The Best of Connie Willis

Award-Winning Stories

By: Connie Willis

Narrated by: Eliza Foss, Jessica Almasy, Mia Barron, Julia Gibson, Alma Cuervo, Gabeen Khan, Luis Moreno, Barbara Rosenblat, Graham Rowat

Few authors have had careers as successful as that of Connie Willis. Inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and recently awarded the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Willis is still going strong. Her smart, heartfelt fiction runs the gamut from screwball comedy to profound tragedy, combining dazzling plot twists, cutting-edge science, and unforgettable characters From a near future mourning the extinction of dogs to an alternate history in which invading aliens were defeated by none other than Emily Dickinson; from a madcap convention of bumbling quantum physicists in Hollywood to a London whose Underground has become a storehouse of intangible memories both foul and fair.

Here are the greatest stories of one of the greatest writers working in any genre today. All ten of the stories gathered here are Hugo or Nebula award winners - some even have the distinction of winning both. With a new Introduction by the author and personal afterwords to each story, plus a special look at three of Willis' unique public speeches - this is unquestionably the collection of the season, an audiobook that every Connie Willis fan will treasure, and, to those unfamiliar with her work, the perfect introduction to one of the most accomplished and best-loved writers of our time.

The full list of narrators includes Graham Winton and Suzy Jackson.

©2013 Connie Willis (P)2013 Recorded Books

Tremendously enjoyable and varied. As expected.

Listen to speeches at the end first. After that you're all in. Enjoy every bit.

Surprisingly fantastic

This collection kept me amused all week through what would otherwise have been mind numbing boredom as I plodded through a time consuming upholstery project.

excellent

excellent way to get to know this witty, whimsical, imaginative writer. fun characters, interesting situations and always a bit of odd humor

Truly the best of Connie Willis

Where does The Best of Connie Willis rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've been a huge fan of Connie Willis since I read Doomsday Book over a decade ago. I've read most of her novels, but never got around to running down her shorter works, which evidently was a huge mistake.I repeatedly found myself laughing, then crying, then laughing again. I can not recommend this collection enough.

A Bit Too Unusual

Would you try another book from Connie Willis and/or the narrators?

This was my first encounter with this author and she is a bit too "quirky" for my taste, although I do like her humor. I would probably not try another of her books.

Was The Best of Connie Willis worth the listening time?

Some of the stories were engaging; others not so much.

Interesting, but some were a bit long

The stories were interesting with compelling plots and ideas.
However, several seemed to have been dragged out unnecessarily, being almost novelas where short stories would do.

An index for locating stories

Any additional comments?

Other reviewers have provided helpful annotations of the stories. This is simply an index of the location of the individual stories on this audiobook for those who need an easy way to locate a particular story. Note that each story is followed by an afterward written by the author; these times include the afterword for each work.

Introduction: 0 – 17:10
A Letter from the Clearys: 17:17 – 50:30
At the Rialto: 50:34 – 1:50:25
Death on the Nile 1:50:32 – 3:01:36
The Soul Selects Her Own Society: 3:01:38 – 3:27
Fire Watch: 3: 27:44 – 5:13:45
Inside Job: 5:13:50 – 8:05:53
Even the Queen: 8:05:56 – 8:50
[INTERRUPTION. excerpt from “The Winds of Marble Arch” 8:50 – 9:02]
Even the Queen Afterword: 9:02 – 9:06:13
The Winds of Marble Arch: 9:06:14 – 11:18:45
All Seated on the Ground 11:18: 47 –
The Last of the Winnebagos 13:59:15 – 16:05:50
Editor’s Note 16:05: 52 – 16:06:27
2006 Worldcon Guest of Honor Speech: 16:06:30 – 16:29:57
Grand Master Backup Speech(never given): 16:30 – 16:42:47
Grand Master Acceptance Speech:16:42:52 – 16: 50:48

Connie Willis never disappoints

I don't usually like short story collections, unless they're all in "the same universe", by the same author.
However, even though these stories are all by Willis, they are examples of wide ranging topics from different points in her career.
They were all fun, clever, interesting.
Thanks, Connie!

A grand collection of stories

Most stories are very good. This is very rare to find in most collections of SF stories I'have managed to read. The topics change widely from one story to another. I might not rate any single story 5 stars (though I probably should), but for one single author to deliver so many pages of good storytelling is quite a unique achievement. My personal favourites, 'All Seated on the Ground', 'The Last of the Winnebagos', 'At the Rialto', 'Inside Job', 'Fire Watch', 'A letter of the Clearys'. I'm currently catching up with contemporary SF writers and Connie Willis has been a very pleasant discovery. She offers an Afterword to every single story which do fit well in the collection.

Probably the best short story collection ever

The title space doesn't allow me to write my whole title: Probably the best short story collection I've ever heard. And certainly the one I've enjoyed the most.

I usually dislike short story collections because they seem to be all depressing and incomplete. These short stories feel just like small, complete books. Connie Willis is so talented and so good at crafting interesting, surprising situations and complex, lifelike characters. I can't get enough.

This collection also includes short messages from the author after each story. I loved these, particularly the one that talked about how she became a successful author. Inspirational and fascinating.

One qualm with the audiobook: My tracks were out of order for parts of two stories--the numbers were in order, but the reading jumped from the end of one story to the middle of "The Winds of Marble Arch" and then put in the afterward to the earlier story before jumping back to the start of the "Winds:. I'm still a little confused about "The first (middle) track I heard form Winds, but since everything else made sense, I didn't worry about it.