ecl@ahuta.UUCP (ecl) (01/28/85)
FIRE WATCH by Connie Willis
Bluejay Books, 1985, $14.95.
A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
The collection contains twelve stories--eleven reprints and one
"never-before-published" story. The Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning "Fire
Watch" is the story of one history student's time travel project--to the
London Blitz. Well-deserving of its awards, it is doubtless the best story
in the book. But others are worthy of note also. "Lost and Found" and
"Daisy, in the Sun" are both strange apocalyptic tales, though in very
different ways. "All My Darling Daughters" (the one new story) is a bizarre
little piece--it's easy to see why this may have had difficulty finding a
market. "The Sidon in the Mirror" was nominated for a Hugo last year and
its alien feel is an interesting juxtaposition to the "just plain folks"
feel of most of Willis's other works. There is some fluff: "The Father of
the Bride," "And Come from Miles Around," "Mail-Order Clone," and "Blued
Moon." The last, though fluff, is highly recommended; it has some of the
funniest scenes I've seen in print. "Samaritan" covers some fairly old
ground, though the characters do hold the reader's interest through it.
"Service for the Burial of the Dead" and "A Letter from the Clearys" are
just average.
The cover art is striking, and the book is well put together. Still,
the price would indicate that unless you're a real Willis fan, you might
want to wait for a paperback edition.
Evelyn C. Leeper
...{ihnp4, houxm, hocsj}!ahuta!ecl