspects as well.

My first audio book!

I wanted something involving time travel and saw this book on a few lists. When I saw 26 hours I was worried it might have been too long but after finishing it I could easily listen to another 26 hours. What a great story, much better than I could have expected. I really felt I knew the characters and it got me hooked emotionally. Highly recommend if you’ve never listened to an audio book and want something involving time travel!

Great read

A great story! When I bought this I had no idea how this tale will play out. I thought it was a straightforward time travel story but then it dealt about medieval history, Black Death, human nature. A rich and engrossing story! Will definitely read more of the author’s work!

A true scifi masterpiece

No one combines memorable characters, thrilling story, laugh-out-loud comedy, and soulful tragedy like Connie Willis. I listened to this book again during the (real) Covid pandemic, and nothing can be simultaneously both devastating and uplifting like this book.

Apocalyptic!

Students of medieval history are in for a feast. heart wrenching and heart warming. despite the slow beginning, this book is a must . and yes the black death was truly necrotic.

you feel like you're in the plague year

great read. love it. well written and strong mix of history and sci fi. if Yu love both you'll love this audio book.

A heartwarming Christmas story

My favorite Christmas story, I read it every December to get me in the mood for Holiday travels.

Nothing to See at this Pandemic

The book is about an epidemic in the near future, where time travel is ordinary (and apparently under the control of university history departments) and a translator implant enables you to speak any language. It is also about a pandemic in Medieval England. The sections set in a Medieval village are credible and interesting but the "modern" setting is ridiculous. A modicum of research done in the 1990s about the future of technology, communication and healthcare would have resulted in a much more sophisticated view of that future world. Calling a watch a 'digital' does not make this science fiction. Even in 1990, one trip to an ICU or a discussion with an infectious disease specialist, or anyone in computer science would have been enough for an ordinary person to see the outline of the future. It is irritating and distracting to have bell ringers, a random parent, a horney college student and a scrappy adolescent running around in a 1950ish healthcare setting. What is the purpose of any these characters in this antiquated university setting where people refer to each other as Mr. or Mrs. Someone? The main character is a wide-eyed student shocked by most of what she finds in Medieval times, which makes me think she didn't do her homework. This book is numbingly repetitious and I will scream if I ever hear the word 'cutthroat' again. The narrator was the best thing about this overly long and tedious tale. For a real look at a hospital during an emergency try Five Days at Memorial; for a likely future try The Expanse. Medieval writing is not very accessible but the Pulitzer Prize winner, A Midwife's Tale ( 1785-1812) brilliantly addresses the lives of women in a pre-industrial society .

Read this again after 20 years - still holds up!

Starts slow but really builds to a moving climax. Succeeds in making the reader feel attached to the various minor characters… who will be picked off by the Black Death.

fantastic writing

Connie Wilson paints rich and addictive portraits of people, places, times, human foibles, with wonderfully rendered parallel stories imparting insights and wisdom. She's also funny as hell.
Narration was strong although it was hilarious to hear this Brit try to take on American accents.