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Fire Watch

by Connie Willis

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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1,0813618,575 (3.79)114
Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Winner of six Nebula and five Hugo awards, Connie Willis is one of the most acclaimed and imaginative authors of our time.  Her startling and powerful works have redefined the boundaries of contemporary science fiction.  Here in one volume are twelve of her greatest stories, including double award-winner "Fire Watch," set in the universe of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, in which a time-traveling student learns one of history's hardest lessons.  In "A Letter from the Clearys," a routine message from distant friends shatters the fragile world of a beleaguered family.  In "The Sidon in the Mirror," a mutant with the unconscious urge to become other people finds himself becoming both killer and victim.  Disturbing, revealing, and provocative, this remarkable collection of short fiction brings together some of the best work of an incomparable writer whose ability to amaze, confound, and enlighten never fails.… (more)
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» See also 114 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 30 (next | show all)
2.5 stars

This is a book of short stories. I am not usually a big short story fan. I find that if I lose focus for even a short time, I can never really get back into the story because it’s too short. I’ve missed too much. So, as usual, I didn’t follow more than half the stories. A few were ok, but overall, I wasn’t a fan.

Oh (and this isn’t saying much for the stories themselves), something I did like was that she had a short (2-3 paragraph) introduction to each story. I liked many of those better than the stories! They did build up a bit of “atmosphere”, so to speak, for the stories. ( )
  LibraryCin | Nov 26, 2020 |
Some good ideas in Fire Watch, Samaritan and Blued Moon. But otherwise not particularly memorable. ( )
  jigarpatel | Aug 18, 2020 |
The last story in this collection ("Blued Moon") is my favorite of the lot. It has coincidences and misunderstandings, and is just generally a lot of fun. (And to reference the intro to the story: yes, she makes it look easy.)

I also particularly enjoyed a few of the others, mostly "And Come From Miles Around" and "A Letter From the Clearys." It's a typical short story collection in that everyone will like different stories to different degrees, and I didn't enjoy all of the stories equally.

Overall, though, this is a solid addition to my Connie Willis collection. ( )
  ca.bookwyrm | May 18, 2020 |
My one complaint about this book was that I wanted all of the stories to be novels. ( )
  covertprestige | Feb 24, 2019 |
Fire Watch - favorite line, "The past is beyond saving" (p 35).
Service for the Burial of the Dead - imagine attending your own funeral. This is a dark story and probably one of my favorites.
Lost and Found - line I liked, "What else had he missed because he wasn't looking for it?" (p 76).
All My Darling Daughters - probably the most disturbing short story in the entire book.
The Father of the Bride - the other side of a fairy tale.
A Letter from the Clearys - read this one two or three times!
And Come from Miles Around - everyone gathers for the eclipse of the century.
The Sidon in the Mirror - a creepy tale about copying someone to the point of being twins.
Daisy, in the Sun - a family copes of post-nuclear war.
Mail-Order Clone - you know the saying, "if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything"? Well, this is the blind leading the blind.
Samaritan - can you baptize an orangutan? The church treats him like a human so why not?
Blued Moon - a comedy of error after error about coincidences. ( )
  SeriousGrace | Jan 30, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 30 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Connie Willisprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bergendorff, RogerCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kidd, TomCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Palencar, John JudeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Winner of six Nebula and five Hugo awards, Connie Willis is one of the most acclaimed and imaginative authors of our time.  Her startling and powerful works have redefined the boundaries of contemporary science fiction.  Here in one volume are twelve of her greatest stories, including double award-winner "Fire Watch," set in the universe of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, in which a time-traveling student learns one of history's hardest lessons.  In "A Letter from the Clearys," a routine message from distant friends shatters the fragile world of a beleaguered family.  In "The Sidon in the Mirror," a mutant with the unconscious urge to become other people finds himself becoming both killer and victim.  Disturbing, revealing, and provocative, this remarkable collection of short fiction brings together some of the best work of an incomparable writer whose ability to amaze, confound, and enlighten never fails.

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