We got some new bookshelves, so I found this book again while finally shelving some books that had been in boxes. I immediately had to re-read it, because I had fond memories of it. I believe some of these have been published separately, but not all of them.

If you had to find a theme that ties all of these together, it's probably romance, or at least love. That and the power of chance.

"Uncharted Territory" - While I like a lot of Willis' writing, sometimes she's not only political, she's incredibly unsubtle about it, beating the reader about the head and shoulders with her point in a manner that reminds me a bit of Dickens. Sadly, she's definitely guilty of that in this story, and I suspect the most thought-provoking part of it isn't even intentional. I don't hate this story, but I skipped past it at first, and if it were the only one here, my rating would be lower.

"Remake" - I really love this story. It's beautiful, bittersweet, and haunting. The future it depicts is quite believable as well. And if you're a film buff, particularly a fan of classic movies, you'll find even more to appreciate.

"Bellwether" - This one was my favorite the first time, but I'm not quite sure if it still is. Regardless, Willis does one particular kind of humor very well - the farce. And I adore that sort of thing. This story is hilarious and clever, with great characters. It reminds me a lot of "At the Rialto", another of my favorite stories by her. ( )

A book-club reprinting of three short novels by Connie Willis. The first, "Uncharted Territory", is a serviceable offering, not her best, about two planetary explorers caught between the demands of their Company and the Government which has imposed an increasingly surrealistic array of regulations and fines to protect the native ecology and natives. A good, funny minor story. The second story, "Remake", is a step up, set in the near future when live-action moviemaking has given way to computer-graphic remakes of the classics. A cynical and frustrated movielover whose lot in life is to help with the desecration of the old movies falls in love with a mysterious lady whose dream is to dance in the movies - and somehow finds a way to do so, her dancing image finding its way onto an assortment of old musicals. A fine and wondrous story that resonates with Willis' evident love of the old film classics. The best of the three, "Bellweather", is a near perfect mix of lightly satirical humor and scientific detective story as Sandra Foster tries to determine how the fad of bobbed hair originated. A masterful mix of science anecdotes and theory, deft fun-poking at modern management technique and current fads, and even a nicely told love story, something Willis doesn't normally delve too much into. One of her most accomplished stories. ( )