Cheap Tricks

Books-Fiction: Blackout by Connie Willis

I gave up reading Science Fiction sometime ago, when every story seemed to be a knockoff of Star Wars. On a whim, I picked up To Say Nothing of the Dog by the same author after reading a review in Bookmarks Magazine. I enjoyed it so much, I picked up the author's newest release, Blackout.

The year is 2060 and time travel is possible. Oxford students travel backward in time to study things. For instance, one student plans to study how perfectly ordinary people become heroes during extraordinary times; Dunkirk, Pearl Harbor, like that.

Several students travel back to England during WWII. They plan to study different things; heroes, evacuated kids, the blitz, at different times and in different places in the country. They are not to place themselves in danger, or do anything that might change the future, like save a persons life. The process for time travel does not allow them to go if such a thing would occur. As in all imaginary worlds, this one has rules to follow.

In alternating chapters, we follow the different students as they embark on their studies. It isn't long before things start to go wrong for each of them. At the same time, we see how the lives of the ordinary citizens in London and the rural country, are effected by the war. The menace grows as we watch the students change from simple observers to unwilling participants.

I loved the story. It's a page turner. But I was unhappy that, after nearly 500 pages, the story was unresolved and 'To be continued.' Literally, the story will be concluded in the next book released sometime in the fall. As a reader, I felt I had fallen into a story that ended with, "and then I awoke from my dream."

I didn't like it. It felt like a cheap trick to make me buy the next book to see how the story ends. I hope publishing doesn't start going down this road. If it does, I will be forced to read the last page of every book to be sure it has a resolution before I buy it.

And frankly after six months, the irritation will work on me so much, and the story fade to such a degree, that I just won't bother. But I will remember that the author pulled a sneaky trick on me.

I do recommend the book, but you might want to wait until the second installment is available to read it.