Uncharted Territory (Mass Market Paperback)

by Connie Willis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Willis's short novel could hardly be more different from her last, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book , which dealt with a time-travelling jaunt from the 21st-century back to Europe during the days of the Black Plague. On a rather nondescript alien planet, two hardy planetary surveyors (Findriddy and Carson), a visiting "socioexozoologist" (Evelyn Parker) and their alien guide (Bult) embark on a mapping expedition. To avoid any appearance of imperialistic insensitivity, the government has imposed strict rules on the surveyors and allows indigenous guides to fine them. Willis plays it mainly as a farce: Bult takes full advantage of the situation, coming up with creative fines and spending the proceeds on umbrellas, shower curtains, slot machines and the like. Parker prattles on about the bizarre mating habits of various species, while Fin and Carson bicker like an old married couple. It's all fairan old married couple. It's all fairly amusing, though by the end the story hasn't really gone anywhere--Willis ties up the loose ends and returns to the beginning with Fin and Carson resuming the spat over a lost pair of binoculars which they were having on page one. A pleasant diversion, but there's little for the reader to take away when she's done.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Planetary surveyors Fin and Carson battle hostile terrain, bureaucratic red tape, and renegade "planet crashers" in this latest novella by the talented author of Doomsday Book (LJ 5/15/92). Willis continues to demonstrate her endless versatility in this archly written satire, which is both a love story and a shameless expose of the dark side of political correctness. A first-rate purchase for sf collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553562940
• ISBN-13: 978-0553562941
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #625,240 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Connie Willis's usual fare, May 5, 2000

By	Thomas Gore (the American Southeast) - See all my reviews

By any other writer, Uncharted Territory would have been a decent read, but from Connie Willis, it had too many possibilities. A lot of the usual Willis charm is in there -- well-developed characters, an interesting romantic subplot, and a slapstick humor underlying the whole plot -- but it left me thinking she could have done much more with the story.

Something else I've come to expect from Ms. Willis is the touch of depth that she adds to her stories without becoming obtuse, and Uncharted Territory was just fluff. Don't get me wrong -- I like fun, empty reads (I had a blast reading one of those Hercules: The Legendary Adventures novels), and this novel was a fun diversion, but I was looking for something akin to "Ado" or "The Pony," where even the silly or frightening points have something to say. Uncharted Territory was a little too shallow.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read that kept me engrossed, but I wish it could have stood up to the standard Ms. Willis has set for her fiction. After reading To Say Nothing of the Dog and Bellwether (two of her books I would recommend without hesitation), I will continue to read her fiction, but I wouldn't recommend Uncharted Territory to someone who has read her other work first.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What went wrong?, March 15, 2000

By	Timothy Lee (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having read both the Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, I thought that nothing written by Connie Willis could go wrong. Unfortunatly, this book shows that perfection is not a constant. I don't know how this got through (maybe the publishers were eager for another Connie Willis book to sell), but this book for me was uninspiring, pointless, and confusing. Although the interaction of the characters were humorous at certain time, for the most part, I was left wondering if anything was really happening. Another problem I had (and maybe i'm just too dense) was the fact that none of the characters were introduced. I was halfway though the book before I realized that Fin was female. Unless if there was a prequel that explained it all, anyone could be left wondering if a name belonged to a person, place, or a thing. All in all, this book is a disspointment from someone who has won Hugos and Nebulas for her works, but then nobody should expect perfection all the time and should be grateful for the other books Ms Willis has written. :)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and Romantic, January 24, 2001

By	Rachel Potter (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

Uncharted Territory was short and rather dense. Willis does not do much explaining, and you have to be willing to "not know stuff" for the first part of the book. But if you keep reading, you will find this book to be clever and interesting. I did. Willis does a lot of clue imbedding throughout and if you pay attention, you might be able to guess what's coming, but it's enjoyable even if you don't. I actually liked it better the second time through because I caught so much more. Recommended.