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Futures Imperfect: Three Short Novels
A collection of three novels:
Uncharted Territory
Remake
Bellwether
Cover: Futures Imperfect by William O'Connor
Uncharted Territory
Remake
Bellwether
Cover: Futures Imperfect by William O'Connor
408 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1996
282 people want to read
About the author
Connie Willis
256 books4,688 followersConstance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She is one of the most honored science fiction writers of the 1980s and 1990s.
She has won, among other awards, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for All Seated on the Ground (August 2008). She was the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).
She lives in Greeley, Colorado with her husband Courtney Willis, a professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. She also has one daughter, Cordelia.
Willis is known for her accessible prose and likable characters. She has written several pieces involving time travel by history students and faculty of the future University of Oxford. These pieces include her Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog and the short story "Fire Watch," found in the short story collection of the same name.
Willis tends to the comedy of manners style of writing. Her protagonists are typically beset by single-minded people pursuing illogical agendas, such as attempting to organize a bell-ringing session in the middle of a deadly epidemic (Doomsday Book), or frustrating efforts to analyze near-death experiences by putting words in the mouths of interviewees (Passage).
She has won, among other awards, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for All Seated on the Ground (August 2008). She was the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).
She lives in Greeley, Colorado with her husband Courtney Willis, a professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. She also has one daughter, Cordelia.
Willis is known for her accessible prose and likable characters. She has written several pieces involving time travel by history students and faculty of the future University of Oxford. These pieces include her Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog and the short story "Fire Watch," found in the short story collection of the same name.
Willis tends to the comedy of manners style of writing. Her protagonists are typically beset by single-minded people pursuing illogical agendas, such as attempting to organize a bell-ringing session in the middle of a deadly epidemic (Doomsday Book), or frustrating efforts to analyze near-death experiences by putting words in the mouths of interviewees (Passage).
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 20, 2017
Three science fiction stories which are all love stories in the end. Connie Willis sprinkles all the stories with her brand of humor, and an in depth knowledge of whatever subject matter she has chosen for the basis of the tale. Quite good.
"Uncharted Territory" is about a group of planetary surveyors long past the need for some rest and recreation. Good world building, but especially notable for the alien native scout, who spends most of his time tallying up fines against the surveyors for such transgressions as "disturbance of land surface" (footprints) and "pollution of waterways"(stepping in puddle).
"Remake" is a near future story where all movies are made through CGI, e.g. "Casablanca" starring Harrison Ford and Meg Ryan. A CGI guy becomes obsessed with a small town girl who only has eyes for Fred Astaire. Most notable for Willis' ability to impress us with her knowledge of pre-1960's Hollywood movies, much like Kage Baker.
"Bellwether" follows a scientist who is interested in what creates fads, in this case the hair bobbing craze of the 1920's, while slogging through interoffice politics and the interference of management. Much humor in the form of an incompetent mail clerk, snarky baristas, ridiculous clothing fads, and a herd of sheep.
Some of the best of Connie Willis, full of her wit and skillful writing.
"Uncharted Territory" is about a group of planetary surveyors long past the need for some rest and recreation. Good world building, but especially notable for the alien native scout, who spends most of his time tallying up fines against the surveyors for such transgressions as "disturbance of land surface" (footprints) and "pollution of waterways"(stepping in puddle).
"Remake" is a near future story where all movies are made through CGI, e.g. "Casablanca" starring Harrison Ford and Meg Ryan. A CGI guy becomes obsessed with a small town girl who only has eyes for Fred Astaire. Most notable for Willis' ability to impress us with her knowledge of pre-1960's Hollywood movies, much like Kage Baker.
"Bellwether" follows a scientist who is interested in what creates fads, in this case the hair bobbing craze of the 1920's, while slogging through interoffice politics and the interference of management. Much humor in the form of an incompetent mail clerk, snarky baristas, ridiculous clothing fads, and a herd of sheep.
Some of the best of Connie Willis, full of her wit and skillful writing.
January 15, 2025
The novella, or short novel as it is called here, is a convenient form for collections and anthologies. It is no surprise, then, that Connie Willis novellas get around. Future Imperfect, a book club edition, gives us three sci-fi rom-coms from the mid-90s: “Uncharted Territory,” “Remake,” and “Bellwether.” The first combines the Western with planetary adventure; the second takes us to future Hollywood; and the third to a company researching what we would now call influencers. While Willis makes you smile at the romance, she leaves you hoping the future world her lovers negotiate doesn’t turn out that way.
May 12, 2022
This book contains three of Willis's short novels. They're described as "sci-fi/fantasy". I've read most of Connie Willis's books so I knew I'd be in for a treat. She created three unique settings... "Uncharted Territory" has an alien world, being explored by humans; "Remake" has what Hollywood would be like if it existed in the future; and "Bellwether" is set in the 1990s at a research company that's trying to win an elusive grant.
Somehow Willis manages to share a ton of knowledge and obscure facts, yet still lure her readers into discovering the fates of her well-developed & remarkable characters.
Somehow Willis manages to share a ton of knowledge and obscure facts, yet still lure her readers into discovering the fates of her well-developed & remarkable characters.
May 17, 2018
I had already read Bellwether, one of the three novellas in this collection. Uncharted Territory was somewhat interesting, and I didn't care for Remake. Overall I think I had already read the best novella in the bunch, and this is not Willis' best. Bellwether does, however, contain one of my favorite quotes: "Why do only the awful things become fads? I thought. Eye-rolling and Barbie and bread pudding. Why never chocolate cheesecake or thinking for yourself?"
April 13, 2020
I loved the third book "Bellweather." I am fascinated as to how people make decisions. Willis does a great job of tackling this issue. The other two novels are kind of just there so I averaged it out.
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May 23, 2021Technically I've read these novels in other sources
December 18, 2007
Picked up a hardcover of Futures Imperfect at the library book sale last weekend & couldn't keep away from it for long.
It's a collection of three novellas: Uncharted Territory, Remake and Bellwether; I'd read the last a while ago & enjoyed it enough for the purchase to be worthwhile.
Uncharted Territory looks at the trials & tribulations of two planetary explorers. Not only do the indigenous sentients know how to play the system, charging exhorbitant fines for every possible infraction of the Regulations, but the explorers must also deal with a fawning fan who has watched their "exploits" in a soap-opera-like video show.
Remake is set in a Hollywood where nearly all moviemaking uses actors from the past (assuming he/she isn't tied up in litigation); the main character is responsible for editing old film to meet current mores. He meets a young woman who wants to dance in the movies & wants him to help her.
Bellwether is an amusing look at a for-profit research firm chasing a major grant; the main character studies fads for a living and is intrigued by a collegue who seems immune to them.
Of the three stories, I think Bellwether is the best, blending humour with a little bit of romance. Remake had an interesting world, but the plot was a bit skimpy. Uncharted Territory wandered on a bit too long & had a little too much going on.
Recommended to fans of Willis looking for a couple of shorter reads.
It's a collection of three novellas: Uncharted Territory, Remake and Bellwether; I'd read the last a while ago & enjoyed it enough for the purchase to be worthwhile.
Uncharted Territory looks at the trials & tribulations of two planetary explorers. Not only do the indigenous sentients know how to play the system, charging exhorbitant fines for every possible infraction of the Regulations, but the explorers must also deal with a fawning fan who has watched their "exploits" in a soap-opera-like video show.
Remake is set in a Hollywood where nearly all moviemaking uses actors from the past (assuming he/she isn't tied up in litigation); the main character is responsible for editing old film to meet current mores. He meets a young woman who wants to dance in the movies & wants him to help her.
Bellwether is an amusing look at a for-profit research firm chasing a major grant; the main character studies fads for a living and is intrigued by a collegue who seems immune to them.
Of the three stories, I think Bellwether is the best, blending humour with a little bit of romance. Remake had an interesting world, but the plot was a bit skimpy. Uncharted Territory wandered on a bit too long & had a little too much going on.
Recommended to fans of Willis looking for a couple of shorter reads.
July 14, 2011
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.
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.
April 10, 2017
3.5/5 ... rounded up because I love Connie Willis
What I love about Connie Willis is that her characters are relatable and human despite the context of the story being so fantastical. I love this about her time-travel books (can you say bumbling, time-traveling grad student!?). Anyway, this collection of stories did the same: featured incredibly human characters, doing their jobs, in extraordinary settings.
Despite loving the characters and the very creative stories, this book took me a LONG time to finish.
* Uncharted Territory - very slow start, but I LOVED getting to know the characters and the dynamic between them as the story went on
* Remake - really neat concept, but the references all went way over my head and it kept putting me to sleep
* Bellwether - my absolute favorite of the three! I devoured it in one sitting and found it to be incredibly charming.
Notable quote from Bellwether: "Why do only the awful things become fads? I thought. Eye-rolling and Barbie and bread pudding. Why never chocolate cheesecake or thinking for yourself?"
Anyway, this was a lengthy read but, in the end, enjoyable and definitely another solid reason to love Connie Willis!
What I love about Connie Willis is that her characters are relatable and human despite the context of the story being so fantastical. I love this about her time-travel books (can you say bumbling, time-traveling grad student!?). Anyway, this collection of stories did the same: featured incredibly human characters, doing their jobs, in extraordinary settings.
Despite loving the characters and the very creative stories, this book took me a LONG time to finish.
* Uncharted Territory - very slow start, but I LOVED getting to know the characters and the dynamic between them as the story went on
* Remake - really neat concept, but the references all went way over my head and it kept putting me to sleep
* Bellwether - my absolute favorite of the three! I devoured it in one sitting and found it to be incredibly charming.
Notable quote from Bellwether: "Why do only the awful things become fads? I thought. Eye-rolling and Barbie and bread pudding. Why never chocolate cheesecake or thinking for yourself?"
Anyway, this was a lengthy read but, in the end, enjoyable and definitely another solid reason to love Connie Willis!
March 1, 2012
Uncharted Territory: As expected. :) WHich is a good thing.
Sure she's invented her own slang and bigotry in it but she's done that for all her other novels as well and thats part of why they are so niftay. Its a subtler kind of love story. This one definitely gets a five and makes person want more story.
---
Remake: Its never been my favorite. I find it too "busy", your brain doesn't know where to settle, what to follow. As usual I feel sorry for Heada; he doesn't even get it when she tells it to him straight out. I guess you could say this story is about the difference between obsession and addiction. I'd have to give this one a three, maybe a three and a half.
Sure she's invented her own slang and bigotry in it but she's done that for all her other novels as well and thats part of why they are so niftay. Its a subtler kind of love story. This one definitely gets a five and makes person want more story.
---
Remake: Its never been my favorite. I find it too "busy", your brain doesn't know where to settle, what to follow. As usual I feel sorry for Heada; he doesn't even get it when she tells it to him straight out. I guess you could say this story is about the difference between obsession and addiction. I'd have to give this one a three, maybe a three and a half.
October 9, 2016
I have enjoyed Connie Willis' Oxford time travel books. Ms. Willis' writing is easy and interesting but I felt the ending of each of these three story lacked something. I would still recommend these stories to any Connie Willis fans. The characters in each of the stories will stay with me longer than the stories themselves.
December 11, 2018
Three marvelous stories. At least two of which are subject to being spoiled, so I won't say much else.
Uncharted Territory - a tale of exoplanet explorers, and their interactions with the indigenous sentients.
Remake - an exaggerated look at the consequences of high-tech editing of old films.
Bellweather - fads, and the process of science.
Uncharted Territory - a tale of exoplanet explorers, and their interactions with the indigenous sentients.
Remake - an exaggerated look at the consequences of high-tech editing of old films.
Bellweather - fads, and the process of science.
February 20, 2008
This has three of Connie Willis's novels: BELLWETHER, UNCHARTED TERRITORY, and REMAKE. I don't like REMAKE as much as the other two. However, this book is a good deal as it has all three of these novels in one book.
July 20, 2011
A very nice collection of three novellas from Connie Willis; Uncharted Territory, Remake and Bellwether. Unfortunately, the weakest story, Uncharted Territory, is first, which will probably turn off some readers.
August 1, 2015
Great early Connie Willis stuff with intricate plotting, light humor and surprising relevance twenty years after it's publication. The second two novellas could be viewed as prequels to her time travel series too.
dave-has-read
June 2, 2017I'm not convinced these are full-length editions of the novels, so I'll read Bellwether separately. Remake seems to be about the movies & Hollywood, so I skipped it. And Uncharted Territory seemed to me to by typical Willis... clever, amusing, but not to my taste so much. I keep trying to appreciate her work but just don't. Oh well.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews