Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Subterranean Press (2007), Hardcover, 600 pages
Description
A collection of 23 novellas and short stories by the author, including "It's a Wonderful Life," "Fire Watch," "Even the Queen," "The Last of the Winnebagos," "Nonstop to Portales," "Newsletter," "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know," "Cash Crop," "Daisy, in the Sun," "The Winds of Marble Arch," "The Soul Selects Her Own Society...," "A Letter from the Clearys," "Chance," "At the Rialto," and "All My Darling Daughters."
User reviews
LibraryThing member mzonderm
I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but of course I'll read anything Connie Willis writes. Even the ones that have been published before are fun to read again. I was thrilled to see "Firewatch" included in this collection, and felt the ending as strongly this time as I did the first time I
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read it. Other stories, like "Blued Moon" and "At the Rialto" carry Willis' trademark corporate stupidity and mangled language, but others, like "A Letter from the Clearys" and "Nonstop to Portales" are so subtly written, it's both a joy (because you can finally see how well Willis works her craft) and a sorrow (because the story's over!). Some endings are a bit overdone (title-story "The Winds of Marble Arch", "The Last of the Winnebagos"). Others endings are a bit muddled ("The Curse of Kings", "Daisy, In the Sun", "Cash Crop"), but some endings ("All My Darling Daughters") are all too clear. The inclusion of such hilarious gems as "Even the Queen" and especially "The Soul Selects Her Own Society..." (pay attention to the footnotes!) more than make up for any flaws. Overall, the collection is a must-read for any Willis fans, and anyone else who just wants to read a broad collection of well-done stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member phyllis2779
As with any anthology, even those by a great writer, some of the stories resonate with you more than others. I really lked the the volume as a whole very much but some of the stories left me cold or rather sad. Other were very interesting and/or fun. Loved the Emily Dickinson story. I still want to
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read every that Connie Willis has written. Show Less
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
I read very little fantasy and science fiction, but anything by Connie Willis is going to wind up in my hands sooner or later. This thick volume of novellas and short stories has a wide variety of both F and SF. A few of the stories were also included in her Christmas collection, Miracle, and I
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believe one of the others was published in another book. But most of the stories were new to me. They range from humorous to chilling and many of them deal with questions of faith. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member iBeth
This collection is packed with 23 stories (compared to The Best of Connie Willis, which has 10, and seven of the 10 appear here). You get a good idea of Willis' considerable range, plus some of her best stories.
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
I love Connie Willis, but her rapid-fire dialog and interweaving plots start to feel a little tiring after the fifth or sixth short story in a row. This is definitely not a book to read all in one week.
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
If you are a fan of Connie Willis, you will like this book. You will also have read a great deal of it before.
I believe, however, that this is the most comprehensive collection of Willis' short fiction out there. it's got just a ton of stuff... and it weighs a ton.
It'd be a great introduction to
I believe, however, that this is the most comprehensive collection of Willis' short fiction out there. it's got just a ton of stuff... and it weighs a ton.
It'd be a great introduction to
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Willis' work, and it's a must for completists. Show Less
LibraryThing member Aspenhugger
" 'Variety is the soul of pleasure.' And variety is what this comprehensive new collection of Connie Willis is all about. The stories cover the entire spectrum, fr9om sad to sparkling to terrifying, from classics to hard-to-find treasures with everything in between -- orangutans, Egypt, earthworms,
"Fampous for her 'sure-hand plotting, unforgettable characters, and top-notch writing,' Willis has been called, 'the most relentlessly delightful science fiction writer alive,' and there are numerous examples here. Among them, Willis's most famous stories -- the Hugo- and Nebula-Award-winning Fire Watch and Even the Queen and The Last of the Winnebagos -- along with undiscovered gems like Willis's heartfelt homage to Jack Williamson, Nonstop to Portales. Her magical Christmas stories are here, too, from Newsletter to Just Like the Ones We Used to Know ... which last year [2005] was made into the TV movie, Snow Wonder, starring Mary Tyler Moore.
"We've collected stories from throughout Willis's career, from the early ones like Cash Crop and Daisy, in the Sun, right up to her newest stories, including the wonderful The Winds of Marble Arch. There's literally something for everyone here. If you're a diehard Willis fan, you'll be delighted with hard-to-find treasures like the until-now uncollected, The Soul Selects Her Own Society ... If you've never read Connie Willis, this is your chance to discover A Letter From the Clearys , and, well, Chance. To say nothing of, At the Rialto, the funniest story ever written bout quantum Physicists. And Willis's chilling, All My Darling Daughters.
"And...oh, there are too many great stories here to lest and pleasures galore. So enjoy!"
~~front & back covers
This is a massive book. Bigger than some of the Outlanders. But well worth it, at least in my opinion. But then, in the interests of full disclosure, I'm a diehard Connie Willis fan, and have been ever since I read To Say Nothing of the DogPassage, which I fell upon because I so much love Jerome4 K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, with the subtitle "To Say Nothing of the Dog." And then there was Passage, which I read years ago but can still recite the plot from memory, and still turn the ending over in my mind ...
These stories are a mixed bag, of course. I didn't care for The Winds of Marble Arch mostly because it's a story that doesn't make sense until you read almost all of it; I dislike that literary device but Ms. Willis uses it more often than I'm happy about. I'm especially fond of Inn one of the best Christmas stories ever, detested The Soul Selects Her Own Society ..., and absolutely howled with laughter at At the Rialto.
Obviously I think most of these stories are well worth reading, and the wonderful thing about collections of short stories is that you can just skip any of them you don't like.
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roast goose, college professors, mothers-in-law, aliens, secret codes, Secret Santas, tube stations, choir practice, the post office, the green light on Daisy's dock, weddings, divorces, death, and assorted p0lagues, from scarlet fever to 'It's a Wonderful Life'. And a dog."Fampous for her 'sure-hand plotting, unforgettable characters, and top-notch writing,' Willis has been called, 'the most relentlessly delightful science fiction writer alive,' and there are numerous examples here. Among them, Willis's most famous stories -- the Hugo- and Nebula-Award-winning Fire Watch and Even the Queen and The Last of the Winnebagos -- along with undiscovered gems like Willis's heartfelt homage to Jack Williamson, Nonstop to Portales. Her magical Christmas stories are here, too, from Newsletter to Just Like the Ones We Used to Know ... which last year [2005] was made into the TV movie, Snow Wonder, starring Mary Tyler Moore.
"We've collected stories from throughout Willis's career, from the early ones like Cash Crop and Daisy, in the Sun, right up to her newest stories, including the wonderful The Winds of Marble Arch. There's literally something for everyone here. If you're a diehard Willis fan, you'll be delighted with hard-to-find treasures like the until-now uncollected, The Soul Selects Her Own Society ... If you've never read Connie Willis, this is your chance to discover A Letter From the Clearys , and, well, Chance. To say nothing of, At the Rialto, the funniest story ever written bout quantum Physicists. And Willis's chilling, All My Darling Daughters.
"And...oh, there are too many great stories here to lest and pleasures galore. So enjoy!"
~~front & back covers
This is a massive book. Bigger than some of the Outlanders. But well worth it, at least in my opinion. But then, in the interests of full disclosure, I'm a diehard Connie Willis fan, and have been ever since I read To Say Nothing of the DogPassage, which I fell upon because I so much love Jerome4 K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, with the subtitle "To Say Nothing of the Dog." And then there was Passage, which I read years ago but can still recite the plot from memory, and still turn the ending over in my mind ...
These stories are a mixed bag, of course. I didn't care for The Winds of Marble Arch mostly because it's a story that doesn't make sense until you read almost all of it; I dislike that literary device but Ms. Willis uses it more often than I'm happy about. I'm especially fond of Inn one of the best Christmas stories ever, detested The Soul Selects Her Own Society ..., and absolutely howled with laughter at At the Rialto.
Obviously I think most of these stories are well worth reading, and the wonderful thing about collections of short stories is that you can just skip any of them you don't like.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cavernism
There are some great stories in here- it really does have the full range of stuff, including time travel, futuristic societies, magical realism, stories that are hilarious ("Ado", "At the Rialto", "The Soul Selects Her Own Society"), stories that are sad and poignant ("The Winds of Marble Arch",
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"Chance"), and stories that are downright disturbing ("All my Darling Daughters"). This book is a thick slab to dive into, but it's a treat. :) Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Collection — 2008)
Original publication date
2007-09-25
Physical description
600 p.; 9.3 inches
ISBN
1596061103 / 9781596061101