Elitist Book Reviews

ALL CLEAR by Connie Willis is the sequel to this year’s BLACKOUT. Although “sequel” isn’t really the proper word for it. “Sequel” makes it sound like the first book had some closure to it, a conclusion. “Sequel” makes it sound like this book, ALL CLEAR, is going to recap what happened in the previous volume and catch you up. Both of those things are not true of this duology. ALL CLEAR, better said is the second half of the story begun in BLACKOUT. The reason for the split in the story is that it’s so long. ALL CLEAR clocks in at 640 pages in hardback and BLACKOUT was about the same. I’ve seen Brandon Sanderson books that are shorter than these two put together (I kid, we love Brandon around here).

Like I said this book doesn’t pander to the fact that you haven’t read the first one in a few months. It jumps right in and gets going with the story as if there was no break at all. I believe that Willis wrote the entire book, BLACKOUT and ALL CLEAR, in one large manuscript and the publisher picked up the first half, much like a Vegas dealer cutting a deck of cards, and said, “There, that’s book one.” And really that’s my only complaint about the book. I wish I could have had it all at once.

Let’s be clear, this is Connie Willis' finest work to date, and this is a woman who has won more Hugo awards and Nebulas than anyone alive. I reviewed BLACKOUT earlier this year, and in it I said that this duology had the potential to be everything DOOMSDAY BOOK and TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG were rolled into one package. Willis delivers in ALL CLEAR giving us a heartwarming story with real, believable characters that you love. She also gives us humor, intrigue, tragedy, and a well-researched look into WWII England all in one story. This book was fabulous.

I don’t want to say anything more about this book. Because it is a direct follow up to BLACKOUT, anything I tell you about the story of ALL CLEAR will tell you how BLACKOUT ended. I know, quite the predicament. Let’s just say that the story, as a whole, deals with three time travelers from the future, historians bent on learning what life was really like in the past, who have found themselves stuck in England in 1940 and 1941. That’s all you’re going to get out of me. If you want the rest you should go read the books. HA!

And you REALLY SHOULD GO READ THESE BOOKS! They are beautiful and subtle and witty and charming. They are everything Willis’ previous works were and more. I would be remiss if I didn’t spend a bit of time talking about the characters. Over the course of 1200 pages I grew to love these characters. And not in that “Wow that character was so cool because she can jump off of a building with a machine gun…” type of love. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But these characters are real people. While reading the book you’ve laughed with them, seen them go through heartache and struggled with them. At the end of the book I even cried with them (interesting fact: I’ve only ever cried reading two books, WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS, and another of Willis’ books the DOOMSDAY BOOK). This book and these characters will stick with you. The only reason these books won’t be nominated for the Hugo and then win it next year is if they don’t let it stand as one complete story, which it is.

Go, read these books right now.

Recommended Age: 14+ Nothing really wrong here for anyone younger, it just feels like an adult would like it more. Kind of dry for kids.
Language: None really.
Violence: War violence, nothing too grotesque or frightening.
Sex: None.

I was first introduced to Connie Willis about five years ago when, during the summer, I read both of her Hugo winning novels THE DOOMSDAY BOOK and TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG. Since then I have been an avid fan of her work. When I heard about her latest work, BLACKOUT, I knew it was a must read.

In BLACKOUT, Willis returns to the world of both THE DOOMSDAY BOOK and TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG. In this world Willis focuses on a group of historians who, through the use of time travel, are able to go back in time to witness and experience first-hand certain events in history and get accurate data on them.

In Willis’ world time travel is an inaccurate science, never allowing the time travelers to approach a point in history that would alter significant historical events, thus you could never go back and kill Hitler before his rise to power or stop American Idol from ever airing. Instead the time travelers often arrive to find themselves either miles away from their wanted destination, or else arriving days or months later than they thought they would.

BLACKOUT follows three such time travelers who are all going back to study England during the bombing raids of WWII. I won’t go into the specifics of the characters and their own troubles when they arrive. Half the fun of Willis’ novels is getting to know the characters, each of whom is well thought out and real. Indeed these time travelers are a perfect vessel for the telling of these historical stories. Through their eyes we are able to see the little details that they see, and the small variations in life that are so interesting. The time travelers are new to the world of WWII England, as are we, and we get to live the experience with them.

And that’s the other fun thing about Willis’ books, the details. Willis is known for being an avid researcher before she starts writing, and it shows. After having read this book I feel like I could visit London and recognize streets, shops, parks and pavilions based entirely on the world Willis has shown me. If History teachers were half as entertaining as Willis I would have attended their lectures much more often. BLACKOUT is an SF novel that reads like Historical Fiction.

THE DOOMSDAY BOOK dealt with similar issues as BLACKOUT, except instead of WWII England it was about a small town during the spread of the black plague. TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG dealt with a light adventure in Victorian England. Where THE DOOMSDAY BOOK was very bleak and dark and heartbreaking, and TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG was light and funny and whimsical, BLACKOUT is a perfect blend of the two. There are terrible things happening in England; it is a hard time to be alive and Willis conveys that beautifully. But we also are able to see the moments of joy that each person is able to find amidst the ruins. Willis toes the line between comedy and tragedy beautifully and the end result is her best book yet.

In the end, BLACKOUT looks like Connie Willis has perfected her design. The book was fun, serious, gripping and ultimately very entertaining. The only thing that would keep this one off of next year’s Hugo ballot is if people are put off by the fact that this is only half a book. I am not one of those people. I thought it was brilliant and I can’t wait for more. ALL CLEAR, the other half of the story begun in BLACKOUT, comes out this October. Do yourself a favor and pick up BLACKOUT now so you’re ready for ALL CLEAR when it comes out.


Recommended age: 16 and up
Language: Maybe a few words but nothing big at all.
Violence: Mostly after effects of war violence, no gore.
Sex: None

Connie's blog:

http://conniewillis.blogspot.com/