See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

21 used & new from £2.65
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Doomsday Book
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Doomsday Book (Mass Market Paperback)

by Connie Willis (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (147 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


20 used from £2.65 1 collectible from £10.45

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

To Say Nothing of the Dog

To Say Nothing of the Dog

by Connie Willis
4.2 out of 5 stars (39)  £7.50
Lincoln's Dreams

Lincoln's Dreams

by Connie Willis
4.1 out of 5 stars (16)  £6.75
Bellwether

Bellwether

by Connie Willis
4.3 out of 5 stars (22)  £7.50
Fire Watch

Fire Watch

by Connie Willis
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.85
Passage

Passage

by Connie Willis
4.1 out of 5 stars (15) 
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 592 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam USA; Reprint edition (Dec 1993)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0553562738
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553562736
  • Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.7 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (147 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 41,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #4 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > W > Willis, Connie

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Connie Willis laboured five years on this story of a history student in 2048 who is transported to an English village in the 14th century. The student arrives mistakenly on the eve of the onset of the Black Plague. Her dealings with a family of "contemps" in 1348 and with her historian cohorts lead to complications as the book unfolds into a surprisingly dark, deep conclusion. The book, which won Hugo and Nebula Awards, draws upon Willis' understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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"
" Splendid work -- brutal, gripping and genuinely harrowing, the product of diligent research, fine writing and well-honed instincts, that should appeal far beyond the normal science-fiction constituency."
-- "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
" The world of 1348 burns in the mind's eye, and every character alive that year is a fully recognized being.... It becomes possible to feel...that Connie Willis did, in fact, over the five years Doomsday Book took her to write, open a window to another world, and that she saw something there."
-- "The Washington Post Book World"


See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 4 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Doomsday Book
76% buy the item featured on this page:
Doomsday Book 4.2 out of 5 stars (147)
Domesday Book: A Complete Translation (Penguin Classics)
12% buy
Domesday Book: A Complete Translation (Penguin Classics) 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
£20.99
To Say Nothing of the Dog
5% buy
To Say Nothing of the Dog 4.2 out of 5 stars (39)
£7.50
Passage
4% buy
Passage 4.1 out of 5 stars (15)
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

147 Reviews
5 star:
 (87)
4 star:
 (23)
3 star:
 (15)
2 star:
 (18)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (147 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, 4 Jul 2006
By Claymore (Essex, UK) - See all my reviews
Whether you are into fantasy or historical fiction this book should have something for you, though I feel it belongs more in the latter category than the former if you were to try and categorise it in just one box. I read this, enjoyed it and have recommended it numerous times. Each time the person I recommended it to thanked me as they also thoroughly enjoyed it.

The fantasy/sci-fi plot may be a little contrived in order to get a modern view on a historic tragedy, but the writing is of high quality, moving, and historically informative. It's a moody piece that helps you understand what it must have been like to live during the tragic years when the Black Death was raging through the English countryside wreaking havoc amongst the insular communities.

I'm not sure that the particular storyline about an epidemic in the modern world was totally necessary, as this did prove a little distracting, but I suspect it was meant as a comparison piece to contrast with the events of the past also being played out.

Criticism is a subjective process. I would therefore urge you to give this book a try as I suspect most of you may well enjoy it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Living history, 25 Mar 2006
By R. Plachcinski "stroppy_brunette" (West Yorkshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Kivrin, a time-travelling historian, is mistakenly sent back to a Medieval village near Oxford as the Black Death is about to strike, and sees all around her succumb to the Plague. At the same time, in her home time, a flu pandemic is laying waste to Oxford, stopping any attempts to find her and bring her home. Unlikely as it may sound, this novel also contains some wonderful comic moments - William, Mrs Gaddson, Finch and the American bellringers, to name but a few. I am absolutely caught up in this story and unable to put it down every time I read it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Once you start, you can't put the book down., 18 Feb 2002
This review is from: Doomsday Book (Paperback)
The evocation of the sheer nastiness of the 14th Century is brilliant. There is mounting horror as the natives of that century succumb to the Black Death over a Christmas period, witnessed by the appalled time-travelling scholar from our own near future. Some of the scenes are heartrending, as there is plenty of time to get attached to the characters before they start to become ill.

In alternate chapters the contemporary situation in Oxford at Christmas is explored, where an outbreak of highly contagious and fatal flu has broken out, thereby preventing a rescue party from setting up the equipment necessary for retrieving the scholar. The quarantine, medicalisation and bureaucracy of the situation in contemporary Oxford contrasts sharply with the superstition, dubious medicines and appeals to the Almighty that exemplify the 14th Century.

If it sounds unrelentingly grim; it isn't. There is a lot of humour, with fun being poked at characters who are vain and officious in BOTH centuries.

Anyone who has lived in/ studied in/ visited Oxford will find much to recognise in the description of the town, especially the University. Immerse yourself in this book over a summer's day, and you will surface from it as I did: wondering why it isn't freezing cold and surprised to find that you're still healthy!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but flawed
Christmas, 2054. The 'net' is a technological breakthrough, a device which allows people to travel back in time to observe the events of the past. Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Whitehead

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe that I have found this book after all this time
I read and re-read this book back in the 90'. It was my favourite book, fascinating, emotional and absorbing... but I lost it.. Read more
Published 12 months ago by C. Stone

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost flawless
This is one of the best sci-fi novels ever. (Some people I've given it to say it's one of the best books ever, but I think that's OTT. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Michael Scuffil

5.0 out of 5 stars What a read - but not for Sci Fi purists
OK, so I'm the x hundredth person to post feedback on this extraordinary book, so no reviews of the plot, i would just be rehashing what my predecessors have written... Read more
Published on 3 Jul 2007 by Charlie Mount

5.0 out of 5 stars An astonishing display of emotional depth
When I first noticed this book on the shelves I was not impressed, from reading the back cover the story appeared a little drab but then I saw that it had won the Hugo and Nebula... Read more
Published on 21 April 2007 by Frank Bierbrauer

5.0 out of 5 stars 132 reviews? I think thats the highest number I've ever seen
I adore this book!

I first read a library copy about 10 years ago and it lived in my memory for years! I was delighted when I rediscovered it! Read more
Published on 20 April 2007 by L. M. Jordan

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and moving
In part a novel of time travel but mostly a wonderful historical novel about the horrors of the Black Death. Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2006 by John Hopper

2.0 out of 5 stars Synopsis is a big spoiler
I was in the midst of reading this book when I checked the listing here to see what was said about it only to find that the official synopsis gave away several huge plot twists... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2006 by Alex Fox

5.0 out of 5 stars A BRITISH VIEW
I picked this book up in the States a few years ago, read it several times, and have now ploughed through nearly as many reviews as pages! Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2006 by K. Brazier

5.0 out of 5 stars TERRIFIC TIME TRAVEL TALE...
Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for science fiction, this book is a tour de force that is sure to captivate all those who love time travel themes, as well as those who... Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2005 by Lawyeraau

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

More From Connie Willis

To Say Nothing...

To Say Nothing of the Dog

To Say Nothing of the Dog is a science-fiction fantasy in the guise of... Read more
£7.50

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (75)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (81)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates