Okay, I have to admit I was being generous. This wasn't a three-star read; it was a two-star one, tops. While I adore some of Connie Willis's other books, *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)* just didn't click with me. The logic leaps were... questionable, it meandered all over the place, and honestly, it could have used a serious edit. There were pieces of the storyline I enjoyed, but as a whole, it just didn't have enough coherence to keep me engaged. Looking for compelling time travel book rev...

Connie Willis crafted a truly beautiful piece of time travel/historical fiction with *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)*. Depending on your perspective, this book is either the first part of the *All Clear* series or the third installment in the *Oxford Time Travel* saga. *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)* features characters from *The Doomsday Book*, including Colin Templar and Mr. Dunworthy. While they aren't the main focus of this substantial novel, they play significant roles. The core of *...

Blackout/All Clear.These two books are really just one novel (thanks, publishers, for making me shell out twice the cash!), so there's no point in discussing them separately.They're also part of Connie Willis's time travel series, even though they're not marketed that way. I really wouldn't suggest jumping in with these; I think a lot of the questions and criticisms I've seen in other reviews come from readers who probably haven't read the earlier books in the series: The Doomsday Book, To Say N...

Utter, blithering morons.Pure, unadulterated rage.That is all. Review over. Seriously, after reading "Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)" by Connie Willis, that's all I can muster. If you're looking for a book review that dives deep, sorry, I'm too furious. These characters… these supposedly intelligent Oxford historians… act like complete and utter buffoons. Don't even get me started. If you enjoy historical fiction and time travel stories, maybe give Connie Willis' "Blackout (Oxford Time Travel...

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” -- L. P. Hartley“Say GRRRR: it helps soothe the pain.” --S. GatlandGRRRRRRR.I have to give *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)* a very mixed review. Wonderful as it was to read, it’s either supremely naïve or grandly arrogant to assume you don’t have to introduce PLOT to a “thriller” until page 254. It is true that I enjoyed reading the first 90,000 words or so (that’s a decent novel’s worth of words), I enjoyed the characters and...

Sometimes, if it takes you 10 years to write a book, maybe you just shouldn't. Connie Willis has a writing tick that absolutely annoys me, but in the past, I've been able to mostly ignore it because the storylines have been good. But her annoying writing tick overwhelms any story that was to be had in Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3). The tick I'm speaking of is her tendency to talk about every mundane, humdrum thing and to catch up every personality-less character that walks in the room concer...

A word of warning: *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)* doesn't have a proper ending. It was actually intended to be the first half of a single book, but the publisher decided to split it into two. So, *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)* is really just the first half. You absolutely need to have *All Clear* ready to go immediately after finishing this one. I'm serious, I started *All Clear* the very same day I finished *Blackout (Oxford Time Travel, #3)*, and that's definitely the way to experien...

Warning: This review will be lengthy due to pure hatred.Did I ever tell you that I’ve got a time machine? There was a freak accident where my laptop and my lawn mower got fused together following a lightning strike, and now I can use it to travel in time. It’s a long story. Anyhow, when I have a chance, I take the occasional trip through history. Recently, I popped into London in 1940 during the Blitz to take a look around. It’s a fascinating time, with England hanging on by its fingernails duri...

I have a very short list of authors whose work I eagerly await. Connie Willis just stepped off that list with this turkey. This book cuts off abruptly with a promo for the second book, but if it had been decently edited the whole mess would have fit in one volume. If you're looking for honest book reviews, maybe skip this one. Three incompetent characters are dropped into WW2 London by obviously incompetent staffers. Before they even left I was thinking that I wouldn't let these dingbats put me ...

Ugh, I don't know, guys. I know *Blackout* won the Hugo, but I'm allowed to have a different opinion, right? I'll definitely give Connie Willis credit; the book is impeccably researched. So much time and detail went into WWII England, just...bravo! For the research alone, it deserved an award. Seriously impressive historical fiction. But, bar none, this book does NOT feel like a stand-alone. From what I've gathered, the publisher split the plot in two, and the clunky ending really shows it. *Bl...