Blackout by Connie Willis (English) Paperback Book

Description: Blackout by Connie Willis The Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of "The Doomsday Book" returns with an epic time-traveling story that follows three researchers from the future who are stranded in the past during World War II. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place, with scores of time-traveling historians being sent into the past. Michael Davies is prepping to go to Pearl Harbor. Merope Ward is coping with a bunch of bratty 1940 evacuees and trying to talk her thesis adviser into letting her go to VE-Day. Polly Churchills next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of Londons Blitz. But now the time-travel lab is suddenly canceling assignments and switching around everyones schedules. And when Michael, Merope, and Polly finally get to World War II, things just get worse. For there they face air raids, blackouts, and dive-bombing Stukas—to say nothing of a growing feeling that not only their assignments but the war and history itself are spiraling out of control. Because suddenly the once-reliable mechanisms of time travel are showing significant glitches, and our heroes are beginning to question their most firmly held belief: that no historian can possibly change the past. Author Biography Connie Willis, who was recently inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, has received six Nebula Awards and ten Hugo Awards for her fiction; her previous novel, Passage, was nominated for both. Her other works include Doomsday Book, Lincolns Dreams, Bellwether, Impossible Things, Remake, Uncharted Territory, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Fire Watch, and Miracle and Other Christmas Stories. Connie Willis lives in Colorado with her family. Review "A tour de force . . . [Willis] is one of Americas finest writers."—The Denver Post"This compassionate and deeply imagined novel . . . gives the reader a strong you-were-there feeling." —The Times-Picayune "[Willis has] researched Blackout so thoroughly, her readers may imagine she had access to the time machine her characters use." —The Seattle Times "A page-turning thriller . . . Willis uses detail and period language exquisitely well, creating an engaging, exciting tale."—Publishers Weekly Excerpt from Book Come then: Let us to the task, to the battle, to the toil--each to our part, each to our station, there is not a week, nor a day, nor an hour to lose. --winston churchill 1940 Oxford--April 2060 Colin tried the door, but it was locked. The porter, Mr. Purdy, obviously hadnt known what he was talking about when hed said Mr. Dunworthy had gone to Research. Blast it. I should have known he wasnt here, Colin thought. Only historians prepping for assignments came to Research. Perhaps Mr. Dunworthyd told Mr. Purdy he was going to do research, in which case hed be in the Bodleian Library. Colin went over to the Bodleian, but Mr. Dunworthy wasnt there either. Ill have to go ask his secretary, Colin thought, loping back to Balliol. He wished Finch was still Mr. Dunworthys secretary instead of this new person Eddritch, who would probably ask a lot of questions. Finch wouldnt have asked any, and hed have not only told him where Mr. Dunworthy was, but what sort of mood he was in. Colin ran up to Mr. Dunworthys rooms first, on the off chance Mr. Purdy hadnt seen Mr. Dunworthy come back in, but he wasnt there either. Then he ran across to Beard, up the stairs, and into the outer office. "I need to see Mr. Dunworthy," he said. "Its important. Can you tell me where--?" Eddritch looked at him coldly. "Did you have an appointment, Mr.--?" "Templer," Colin said. "No, I--" "Are you an undergraduate here at Balliol?" Colin debated saying yes, but Eddritch was the sort who would check to see if he was. "No, I will be next year." "If youre applying to be a student at Oxford, you need the Provosts Office in Longwall Street." "Im not applying to be a student. Im a friend of Mr. Dunworthys--" "Oh, Mr. Dunworthy has told me about you." He frowned. "I thought you were at Eton." "Were on holiday," Colin lied. "Its vital that I see Mr. Dunworthy. If you could tell me where he--" "What did you wish to see him about?" My future, Colin thought. And its none of your business, but that obviously wouldnt get him anywhere. "Its in regard to an historical assignment. Its urgent. If you could just tell me where he is, I--" he began, but Eddritch had already opened the appointment book. "Mr. Dunworthy cant see you until the end of next week." Which will be too late. Blast, I need to see him now, before Polly comes back. "I can give you an appointment at one oclock on the nineteenth," Eddritch was saying. "Or at half past nine on the twenty-eighth." What part of the word "urgent" do you not understand? Colin thought. "Never mind," he said and went back downstairs and out to the gate to see if he could get any more information out of Mr. Purdy. "Are you certain Research was where he said he was going?" he asked the porter, and when he said yes, "Did he say where he was going after that?" "No. You might try the lab. Hes been spending a good deal of time there these past few days. Or if hes not there, Mr. Chaudhuri may know where he is." And if hes not there I can ask Badri when Pollys scheduled to come back. "Ill try the lab," Colin said, debating whether to ask him to tell Mr. Dunworthy he was looking for him if he returned. No, better not. Forewarned was forearmed. Hed have a better chance if he sprang it on him suddenly. "Thanks," he said and ran down to the High and over to the lab. Mr. Dunworthy wasnt there. The only two people who were were Badri and a pretty tech who didnt look any older than the girls at school. They were both bent over the console. "I need the coordinates for October fourth, 1950," Badri said. "And--what are you doing here, Colin? Arent you supposed to be at school?" Why was everyone acting like a truant officer? "You havent been sent down, have you?" "No." Not if they dont catch me. "School holiday." "If youre here to talk me into letting you go to the Crusades, the answer is no." "The Crusades?" Colin said. "That was years ago--" "Does Mr. Dunworthy know youre here?" Badri asked. "Actually, Im looking for him. The porter at Balliol told me he might be here." "He was," the tech said. "You only just missed him." "Do you know where he was going?" "No. You might try Wardrobe." "Wardrobe?" First Research and now Wardrobe. Mr. Dunworthy was obviously going somewhere. "Where is he going? St. Pauls?" "Yes," the tech said. "Hes researching--" "Linna, I need those coordinates," Badri said, glaring at her. The tech nodded and went over to the other side of the lab. "Hes going to St. Pauls to rescue the treasures, isnt he?" Colin asked Badri. "Mr. Dunworthys secretary should know where he is," Badri said and walked back to the console. "Why dont you go over to Balliol and ask him?" "I did. He wouldnt tell me anything." And Badri clearly didnt want to either. "Colin," he said, "were very busy here." The tech, Linna, whod come back with the coordinates, nodded. "We have three retrievals and two drops to do this afternoon." "Is that what youre doing now?" Colin asked, walking over to look at the draped folds of the net. "A drop?" Badri immediately came over and blocked his way. "Colin, if youre here to attempt to--" "Attempt to what? You act as if Im planning to sneak into the net or something." "It wouldnt be the first time." "And if I hadnt, Mr. Dunworthy would have died, and so would Kivrin Engle." "That may be the case, but it doesnt mean you can make a habit of it." "I wasnt. All I wanted--" "Was to know if Mr. Dunworthy was here. Hes not, and Linna and I are extremely busy," Badri said. "So if theres nothing else--" "There is. I need to know when Polly Churchills retrieval is scheduled for." "Polly Churchill?" Badri said, immediately suspicious. "Why are you interested in Polly Churchill?" "Ive been helping her with her prep research. For the Blitz. I need to be here when she comes through to--" He began to say, "to give it to her," but Badri was likely to tell him to leave it instead and theyd give it to her. "--to tell her what Ive found," he amended. "We havent scheduled her retrieval yet," Badri said. "Oh. Is she going straight to her Blitz assignment when she gets back?" Linna shook her head. "We still havent found her a drop site--" she began, but Badri cut her off with another glare. "It isnt going to be flash-time, too, is it?" "No, real-time," Badri said. "Colin, were extremely busy." "I know, I know. Im going. If you see Mr. Dunworthy, tell him Im looking for him." "Linna, see Colin out," Badri said, "and then bring me the spatial-temporal coordinates for Pearl Harbor on December sixth, 1941." Linna nodded and escorted Colin to the door. "Sorry. Badris been in a foul mood this past fortnight," she whispered. "Polly Churchills retrieval is scheduled for two oclock Wednesday next." "Thanks," Colin whispered back, grinned crookedly at her, and ducked out the door. Wednesday. Hed hoped it would be on the weekend so he wouldnt have to sneak away from school again, but at least it wasnt this Wednesday. He had over a week to talk Mr. Dunworthy into letting him go somewhere. If Mr. Dunworthy was going to rescue the treasures, Colin might be able to talk him into doing research in the past for him. If he was still at Wardrobe. He loped over to the Broad, down to Holywell, along the narrow street to Wardrobe, and up the stairs, hoping he hadnt missed him again. He hadnt. Mr. Dunworthy was standing in front of the mirror in a tweed blazer at least four sizes too large for him, and glaring at the cowering tech. "But the only tweed jacket we had in your size has already been taken in to fit Gerald Phipps," she was saying. "He had to have a tweed jacket because hes going to--" "I know where hes going," Mr. Dunworthy bellowed. He suddenly noticed Colin. "What are you doing here?" "Wearing clothes that fit a good deal better than that," Colin said, grinning. "Is that how youre planning to smuggle the treasures out of St. Pauls--under your coat?" Mr. Dunworthy shrugged out of the jacket, said, "Find me something in my size," and half threw it at the tech, who scurried off with it. "I think you should have kept it," Colin said. "Youd be able to fit The Light of the World and Newtons tomb under there." "Sir Isaac Newtons tomb is in Westminster Abbey. Lord Nelsons tomb is in St. Pauls," Mr. Dunworthy said. "Which you would know if you spent more time at school, where you are supposed to be at this very moment. Why arent you?" He would never buy the holiday story. "A water main broke," Colin said, "and they had to cancel classes for the rest of the day, so I thought Id take the opportunity to come see what you were up to. And a good thing, too, since youre obviously haring off to St. Pauls." "Water main," Mr. Dunworthy said dubiously. "Yes. Flooded my house and half the quad. We nearly had to swim for it." "Odd your housemaster didnt mention it when Eddritch telephoned him." I knew I didnt like Eddritch, Colin thought. "He did, however, mention your repeated ab Details ISBN0345519833 Author Connie Willis Short Title BLACKOUT Language English ISBN-10 0345519833 ISBN-13 9780345519832 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Pages 512 Residence Greeley, CO, US Series Oxford Time Travel Year 2010 Publication Date 2010-09-14 Series Number 1 Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2010-09-14 NZ Release Date 2010-09-14 US Release Date 2010-09-14 UK Release Date 2010-09-14 Publisher Random House USA Inc Imprint Random House Inc Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:43654908;

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