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The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories

by Connie Willis

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4831651,383 (3.97)21
Classic Literature. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Few authors have had careers as successful as that of Connie Willis. Inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and recently awarded the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Willis is still going strong. Her smart, heartfelt fiction runs the gamut from screwball comedy to profound tragedy, combining dazzling plot twists, cutting-edge science, and unforgettable characters.
 
From a near future mourning the extinction of dogs to an alternate history in which invading aliens were defeated by none other than Emily Dickinson; from a madcap convention of bumbling quantum physicists in Hollywood to a London whose Underground has become a storehouse of intangible memories both foul and fair—here are the greatest stories of one of the greatest writers working in any genre today.
 
All ten of the stories gathered here are Hugo or Nebula award winners—some even have the distinction of winning both. With a new Introduction by the author and personal afterwords to each story—plus a special look at three of Willis’s unique public speeches—this is unquestionably the collection of the season, a book that every Connie Willis fan will treasure, and, to those unfamiliar with her work, the perfect introduction to one of the most accomplished and best-loved writers of our time.
Praise for The Best of Connie Willis
 
“Filled with warmth and sadness, great drama, witty dialogue, characters you will care about and moments that you will remember for a long time.”—SFF World
 
“If anyone can be named ‘best science fiction writer of the age,’ it’s Connie Willis, and these stories are the best of her best. Truly.”Analog
 
“Ranging from the hilarious to the profound, these stories show the full range of [Connie] Willis’s talent for taut, dazzling plots, real science, memorable characters, penetrating dialogue and blistering drama.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Thank goodness [for] Connie Willis, who says many things that desperately need saying in more than one delightful way.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
The Best of Connie Willis? Isn’t that like sorting through diamonds?”—Lytherus.
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» See also 21 mentions

English (15)  Spanish (1)  All languages (16)
Showing 1-5 of 15 (next | show all)
2.25 star average per story. What a disappointing collection - especially since these are supposedly the author's best!

Willis is a wordy writer, so I think that short stories simply aren't the format in which she shines brightest.

Add to that the profanity (including many instances of the names of God/Jesus used disrespectfully), the not-so-subtle jabs at Christianity in general and Creationists in particular, and the political preaching, and this is just a mess of a book that made me like Willis a whole lot less.

- A Letter From the Clearys: 1.5
- At the Rialto: 3.5
- Death On the Nile: 3.5
- The Soul Selects Her Own Society: 2.5
- Fire Watch: 3.5
- Inside Job: 2.0
- Even the Queen: 1.0
- The Winds of Marble Arch: 1.0
- All Seated On the Ground: 1.5
- Last of the Winnebagos: 2.5 ( )
  RachelRachelRachel | Nov 21, 2023 |
I love Connie Willis' short stories. This collection is uniformly excellent, which isn't surprising when you consider that they're all award-winning stories. Even if you aren't a fan of science fiction, I highly recommend these. Willis' writing style is uncommonly clear and compelling. In addition, her introduction provides insight into the writers who influenced her. This would be a great compilation to use in an English class. ( )
1 vote tsmom1219 | Feb 24, 2022 |
What an exceptionally creepy short story collection ( )
  Monj | Jan 7, 2022 |
Lovely stories (especially "The Last of the Winnebagos") that everyone, even those not interested in science fiction, should read. My particular favorite was "Death on the Nile". ( )
  underpope | Sep 21, 2021 |
There are some great stories in this collection. I'd read "Fire Watch" and "A Letter From the Clearys" before, but all of the others were new to me.

For this collection, I think "All Seated On The Ground" was my favorite. ( )
  ca.bookwyrm | May 18, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 15 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Connie Willisprimary authorall editionscalculated
Brock, CharlesCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Leppard, LouiseCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Classic Literature. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Few authors have had careers as successful as that of Connie Willis. Inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and recently awarded the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Willis is still going strong. Her smart, heartfelt fiction runs the gamut from screwball comedy to profound tragedy, combining dazzling plot twists, cutting-edge science, and unforgettable characters.
 
From a near future mourning the extinction of dogs to an alternate history in which invading aliens were defeated by none other than Emily Dickinson; from a madcap convention of bumbling quantum physicists in Hollywood to a London whose Underground has become a storehouse of intangible memories both foul and fair—here are the greatest stories of one of the greatest writers working in any genre today.
 
All ten of the stories gathered here are Hugo or Nebula award winners—some even have the distinction of winning both. With a new Introduction by the author and personal afterwords to each story—plus a special look at three of Willis’s unique public speeches—this is unquestionably the collection of the season, a book that every Connie Willis fan will treasure, and, to those unfamiliar with her work, the perfect introduction to one of the most accomplished and best-loved writers of our time.
Praise for The Best of Connie Willis
 
“Filled with warmth and sadness, great drama, witty dialogue, characters you will care about and moments that you will remember for a long time.”—SFF World
 
“If anyone can be named ‘best science fiction writer of the age,’ it’s Connie Willis, and these stories are the best of her best. Truly.”Analog
 
“Ranging from the hilarious to the profound, these stories show the full range of [Connie] Willis’s talent for taut, dazzling plots, real science, memorable characters, penetrating dialogue and blistering drama.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Thank goodness [for] Connie Willis, who says many things that desperately need saying in more than one delightful way.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
The Best of Connie Willis? Isn’t that like sorting through diamonds?”—Lytherus.

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Book description
Collection includes:
  • Introduction / Connie Willis
  • A Letter from the Clearys / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'A Letter from the Clearys' / Connie Willis
  • At the Rialto / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'At the Rialto' / Connie Willis
  • Death on the Nile / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'Death on the Nile' / Connie Willis
  • The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective [War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches] / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'The Soul Selects Her Own Society' / Connie Willis
  • Fire Watch [Time Travel] / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'Fire Watch' / Connie Willis
  • Inside Job / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'Inside Job' / Connie Willis
  • Even the Queen / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'Even the Queen' / Connie Willis
  • The Winds of Marble Arch / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'The Winds of Marble Arch' / Connie Willis
  • All Seated on the Ground / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'All Seated on the Ground' / Connie Willis
  • The Last of the Winnebagos / Connie Willis
  • Afterword for 'The Last of the Winnebagos' / Connie Willis
  • Editor's Note / Anne Lesley Groell
  • 2006 Worldcon Guest of Honor Speech / Connie Willis
  • Grand Master Backup Speech (never delivered) / Connie Willis
  • Grand Master Acceptance Speech / Connie Willis
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