# New Connie Willis novel: Blackout **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245 "2010-02-01T15:30:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/1 "2010-02-01T15:30:29Z")
Her new novel, **Blackout** , releases tomorrow. It’s another book set in her time travel universe, and it focuses on WWII, specifically The Blitz, which seems to fascinate Willis. Amazon doesn’t mention it, but I saw elsewhere that this is the first of two books. The second novel, **All Clear,** is supposed to be published this fall. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/2 "2010-02-01T22:33:48Z")
Thanks for the heads-up! ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/3 "2010-02-01T23:13:52Z")
I’m going to a signing of **Blackout** at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Wednesday evening. Can’t wait! ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/4 "2010-02-02T15:02:49Z")
Thank you for letting us know! Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors, but I usually pick my books by the “ooh, shiny” method and don’t usually think to check if my favorites have written something new. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/5 "2010-02-02T15:22:01Z")
It’s been 8 years since her last novel (_Passage_) although she’s written some novellas in the meantime. “All Seated on the Ground”, her 2007 Christmas story, is [posted free](http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0805/allseated.shtml) on Asimov’s magazine website. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/6 "2010-02-02T15:35:33Z")
I adore Connie Willis. Her style is so much fun, and her books can be so strangely affecting. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/7 "2010-02-02T18:09:54Z")
Another thank you for the heads-up. I really enjoy Connie Willis, and tend to enjoy WWII stuff, too. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/8 "2010-02-02T20:09:08Z")
I love time travel and WWII novels but I won’t buy this until one of you reads it and tells me that Willis doesn’t include a book-stopping subplot like she did in _Doomsday Book_ with that kid, the nephew (or some young relative of a peripheral character). Every time he showed up the story slid to a screeching halt. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/9 "2010-02-03T23:56:53Z")
Looking forward to it! I still get gut-punched chills whenever I think about the last six words of _Lincoln’s Dreams_. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/10 "2010-02-06T21:44:49Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I love time travel and WWII novels but I won’t buy this until one of you reads it and tells me that Willis doesn’t include a book-stopping subplot like she did in _Doomsday Book_ with that kid, the nephew (or some young relative of a peripheral character). Every time he showed up the story slid to a screeching halt. Uh-oh, **AuntiePam**. Guess which character is introduced on page 1? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/11 "2010-02-06T22:16:21Z")
Really? Damn. Is he still a kid? I could deal with him if he’s grown up a bit, and if he’s a major character. I didn’t mind **him** so much as I minded that the stuff with him interrupted the flow. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/12 "2010-02-07T15:33:37Z")
He’s 17 - which could make him better or worse, I suppose. I can’t tell much about his plot yet. The time-traveling historians of the future certainly seem disorganized. I’ve had to go read up on the Dunkirk evacuation, and on the V-1/V-2 rocket attacks on London in 1944. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/13 "2010-02-07T18:48:08Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > He’s 17 - which could make him better or worse, I suppose. I can’t tell much about his plot yet. The time-traveling historians of the future certainly seem disorganized. > > I’ve had to go read up on the Dunkirk evacuation, and on the V-1/V-2 rocket attacks on London in 1944. A quick skim of _Gravity’s Rainbow_ will bring you up to date on the V2. _Not To Mention the Dog_ is one of my all time favorites & I enjoyed rereading _Domesday Book_ far too much, considering the rather uncheerful subject. I’ve been trying to resist buying this one. It’s the hardback edition! Do I really need any new books? (Probably I do.) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/14 "2010-02-07T23:31:57Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > A quick skim of _Gravity’s Rainbow_ will bring you up to date on the V2. I tried to read _Gravity’s Rainbow_ once. After spending half an hour reading the first page, I gave up. I don’t think it’s possible to give that book a quick skim. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/15 "2010-02-08T08:02:07Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > A quick skim of _Gravity’s Rainbow_ will bring you up to date on the V2. :eek: > [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I tried to read _Gravity’s Rainbow_ once. After spending half an hour reading the first page, I gave up. I don’t think it’s possible to give that book a quick skim. Yeah. That book defeated me too. I have to think the “quick skim” comment was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/16 "2010-02-08T12:12:11Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > :eek: > > Yeah. That book defeated me too. I have to think the “quick skim” comment was a joke. You win! I actually made it through _Gravity’s Rainbow_, years ago. Might attempt it again, while I still have my full faculties. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/17 "2010-02-08T15:50:10Z")
The book is good. I stopped 100 pages from the end late last night because my eyes were crossing and I didn’t want to finish it in a haze. So far the book has been set almost entirely in the past, with very little of future-Oxford in it. Four time traveling historians possibly stuck in various places in WWII England. I can’t tell what (if anything) has gone wrong yet, but obviously this book is only the first half of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/18 "2010-02-10T19:20:52Z")
Finished it. I enjoyed the book, but there’s no kind of ending so I almost wish I’d waited until this fall to read it along with the second book. This is a 1000-page novel chopped in half. I do like the way Willis sustained tension. Even though the historians should be certain how events are going to unfold, they’re still greatly relieved and reassured each time a bomb falls on schedule and in the “right” spot, for example. I did begin to get a little frustrated at one point when some of the characters took a little too long to find what they were searching for. A strange error: Queen Elizabeth’s most famous quote (“The children won’t leave without me…”) is attributed to Queen Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/19 "2010-02-26T16:02:12Z")
Oh you FUCKER. I got the Kindle edition, which I waited for, so if the hardback told you somewhere on it that it was _not a whole book_ I missed it. And the book got to a climax and then… “Sorry, haven’t written the rest yet!” I found it confusing and offputting that the vast majority of the book is about character introduced in Oxford, but every so often there’s a historian we’ve never met. I guess it will play out in the second book, but I find that very alienating when you’ve set up a structure and then I waste a lot of time, especially on a Kindle, flipping pages around to make sure I’m not supposed to know you. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245/20 "2010-02-26T16:27:20Z")
I think she’s written both halves, but the publisher decided to split the book. The next one is due out in October. Are the sales numbers for 1000-page books significantly worse than for 500-page books, I wonder? Or is the publisher just seizing the opportunity to get twice the price for it? [spoiler]She completely dropped the guy who was blowing up the tanks. I think he wasn’t even an historian, was he? So his story didn’t seem to fit with the book. It seemed to be only there for comic relief. And she dropped the woman who went to observe the V1/V2 rocket attacks.[/spoiler] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-connie-willis-novel-blackout/527245.md?page=2)