You are not alone! I've read and enjoyed Connie Willis, and she was originally recommended to me by a friend.

Some people love her (me!), and some people don't. While I think many people who have been reading SF for a while know of her even if they haven't read any of her books, SF in general is a niche genre and she's kind of niche within that niche. The way she mixes history and SF is what makes me love her books (I love reading historical fiction as well as SF and fantasy).

Thank you! Do you have a favorite of hers?

That's what has been so odd to to me. I know many people who love SF, and are much more read in the genre than me and none of them have heard of her.

I really liked Fire Watch. How about you?

Black Out/ All Clear are my favorites. I'm a suckered for WW2 though. Haven't read Firewatch yet.

I just read her, but in fairness, I only read Blackout because it was on the hugo award winners list and I was going through them. I've never heard of her before doing that, and I couldn't find her book in the bookstore, I had to order it.

Are her other books different from blackout? Loved the idea behind that one but couldn't stand the execution 😬 The "Everything goes absolutely wrong for 300 pages" just dragged on so long for me and I got too frustrated by the end. (I know it's a book that was split into two, so I'm not mad that not much happened)

First of all, please read All Clear (the second half to Blackout). Those two books (I count them as one) are some of my favorite reads of all time. Yes, the first book gets frustrating, but the payoff is more than worth it!

There are two more books in the same universe that are great. 'To Say Nothing Of The Dog' and 'Doomsday Book'. Both deal with time travel, but the first is light hearted and the second is tragic. All of them have a bit of Agatha Christie in them.

Yeah, but most people who like SF are into the more space opera stuff, or the hard-SF exploration, or extremely far-future, or want aliens/robots. She keeps the SF elements minimal, mostly just time travel, so I can see why many wouldn't give her books a try or would find them...not really very SF.

That's fair. It's hard to put her books in to a single category. They are SF, historical fiction, and mystery all at once

I read the entire Oxford Time Travel series earlier this year. That is one of the best series I've ever read. From death and despair, to romantic comedy, Willis is top notch! I'd preorder the next book in the series if I ever hear about one. I also read Bellwether, which was OK.

I read Doomsday when it came out and have been a fan since then.

I loved Bellwether! It was such a remarkably fresh and optimistic notion.

Agreed! Those four books are amazing. I suggest Passage as well as her collection of short stories.

The Doomsday book is one of my faves. And, I've seen her speak at sci-fi conventions over the years, she's very funny.

It was an idea of never heard about, but think of it on a near daily basis now.

Awesome! I will definitely check it out. Would you please give me your brief, teaser description of Passage?

I used to recommend To Say Nothing Of The Dog to everyone. It is brilliant. It is the only novel I've read that stars Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn directed by Billy Wilder. The whole series is amazing, each a different subgenre.

I hadn't thought of her in a while. Thanks.

She has won more awards then anyone. Every novel in the time travel series won a Hugo.

Passage is about what happens when you die. Main characters are studying near death experiences and the chemistry of the brain during them.

It sounds stimulating. I'm sure with Willis's tenacious research habits, this will prove to be educational as well. Thank you!

My uncle introduced me to her with that book. That casting is absolutely perfect! Now I am sad that we can never see that on screen...

Bellwether has the most evil character in all of English-language literature, Flip.

You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

So what is Heaven for?

Ok, only book of hers I read was "To say nothing of the dog" which was brilliant because when I was a teen...20+ years past I read "Three men in a boat". Thanks for the hint!!

What's the best first book of hers to read? She sounds interesting, and I have never heard of her

I haven't read Bellwether yet. It is now top of my list!

I would go with Doomsday Book.

If you want more light hearted and fun, try Bellwether or To Say Nothing of the Dog. The latter makes more sense after Doomsday, though.

I started with 'To Say Nothing of the Dog'. It takes a bit to get acclimated, but is fantastic. I would then follow it up with 'Doomsday Book', followed by 'Blackout' and 'All Clear'. All in the same universe but very different.

I have to admit that I love her light-hearted stuff more than her other work. To Say Nothing But The Dog, Bellweather and Even the Queen are my favorites.

Me too. I love her writing

When I was 15, I borrowed To Say Nothing of the Dog from my local library because the cover caught my attention. The first few chapters had me very confused, but it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. I can't recommend it enough. I've lost count of how many times I've reread Bellwether and Doomsday Book too.

My sister (who is a reader as well, with a very different taste to mine) also loves Connie Willis, and over a decade after we first read her books, we keep referencing them in random conversations.

thanks, appreciate it

thanks :)

She is also pretty much a fixture within the science fiction community, actively involved in keeping the work alive for the next generation. She is no hermit, that's for sure, hosts the Locus awards, appears at conventions, edits collections, publishes new work, runs the gamut.

The only thing that might account for your experiences may be that she was a female writer in the genre who arrived before the explosion of female writers hit the marketplace after her. Sometimes, those who pave the way for others do not get due credit.

I adored Doomsday Book! I work in a bookshop and run a sci-fi book club, a friend had recommended so I suggested it for the group. We read it February 2020, just before lockdowns started here, and I felt like I had cursed us slightly. Still love it though and think about it frequently, I recommend it all the time at work when I get the opportunity.

Very sadly my dear friend who recommended it to me died last year. I haven't been able to go back to many of the things she told me about, but I do hope to read more when I feel up to it. I did pick up a copy of Crosstalk recently because I found it cheap!

The only thing I've found particularly noteworthy in the few books of her's I've read is how frequently she creates tension and/or moves a plot forward via missed calls.

I've read nearly everything she's written. Great underrated author.

I love her books! I picked up "To say nothing of the dog" at a booksale about 5 years ago, because the title amused me. I've been a fan ever since.

She one of the best fantasy writers alive today. I she is wonderful but nobody knows who she is. I feel like she is a critically acclaimed indie writer who nobody has ever heard of and you love. I wish more people loved writers like they do singers and actors.

Blackout/All clear is harrowingly suspenseful and one of the best books I’ve read yet!

I had a look at her works as I wanted to expand my science fiction reads, but found the French versions on the shelves of my local library… in Switzerland!

She’s a great author but I agree, not as popular or widely known as I feel she should be.

Same! Random library pick at about that age. And I’ve reread it multiple times now. It’s just the perfect book, everything works.

But it’s the only one I’ve read of hers. I think I was scared the others wouldn’t be as good and To Say Nothing of the Dog would lose some of its shine. I’m so glad to hear my fears are totally unfounded! Doomsday Book is finally gonna make it off the TBR shelf haha

I am a big fan of Connie Willis. But my favourite book of hers may be the comparatively slight Bellwether.

I think Flip is beyond good and evil, like Cthulhu.

Must be an anomaly. "Blackout/All Clear" won the Nebula, Locus and Hugo.

I love a lot of women sci fi writers. Nk jemisin is my favorite sci fi author. Ursula le guin is top 5. I kept coming back to connie wills, and tried doomsday book and blackout/all clear and found them both so boring. It was so much character and so little technology/magic that it didn’t feel like what I look for in sci fi. It was boring. Maybe I will eventually try again but I haven’t been successful with her despite multiple attempts.

I think there's a pretty significant portion of readers (myself included) that have a mental list of top-tier authors that they'd like to read... whenever they get around to it.

I've been working my way through all the Hugo winners, and ended up putting it on pause immediately before Doomsday Book - the previous two winner was Lois Bujold, and I was so thoroughly unimpressed that I felt the need to put my whole reading project on hold. I took some detours, went back to authors I've enjoyed in the past, and don't plan on rushing back until I feel like it - after all, I know Willis is a great author, and her books are going to be waiting for me no matter how long I take to get to them.

Reading the Oxford Time Travel trilogy after encountering To Say Nothing of the Dog which was, among other things, touched by keen comedic genius.

Bellwether is one of the most accurate descriptions of being a scientist I have encountered in fiction. I love the book. I also love To Say Nothing of the Dog.

I love her! But I’d never heard of her before this year… the time travel series is my absolutely favourite collection I’ve ever read in my whole life now, and I recommend it to absolutely everyone… I’ve heard she’s writing another one, and I’m waiting on tenterhooks for its release!

I’ve think they’ve got Neville Shute vibes too, because her characters are all just so nice!!

She’s one of my very favorite authors and I have all of her books. Her novels are amazing, but her short stories are in another league. My favorite book of hers is her 1993 collection Impossible Things.

Just seen that Road to Roswell comes out June next year!

I adore Willis. My favorite is The Doomsday Book, but I love Blackout/All Clear too. She’s wonderful. Cross Talk was ok, but not as good as the other books of hers I’ve read. I also love To Say Nothing of the Dog. ❤️

I bounced off her books pretty quickly. For a world in which time travel existed there was way too much "Gee, you just missed him" or "Oh, she just left". I got annoyed with that pretty quickly and never really gave the book a chance.

I’ve read it multiple times. It’s heavy. I thought about it during early COVID since it is one of the only pandemic books I’ve read. I recognizedit would be a hard read and decided against rereading during COVID. Great book. Heavy book.

I'm a huge fan. She's probably my second favorite living science fiction writer after Ted Chiang.

My favorite series as well. She is currently writing another addition to the series.

Connie Willis is a legend. You’re just not talking to people who are Sci-fi heads.

I absolutely love Blackout and All Clear! In the middle of Doomsday Book now 😊

I've never heard of her, but as a fan of both sci-fi and historical fiction I can't wait to try out her stories :)

Thanks for the heads up!

Do you ask people to read Three Men in a Boat first? I’ve done so but I have people bail before finishing Jerome without even getting to Willis.

Heard of her, dislike her approach to research. Can't (re-)read her books as a result.

I love Connie Willis. To Say Nothing and Doomsday are amazing.

That said, I read Cross-talk this year and it was sooooo BAD! It was really surprising. Didn't sour me on her or anything, but dang.

I love her books. I think Doomsday Book is my all time favorite book.

I love her books. I give them as gifts all the time

The owner of my local used bookstore recommended Passage by this author. He said it was one of his favorite books. I have not read it yet, maybe I'll check it out!

I have a friend who rereads Doomsday Book every Christmas (except the past two years, for obvious reasons). I'm not that dedicated, but it's one of my most reread books.

To Say Nothing of the Dog is one of my comfort reads.

Last of the Winnebagos was the first thing I read by her, and it's probably the best story I'll never read again.

I like a lot of her other stuff, but those are my top three.

I use the phrase "the Bishop's bird-stump" more than any normal person should.

The short story "Firewatch" is also part of the Oxford Time Travel series, with connections to both Doomsday and To Say Nothing, but much closer in tone to Doomsday.

I also think Blackout/All Clear play better if you already know and love Colin.

So glad to Neville Shute mentioned!

It's not been easy to find his books at my local (small) libraries - I need to look further.

Also same! My sister and I read Connie Willis and share her books, and I first picked up Doomsday Book at the library when I was in high school- because of the cover

My husband and I read it aloud in spring 2020- a multi-reread for me and first time for him. It was a rough choice, heh

I also reread some of The Hot Zone about Ebola/Marburg virus, so yeah, I think reading about historical plagues was part of processing the pandemic for me

I have read most of CW's work. She is amazing! Lincoln's Dreams is a fave!

I love her, but it's been years since I've read any of her books so I can't pinpoint an exact favorite. But Inside Job has a premise that makes me smile whenever I think about it.

I love her books and her imagination! She casually predicted the pandemic!

My wife hates it when out of nowhere I quip, "to say nothing about the dog."

I know her because of Doomsday Book, which won the Hugo and the Nebula back in the 90s. Sadly, I didn't love the book though.

I suggest they read it after. I needed Connie to show me that TMisB was a great book.

As you should.

Doomsday Book is amazing, I hope you love it!

Such a coincidence! You were really lucky, Doomsday Book is a great place to start getting to know her bibliography

I read Doomsday book in high school and reread it recently. I really enjoyed it and the rest of the series is on my list to be read one day.

I've read almost all of her stuff, starting with Doomsday Book which is one of my favorites of all time. I don't know how many times I've read that one. I have a real soft spot for all of her Oxford time travel books.

I started this and it’s good but your spoiler kinda … spoils? Can you please remove the last sentence from your post for future readers? Thanks!

Doomsday Book, tied with To Say Nothing of the Dog

She won lots of Hugo awards, lots of people do know her. New novel about Roswell coming out next year.

Also among other things, she is without comparison at writing lots of very very good Christmas stories. I keep hoping every year she will publish one.

She has got several Christmas story anthologies which I recommend this time of the year, for anyone really.

I think the first one I read was Inside Job and it was hilarious

Bellwether was adapted by CBC radio shortly after it came out.

I’m also reading all of the Hugo winners (I just finished American Gods), and I’m so glad I’m not the only one who disliked Bujold. I found Mirror Dance particularly disturbing and I genuinely regret reading any of her books.

Connie Willis is not my favorite, but I thought her books were okay. The type of humor in To Say Nothing of the Dog wasn’t my style, and Doomsday Book dragged on, but had enough interesting parts that I found it worthwhile in the end. I still need to read Blackout/All Clear.

I’m curious what your favorite Hugo winners have been so far?

I've just been introduced to Connie Willis today. I read a short story of hers in the Rogues anthology and I purchased her Doomsday book when the ebook was on sale for 99p. Looking forward to reading it. I can't believe it's never heard of her before considering the number of awards she has. You're right, in my experience she isn't mentioned much.

Same here, and yet few seem to know of her.

I'd love to see an Oxford Time Travel series if it had enough budget. Part of the fun of it all is the historical research. Certainly series like Andor show you can get something wild out of today's big budget TV shows, but I doubt Connie Willis is recognizable enough as a name to get a $10+ million dollar an episode budget.

I’ve seen lots of people online recommend Doomsday Book and the other time travel books. However I have never seen anyone recommend Lincoln’s Dreams. It was my first Connie Willis book and I loved it. Although I can’t tell you why since it’s so hard to categorise. I’ve tried a few times to describe it. “There’s this guy researching the Civil War for a book and this girl who keeps having dreams about the Civil War and, umm……”. But it won the John Campbell Award.

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Honestly, it's not necessary. I hadn't read of Three Men in a Boat first, but was able to figure out enough through context that it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all.

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I love her and have read everything she has written.

That's absolutely fair, I'm glad you decided against it if it wasn't right for you at the time. I was really struck by the shift from unexpectedly funny to heavy and heartbreaking. If you haven't already read it I would recommend Station Eleven - again, read with caution, but it's a much more oddly uplifting and beautiful pandemic book.

I don't think Imdb tracks radio plays.

Oh, radio. It was the same name, though? I love radio since i have lived for decades on and off without a TV.

It was a long time ago but I'm pretty sure it was the same name, I don't remember the radio program or if it's still available on CBC.

Thanks.

I'm not a fan of time travel related books, but The Doomsday Book is absolutely my one exception so far. Love that book.

I just added a hold for it at my library. I should get it in a few months.

Just listen to Bellweather on Audible last week, read it years ago, still love it. Doomsday book is on my top 10 list but I have not reread it in years. Love her short stories.

You will really enjoy at least one of the short stories in that collection. I have been a CW fan since the early 90s.

Connie Willis is pretty great, I’ve always admired her breadth and willingness to shift tones between light hearted and complex or weighty between books.

I’m happy to see all the love for Bellweather, it’s hilarious and been a long time fave, and I always thought it flew under the radar compared to her time travel books.

Excellent, I hope you like it =)

She’s one of my favorite authors. But I am a librarian so I’ve read quite a few books.

She's highly respected among science fiction readers.