Customer Reviews

D.A.

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm probably too generous in giving this 4 stars, but it's fairly clever, mildly humorous, and an enjoyable read. And it IS a juvenile, after all. But I've read short stories that were longer. At best - perhaps - it's a novelette. Definitely too short to be a novella. And there's really only one character. The whole story is a gimmick, basically. Well, that's fine for a short story, I guess...

But Connie Willis is one of my all-time favorite authors. When is she going to write another novel, like the superb "Passage" of 2001? And in the meantime, if she's going to write short fiction, why cheat her faithful readers by selling them as individually bound books? I wasn't very pleased when she did this with "Inside Job," her expensive 2005 novella, but it's really getting ridiculous with this book.

"The Winds of Marble Arch" is supposed to be coming out in September, but that's a collection of short fiction - many (most?) of which have been published in previous collections. OK, yeah, I'll still buy it. She is, as I say, one of my very favorite authors. But I hate to be taken for a sucker. This... short story would make a nice little gift for a kid, but nothing more than that.

If you are an SF fan of a certain age, you remember the Heinlein "juveniles" -- books written for young readers that included good stories, appropriate messages (such as "think for yourself"), and definite, forward-thinking science fiction elements. Most of those stories stand the test of time, I think; certainly I loved every one, even when I read them as an adult.

Connie Willis, whose science fiction and fantasy has made plenty of adults laugh and sigh, turns her attention to the same young audience in D.A. It's a very quick read for a grownup -- I zoomed through it in 40 minutes -- which makes the book pricey, if you judge it on a cost-per-page basis. (I got mine from the library. I recommend you do, too.) On the other hand, I have a 12-year-old grand-niece who probably wouldn't get through a long book, and I am very tempted to send her a copy at the next gift-giving occasion.

The values imparted by our heroine are appropriate for the 8-to-12 reader (though I do wonder about the stink bomb...).

Did I mention that it's entertaining? It is, very. To an adult, this is a chuckle; I suspect the references to annoying teachers and even-more-annoying classmates would be more powerful.

I've read every word of Connie Willis's that I can get my hands on, and I admit that this isn't on the must-have pile. But I like this book, and I think it'd be a great way to turn a youngster onto science fiction.

After waiting for 2 years for Connie to tell us another story, I was very disappointed to find this wasn't a novel, nor even a "novella" ( like Inside Job) , but a short story. I read it in 30 minutes flat. Definately not worth the $20 plus $7 shipping and handling.Wait for " The WInds of Marble Arch " - it is probably included in that collection.

$20 MSRP for a "book" that's 76 pages including pictures? Put this in a short story collection. If you want good Connie Willis screwball, try "Bellwether" instead.

Witty, clever, frenetic. Good stuff. Classic Connie Willis. But more of a hardcover short story than a novel, so value for price is somewhat debatable.

I may be a couple of (binary) orders of magnitude older than the target audience, but I found this short book every bit as good as Connie Willis at her best (e.g., Doomsday Book).

A lot of people are complaining that they wasted their money on this book because it is "too short"!!! While I too would like a full-length novel from Ms. Willis ASAP, I would have to argue that 80 pages from her is worth far more than 300 pages from the average writer. And for those of you whinging and whining over how you felt cheated by paying for such a short book, read the book description before you buy. It clearly states exactly how many pages are contained in the book.

For me, this was a fun read: like a Heinlein juvenile without the questionable attitudes towards females. The lead character is sassy and intelligent, and her puzzling out of the mystery behind what's happening to her is clever and amusing. And all for only 25 cents a page!!!

Connie Willis wrote this story with a nod to LA Con IV, the World Science Fiction Convention of 2006 which hosted her as the Guest of Honor. The theme for the convention was Space Cadets/Space Academy; the fundraiser to secure the bid for Los Angeles solicited supporting memberships that made one a Fellow of the Academy. Just so, I have my Space Cadet sash & merit badges as mementos of the event.

The story is a wickedly funny reality check - not everyone is a high-minded dreamer who longs to bounce off bulkheads in orbit.

If you're disappointed that it wasn't a full-blown novel, you shouldn't be: this was intended as a shared moment of mirth with those who recognized the talents of a very capable & fun-loving author. And now that you've got a frame of reference, maybe you won't feel so cheated.

This is the 2nd time I preordered a Connie Willis BOOK only to receive a SHORT STORY ... in this case, one that wouldn't qualify for most speculative fiction anthologies. It's targeted at approximately 12-15 year-old readers. I know why publishing companies stoop to these kinds of gimmicks when leading authors don't produce full books on schedule. I'm just disappointed to see Connie Willis participating in such sham publishing.

"D.A." is, in general, a pretty good book; however, it's VERY short. It's so short, it barely qualifies as a novella. After I finished reading it, I couldn't help but wonder whether it was originally intended as chapter 1 of a much longer, more detailed book. When I read the last page and discovered the "secret" (which I won't reveal here), I thought to myself, "Ok, now the REAL story begins..." But instead, the book ended. As much as I love Connie Willis -- and I will continue to buy her books -- I want the money back that I spent on "D.A."

If I have one word of advice... Don't spend your money on this one. Check it out at your local library. You'll like the story, but you'll hate paying full price for such a tiny book.