I’ve been a Connie Willis fan for several years now. It’s hard to say exactly what draws me to her
writing, though strong characterization, a sharp sense of humor, and inventive
plotlines are certainly involved. So is
accessibility: she doesn’t talk down to
her audience, but neither do you need to have an advanced degree in physics or
computer science to read and enjoy her work. I admit a bit of trepidation about
going from novels to shorter works, fearing that some of my favorite aspects
might suffer with brevity. I needn’t
have worried. These stories all carried the indelible imprint of a Willis
work.
Written over the course of thirty years, these stories still hold up very
well for the most part. As Willis
herself comments, things are changing so quickly now that before long even the
sheet music which plays a role in one story will be an oddity, probably calling
for a footnote.
Speaking of footnotes, they were used to delightful effect
in the story “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” which is ostensibly a research
paper on two poems of Emily Dickinson from a “Wellsian Perspecitve.” Why becomes clear when the author begins to
postulate that the letters “ulla” in a newly found poem refers to the sound
made by dying Martians, dating to the time of the invasions in England,
Missouri, and the University of Paris. Trust me, this is one funny piece.
Two other stories would make excellent Twilight Zone
episodes and I mean that in the best way possible. “A Letter From the Clearys” and “Death on the
Nile” (which offers salutes to Agatha Christie and the movie Between Two
Worlds, among others) are short but filled with memorable characters and
images that will linger long after you reach the end.
“Inside Job” has Rob,
the editor of a magazine devoted to debunking paranormal phenomenon, investigating
a medium who seems to have a novel shtick:
in the middle of her performances, her voice not only changes
drastically, but she begins to abuse the audience for being incredulous
rubes. It
doesn’t seem to be particularly good for business, so what is the scam? This is
vintage Willis, with some great references to historical events and people,
humor, and a bit of romance. Unlike some
reviewers, I don’t want to spoil most of the surprises so I’ll refrain from
going into more detail.
Another excellent piece is “All Seated on the Ground,” in
which the world has been stunned by the arrival of space aliens in Denver. With Earth’s attention focused on them, the
aliens proceed to do—nothing. Nada. Scientists and researchers converge, all
trying to communicate or at least elicit some response, all to no avail. Our narrator is the latest in a long line of
linguists attempting to communicate, though by this point she feels she’s just
another cog in the bureaucratic machine and even if she had anything to offer,
no one would listen. Sure enough, the
aliens fail to respond to various stimuli and field trips. . . until they go to
the mall. This story is another gem,
with twists, turns, humor, and romance.
And you may never quite think of Christmas carols in the same way again.
If there was any let down for me in the book, it was “Fire
Watch.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very good story; it was just a case of reading
in reverse order. Several of Willis’
novels have time traveling students who go back to the past to observe
events. In “Fire Watch,” a young man
travels to the London Blitz to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The story has much to
recommend it, with an excellent sense of place (and time!), strong characters,
and some insights into human nature. In
fact, this was such a strong story that Willis later turned out one very long
tale set in the same location and era—so long that it was split into two books
(Blackout and All Clear). I enjoyed that
saga thoroughly, as I had some of her other time travel novels, all of which
have the same general premise: a premise which, incidentially, was first appeared in this 1984 story. Had I encountered it then, I think I would
have been enthralled. It’s nice to see where it all started, but since I’d
already seen what would come of it all, it didn’t bowl me over.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys thoughtful, well-written
stories with a sense of wonder and a sense of humor. I also highly recommend
her novels The Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, and the aforementioned
Blackout/All Clear.Links to previous reviews of Willis' work are posted below.
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