...I am not a big fan of the science fiction genre. On the other hand, I am a big fan of anything to do with the liberation of women, which is why I requested A WOMAN'S LIBERATION for review.

'A WOMAN'S LIBERATION: A Choice Of Futures By And About Women' is an anthology featuring some of the finest women science fiction writers out there. Ladies, you have done your jobs as writers extremely well. You have hooked yourselves another fan with this anthology. I was captivated with this book from the very first story. I could scarcely put the book down. I couldn't believe it; I was reading science fiction and enjoying it immensely!

A WOMAN'S LIBERATION consists of stories by ten different authors - Nancy Kress, Connie Willis, Sarah Zettel, Pat Murphy, Vonda N. McIntyre, S.N. Dyer, Katherine MacLean, Octavia E. Butler, Anne McCaffrey, and Ursula K. Le Guin. It would be very tough for me to pick a favorite story out of the ten featured in this book; but, if hard pressed, I think it would have to be 'Rachel in Love' by Pat Murphy with 'Inertia' by Nancy Kress coming in a close second.

Fans of the science fiction genre, this is a must read. For all you readers out there who haven't tried the science fiction genre, this a book that you need to read; I think you will become hooked just as I was!...

This anthology consists of ten science fiction stories previously published in Asimov or Analog written by women starring a female protagonist. The tales display how female authors have more than just contributed to the genre, but pioneered it while liberating writers to go beyond the limits of the past. Each story is well written as expected from a group of authors like this collection contains. Regardless of your gender, if you enjoy science fiction short stories you will gain much pleasure from much of A WOMAN'S LIBERATION.

Harriet Klausner

This collection of stories are all from the year 2041. All have different things that the world will be like in 2041. One story is "Ear" which is about the people of 2041 have to wear an amp on their ear to hear. Another is "Whose Gonna Rock Us Home?" which is about a boy who runs away from home with just him and his guitar on the streets full of murderous gangs. So I think this is the best collection of sci-fi stories about the future of the year. Trust me you should add this to your science fiction book collection

This collection of stories by the ever-surprising Willis includes the Twilight-Zone-ish "Death on the Nile" (with references to Christie's novel of the same name, and Porter's Ship of Fools (movie version)); a witty explanation of quantum physics by way of a conference in a California hotel; the Awful Truth that aliens really are among us (but I cannot tell you where they are); and the one every woman should hear: "Even the Queen," a story of a post-menstrual society. The last was laugh-out-loud funny--and this is dangerous when listening to the tape in your car! The author's voice matches the tone of her written words--matter-of-fact, with a wry twist-- and the stories themselves translate well to cassette: you long to look at the endings, BUT YOU CAN'T. I heartily recommend the tape (and don't forget to read her books, too).

I laughed out loud regularly as this time-travel tale unfolded. Ned, the "time-lagged" hero, has a series of hilarious misadventures, any one of which could change the course of history (and then again, maybe not). His relationship with Cyril, his traveling companion's dog is the source of constant amusement. Victorian society (always an easy target) gets a merry old working over, with a refreshingly light touch. There is just enough technical jargon to keep the story going (Don't expect a detailed description of how one is transported through the Continuum via the Net, but do expect to laugh at Difficulty Distinguishing Sounds and at the formidable Lady Schrapnell).

On another level, this book is structured as a (successful) homage to Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat". It worked so well that I was inspired to read TMIAB, which was also excellent.

Where's the Bishop's Bird Stump? WHAT'S the Bishop's Bird Stump? Read this book and find out.

After reading Doomsday Book, I truly believed that no time travel novel could ever make me happy again. I was wrong, of course. I've read To Say Nothing of the Dog five times and each time is like the first. Brilliant, witty, historically accurate, and quietly speculative, Willis' novel is not only an intriguing theory about historical incongruities, it's a fun ride. Richly populated with elements of the absurb (reminiscent of Jane Austen, in some strange way) as well as romance, this book won't let you put it down. Remember that the amazing thing about Willis is that she writes FICTION about SCIENCE. This is the core of her novels and especially this book. Buy it and realize that this book is a shining example of why we book lovers read!

This is one of the most interesting literary mixes I've ever come across, all the more surprising as it appears in the form of a science-fiction time-travel book. The book itself is a mix of hard sci-fi, Victorian comedy of errors and manners, and cozy mystery. Literary homages (most notably to Three Men in a Boat) and references abound, including P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves books, Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, not to mention Tennyson's poetry and Herotodus (who are both quoted throughout). The story has to do with a project in 2057 to rebuild the Coventry Cathedral, and time-traveling historians sent back to study its contents prior to the bombing of 1940. The story is set in motion when one of the historians somehow brings a Victorian-era cat through the time-travel "net," contravening the natural laws governing time-travel. The heroes must then return the cat in order to correct any "anomalies," but this gets them enmeshed in a matchmaking fiasco with loads of fun and well-drawn archetypes of the era (the ditzy girl, the absentminded Oxford don, the seance-loving matron, and miscellaneous butlers). And of course, by the end, all mysteries are revealed, everyone is paired off, and everything neatly dovetails. Truly a wondrous feat of writing and imagination.

If you love Christmas stories like I do you'll definitely want to read this book. I'm not a big science fiction fan, but I very much enjoyed most of these stories. One story revolves around the movies "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street," and another story is reminiscent of "A Christmas Carol."

The introduction, in which Ms. Willis discusses some of her favorite Christmas movies and stories, is just fascinating. Then at the end of the book she recommends some more of her favorites. Some of these stories were hard to track down, but thanks to my librarian and the Short Story Index, I finally found them. Now I've got some new Christmas reading all ready for this year. Shouldn't you get this book and be ready, too?

Connie Willis offers readers an early holiday gift with this wonderful short story collection. I admit that I found this book in the sci-fi section, but I honestly think it transcends that. Yes, it's got some stories that deal with themes common to science-fiction and have sci-fi elements, but it's more than that. There is a holiday themed mystery, an examination of the original Christmas story and even a story that sets out to prove why Willis thinks "Miracle on 34th Street" is a superior holiday film to "It's A Wonderful Life." But what sets the collection apart from being just a collection of sci-fi stories with a Christmas theme is that Willis offers stories that must take place at Christmas. As she states in her introduction, it's hard to re-invent the wheel when it comes to holiday stories and she doesn't attempt to do so. Instead, she takes the convential stories and gives them her own unique twist making them entertaining and magical at the same time.

I sat down to read this collection not feeling very much in the spirit of the season. But in reading these engaging and intelligent stories, I soon found myself feeling a bit more Christmas-y. If you're feeling a bit burned out by the holiday season, pick up this collection and give any of the stories a try. I guarantee they'll have you whistling a Christmas tune in no time.

Connie Willis is, without a doubt, one of the finest writers of sci fi short stories out there right now. Almost every short story by her is really a delight to read, and this collection doesn't fail to meet that standard. What kind of stories can you expect here? A take off on the movie Miracle on 34th Street, a view of Revelation coming as a carnival, and many more. The only story in this collection that was not a perfect 10 from my point of view was Cat's Paw. I just could not get fully into the story and it was a little long for this collection. Willis speaks in the introduction of her love of the Christmas season and this really shines through in all of these stories. My favorite story in the collection is the final story about Revelation. It was one of the most insightful touching stories I have read this year.

In addition, if you normally read sci fi and would like to expose friends and family to sci fi, this is an excellent and gentle introductory collection and makes a convenient Christmas gift. No really bizarre aliens, no "hard" sci fi edge, just enjoyable reading. Great for sci fi aficionados and those new to sci fi as well!

Connie is one of the best sf writers today, and these stories show why, from the moving (and award-winning) title story to the humorous "Blued Moon" (where an incineration project results in a permanent blue moon and a rash of coincidences) that show an elegance and range of writing styles and a depth of personal understanding. Sometimes I read something and think I can do just as well. I NEVER think that of Connie Willis.

I love Willis' work, and this collection of short stories is perhaps the best intro. She writes with a laser sharp clarity that can devastate you. The language is flowing and easy and basic in some of her stories, and so complicated and playfully perverse in others that I couldn't help but think that this is a writer that loves language and its manipulation.

"All My Darling Daughters" and "Sidon in the Mirror" are searing. There is no other words for these stories. The first time I read "Daughters" I was in a mild daze for hours afterwards. It's about the nature of sex and sadism and abuse. And the way that people like to give pain, to hurt others. The words Willis uses in the story are slangy and musical in a terrible way. "Sidon" is about genetic future, love and revenge and horrific uncertainty and identity confusion. The main character's pain made me want to cry -- reading it was like watching a child feel pain, all unknowing and ignorant of what was causing it.

Showing her lighter side are "Mail-Order Clone" and "Blued Moon." The first is about a man who orders a clone in a catalog and doesn't realize what he's gotten. "Blued Moon" is a romantic comedy about language, coincidences and the connection between understanding and love. It's a little like a Hollywood screwball comedy.

"A Letter from the Clearys" and "Fire Watch" are calm stories about the world ending and how unrelieved despair makes people a little shell-shocked. "Fire Watch" disappointed me somewhat because I guessed the ending almost first thing into the story. "Clearys" feels a little conventional. "Daisy, in the Sun" is a dreamy little story about growing up in a strange time and environment, and a little bit confusing. Dreamy and surreal. "Lost and Found" is about the end of the world coming, and really, what is there to do but wait for Heaven.

All in all, one of the best single-author short story collections out there.

Connie Willis is an amazingly diversified writer whose collection of short stories ranges from the near future/near past (Fire Watch; A Letter from the Clearys), somewhat more traditional science fiction (The Sidon in the Mirror), tales of human weakness and morality (I forget the title, but the story involves teenagers in a cross between an orphanage and a boarding school) that kept me thinking about it to for days. And just when you think all she can do is serious stuff, she comes up with one of the funniest stories I've ever read in an anthology (Blue Moon?). Well worth reading.

Connie is one of the best sf writers today, and these stories show why, from the moving (and award-winning) title story to the humorous "Blued Moon" (where an incineration project results in a permanent blue moon and a rash of coincidences) that show an elegance and range of writing styles and a depth of personal understanding. Sometimes I read something and think I can do just as well. I NEVER think that of Connie Willis.

I love Willis' work, and this collection of short stories is perhaps the best intro. She writes with a laser sharp clarity that can devastate you. The language is flowing and easy and basic in some of her stories, and so complicated and playfully perverse in others that I couldn't help but think that this is a writer that loves language and its manipulation.

"All My Darling Daughters" and "Sidon in the Mirror" are searing. There is no other words for these stories. The first time I read "Daughters" I was in a mild daze for hours afterwards. It's about the nature of sex and sadism and abuse. And the way that people like to give pain, to hurt others. The words Willis uses in the story are slangy and musical in a terrible way. "Sidon" is about genetic future, love and revenge and horrific uncertainty and identity confusion. The main character's pain made me want to cry -- reading it was like watching a child feel pain, all unknowing and ignorant of what was causing it.

Showing her lighter side are "Mail-Order Clone" and "Blued Moon." The first is about a man who orders a clone in a catalog and doesn't realize what he's gotten. "Blued Moon" is a romantic comedy about language, coincidences and the connection between understanding and love. It's a little like a Hollywood screwball comedy.

"A Letter from the Clearys" and "Fire Watch" are calm stories about the world ending and how unrelieved despair makes people a little shell-shocked. "Fire Watch" disappointed me somewhat because I guessed the ending almost first thing into the story. "Clearys" feels a little conventional. "Daisy, in the Sun" is a dreamy little story about growing up in a strange time and environment, and a little bit confusing. Dreamy and surreal. "Lost and Found" is about the end of the world coming, and really, what is there to do but wait for Heaven.

All in all, one of the best single-author short story collections out there.

Connie Willis is an amazingly diversified writer whose collection of short stories ranges from the near future/near past (Fire Watch; A Letter from the Clearys), somewhat more traditional science fiction (The Sidon in the Mirror), tales of human weakness and morality (I forget the title, but the story involves teenagers in a cross between an orphanage and a boarding school) that kept me thinking about it to for days. And just when you think all she can do is serious stuff, she comes up with one of the funniest stories I've ever read in an anthology (Blue Moon?). Well worth reading.

I think Connie Willis is the best writer of English prose alive today. Her other books, in particular "Lincoln's Dreams," are astoundingly beautiful and lyrical, serious books told in a vivid voice that draws pictures, scenarios and characters together with what seems like effortless grace. She is like a breath of cool clear air after the stuffiness of a closed room. "Bellwether," however, is about as subtle as a grocery cart at it careens around the heroine's self-conscious pre-occupation with fads and trends. I must admit, however, there were several things i liked: Flip the office assistant; the little girl's use of a map to tell a story about her Barbie doll; the scene in the cafeteria where everyone has to come up with Dilbertesque slogans. But overall, the book is a disappointment, albiet minor. It's also fast and easy so you might as well read it. My husband, btw, liked it more than I did, especially the bits about bread pudding, the longevity of the angel/devil's food cake fads, po-mo pink, Malibu Beach House Barbie, Alice Blue, diorama wigs and, of course, Billy Ray and the sheep.

What a great book. Ms Willis has achieved a fun, lighthearted, very readable novel that obviously entertains, and pokes fun at Management, fads, and fashion. On a larger scale it just pokes fun at the human race in general.

Connie really deserves a great deal of credit for the research that went into this one. Each chapter, thirty or so, is begun with a one or two paragraph synopsis of some fad from its birth to its death (if it died.) Each of these little stories is charming if not outright hilarious.

It sports a fun plot where Sandy is researching how fads get started. She is tormented by the same office ignorance that you and I face daily, and she deals with the same idiots in her social life that you and I do. Yes the ending is a little Hollywoodish, but this work was not meant to be a War and Peace. It's just fun. Deal with it.

I think it's a stretch to call this science fiction. Other than it being about scientist, there are really no elements that would fit it into this category. That does not indicate any disappointment, but is does concern me that categorization could frighten off a significant number of readers who would otherwise just adore this book.

It was enjoyable enough for a five star rating, but the lack of any deeper meaning or prompting for introspection requires that I give it the highest rating possible for fluff. I love cotton candy, but it is after-all, insubstantial.

The more Connie Willis I read, the more I like her work. The tone of this book is strongly reminiscent of "To say Nothing of the Dog", so chances are if you liked that one, you'll like this one. Instead of being a time-travel story, however, it is set in contemporary Boulder, Colorado (an ideal environment for any trends researcher such as our main character, I assure you). I really got the feeling while reading this that I was present at a scientific breakthrough. All the disparate events and characters force the story gradually to a satisfying conclusion, while giving the impression that they are stumbling blocks to any progress that might be possible. Just a lovely, lighthearted book -- which may lead you to deep thoughts if you wish, but which can certainly be enjoyed on a more "surface" level.

I have been inspired to pen my first book review; pity my inspiration is so negative. I have had a long time interest both in time travel as well as medieval history. That combined with many glowing reviews here made me look forward to buying and reading this work.

It is easy to dispose of the time travel aspect of this book. To me, the interesting part of time travel speculation are the various problems that an interesting time travel story can produce. Does the traveler create non-historical change? Can he/she meet early relatives? In this book, the author disposes of all of that by insisting that a time travel trip cannot happen or occur if the traveler can thereby produce change in the history stream. That is just not very interesting.

Much is made by some reviewers of the amount of "research" done by the author. I just don't see much of that. After all, the time traveler in this book is still in her sick bed by page 200!

If a reader wants "research" on medieval history, I would refer him to a good non-fiction work by Tuchman entitled A Distant Mirror. THAT book demonstrates research!

I do have to say, though, that the portion of the book dealing with events in the early 21st century does set a record for detailing the most number of phone calls completed, not completed, missed, dropped,or talked about of any book I have ever read.

I cared about precious few of the characters--perhaps Agnes comes closest. By the end of the book, the major interest I had was whether or not that darned cow would be milked.

From checking some of the many reviews of this book presented, I see that almost everyone either loved or hated this book. I was prepared to love it but ended up glad that I could get through it.

This is my new case example of a novel that could be a much better book if it had a couple hundred pages taken out. The main strength of the work is the author's intricately detailed evocation of medieval England and the onslaught of the Black Plague. The years of research show and you see, feel, and smell the place and the people. The final 100 pages or so are well paced and heart wrenching as characters we've gotten to know and like, love, or hate fall victim to the virus. But we simply don't need as much lead up to this. The novel felt like it was treading water much of the time, more interested in showing yet more of the surroundings and the daily life of its characters when the same goal of getting us involved could have been met with fewer scenes. Much of what happens felt repetitive or had no serious bearing on what came later. Worse, the many scenes set in the modern day world are filled with far less interesting characters who, in some cases, were not particularly believable.

OK, OK, so there's really no suspense regarding just WHEN Kivrin wound up, but you KNOW you've got a great book in your hands when you can glare right back at errors like that and say, "I don't care." And you don't, you really don't, because Willis handles the material so well. Leave the suspense for Dunworthy and Ahrens and all the rest from the future--YOU'RE too busy following Kivrin through an ice-encrusted, haunting medieval landscape, falling in love with characters (like Roche and the two little girls, Rosamund and Agnes), learning to dislike quite strongly such meanies as Lady Imeyne, and discovering (surprise, surprise!) that the Middle Ages was hardly the deeply chivalrous, romantic era it has often been made out to be. The ultimate tragedy is that you really find yourself CARING for the characters in the story. You can read in a text book that one third of the population died of this plague, but it is infinitely more moving to watch one or two characters you love become stricken and die. Willis does an excellent job of making 1348 and the people therein and the trials they faced accessible to a modern audience. And to those who found the book too depressing...I found it to be, ultimately, a message of hope for the faith and survival of the human spirit. The scene in which Kivrin tends the dying Father Roche at the end is incredibly moving and illustrates this point perfectly. To any Medieval buff, to anyone who's just plain interested in an excellently-crafted story, READ THIS BOOK.

This is a very brave book. It tells the story of a scientific investigation into Near Death Experiences (NDE), and is so plausible that it had me wondering what brain research Ms. Willis had actually used in the story. While Joanna Lander and Richard Wright are attempting to unravel the biological and chemical factors that create an NDE, they must put up with the smarmy Maurice Mandrake, an author who has popularized a psuedo-religious interpretation of the NDE, or NAE (Near Afterlife Experience, as he calls it). Joanna must also contend with the natural human tendency of her subjects to "confabulate," or tell a made-up experience instead of reporting what was actually seen in the NDE. Both of these obstacles to progress are overly stressed in the novel, and are its major weakness; there are simply too many repetitious episodes of Mr. Mandrake's interference, and patient confabulation. Among the books many strengths are a host of memorable characters. In particular, Joanna's old high school English teacher, Mr. Briarley, who has been stricken with Alzheimer's disease, and Maisie Nellis, a child with a failing heart and a love of historical disasters, are vividly imagined and portrayed. This book is found in the Science Fiction section of the bookstore, because it uses scientific extrapolation at the heart of the story. But I fear that this will prevent the book from reaching a wider readership, which is a shame. The phenomona of the NDE is real, and the fact of death is an unavoidable fate for all of us. Ms. Willis deals with these themes in a profound manner that is intellectually challenging and spiritually enriching. This book shares much in common with The Doomsday Book, Ms. Willis' earlier novel that was heaped with awards. That novel also focussed on the theme of death, in that instance placing the time-traveling protagonist in the middle of the bubonic plague outbreak in England during the Middle Ages. While The Doomsday Book explored the significance of death in human culture, Passage explores the impact of impending death on the individual human. I am hopeful that these two novels may be part of a thematic trilogy, and that Ms. Willis will once again grace us with her insight and humor in a third novel on this theme.

Connie Willis trapped me with "Doomsday Book," and I have read everything else I could get my eyes on that came from her wonderful, complex mind.

I'm still tying to decide if I like "Passages" or hate it! I, lazy reader that I am, was looking forward to being entertained. As I got to page 200 or so and was becoming increasingly irritated, I stopped myself and thought "Why am I suffering a disconnect from this book?" I started over, forcing pre-concieved thoughts of entertainment out of my mind. For me, the hospital became the journey of thought through the brain and each character a bit of "knowledge" to be proved or disproved -- well, it worked for me. The frustration of the repetitions of place and words bring on the tension. Is the TITANIC a fad? No, its purpose for me was to force me to think past the obvious -- a tactic Ms. Willis uses with several characters and devices.

I still don't know if I understand where the author was going with this tale, but she made me take a journey and make a conclusion of my own. If that was her intent, PASSAGES is a amazing success!!

Like every single Connie Willis book I've read, _Passage_ is a delight. Willis takes a subject that is more commonly the stuff of tabloid articles and new age tracts--near death experiences--and turns it into a gripping tale about science, love, human curiousity, and the nature of death. This is one of her more serious works (more _Doomsday Book_ than _To Say Nothing of the Dog_) but it's still infused with the slightly manic sense of humour that makes her comic stories so wonderful. The characters are sympathetically drawn and completely believable, and the book contains one of her most surprising plot twists ever. Despite its more solemn tone and subject matter, the book is reminiscent of _Bellwether_, and anyone who loved that will enjoy this equally engrossing novel. Does Connie Willis ever get tired of winning Nebulas and Hugos? Because _Passage_ may well send a few more flying her way.