Theodora Baumgarten has been awarded an insanely coveted spot as an IASA space cadet. Even though she, unlike pretty much every person her age, didn't apply. And even though she, unlike pretty much every person her age, didn't even consider applying, because she doesn't. want. to go. to space.
She ends up at the Academy a few short hours after her position is announced, but she certainly isn't going to take this lying down. Not only is she going to get back to Earth -- with the help of a hacker friend -- she's going to winnow out the hows, whys and whos behind what she considers an abduction.
This is only the second Connie Willis I've read -- and so far, she and I are two-for-two. I'm feeling the Connie Willis love. D.A. = WAY FUN.
At 76 pages (including full-page illustrations (which oddly creeped me out a bit), biggish margins and smallish pages), it's short even for a novella. It's more like a longish short story that doesn't have to share space with a bunch of other stories. Which was fine by me, because, as I said, I loved it.
I enjoyed Theodora's voice, the story is funny and smart and riffs on SF (but affectionately), the slang felt right and real and never like the author was trying too hard, I believed in Theodora's friendship with Kimkim, the hows and whys and whos worked for me as did the ending. It's one, I think, that would go over well with SF fans as well as being totally accessible to non-SF readers.
Suggestions for more funny Connie Willis? I've read a bit about some of her novels and it doesn't sound like they fall into that category...
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Previously:
I think Book of the Dead fits, if you haven't read that. It's time travel/historical. The futuristic sf elements are kind of hilarious with not much imagination in communications tech (people miss phone calls?) but it's a great read--much longer than this one, though!
Posted by: teacherninja | 18 June 2009 at 09:22 AM
Oh my favorite Connie Willis is To Say Nothing of the Dog. It's also time travel/historical. And I just love the characters.
Posted by: Amanda | 18 June 2009 at 09:28 AM
Bellwether is fantastic, and possibly my favorite of hers. Lots of stuff about how trends are set, but also extremely funny.
To Say Nothing of the Dog is hilarious. More time travel goodness, plus lots of weird situations.
There's also Remake, where the powers that be decide that all references to drugs or alcohol must be taken out of movies (resulting in a lot of classics that make NO sense) and where you can go back to change endings for movies like Casablanca, much to the protagonists disgust.
Almost all of her short story collections are excellent. I particularly like the Fire Watch collection because I found Blued Moon to be hilarious. I haven't read it in about ten years, so that might be my teenage self talking, but I think I'm going to go find a copy and reread it now.
And if the previous commenter meant Doomsday Book, that one is not funny. At all.
Posted by: Alys | 18 June 2009 at 09:36 AM
Actually, I thought one of the most interesting parts of Doomsday Book was the way one of the two alternating stories *was* funny, in parts. As Kivrin grapples with the full horrors of medieval village life, Dunworthy's dealing with trivialities like a helicopter mom and a university student with far too many girlfriends. Same goes with Passage, a not-at-all-funny book with a little humor (the confusing hospital "passages") in with the serious stuff.
Definitely TSNOTD for full-on humor, though.
Posted by: Jill | 18 June 2009 at 10:18 AM
Doomsday Book isn't funny at all (with the possible exception of the little girl, can't remember her name). BUT it is beautiful and one of the best books ever written and I adore it! That would always be my #1 Connie Willis recommendation.
Another good one: Passage. Although also very sad and not funny (it's about the passage to the after life--what's at the end of the tunnel--with a very cool twist).
To Say Nothing of the Dog is lighter, but not as well written as the other two, IMO.
Posted by: beth | 18 June 2009 at 10:23 AM
Leila, looks like you're going to have read Doomsday Book for yourself and see if the parts with the Interchurch and Mrs. Gaddson are funny. If you read it, though, *don't read anything about it first* - too many reviews give away the punch that comes about halfway through the book.
Posted by: Jill | 18 June 2009 at 10:39 AM
I love Connie Willis, but don't have a lot of recommendations to add to what's already here. To Say Nothing of the Dog is even funnier if you've read the relevant Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers books recently.
Also I think Passage is too long, though I did enjoy it.
Posted by: dangermom | 18 June 2009 at 10:47 AM
I have to chime in to second Bellwether and To Say Nothing of the Dog as super-funny (although TSNotD takes a little while to get into, and it helps if you've read Three Men in a Boat). Bellwether is a book I like to give to people who say they don't like science fiction.
Posted by: Dreadful Penny | 18 June 2009 at 10:48 AM
I agree with the suggestions for Bellwether and To Say Nothing of the Dog. Her Christmas book, All Seated on the Ground, is also very funny. I've read her others, but these are the ones I've come back to multiple times because they're more lighthearted.
Posted by: Rosten | 18 June 2009 at 11:08 AM
I loved this, but I was annoyed that it was so short.
Yes, Reader Greed rides again.
Posted by: tanita | 18 June 2009 at 11:09 AM
I agree about the utter wonderfulness of Bellwether and especially To Say Nothing of the Dog. I also recommend her short story collection Impossible Things, which contains the delightful novella "Spice Pogrom".
On the other hand, while I adore Light Connie I strongly dislike Dark Connie, and though I have read Doomsday Book twice I have yet to acquire any fondness for it, and a few of the stories in Fire Watch made me feel physically ill. I've never encountered a writer whose works could cause such violently opposite reactions in me before... but it does make me very careful about which books of hers I choose to pick up.
Posted by: R.J. Anderson | 18 June 2009 at 11:22 AM
To Say Nothing of the Dog is not only my favorite Willis book but my favorite book of all. It's hysterically funny and I can't say enough about it, because I love her combination of humor with butterfly effect scenarios and how she pins down the most insignificant actions as the things that change the world... but you've gotten plenty of recommendations for it, so I'll second her collection Impossible Things--Spice Pogrom especially, and Even the Queen; if you want to get a taste of serious Connie, try Chance.
Posted by: peri | 18 June 2009 at 01:12 PM
The more I read of Connie Willis, the more I like her. Everyone's mentioned the ones I've read (and loved) already - The Doomsday Book (the "present day" stuff is hilarious, but the time travel bits are heartbreaking), To Say Nothing of the Dog (and you really must read Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, too), and Bellwether. I recently tackled her ginormous short story/novella collection, The Winds of Marble Arch. Not all funny, but huge and satisfying.
Posted by: jess | 18 June 2009 at 02:36 PM
OT, sorry, but will you please review Lauren Conrad's LA CANDY? Just so I can laugh? PLEASE??
Posted by: anonymous | 18 June 2009 at 02:55 PM
To Say Nothing of the Dog made me laugh myself sick. I don't think you need to read the Jerome K. Jerome book as long as you have any P.G. Wodehouse under your belt.
Posted by: adniL | 18 June 2009 at 02:56 PM
Well, I think you know Bellwether and To Say Nothing of the Dog (one of my favourite books) are good ones to try now, so I'll add in my two cents for the novella "Uncharted Territory". Fun and romantic!
Posted by: emmaco | 18 June 2009 at 03:29 PM
Even the Queen is also interesting in that it's becoming increasingly realistic.
Posted by: Jill | 18 June 2009 at 04:11 PM
She also has a wonderful Christmas short story collection, if you like Christmas stories (which I do, although not at this time of year). Miracle and Other Christmas Stories is the title. (All Seated on the Ground is also Christmas-appropriate, if you're collecting.)
I also adore Bellwether and TSNOTD (although I found Bellwether funnier when it first came out, before we all became Starbuckified -- you'll see why).
Posted by: Electric Landlady | 18 June 2009 at 04:12 PM
To Say Nothing of the Dog is the one I would echo on the recommendation. :). It's super fun and funny. Like Jasper Fforde, but more time travelly. Very much what I would call chick friendly sci-fi/fantasy.
Posted by: babs | 18 June 2009 at 09:29 PM
That cover is... really bad. I thought they stopped making covers like that in 1995.
Posted by: Ms Avery | 19 June 2009 at 05:19 AM
I was going to recommend Miracle as funny in parts - and had completely forgotten about Bellwether for some strange reason.
Posted by: web | 20 June 2009 at 03:14 PM
Too late to be original, I can only add my voice to the chorus. Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog are among my favourite books ever, let alone Connie Willis books or SF books. I reread TSNOTD at least every year. There should be a package set of TSNOTD with "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)", and the several Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christies that it references (plus whatever further books it also references that I may have forgotten). I also like rereading Bellwether, but not as often as TSNOTD.
Posted by: Margaret | 20 June 2009 at 06:04 PM
Honestly, I thought Passage was very funny (even though it is also sad and philosophical) - it's full of 40s-hollywood-style bante
There are also very funny stories in the Christmas collection and in Impossible things - there is a story in Impossible things about a quantum physics conference and Grauman's chinese theater that is HILARIOUS. and brilliant.
Posted by: Maribou | 21 June 2009 at 01:22 AM
I agree with Margaret. :). And it references Gaudy NIght by Sayers, and I've forgotten which Christie it is. But, I had read them.
Posted by: babs | 21 June 2009 at 03:38 AM