Helpful Score: 2
An excellent collection of Willis short fiction, this book gathers together 11 of Willis short stories, all previously published, however.
"The Last of the Winnebagos" Willis intro says that she has been criticized for this story by people who find it too sentimental. However, it also won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, so not everyone agreed with that criticism! The book gives us a future scenario that is similar to that of Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 in some ways - the highways are super-fast, walled off from the scenery around them. A photojournalist on his way to an assignment to document a minor tourist attraction, an old couple who claim to be driving the very last Winnebago motor home around the country, sees a jackal run over in the road. This causes him to remember his dog, one of the last of the species, which was wiped out by a deadly virus but his dog was killed in a car accident. In a case of too much, too late, the Secret-Service-type humane society investigates, putting both the journalist and the woman who accidentally ran over his dog years before under dire suspicion. Willis does a superb job here talking about the various kinds of extinction, different kinds of rights and freedoms, and the priorities and values that people assign, and why. Excellent story.
"Even the Queen" A humorous story, which pokes a bit of fun at extremist feminism. The women of a family are up in arms because their teenage girl wants to join The Cyclists. What could this group espouse that has them so horrified?
"Schwarzchild Radius" Set in the trenches of WWI, soldiers are beset by deprivation, cold, violence and illness. In this situation, how did a brilliant physicist come up with theories regarding black holes that are respected years after his death?
"Ado" -- A comedic piece dealing with political correctness, which talks about what you have left if you try to eliminate everything that might possibly offend someone. (Answer: not much.) Not the most brilliantly earth-shattering concept, but done well.
"Spice Pogrom" This sci-fi tale shows Willis obsession with classic Hollywood, which I didnt go for too much in her novel Remake. However, I did really like this story of an alien ambassor visiting Earths space station. Quarters are tight, and a NASA rep asks his girlfriend to put up one of the alien visitors in her apartment. Mr. Okeefenokee has a disconcerting love of shopping sprees and strip shows, and his comprehension of English is questionable. Mobbed by unwanted roommates, two particularly awful aspiring starlets, an unsympathetic landlord, etc, the tension grows to an almost unbelievable point... (and Willis conveys this amazingly effectively it was stressful just to read!) But things wind up in a really cute and romantic way
"Winter's Tale" I agree with Willis introduction here she says that, in general, she finds conspiracy theories about Shakespeares real identity annoying. However, this story, which speculates on who the Bard might have been, was really amazingly good and almost believable! I cried.
"Chance" An aging housewife moves back to the town where she went to college, at the urging of her self-centered husband, who only cares about the job he has waiting there. She reminisces about the choices she made in college, and reflects on how a decision doesnt necessarily have to be evil to ruin your entire life, and that of those around you.
"In the Late Cretaceous" Here, Willis wit. Again, skewers the academic milieu, when the latest disaster striking campus is the Dean bringing in an unqualified consultant to do observification and restructurification of the Paleontology department. Very funny, probably more so if youre a professor.
"Time Out" Some similar themes here as to Chance, but a much less hopeless take on them. Here, the housewife does get her second chance, and things work out in the end. Also brings in the academic setting, as a researcher is reluctantly recruited to work on a seemingly ridiculous experiment involving time travel.
"Jack" Set during the Blitz of WWII, when normal British citizens organized to put out fires and rescue victims of bombings on a nightly basis. One team gets a new member who seems to have an almost preternatural sense for discovering where people might be trapped under rubble, and rescuing them. But one man suspects menace is it just paranoia caused by war and stress.. or is there something more to his suspicions?
"At the Rialto" Here, Willis applies ideas of quantum physics to researchers attending a conference in Hollywood. The weakest story in the lot, I found it somewhat annoying. Oh well, cant win em all!
"The Last of the Winnebagos" Willis intro says that she has been criticized for this story by people who find it too sentimental. However, it also won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, so not everyone agreed with that criticism! The book gives us a future scenario that is similar to that of Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 in some ways - the highways are super-fast, walled off from the scenery around them. A photojournalist on his way to an assignment to document a minor tourist attraction, an old couple who claim to be driving the very last Winnebago motor home around the country, sees a jackal run over in the road. This causes him to remember his dog, one of the last of the species, which was wiped out by a deadly virus but his dog was killed in a car accident. In a case of too much, too late, the Secret-Service-type humane society investigates, putting both the journalist and the woman who accidentally ran over his dog years before under dire suspicion. Willis does a superb job here talking about the various kinds of extinction, different kinds of rights and freedoms, and the priorities and values that people assign, and why. Excellent story.
"Even the Queen" A humorous story, which pokes a bit of fun at extremist feminism. The women of a family are up in arms because their teenage girl wants to join The Cyclists. What could this group espouse that has them so horrified?
"Schwarzchild Radius" Set in the trenches of WWI, soldiers are beset by deprivation, cold, violence and illness. In this situation, how did a brilliant physicist come up with theories regarding black holes that are respected years after his death?
"Ado" -- A comedic piece dealing with political correctness, which talks about what you have left if you try to eliminate everything that might possibly offend someone. (Answer: not much.) Not the most brilliantly earth-shattering concept, but done well.
"Spice Pogrom" This sci-fi tale shows Willis obsession with classic Hollywood, which I didnt go for too much in her novel Remake. However, I did really like this story of an alien ambassor visiting Earths space station. Quarters are tight, and a NASA rep asks his girlfriend to put up one of the alien visitors in her apartment. Mr. Okeefenokee has a disconcerting love of shopping sprees and strip shows, and his comprehension of English is questionable. Mobbed by unwanted roommates, two particularly awful aspiring starlets, an unsympathetic landlord, etc, the tension grows to an almost unbelievable point... (and Willis conveys this amazingly effectively it was stressful just to read!) But things wind up in a really cute and romantic way
"Winter's Tale" I agree with Willis introduction here she says that, in general, she finds conspiracy theories about Shakespeares real identity annoying. However, this story, which speculates on who the Bard might have been, was really amazingly good and almost believable! I cried.
"Chance" An aging housewife moves back to the town where she went to college, at the urging of her self-centered husband, who only cares about the job he has waiting there. She reminisces about the choices she made in college, and reflects on how a decision doesnt necessarily have to be evil to ruin your entire life, and that of those around you.
"In the Late Cretaceous" Here, Willis wit. Again, skewers the academic milieu, when the latest disaster striking campus is the Dean bringing in an unqualified consultant to do observification and restructurification of the Paleontology department. Very funny, probably more so if youre a professor.
"Time Out" Some similar themes here as to Chance, but a much less hopeless take on them. Here, the housewife does get her second chance, and things work out in the end. Also brings in the academic setting, as a researcher is reluctantly recruited to work on a seemingly ridiculous experiment involving time travel.
"Jack" Set during the Blitz of WWII, when normal British citizens organized to put out fires and rescue victims of bombings on a nightly basis. One team gets a new member who seems to have an almost preternatural sense for discovering where people might be trapped under rubble, and rescuing them. But one man suspects menace is it just paranoia caused by war and stress.. or is there something more to his suspicions?
"At the Rialto" Here, Willis applies ideas of quantum physics to researchers attending a conference in Hollywood. The weakest story in the lot, I found it somewhat annoying. Oh well, cant win em all!
Helpful Score: 1
Connie Willis provides introductions to her short stories that give a glimpse into the inspirations of a writer. Some of the stories are very well done and some are just very clever.
Short Stories from 1986-1991, including several Hugo and Nebula award winners.
Short story collection, about evenly divided between serous and funny. "Ado" has been one of my favorites since I read it, probably in Asimov's.
Eleven of her finest stories.
This is a great collection of short stories which echo several of her novels. "Jack" has the same London Blitz setting as "To Say Nothing of the Dog" while "At the Rialto" gently pokes fun at scientists and their politics as she did in "Bellwether". A wide variety of settings and plots provides fans with new favorites, and those unfamiliar with Willis' works to get an idea of the depth of her skills. Highly recommended.
