Time Travel discussion

I've read the 3 main books by Connie Willis. Doomsday, Blackout (part only) & (Not yet) All clear. I cannot find other time travel books to compare with these great ones. I did not like, "To Say Nothing of the Dog". Please give me some titles that may come close to these great ones... thanks!!! linda

I have not read any of those (they are on my to be rEad list though)

It's a story about these books for me!Conni Willis won many awards for Doomsday. then she wrote Blackout- I bought it. I read about half the book when I found out that I would have to buy the next book coming out in months to be able to finish the story. Ok, I got so mad, I felt like it was about $. So I put Blackout on the back burner & haven't bought Allclear yet. but I do know many peole that have read them & LOVE THEM BOTH! Have you looked at my bookshelf? there's pictures of it under my pics. Just take a look. You will not believe how many I have! I've given away about 50 -60 books. I've read all of Diana Gabaldons Outlander books, they are wonderful!

I loved Doomsday Book the first time I read it. The second time not as much but it was still good. I could not get through To Say Nothing of the Dog. I decided to give Black Out a try. I forced my way through about 70 pages. Unfortunately, I think Willis doesn't get much input from editors any more. I think I could have easily cut 35 of those 70 pages without hurting the book at all. It drove me nuts. I kept wanting to edit the heck out of it as I was reading it. I think I'm going to have to stick with the early Willis.

If you're looking for more of the same, try more Willis. Lincoln's Dreams, her first novel is excellent. It's not time travel, but it does involve history.

I'm trying to think of other time travel novels I've liked, but for some reason, I'm drawing a blank. The only one I can think of is quite short-- Behold, the Man by Michael Moorcock. I was surprised to see it isn't on the group shelf. It's a classic of the genre.

I read all three of the Connie Willis books and recommend the trilogy though she is guilty of much repetition in All Clear and Black Out. There is a great resolution to the narrative if you are patient enough

I second Holly's suggestion for Kage Baker's Company series- starting with In the Garden of Iden. The series just gets better and better with each book- I love Mendoza. And recently I read The River of No Return- really good.

Sorry, I should have given you more info on River, here is the link
The River of No Return

Author, Larissa Brown has her new book, Beautiful Wreck", coming out the end of Jan 2014-soon! I've heard she has a Connie Willis style. I can't wait to get my hands on that book! You may want to add it to your "to be read" list...

LindaB.D. (old AKA LindaD.) wrote: "Author, Larissa Brown has her new book, Beautiful Wreck", coming out the end of Jan 2014-soon! I've heard she has a Connie Willis style. I can't wait to get my hands on that book! You may want to a..."

It's definitely not Connie Willis style ... at all. I just finished reading it last night, an I dare not compare her to anyone. Her book is well-researched, and she has a gorgeous writing style. When I started reading it I thought that it was what I'd hoped the Outlander series would have been. I'm still mulling over writing a review that would do it justice because it's breathtakingly amazing.

I'll wait for Amy's post-mulling review but the book certainly seems to be getting some outstanding praise from the preview readership.

Question Amy, Linda...is this a standalone novel?

Larissa Brown

Hi friends,

Amy, thank you so much for all your kind words. This group is quite easy to fall into for a newbie. A very kind group.

The book definitely stands alone and the main characters' story is complete. BUT... :) I am writing one companion book about characters who are secondary in this book. I would not call it a sequel.

I'd say there are teensy moments that could be compared to Connie Willis's Oxford time travel mechanism. A little homage. I don't know if Amy saw that at all.

I really appreciate you reading this, Amy. If anyone else in the group is interested, I'd be happy to send you an e-ARC.

Larissa

Larissa wrote: "Hi friends,

Amy, thank you so much for all your kind words. This group is quite easy to fall into for a newbie. A very kind group.

The book definitely stands alone and the main characters' story ..."

Oh you caught us red handed talking about you behind your back ;) Didnt realise you were a member, so a very warm welcome, pleasure to have you and hope you enjoy the group.

I am getting a little wary of story arc book series now, although I am in no way rejecting them but I do long for a standalone novel. So thanks for answering that question.

You say there is a little homage to the Oxford series...do the Vikings run out of toilet paper by any chance? ok dont answer, I'm being silly.

What I learned in my thankfully brief journey to publishing is that these days, publishers love a series. The most cynical view is that since the books are shorter, they can spend less to print each book and make money three times.

My book is 459 print pages, and it was suggested to me by more than one adviser that if I cut it into 2 or even 3 books, it would be seriously considered by a traditional publisher. Agents would not look at it, if I persisted in thinking it was one epic book.

I thought that would completely kill the story, and I might just as well throw it in the fireplace. So, no. I'm working with a small, independent publisher and publishing one book that contains the whole story. It does cost more. I think it actually costs $7 to print my book in soft cover.

OOPS, the thread is about Connie Willis, not me!!! I love her books. The humor is a little wacky and IMO the bumbling goes on too long sometimes, but I am very happy to forgive that. Doomsday Book was the first time travel book I read, and I was deeply inspired by it.

Larissa

Larissa wrote: "What I learned in my thankfully brief journey to publishing is that these days, publishers love a series. The most cynical view is that since the books are shorter, they can spend less to print eac..."

459 does not seem long to me-It seems just right. I like a meaty book. Anything less that 200 pages is to me a short story. Stick to your guns Larissa

As my husband, who is also a novelist, likes to say: "Length is a feature!"

Larissa,
Your book sounds awesome! I am eager to read it. So glad to hear you persevered in spite of agent objections to length. I have encountered the same objections to my 800-page book (which I divided into three parts as e-books because of the length). It is so frustrating when agents won't even look at something over a certain length--I know many readers who prefer long books. I'm glad to see I'm not alone.

Rachelle wrote: "Larissa,
Your book sounds awesome! I am eager to read it. So glad to hear you persevered in spite of agent objections to length. I have encountered the same objections to my 800-page book (which I..."

I don't know how other people feel, but I am sick of drawn out long series! I did some research for an author and learned that the first book sells great, second sells good, third just okay. After that the sales go down drastically. Only a few series survive more than 4 books. Yea, for one good long book.

I have definitely seen a series that went so badly downhill with books 4 and 5, it was like watching something die.

I just read Amy's and Linda's reviews of Larrisa's upcoming novel. Both give 5 stars. Admittedly I only scanned the summaries because I am already invested in reading the book solely on Amy and Linda's recommendation. I'll let the book reveal its plot as I read it. Just a couple more weeks for its release.

Amy's review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

LindaBD's review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...