Subject: FIRE WATCH by Connie Willis

From: "Evelyn C Leeper" <[email-masked]>
Date: 09 Apr 1998 13:54:33 -0400

FIRE WATCH by Connie Willis
            Bantam, ISBN 0-553-26045-6, 1998, 336pp, $6.50
                   A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
		    Copyright 1998 Evelyn C. Leeper

     The collection, first published in 1985 and long out of print,
contains twelve stories--eleven reprints and one story original to this
volume.  The fact that not only is a publisher willing to publish a
single-author collection, but to *reprint* one that was published thirteen
years ago, is an indication of Willis's stature in the field.  Nominated
for 17 Hugo awards and 11 Nebula awards, and the winner of six Hugos (for
DOOMSDAY BOOK, "Fire Watch," "The Last of the Winnebagos," "Even the
Queen," "Death on the Nile," and "The Soul Selects Her Own Society ...")
and six Nebulas (DOOMSDAY BOOK, "Fire Watch," "A Letter From the Clearys,"
"The Last of the Winnebagos," "At the Rialto," and "Even the Queen"),
Willis has opportunities other authors just dream of.

     The Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning "Fire Watch" is the story of one
history student's time travel project to the London Blitz.  Well-deserving
of its awards, it is doubtless the best story in the book, and in many
ways a precursor to Willis's DOOMSDAY BOOK and TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG.
But other stories are worthy of note also.  "Lost and Found" and "Daisy,
in the Sun" are both strange apocalyptic tales, though in very different
ways.  "All My Darling Daughters" (the one new story) is a bizarre little
piece--it's easy to see why this had difficulty finding a market, but it
has become a classic.  "The Sidon in the Mirror" was also nominated for a
Hugo and a Nebula and its alien feel is an interesting juxtaposition to
the "just plain folks" feel of most of Willis's other works.  There is, of
course, some fluff of the sort Willis has become known for: "The Father of
the Bride," "And Come from Miles Around," "Mail-Order Clone," and "Blued
Moon."  The last, in particular, is highly recommended; it has some of the
funniest scenes I've seen in print, and did garner a Hugo nomination.
"Samaritan" covers some fairly old ground, though the characters do hold
the reader's interest through it.  I thought, though, that "Service for
the Burial of the Dead" and "A Letter from the Clearys" were just average.

     In 1985, I said that the $14.95 the trade paperback would cost seemed
a bit steep and people might want to wait for a paperback edition.  Since
the paperback edition was thirteen years in coming, this was probably bad
advice, even if it is somewhat cheaper now.  Willis's more recent works
can be found in the 1994 collection IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, also from Bantam
and even still in print (ISBN 0-553-56436-6, $6.50). The eleven stories
in it share seven Hugo nominations (with two wins) and five Nebula
nominations (with three wins).  At the time it came out, the re-issue of
FIRE WATCH was promised, but that took four years.

%T      Fire Watch
%A      Connie Willis
%C      New York
%D      May 1998
%I      Bantam
%O      paperback, US$6.50
%G      ISBN 0-553-26045-6
%P      336pp

Evelyn C. Leeper    |  [email-masked]
+1 732 957 2070     |  http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824
"What has the study of biology taught you about the Creator, Dr. Haldane?"
"I'm not sure, but He seems to be inordinately fond of beetles."