Connie Willis

Connie Willis is that rare breed of science fiction writer - a woman. Not that she is the only woman in scifi, or even the only woman who regularly wins awards (see Lois McMaster Bujold). But she is one of the best sci-fi writers around. The most distinguishing characteristic of her stories is this: her stories are not about saving the universe or global conflict. She writes about interesting people in interesting situations. For example, in Doomsday Book, our protagonist travels back in time to England during the Black Plague. She doesn't alter history or save entire villages. She merely survives....and that's enough. Other readers agree - Doomsday Book won the 93 Hugo for best novel. In a similar vein her story "Fire Watch" follows a young man traveling to London during the Blitz. Again Willis focuses on her characters struggle to survive, learn, and cope with tragedy, bringing both the characters and the historical period alive. Willis has written other excellent stories as well, many of them future-oriented. In her award-winning "Last of the Winnebagos" she explores the saddest of all possible worlds - a world virtually without dogs. As in her other stories our sympathetic protagonist struggles with a world filled with tragedy. Maybe that's where Willis' gift truly lays, in the ability to personalize tragedy without being overwhelmed by it.

Promised Land

The most recent story of Willis' that I've read is Promised Land, co-authored with Cynthia Felice. This story disappointed me. The plot and characters were predictable and the world seemed contrived rather than original. One possible result of collaboration is mediocrity, a work below the standards of either contributor individually. Though I don't know any of Cynthia Felice's other work, I am going to go ahead and say this is such a work. This bears none of the hallmarks of Willis' wonderful work, and, sorry Cynthia, I hope Willis returns to writing solo.