#119. TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG By Connie Willis

Published : 1998
Pages : 510
Overall Mark : 9/10

Ned Henry is a time-travelling historian who specialises in the mid-20th century. He’s also made so many drops into the past that he’s suffering from a dangerously advanced case of ‘time-lag’.

Unfortunately for Ned, an emergency dash to Victorian England is required and he’s the only available historian. But Ned’s time-lag is so bad that he’s no longer sure what his errand actually is – which is bad news since, if he fails, history could unravel around him...

CONNIE WILLIS (1945-)
Connie Willis has won, among many other accolades, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards for her writing, and was recently named an SFWA Grand Master. She lives in Greeley, Colorado with her husband Courtney Willis, a professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado.

VERDICT
This sort-of follow-up to Doomsday Book is just as good, though it is wittier and far less dramatic. It has all the suspense of the original without so much of the impending doom, and the characters are just as likeable and appealing. Willis manages to take an idea she has already tackled with extreme pathos and manage it with enough humour and knowing comedy to make this a brand new and just as rewarding experience. This is a must for any fan of sci-fi or Jerome K Jerome.