Science Fiction

Doomsday Book

Doomsday Book

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  • Create Date：2021-07-18 06:54:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Connie Willis
  • ISBN：0553562738
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Summary

For Kivrin， preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone。 For her instructors in the twenty-first century， it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received。

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her。 In a time of superstition and fear， Kivrin--barely of age herself--finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours。

Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil， suffering， and the indomitable will of the human spirit。

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Reviews

Clifford ，

Written in the 90s but even more relevant today。 Epidemics， brexit， time traveling historians this book has it all

Lee ，

This is my first Connie Willis novel。I will definitely read more by her。I read this in 2021。 She published this in 1992。 I've seen the critiques about the length of the book and the repetition。 I tend to agree。 AND I still enjoyed it， and think it is unfair to judge the pacing of a book from 1992 against our busted up and shortened attention spans。 The reason I read this book is I am getting so fed up with Neal Stephenson。 I've read everything he's done， but he's getting less readable， not more， This is my first Connie Willis novel。I will definitely read more by her。I read this in 2021。 She published this in 1992。 I've seen the critiques about the length of the book and the repetition。 I tend to agree。 AND I still enjoyed it， and think it is unfair to judge the pacing of a book from 1992 against our busted up and shortened attention spans。 The reason I read this book is I am getting so fed up with Neal Stephenson。 I've read everything he's done， but he's getting less readable， not more， as time goes on。 Only the addition of Nicole Galland as a co-author （because Neal really stinks at writing non-male characters and injecting humor into books） has kept me reading。 One of his more recent books， The Rise and Fall of D。O。D。O。 was infuriating。 I was talking to a friend about it and said I liked the premise of time travel as run through a university with academics but Stephenson， as he often does， blew it up to absurd scale too quickly。 She said that premise sounds like one from Connie Willis。 I had not heard of her， and voila here I am reviewing her book on time travel as run by academics。 The premises are not exactly the same but WOW was hers a tonic after the Stephenson/Galland tome （768 pages and written in 2017 soo。。。。）！Willis focuses on the characters and the way minor details as well as major ones （pandemics） affect their goals， and is quite tech light （telling us only briefly how the time machine works and its parameters）。 Stephenson is a world builder nerd who goes into excruciating detail on the environment and tech， before hitting fast forward on the plot to blow things up real good。 I have quibbles with both authors' time travel novels， but far fewer with Willis。I burned through her book quickly because I got invested in the characters and wanted to see how they all made out。 Cheers to Connie for that！ 。。。more

Aimee ，

On audio， this book was just over 26 hours long。 That’s a LONG book。 Having never read this author， I stumbled upon this book when checking the info on another book she wrote called “Crosstalk”。 Being a sucker for stories with time travel， I wasn’t sure what to expect as this book was written in 1992 about the year 2055。 I read it in 2021， sort of between the two dates。 It’s always funny what books foretelling the future imagine happening in that future。 For example， while they figured out time On audio， this book was just over 26 hours long。 That’s a LONG book。 Having never read this author， I stumbled upon this book when checking the info on another book she wrote called “Crosstalk”。 Being a sucker for stories with time travel， I wasn’t sure what to expect as this book was written in 1992 about the year 2055。 I read it in 2021， sort of between the two dates。 It’s always funny what books foretelling the future imagine happening in that future。 For example， while they figured out time travel， medical cures for most things and fixing homelessness and such…no one has a cell phone。 They have video phone capability but they’re all landlines。 Also， they can’t handle too much traffic on those lines。 They also don’t apparently have the internet。 They also don’t have flying cars， but overall， their perceptions of the past are pretty screwy also。 It’s also amusing because after the Covid 2020-2021 pandemic and the people who can’t understand science， the author mentions another pandemic the world had before 2055 and how people had some really stupid ideas about it。 Makes me think of how wrongheaded all people get when these things happen。 Not to mention， it plays out in the Middle Ages where our time traveler goes and is called superstition by people in 2055。 The same people who act foolish in 2055 with a medical issue and the same ones who did the same stuff in the fictional （and real） pandemic。 Agnes got on my nerves and was a brat who needed to be given some home training。 Seriously， annoying and needed to be given something to do。 The author kept me guessing as things progressed and I appreciated it。 Overall， this book was pretty damn awesome and slightly hilarious when their advances are compared to how things are。 Clearly， no one anticipated how cell phones would take over things。 I cried a little toward the end because it was just so unfair。 Also， why couldn’t someone just milk the damn cow and be done with it？ Sheesh！ 。。。more

Kristen Finlay ，

Weird to read books about pandemics during a pandemic… this one felt prescient considering it was written in 1992。 I LOVED IT！I am reading another Connie Willis next！

Katherine ，

Emotionally impactful and interesting， although some aspects of the novel （e。g。 lack of cell phones） were frustrating。 I loved the blend of modern and ancient times。

Jelli ，

Two things the reader should know up front: The audio is 26 hours long and there is not one but two plagues in the story， one historical and one contemporary。 I found the story to be incredibly immersive and the characters both touching and funny and the last 1/4 made me cry more than once。

Zvika ，

Time travel to the 14th century。 Slightly long， sometimes a bit too gory for me， but altogether engrossing， and really gives you the feel for life in those days。

Karith Amel ，

I read a Connie Willis book last year， and didn't love it。 Then I found out that she has 11 Hugo awards and 7 Nebula awards to her name， and has won more awards than any other sci-fi writer ever， male or female。 And I thought， hm， I better give her another chance。 The timing of this reading was rather applicable。 It's a book about an epidemic that also references a pandemic （and those blasted Americans who couldn't be bothered to quarantine）。 But that relevance also dated the book in particular I read a Connie Willis book last year， and didn't love it。 Then I found out that she has 11 Hugo awards and 7 Nebula awards to her name， and has won more awards than any other sci-fi writer ever， male or female。 And I thought， hm， I better give her another chance。 The timing of this reading was rather applicable。 It's a book about an epidemic that also references a pandemic （and those blasted Americans who couldn't be bothered to quarantine）。 But that relevance also dated the book in particular ways （I kept thinking， that's not how that should be handled at all！）。 Part of the book takes place in Oxford， which is fun， and the whole book is very much an exploration of human relationship。 What we mean to each other， despite our brief， often violent， lives。 In many ways it was a good book， an enjoyable book， even a powerful book。 But it was also just too long。 Willis has a tendency towards redundancy。 And a tendency towards telling her readers more than they need to know （much that she takes time to explain the reader has already discovered for herself）。 This book could have been much shorter and it would have gained potency from what it lost in length。 The excess verbiage， the waiting for a climax the reader has already anticipated， detract from a book that would otherwise have been more memorable and impactful。I'm also not completely certain I always loved the tone。 Some aspects of Willis's writing feels almost cartoonish。 Part of me finds that intersection of the serious and the lighthearted intriguing， while part of me finds it distracting and out of place。I feel like it deserves more than three stars 。 。 。 but maybe not quite four。 But maybe I'm being too harsh。 。。。more

David Schoen ，

Love

Rob Mason ，

I really enjoyed this， as is obvious by a 5 stars rating， though that is admittedly generous。 As one can see， while this did win awards， it also has a fair share of low critical reviews。 More on that later。This was areal page turner。 It took me little time to breeze through it。 That is likely correlated with the amount of active sequences and dialogue。 Some of the science may not be fully explained but there is some vary precise descriptions of other science that makes up for that。 Also enjoyabl I really enjoyed this， as is obvious by a 5 stars rating， though that is admittedly generous。 As one can see， while this did win awards， it also has a fair share of low critical reviews。 More on that later。This was areal page turner。 It took me little time to breeze through it。 That is likely correlated with the amount of active sequences and dialogue。 Some of the science may not be fully explained but there is some vary precise descriptions of other science that makes up for that。 Also enjoyable was the fact that the protagonist was female and would have been very rare from my readings back in the early 90s。 Next paragraph is minor spoilers for anyone who has not gotten to chapter 3ish。I expected a time-travel book。 What I did not expect was a book on a potential pandemic。 Perhaps I missed it in the brief descriptions I skimmed。 So very timely and quite accurate from some of what was just experienced in 2020。 Besides the science of the pandemic， some of the various reactions of characters/organizations to the quarantine （both modern day and historical） were quite interesting。 I am not sure I would have enjoyed this book as much had I read it pre-2020。To deal with the negative criticisms， that are valid。。。 A frequent comment was about the "miss" when describing telecommunications of the future。 Yes， even in the early 1990s pre-cell phone revolution， it was probably a bit short-sighted to have such a reliance on landline phones or perhaps less advanced cell phones。 There is quite a bit of drama that would be removed with better communications。 That being said， communication breakdowns could still have occurred。 A second criticism， again quite valid and one that I shared， there was a frequent usage of a character's confusion as limiting communication and allowing for other characters to act on a mystery。 It was frustration to encounter again and again。As a final comment， Williams mother was a bit overkill。Even with these flaws， I found the book to be both enjoyable and well worth a read。 。。。more

Anna ，

>>Audiobook Read by Jennie Sterlin app 26。33 hrs

Karen ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a very long book and a difficult read given the Covid pandemic。 Lots of death from plague and viruses。 Many unnecessary elements。 The cow in the village for instance。 Colin was my favorite。 I don't intend to read any more in the series。 This was a very long book and a difficult read given the Covid pandemic。 Lots of death from plague and viruses。 Many unnecessary elements。 The cow in the village for instance。 Colin was my favorite。 I don't intend to read any more in the series。 。。。more

Rob Stretter ，

The half of the novel that is set in the Middle Ages is excellent。 As a medievalist， I found the account of 14th century England to be wonderfully detailed and accurate。 Fair warning: the extended descriptions of a medieval pandemic make for tough reading。 The "modern" portions of the story show their age more （the novel was published in 1992）。 They are set in a futuristic Oxford that somehow still feels like the 197os。 These sections are a bit slow and spend an inordinate amount of time on univ The half of the novel that is set in the Middle Ages is excellent。 As a medievalist， I found the account of 14th century England to be wonderfully detailed and accurate。 Fair warning: the extended descriptions of a medieval pandemic make for tough reading。 The "modern" portions of the story show their age more （the novel was published in 1992）。 They are set in a futuristic Oxford that somehow still feels like the 197os。 These sections are a bit slow and spend an inordinate amount of time on university bureaucracy and the difficulties of getting people on the phone during the holidays。 It's unfortunate for Willis that the novel was published just before the Internet （and then iPhones） revolutionized our idea of what futuristic communication might look like。Still， the novel is definitely worth a read， especially for those interested in the Middle Ages or the history of disease and medicine。 。。。more

Krisko Isackson ，

I enjoyed the book a lot， but I can't get past the fact that about 40% of the drama taking place in 2050 would have been solved by having cell phones。 I enjoyed the book a lot， but I can't get past the fact that about 40% of the drama taking place in 2050 would have been solved by having cell phones。 。。。more

AMG ，

There were some really touching moments in this book， but， overall， this was a very long， very tedious book。 And reading this during the coronavirus pandemic and during a lot of unrest and climate doom was very depressing。 There were some interesting discussions of blame and death and facing the end of the world。 However， the characters are completely incompetent throughout， to the point of missing shockingly obvious details that are standing in front of them and jumping and screaming in their f There were some really touching moments in this book， but， overall， this was a very long， very tedious book。 And reading this during the coronavirus pandemic and during a lot of unrest and climate doom was very depressing。 There were some interesting discussions of blame and death and facing the end of the world。 However， the characters are completely incompetent throughout， to the point of missing shockingly obvious details that are standing in front of them and jumping and screaming in their faces。 I also felt that the conclusion to the book didn't feel very conclusive。 。。。more

Janice ，

Connie Willis tells a great story。 I liked the parallels between the two time frames - 1348 black death and futuristic 2055 virus pandemic。 The weakest part in my opinion was the futuristic part。 The only thing that made it feel 2055 and not contemporary was time travel， all phone calls were facetime， and vaccines took days to create。 One has to wonder if Connie Willis time travelled from 1992 to 2020 and took notes of the current pandemic。 Throughout the future sections of the story people were Connie Willis tells a great story。 I liked the parallels between the two time frames - 1348 black death and futuristic 2055 virus pandemic。 The weakest part in my opinion was the futuristic part。 The only thing that made it feel 2055 and not contemporary was time travel， all phone calls were facetime， and vaccines took days to create。 One has to wonder if Connie Willis time travelled from 1992 to 2020 and took notes of the current pandemic。 Throughout the future sections of the story people were being asked why they weren't wearing their masks。 Too bad our pandemic wasn't as short-lived as theirs。 。。。more

Eric ，

It sounded like a really excellent means of telling a science fiction/ftasy story， and it came close to meeting that premise。 But the story wanted to go on and on and on 。。。 not really boring me to death， but more like dragging me kicking and screaming over the rocks in river bottom while the cold stream kept me just short of relaxing。 I am sure that are sci-fi fans who probably will love this story。

Christopher ，

I think it was Fred Pohl who said something to the effect of it's one thing to predict the automobile; great writers predict the traffic jam。 Reading this in 2021， I had to check back to confirm that this really was written almost 30 years ago （1992）。 In the backstory （this is set in the late 2050s）， they mention that there was "The Pandemic" about 40 years before。 One of the American characters complains about their rights being infringed on， prompting a British character to think about why so I think it was Fred Pohl who said something to the effect of it's one thing to predict the automobile; great writers predict the traffic jam。 Reading this in 2021， I had to check back to confirm that this really was written almost 30 years ago （1992）。 In the backstory （this is set in the late 2050s）， they mention that there was "The Pandemic" about 40 years before。 One of the American characters complains about their rights being infringed on， prompting a British character to think about why so many more Americans died during the pandemic。 And keep in mind - this wasn't the focus of the book， just the back story （Lack of lavatory paper was also a recurring joke）。Ability to predict the future so eerily aside （although this ~is~ a book featuring time travel）， the focus of the book is overwhelmingly not on the cool gadgets/pew-pew aspect of science fiction， but on how these events affect people。 If you're a sci-fi fan who likes time travel， you'll enjoy it。 （However， Oxford clearly takes a very different approach to time travel than other British universities - who of course， don't engage in time travel， but investigate historical events in contemporary time。 This is definitely ~not~ The Chronicles of St。 Mary's Series #1-6） If you aren't a big sci-fi fan， this is still very worth reading because the focus is on the human factors， both in the 2050s and in the Middle Ages， even in minor issues such as referring to the people in the past as "contemps" （subtly emphasizing some of the subconscious attitudes towards the past that some of the historians seem to have）。 Very worth your time to read。 。。。more

Liam Haines ，

Amazing read， took me a little while to read。 Feels like some of it could have been trimmed down before publishing but in all was great。 Especially relevant in today's world， even though the book Is 30 years old Amazing read， took me a little while to read。 Feels like some of it could have been trimmed down before publishing but in all was great。 Especially relevant in today's world， even though the book Is 30 years old 。。。more

Almendra ，

Estoy sin palabras。 Es increíble。 De lo mejor que he leído este año。

Kaisievic ，

One of my favourite books ever！

Bret D。 ，

I heard about this book from Dorsey Armstrong's series of lectures on the Black Death from The Great Courses （which is excellent）， and reeeeally wanted to like it based on its premise。 But after 130 pages of the author marking time with fussy characters and tedious dialogue， it was clear that the story was going nowhere and was not in a hurry to get there。 This book badly needed a more assertive editor。 I heard about this book from Dorsey Armstrong's series of lectures on the Black Death from The Great Courses （which is excellent）， and reeeeally wanted to like it based on its premise。 But after 130 pages of the author marking time with fussy characters and tedious dialogue， it was clear that the story was going nowhere and was not in a hurry to get there。 This book badly needed a more assertive editor。 。。。more

Graeme J Greenan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I think for at least the first half of this book it should be referred to as “The Doomsday Phonebook” as a fair chunk of it has its characters constantly ringing each other up。I found the idea of a university history dept having the ability to time travel and study their subject firsthand absolutely superb。 However， Connie Willis， for about 85% of the novel， fails in taking full advantage of such a fantastic idea。To say the book is a slow-burner would be putting it mildly。 Apart from a couple of I think for at least the first half of this book it should be referred to as “The Doomsday Phonebook” as a fair chunk of it has its characters constantly ringing each other up。I found the idea of a university history dept having the ability to time travel and study their subject firsthand absolutely superb。 However， Connie Willis， for about 85% of the novel， fails in taking full advantage of such a fantastic idea。To say the book is a slow-burner would be putting it mildly。 Apart from a couple of characters who stand out （Colin， Kivrin， and Angus）， the rest seem to amble along a plot line where nothing much happens。It is only as the book reaches its close that it begins to tug at the reader’s emotions and interest （IMHO）， but by this point it is too late。 I gave up reading the novel after about 50 pages and completed the rest on audiobook。Apparently， there is more in this series， but this novel is enough for me。 。。。more

Chris ，

I enjoyed the concept of the book， and the emotional tenor of the sections about the Middle Ages was definitely worthwhile。 But the book also relies too much on contrived miscommunication mixed with coincidence to drive the plot。 "She wanted to ask him about *a piece of information crucial to her hopes for survival* but oh just then someone else came in the room and they left before she could！" A time travel technician mutters about "something being wrong" while falling ill， but nobody thinks he I enjoyed the concept of the book， and the emotional tenor of the sections about the Middle Ages was definitely worthwhile。 But the book also relies too much on contrived miscommunication mixed with coincidence to drive the plot。 "She wanted to ask him about *a piece of information crucial to her hopes for survival* but oh just then someone else came in the room and they left before she could！" A time travel technician mutters about "something being wrong" while falling ill， but nobody thinks he means anything by it， then when they finally do it just so happens anyone who could do anything about it is away and unable to return！ Sigh。 The book is also too long， and I could have done without reading about Mrs Gadsen or bell ringers。 So， mixed review。 。。。more

Sarah Melton ，

This book is so good。 The story and the characters are riveting！ Connie Willis makes you feel like you are there with them。 This is the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely read more！

Oliver Terrones ，

Un programa de investigación histórica envía exploradorxs/investigadorxs al pasado y una estudiante de historia del 2054 es enviada a una investigación al siglo XIV; al mismo tiempo， y sin saber las razones exactas， se inicia una pandemia en ambos tiempos: el XXI y el XIV。 Connie Willis llega al fondo material， decadente， crudo y no tan espectacular de los relatos de espada y hechicería， viajes en el tiempo y zombis; al mismo tiempo que describe la muerte de un sistema simbólico。 Logra infectarn Un programa de investigación histórica envía exploradorxs/investigadorxs al pasado y una estudiante de historia del 2054 es enviada a una investigación al siglo XIV; al mismo tiempo， y sin saber las razones exactas， se inicia una pandemia en ambos tiempos: el XXI y el XIV。 Connie Willis llega al fondo material， decadente， crudo y no tan espectacular de los relatos de espada y hechicería， viajes en el tiempo y zombis; al mismo tiempo que describe la muerte de un sistema simbólico。 Logra infectarnos con el sentimiento del final trágico de un sistema simbólico: el cristianismo， cuya tragedia es igual a la de cualquier otro sistema simbólico。 Genial el énfasis que Connie Willis hace de la vida cotidiana de algunas mujeres en la Edad Media; un énfasis que mayoritariamente se enfoca en la perspectiva masculina y caballeresca。 —"Y por cierto， ¿por qué seguía doblando la campana？ Podía estar llamando a misa， o a un funeral o a una boda。 las campanas repicaban casi constantemente en la Edad Media， para avisar de invasiones o incendios， para ayudar a un niño perdido a encontrar el camino de vuelta a la aldea， incluso para detener tormentas。 Podía estar sonando por cualquier motivo。" 。。。more

Megan ，

I really enjoyed reading this！ It's fast-paced and a bit frantic， which at first I found annoying and frustrating， and then I realized how perfectly that captured the characters' feelings about their various situations。 I loved the parallel timelines， and Kivrin's experiences in the middle ages。 It was a little creepy how similar the characters' reactions to a possible pandemic situation were to our current pandemic situation， though。 Overall， very engrossing， fascinating， and also it made me cr I really enjoyed reading this！ It's fast-paced and a bit frantic， which at first I found annoying and frustrating， and then I realized how perfectly that captured the characters' feelings about their various situations。 I loved the parallel timelines， and Kivrin's experiences in the middle ages。 It was a little creepy how similar the characters' reactions to a possible pandemic situation were to our current pandemic situation， though。 Overall， very engrossing， fascinating， and also it made me cry。 。。。more

Daria ，

Why 2 stars？ This was an insanely long， drawn out book that could have been more engaging if shorter。 The idea of parallel pandemics centuries apart is great material。 That Willis published this book in 1992 and managed to forecast the universal pig headedness of the 2020s illustrates how consistently selfish humans actually are。 Willis illustrates how much we haven't grown socially through the ages。 （Willis， a self avowed Christian， shares a harsh POV regarding some members of the clergy who ap Why 2 stars？ This was an insanely long， drawn out book that could have been more engaging if shorter。 The idea of parallel pandemics centuries apart is great material。 That Willis published this book in 1992 and managed to forecast the universal pig headedness of the 2020s illustrates how consistently selfish humans actually are。 Willis illustrates how much we haven't grown socially through the ages。 （Willis， a self avowed Christian， shares a harsh POV regarding some members of the clergy who appear in the book）Many of the flaws in the story have to do with specific characters and their grating， redundant behavior - It wasn't anything more than filler。 How many times do we need to hear the whining of a spoiled 5 year old， the bitchy voice of an overbearing mother in law or the decrees of a self important academic gumming up the works to maintain control over his little empire？ The best thing Willis could do for this book is a deep edit and re-release 。。。more

Kelsey ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Fantastic book idea， atrocious execution。 The characters were like one-note animatronic robots in a Disneyland ride， only able to voice their prerecorded phrases。 Each character in this book had one motivation/interest。 Readers don’t ever get a “why” to anything they do: like， why does Dunwoody care so much about Kivrin？ Does she remind him of his daughter？ Does she remind him of himself？ There is no relationship revealed， just his single minded devotion。 Same goes for every other character。 Is Fantastic book idea， atrocious execution。 The characters were like one-note animatronic robots in a Disneyland ride， only able to voice their prerecorded phrases。 Each character in this book had one motivation/interest。 Readers don’t ever get a “why” to anything they do: like， why does Dunwoody care so much about Kivrin？ Does she remind him of his daughter？ Does she remind him of himself？ There is no relationship revealed， just his single minded devotion。 Same goes for every other character。 Is Eliwys worried about her three sons being in plague stricken Bath？ You wouldn’t know it - none of them are even mentioned by name。 Does Maisry have a personality beyond “sullen”？ No idea。 The bell ringers and the assistant and Mrs。 Gaddson were meant for comic relief， but just reinforced the feeling that none of these characters were real people。 Further rant: Are there really only two Medieval history academics in all the world？ Gilchrist the Idiotically Pompous and one undergraduate？？ Like， if time travel was real and safe， there would be a loooong line of actual tenured academics and subject matter experts that would get to go through first。 It didn’t make any sense that Kivrin would be the person to send through once the universities decide to send people to that time period， no matter how dedicated or determined she is。 Pacing: I didn’t care about any of the characters， but it was very weird pacing to have everyone suddenly die in the final two chapters。 Like， there are hundreds of pages where literally nothing happens。 Spread out the action a little。 There were small flashes of what the book could have been， which almost makes it worse。 。。。more

PRL ，

The first four hundred pages of this book are an exploration of frustration。 The whole world appears to conspire against our two protagonists， hindering their every attempt to do what they both want and need to do。We see bell ringers who don't care about an epidemic， only about their bell ringing。 Administrators who are obsessed with a shortage of toilet roll， all the while around them people are dying。 Departmental heads hungry for power， regardless of the human costs。 Medical staff who care mo The first four hundred pages of this book are an exploration of frustration。 The whole world appears to conspire against our two protagonists， hindering their every attempt to do what they both want and need to do。We see bell ringers who don't care about an epidemic， only about their bell ringing。 Administrators who are obsessed with a shortage of toilet roll， all the while around them people are dying。 Departmental heads hungry for power， regardless of the human costs。 Medical staff who care more about what they think a patient needs rather than what the patient actually needs or wants。 People being struck down by illness just before they can reveal crucial information。 It's all about the frustration and events conspiring to thwart everybody's best efforts。And then in the last third of the book the black death hits and it's both brutal and unflinching in its destruction。 It's safe to say that nobody survives the experience unscathed。 We see the best of people in an impossible situation and it's all the more traumatic because we know how it's going to end。This is a very different book from To Say Nothing of the Dog which I read first。 It's still good， but certainly very different in tone。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Doomsday Book

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Doomsday Book&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Doomsday Book&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0