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Terra Incognita: Three Novellas
Three tales from Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout Connie Willis come together in one collection.
Terra Incognita unites three previously published novellas by Connie Willis. This collection contains Uncharted Territory, where planetary surveyors battle hostile terrain, bureaucratic red tape, and renegade "planet crashers", Remake, where moviemaking's been computerized and live-action films are a thing of the past and all one starry-eyed young woman wants to do is the dance in the movies, and D.A., where a young space cadet will stop at nothing to uncover the conspiracy that has her tied up.
Terra Incognita unites three previously published novellas by Connie Willis. This collection contains Uncharted Territory, where planetary surveyors battle hostile terrain, bureaucratic red tape, and renegade "planet crashers", Remake, where moviemaking's been computerized and live-action films are a thing of the past and all one starry-eyed young woman wants to do is the dance in the movies, and D.A., where a young space cadet will stop at nothing to uncover the conspiracy that has her tied up.
328 pages, ebook
First published August 21, 2018
About the author
Connie Willis
255 books4,496 followersConstance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She is one of the most honored science fiction writers of the 1980s and 1990s.
She has won, among other awards, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for All Seated on the Ground (August 2008). She was the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).
She lives in Greeley, Colorado with her husband Courtney Willis, a professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. She also has one daughter, Cordelia.
Willis is known for her accessible prose and likable characters. She has written several pieces involving time travel by history students and faculty of the future University of Oxford. These pieces include her Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog and the short story "Fire Watch," found in the short story collection of the same name.
Willis tends to the comedy of manners style of writing. Her protagonists are typically beset by single-minded people pursuing illogical agendas, such as attempting to organize a bell-ringing session in the middle of a deadly epidemic (Doomsday Book), or frustrating efforts to analyze near-death experiences by putting words in the mouths of interviewees (Passage).
She has won, among other awards, ten Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for All Seated on the Ground (August 2008). She was the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).
She lives in Greeley, Colorado with her husband Courtney Willis, a professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. She also has one daughter, Cordelia.
Willis is known for her accessible prose and likable characters. She has written several pieces involving time travel by history students and faculty of the future University of Oxford. These pieces include her Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog and the short story "Fire Watch," found in the short story collection of the same name.
Willis tends to the comedy of manners style of writing. Her protagonists are typically beset by single-minded people pursuing illogical agendas, such as attempting to organize a bell-ringing session in the middle of a deadly epidemic (Doomsday Book), or frustrating efforts to analyze near-death experiences by putting words in the mouths of interviewees (Passage).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 23, 2020
Man liest eine SF-Novelle und bekommt plötzlich Lust, Musical-Filme der 50er zu schauen ... wie geil ist das denn???
Dieser Band enthält zwei Novellen und eine Kurzgeschichte von Connie Willis, die vorher schon anderweitig veröffentlicht wurden. Und wie so oft bei Ihren Werken, so auch hier: Originell, witzig ... aber auch mit gewissen Längen.
Schwanke zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen....
Dieser Band enthält zwei Novellen und eine Kurzgeschichte von Connie Willis, die vorher schon anderweitig veröffentlicht wurden. Und wie so oft bei Ihren Werken, so auch hier: Originell, witzig ... aber auch mit gewissen Längen.
Schwanke zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen....
April 23, 2020
I'd read these before in different collections, but I didn't remember/realize that until partway through each story and I enjoyed reading them again, so!
July 17, 2021
2.5 stars
Willis short stories are not my favorite. She seems to be in the same camp for me as Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle in that the short story medium is not necessarily the best showcase for the talent that lies there.
The first story in this collection of three was Uncharted Territory, which I have already read and reviewed, rating it with the same 2.5 stars.
Following up, and sandwiched between the more traditional science-fiction stories, the second story, Remake was one of those pop-culture laden, futuristic stories in which Willis deals, sometimes. While I can feel her enjoyment in writing these stories, overloaded with references to give off the frenetic tone she's hoping to convey, which is a sharp criticism of the very influence of those pop culture touchstones, it never really comes off as fun for me. The absolute inundation inevitably presents itself as taxing and weighs down the plot hiding somewhere between the lines, keeping her from really and truly getting to the point.
Lastly, the better of the three and still not enough to warrant a more conciliatory review of the whole, D. A. is a more engaging story about a young woman chosen to become the next cadet at the prestigious interstellar Academy. The catch is that she doesn't want to go, never applied, and cannot seem to get anyone who will listen to her panicked explanation. What follows is her attempt to get to the bottom of this and get back to her home on Earth. It's witty and cute, and displays the same fast-paced there's-no-time-to-explain frantic rush to a resolution that you get in many Willis stories, both long and short. This one felt far more familiar to my favorites from Willis (Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Blackout, and All Clear).
Willis short stories are not my favorite. She seems to be in the same camp for me as Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle in that the short story medium is not necessarily the best showcase for the talent that lies there.
The first story in this collection of three was Uncharted Territory, which I have already read and reviewed, rating it with the same 2.5 stars.
Following up, and sandwiched between the more traditional science-fiction stories, the second story, Remake was one of those pop-culture laden, futuristic stories in which Willis deals, sometimes. While I can feel her enjoyment in writing these stories, overloaded with references to give off the frenetic tone she's hoping to convey, which is a sharp criticism of the very influence of those pop culture touchstones, it never really comes off as fun for me. The absolute inundation inevitably presents itself as taxing and weighs down the plot hiding somewhere between the lines, keeping her from really and truly getting to the point.
Lastly, the better of the three and still not enough to warrant a more conciliatory review of the whole, D. A. is a more engaging story about a young woman chosen to become the next cadet at the prestigious interstellar Academy. The catch is that she doesn't want to go, never applied, and cannot seem to get anyone who will listen to her panicked explanation. What follows is her attempt to get to the bottom of this and get back to her home on Earth. It's witty and cute, and displays the same fast-paced there's-no-time-to-explain frantic rush to a resolution that you get in many Willis stories, both long and short. This one felt far more familiar to my favorites from Willis (Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Blackout, and All Clear).
March 25, 2019
1.5 stars and most of that goes to the last and shortest story D.A. which was the only good thing about this book.
April 1, 2024
Connie Willis is a name I have heard come up a lot with regard to late 20th century American Science Fiction, but in a slightly odd way. The only thing she’s actually written that I’ve ever heard of is To Say Nothing of the Dog (a delightful-sounding book that tragicall has a multimonth hold list at my library). Instead, I mostly know her from other books’ acknowledgement sections, or semi-mythologized folklore and anecdotes about the culture and community of the era. So I really picked this up as a matter of curiosity, to get a sense of what Willis’ whole deal is.
The book is a collection of three novellas, each basically totally unrelated with only the faintest attempt at a unifying theme to justify bundling the three of them together. Each work is pretty different from the others in everything from length (the longest is something like 3x the length of the shortest), tone, setting and subject matter, the works really. The first is a sort of romcom farce about surveyors charting an alien world that has, well, aged. The second and longest a love letter to classic classic hollywood and movie musicals as told from the POV of a self-hating drunk who pays the bills going through and retroactively editing the studio’s back catalogue to meet the whims of the executive of the day. The third and by far shortest is a lighthearted and very fannish comedy about a teenager getting conscripted to be a space cadet against her own ferocious objections.
The stories are all perfectly modern in, like, structure and pacing, but they still absolutely feel like they were written last century. Part of that is just word choice (the only thing that ages worse that old euphemisms for sex is old attempts to create futuristic slang), but it’s also just a general sensibility. Which is most cringe-iniducing in the first story, both for its portrayal of the native species of the planet being surveyed (directly compared to native americans on a few different times, characterized as relentlessly opportunistic penny-wise but pound-foolish hucksters leaping at the chance to sell their land for cheap imported consumer goods), and also just for a handling of gender and sexuality it’d take more time than I’ve got to really dig into. (I have a sense of where all those tomboy versus girly girl memes ultimately descend from now, though.) The other two more just felt out of time than actually wince-inducing, with the third story especially feeling like an affectionate nod to the fan culture of its time. That said, the second one’s whole horrified preoccupation with a Hollywood that refuses to make anything new instead of just remaking the same sure things from its back catalog forevermore either never stopped or has looped back around to feeling real topical.
Insofar as I’m already reading romances, I admit I do have a real soft spot for the whole ‘idiots compensate for total refusal to communicate feelings or desires with grand romantic gestures and hoping the object of their desires will get the idea. It doesn’t work.’ thing that’s a bit of a recurring beat in two of the novellas though.
Prose and characterization wise, all three were pretty well done – though riffing off tropes and archtypes that I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen played sincerely and unironically, which did always leave me feeling I was missing context on how to read them. Which is pretty much what I was hoping for going in, to be clear – what’s the point of reading older stories, otherwise? Which is nice, because the actual reading experience of going through it was a bit of a slog. The first one was the real trial, but just overall I’d say the book’s more interesting as a cultural artifact than an artistic work. Oh well, c’est la vie.
The book is a collection of three novellas, each basically totally unrelated with only the faintest attempt at a unifying theme to justify bundling the three of them together. Each work is pretty different from the others in everything from length (the longest is something like 3x the length of the shortest), tone, setting and subject matter, the works really. The first is a sort of romcom farce about surveyors charting an alien world that has, well, aged. The second and longest a love letter to classic classic hollywood and movie musicals as told from the POV of a self-hating drunk who pays the bills going through and retroactively editing the studio’s back catalogue to meet the whims of the executive of the day. The third and by far shortest is a lighthearted and very fannish comedy about a teenager getting conscripted to be a space cadet against her own ferocious objections.
The stories are all perfectly modern in, like, structure and pacing, but they still absolutely feel like they were written last century. Part of that is just word choice (the only thing that ages worse that old euphemisms for sex is old attempts to create futuristic slang), but it’s also just a general sensibility. Which is most cringe-iniducing in the first story, both for its portrayal of the native species of the planet being surveyed (directly compared to native americans on a few different times, characterized as relentlessly opportunistic penny-wise but pound-foolish hucksters leaping at the chance to sell their land for cheap imported consumer goods), and also just for a handling of gender and sexuality it’d take more time than I’ve got to really dig into. (I have a sense of where all those tomboy versus girly girl memes ultimately descend from now, though.) The other two more just felt out of time than actually wince-inducing, with the third story especially feeling like an affectionate nod to the fan culture of its time. That said, the second one’s whole horrified preoccupation with a Hollywood that refuses to make anything new instead of just remaking the same sure things from its back catalog forevermore either never stopped or has looped back around to feeling real topical.
Insofar as I’m already reading romances, I admit I do have a real soft spot for the whole ‘idiots compensate for total refusal to communicate feelings or desires with grand romantic gestures and hoping the object of their desires will get the idea. It doesn’t work.’ thing that’s a bit of a recurring beat in two of the novellas though.
Prose and characterization wise, all three were pretty well done – though riffing off tropes and archtypes that I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen played sincerely and unironically, which did always leave me feeling I was missing context on how to read them. Which is pretty much what I was hoping for going in, to be clear – what’s the point of reading older stories, otherwise? Which is nice, because the actual reading experience of going through it was a bit of a slog. The first one was the real trial, but just overall I’d say the book’s more interesting as a cultural artifact than an artistic work. Oh well, c’est la vie.
July 1, 2023
I picked this up recently because I needed something to read on a plane trip, and because Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors and I could count on it being a good read. This book is a collection of three novellas, one of which I had read once before but kind of wanted to revisit anyway.
The first novella, Uncharted Territory, is in some way the most classically Connie Willis story of the bunch. It is the somewhat meandering story of a survey team exploring a distant planet and having to deal with political and bureaucratic absurdities; a potential romantic triangle which might actually be a quadrangle or even penta-tangle; and the general unpredictabilities that life tends to throw at them. It's entertaining and often ridiculous in the way Willis's works so often are, highlighting the fact that the Universe always has new complexities to throw at us and ultimately even the smartest and most capable people are just making it all up as they go along.
The third story is the shortest and, for me, the most forgettable. It's an enjoyable enough tale of a high-school student who finds herself selected for an interstellar space-cadet program that she never applied for and is desperate to get out of. It's a good little story and enjoyable, but ultimately was not as satisfying as the other two.
The second story in the collection is Remake. It's the longest, the one I've read once before, and it remains my favorite of the bunch. It should be required reading for anyone who loves classic cinema.
This story imagines a future version of Hollywood in which "new" films are digitally created remakes of preexisting favorites. The story was originally published in 1994 and is more relevant today than ever before. In the end it is a wonderful tribute to why movies continue to inspire us and capture our imagination, and it leaves us with the hope that as bad as the industry might be there will always be those who "get it" and will keep the magic alive.
The first novella, Uncharted Territory, is in some way the most classically Connie Willis story of the bunch. It is the somewhat meandering story of a survey team exploring a distant planet and having to deal with political and bureaucratic absurdities; a potential romantic triangle which might actually be a quadrangle or even penta-tangle; and the general unpredictabilities that life tends to throw at them. It's entertaining and often ridiculous in the way Willis's works so often are, highlighting the fact that the Universe always has new complexities to throw at us and ultimately even the smartest and most capable people are just making it all up as they go along.
The third story is the shortest and, for me, the most forgettable. It's an enjoyable enough tale of a high-school student who finds herself selected for an interstellar space-cadet program that she never applied for and is desperate to get out of. It's a good little story and enjoyable, but ultimately was not as satisfying as the other two.
The second story in the collection is Remake. It's the longest, the one I've read once before, and it remains my favorite of the bunch. It should be required reading for anyone who loves classic cinema.
This story imagines a future version of Hollywood in which "new" films are digitally created remakes of preexisting favorites. The story was originally published in 1994 and is more relevant today than ever before. In the end it is a wonderful tribute to why movies continue to inspire us and capture our imagination, and it leaves us with the hope that as bad as the industry might be there will always be those who "get it" and will keep the magic alive.
February 15, 2019
I never know with Connie Willis, sometimes she just tries too hard to be clever. I hated the first novella - Uncharted Territory - it just seemed endless. It took me forever to read because I kept falling asleep, but I kept hoping there would be more there there. She does a lot of clever stuff - allusions to colonialism, to our assumptions about gender and sex and love. But I just didn't think it worked at all and the payoff was minimal.
Novella number two - Remake - I liked a lot more. It no doubt helps that in my college years I saw a lot of movies and at one point had a friend who was a fan of tap dancing musicals and we saw them all. I thought the story was much too long, but I loved
Short story - D.A. I loved. It's just a frothy little tale, nothing too serious, but I think it makes a good point. I loved the clever heroine and her buddy KimKim.
Novella number two - Remake - I liked a lot more. It no doubt helps that in my college years I saw a lot of movies and at one point had a friend who was a fan of tap dancing musicals and we saw them all. I thought the story was much too long, but I loved
Short story - D.A. I loved. It's just a frothy little tale, nothing too serious, but I think it makes a good point. I loved the clever heroine and her buddy KimKim.
August 31, 2021
I found this collection of three stories to be very unbalanced. I loved one story, DNF'd another, and was semi-indifferent toward the third. I'm not sure I was the real target audience for all of them, though, so your milage may vary.
"D.A." is the winner here. It was a lot of fun, with great characters, and I wanted more. (But I also think that it was the perfect length; too much more, and it could have gotten bloated.)
I enjoyed "Remake" as well, though I could have done without quite so much of the slang. It did set the tone, but it got old after a while. In some ways, I feel this novella would have been better if trimmed down to a punchier short story. But... I am also not quite the target audience for this one, I think. To properly enjoy this story, you need to love classic movies and movie-musicals. I love musicals, but a lot of the other classic movie references went over my head.
The one I liked the least was "Uncharted Territory." I'm not sure how much of that was timing in when I read this book and how much was a genre disconnect, but I did not enjoy this story enough to finish it. I think a large part of that is it felt like a Space Western to me, which is not a genre I enjoy.
"D.A." is the winner here. It was a lot of fun, with great characters, and I wanted more. (But I also think that it was the perfect length; too much more, and it could have gotten bloated.)
I enjoyed "Remake" as well, though I could have done without quite so much of the slang. It did set the tone, but it got old after a while. In some ways, I feel this novella would have been better if trimmed down to a punchier short story. But... I am also not quite the target audience for this one, I think. To properly enjoy this story, you need to love classic movies and movie-musicals. I love musicals, but a lot of the other classic movie references went over my head.
The one I liked the least was "Uncharted Territory." I'm not sure how much of that was timing in when I read this book and how much was a genre disconnect, but I did not enjoy this story enough to finish it. I think a large part of that is it felt like a Space Western to me, which is not a genre I enjoy.
April 22, 2023
I’ve loved much of the Connie Willis I’ve read, but this collection is mostly middling. ‘Uncharted Territory’ had one big laugh at the end but not much that stuck with me, and ‘D.A.’ was fine but dispensable.
‘Remake’, however, could’ve been written for me. I’m a huge fan of classic Hollywood movies, and clearly so is Connie Willis. Sci-fi with references to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and Buster Keaton? Sign me up! I’d give ‘Remake’ four stars — the other two stories knock this collection down to a three.
‘Remake’, however, could’ve been written for me. I’m a huge fan of classic Hollywood movies, and clearly so is Connie Willis. Sci-fi with references to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and Buster Keaton? Sign me up! I’d give ‘Remake’ four stars — the other two stories knock this collection down to a three.
August 17, 2023
3.5 actually. 3 novellas but only one grabbed my attention “Remake”.
This one grabbed my attention, due in part to the writers and actors strikes. The use of CGI, AI and other technological inventions is the focus of this novella, making live actors etc redundant. Hopefully the premise of the novella will not become the future of entertainment.
This one grabbed my attention, due in part to the writers and actors strikes. The use of CGI, AI and other technological inventions is the focus of this novella, making live actors etc redundant. Hopefully the premise of the novella will not become the future of entertainment.
October 6, 2021
Only one of the novellas (D.A.) caught my eye, but it had me glued to the pages.
January 27, 2019
I’m prone to fighting back the desire to dance on the desk any time something Connie Willis writes is accessible. Her World-War-II-era time travel series was beyond magnificent, and her Christmas collection of short stories is stellar. So when this book became available, I couldn’t wait to read it. Indeed, it was my first NLS download of 2019. I came away sad and disappointed. If I were forced to write one-word reviews, (and way too many of you would really like that if I resorted to that technique), my one-word review for this book would be “meh.”
In the first of the three novellas, an exploratory expedition is charting uncharted territory on a newly discovered planet. This story made me smile because Willis seems to attack the politically correct regulation-bound silliness of our time. Planet features, for example, could not be named after the discoverer. That smacks of colonialism, after all. If you paid to be part of the expedition, you got to name features, but there were rules upon rules that you had to follow, and there is a member of the indigenous population who follows the explorers around cataloging their infractions. Did you lie that sleeping mat down on a plant, you damaged the flora and fauna of the region, and that subjected you to a fine. Willis’s sense of humor came through in this story rather well.
In the second story, “Remake,” the digitization of movies has also made them infinitely customizable. You’d rather have Carey Grant playing Mr. Smith instead of Jimmy Stewart, no problem; just digitally snap out Stewart and put Grant in his place. So digitized have things become in this universe that new actors are no longer necessary. You can impose any actor you want on any scene you want. That’s wonderful until you are introduced in the story to a young woman who simply wants to dance with Fred Astaire. The movie musical is dead, and no studio is looking for dancers. So how does the young woman get to be part of the digitized movies of her time?
In the final story, a young woman is forced into a space academy against her will and must find out why she has been kidnapped into that situation.
If you are a complete old movie freak, you will love the references in “Remake.” There are multiple ones per sentence almost. Willis clearly did some double-scoop research to come up with all those references to movie musicals.
Bottom line: This was an ok book. I remain an avid admirer of Willis’s talent. I think there are others who will love this book, especially those who enjoy novellas. It just didn’t do much for me.
In the first of the three novellas, an exploratory expedition is charting uncharted territory on a newly discovered planet. This story made me smile because Willis seems to attack the politically correct regulation-bound silliness of our time. Planet features, for example, could not be named after the discoverer. That smacks of colonialism, after all. If you paid to be part of the expedition, you got to name features, but there were rules upon rules that you had to follow, and there is a member of the indigenous population who follows the explorers around cataloging their infractions. Did you lie that sleeping mat down on a plant, you damaged the flora and fauna of the region, and that subjected you to a fine. Willis’s sense of humor came through in this story rather well.
In the second story, “Remake,” the digitization of movies has also made them infinitely customizable. You’d rather have Carey Grant playing Mr. Smith instead of Jimmy Stewart, no problem; just digitally snap out Stewart and put Grant in his place. So digitized have things become in this universe that new actors are no longer necessary. You can impose any actor you want on any scene you want. That’s wonderful until you are introduced in the story to a young woman who simply wants to dance with Fred Astaire. The movie musical is dead, and no studio is looking for dancers. So how does the young woman get to be part of the digitized movies of her time?
In the final story, a young woman is forced into a space academy against her will and must find out why she has been kidnapped into that situation.
If you are a complete old movie freak, you will love the references in “Remake.” There are multiple ones per sentence almost. Willis clearly did some double-scoop research to come up with all those references to movie musicals.
Bottom line: This was an ok book. I remain an avid admirer of Willis’s talent. I think there are others who will love this book, especially those who enjoy novellas. It just didn’t do much for me.
July 12, 2019
Three short (or shortish) stories, novellas really, combined into a single volume.
The first, "Uncharted Territory", is a combination of a Western and Science Fiction and Romance novel all rolled into one. It has a small cast of characters charting out an alien planet under numerous restrictions, close monitoring, and even a reality-TV-style show that follows their every move. A delightful story, and a unique story, some of the best of Connie Willis I have read. Definitely worth reading.
The second, "Remake", is about a future Hollywood where all 'acting" is computer generated, wanna-be actors, actresses, dancers, agents, producers, directors, publicists, etc., mostly all run around doing drugs and having complicated short-lived relationships. But, one person wants to really dance in movies, not just be computer generated. An interesting read, but drags on for too long: it would have been much better at half the length.
The third, "D.A.", is a Heinlein-esque story of a girl admitted to a prestigious space academy, even though she did not apply and her better qualified classmates are passed over. Like the Heinlein stories it seems to be based on, this story has a talented young protagonist who is very competent but does not fit well into their assigned role. D.A. is very short, but a good fun read.
The first, "Uncharted Territory", is a combination of a Western and Science Fiction and Romance novel all rolled into one. It has a small cast of characters charting out an alien planet under numerous restrictions, close monitoring, and even a reality-TV-style show that follows their every move. A delightful story, and a unique story, some of the best of Connie Willis I have read. Definitely worth reading.
The second, "Remake", is about a future Hollywood where all 'acting" is computer generated, wanna-be actors, actresses, dancers, agents, producers, directors, publicists, etc., mostly all run around doing drugs and having complicated short-lived relationships. But, one person wants to really dance in movies, not just be computer generated. An interesting read, but drags on for too long: it would have been much better at half the length.
The third, "D.A.", is a Heinlein-esque story of a girl admitted to a prestigious space academy, even though she did not apply and her better qualified classmates are passed over. Like the Heinlein stories it seems to be based on, this story has a talented young protagonist who is very competent but does not fit well into their assigned role. D.A. is very short, but a good fun read.
March 27, 2020
A short collection of short fiction (two novellas and a short story). All very different, but all very fun & entertaining. The first was the roughest of the three, but was still good.
First story: interesting little sci-fi exploration story. Intriguing and engaging, but the near constant dialogue that goes back and forth amongst the various people gets confusing at times. Would really have liked this story expanded just a little to help clarify some parts, but still really enjoyed it.
Second story: a fun little speculative fiction story, in a future where digital imaging technology has severely changed how movies are produced. It's a little bit of a love story between people, and a large love story to movies. I enjoyed this story much more than the first one.
Third story: a high school student finds she's won a very coveted spot as an incoming cadet to space academy - the only catch is she never applied because she doesn't want to go! Very fun!
First story: interesting little sci-fi exploration story. Intriguing and engaging, but the near constant dialogue that goes back and forth amongst the various people gets confusing at times. Would really have liked this story expanded just a little to help clarify some parts, but still really enjoyed it.
Second story: a fun little speculative fiction story, in a future where digital imaging technology has severely changed how movies are produced. It's a little bit of a love story between people, and a large love story to movies. I enjoyed this story much more than the first one.
Third story: a high school student finds she's won a very coveted spot as an incoming cadet to space academy - the only catch is she never applied because she doesn't want to go! Very fun!
October 20, 2018
classic wilis: she's a magician
so much going on in your face, you don't see what she's been doing the whole time
a super fun trilogy celebrating her love of puzzles, her love of love stories, and her love of movies
so much going on in your face, you don't see what she's been doing the whole time
a super fun trilogy celebrating her love of puzzles, her love of love stories, and her love of movies
May 28, 2022
Connie Willis is a student of old fashioned Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn comedies and snappy dialog. She tries to replicate this in her stories and she's mostly successful.
Uncharted Territory is almost the reverse of the Treasure of Sierra Madre. Anti-prospectors with a native guide try to hide from their company possible areas of natural resources. But what fails in the story is the technology and sexual politics. Even today, we do these surveys with LiDAR and satellite imagery. There's no reason to physically survey a planet. The sexual politics try to be more modern, but it's very facile and still groups sexuality as binary with some bit of camouflage. The native who is enlightened, instead of being taken advantage of, takes advantage of the prospectors. Overall, not a very successful story. The pacing is as dreary as the ponies they ride in the story.
Remake. Luckily, I grew up watching most of the movies she references. Someone who grew up 20 years later, teenagers and any young adult, would need footnotes to figure out what movies she's writing about because there will be a lot of blank stares. Even the movie stars she picks as icons are now passe. The mystery of how Alis winds up in the movies is moderately interesting. Time Travel is a key component in some of Willis' stories and is used as a red herring. There's a lot of technobabble used to explain how Computer Graphics special effects works in the future which technically is correct, but she invents a lot of technobabble to explain it. She could have just used real life examples and phrases and just extrapolated with a more realistic naming. Again the sexual politics are a bit dated and actually there's a self reference to one of those old movies that Willis is trying to emulate. Overall, a little bit more interesting than Uncharted Territory.
D.A. The quickest read, and shortest story in length, is the best story of the three. The pacing is quick and it revolves around the mystery of how a reluctant student becomes a space cadet. She gets high school cliques and conflicts right. But the premise of Shanghaiing kids against their will to the most prestigious college in space is a bit too unrealistic. This story was an enjoyable read.
Uncharted Territory is almost the reverse of the Treasure of Sierra Madre. Anti-prospectors with a native guide try to hide from their company possible areas of natural resources. But what fails in the story is the technology and sexual politics. Even today, we do these surveys with LiDAR and satellite imagery. There's no reason to physically survey a planet. The sexual politics try to be more modern, but it's very facile and still groups sexuality as binary with some bit of camouflage. The native who is enlightened, instead of being taken advantage of, takes advantage of the prospectors. Overall, not a very successful story. The pacing is as dreary as the ponies they ride in the story.
Remake. Luckily, I grew up watching most of the movies she references. Someone who grew up 20 years later, teenagers and any young adult, would need footnotes to figure out what movies she's writing about because there will be a lot of blank stares. Even the movie stars she picks as icons are now passe. The mystery of how Alis winds up in the movies is moderately interesting. Time Travel is a key component in some of Willis' stories and is used as a red herring. There's a lot of technobabble used to explain how Computer Graphics special effects works in the future which technically is correct, but she invents a lot of technobabble to explain it. She could have just used real life examples and phrases and just extrapolated with a more realistic naming. Again the sexual politics are a bit dated and actually there's a self reference to one of those old movies that Willis is trying to emulate. Overall, a little bit more interesting than Uncharted Territory.
D.A. The quickest read, and shortest story in length, is the best story of the three. The pacing is quick and it revolves around the mystery of how a reluctant student becomes a space cadet. She gets high school cliques and conflicts right. But the premise of Shanghaiing kids against their will to the most prestigious college in space is a bit too unrealistic. This story was an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2022
Connie Willis is an author I will always read and almost always enjoy. This is a collection of three older novellas I hadn't read before; they're not really connected in theme except perhaps that in a general way they are exploring potential futures.
The first and longest is sort of a western SF setting; surveyors on an alien planet trying to do their job, but also having their exploits documented as "pioneering heroes" of sorts back home. When a new person arrives who is a "fan" of their work and has some episodes of the show based on them, they see themselves through the eyes of back-home media for the first time and it leads to some reevaluation of their relationships. This story was also interesting in a couple of other ways; first because it is very ambiguous about the genders of several of the characters and I was most of the way through the story before I figured out that one of them was in fact female. And second, because it includes that the company funding the survey has to comply with very strict guidelines around the indigenous residents and deals with that in a detailed and often rather tongue-in-cheek way.
The second story is a look at intellectual property and what a world would look like when it's so easy to recreate the digital likeness of famous actors from the past, that nobody wants to see any new ones any more.
And the third story is about a very smart young woman who absolutely does not want to go into the interstellar service yet is inexplicably (to her) accepted into it anyway, despite the fact she never even applied.
I enjoyed them all in different ways, probably the last one best. I do think Willis' full length novels are my preference as it gives her time and space to tell a more detailed story in full length, but I enjoy her writing in any form.
The first and longest is sort of a western SF setting; surveyors on an alien planet trying to do their job, but also having their exploits documented as "pioneering heroes" of sorts back home. When a new person arrives who is a "fan" of their work and has some episodes of the show based on them, they see themselves through the eyes of back-home media for the first time and it leads to some reevaluation of their relationships. This story was also interesting in a couple of other ways; first because it is very ambiguous about the genders of several of the characters and I was most of the way through the story before I figured out that one of them was in fact female. And second, because it includes that the company funding the survey has to comply with very strict guidelines around the indigenous residents and deals with that in a detailed and often rather tongue-in-cheek way.
The second story is a look at intellectual property and what a world would look like when it's so easy to recreate the digital likeness of famous actors from the past, that nobody wants to see any new ones any more.
And the third story is about a very smart young woman who absolutely does not want to go into the interstellar service yet is inexplicably (to her) accepted into it anyway, despite the fact she never even applied.
I enjoyed them all in different ways, probably the last one best. I do think Willis' full length novels are my preference as it gives her time and space to tell a more detailed story in full length, but I enjoy her writing in any form.
October 22, 2023
Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors. Her novels tend to be chunky slow burns that keep you riveted through many red herrings, dead ends, and trails and errors as you discover things along with the protagonist and invest in an emotional relationship with them, their failures become yours, their victories your victories.
Which is why I don't think her style works in a novella form, where you're plopped into a scenario already in progress, there are things the protagonist knows that you'll never know, which can be especially frustrating. I did like the second story, Remake, as it seemed to foretell the current problems in Hollywood with AI that has driven the current SAG AFTRA strike, and was written before the creation of IMDB. It reminded me of reading the Doomsday Book during lockdown and being struck on how a time travel book seemed to foretell Covid. I also think she was inspired in part by that Fred Astaire vacuum commercial that caused such controversy about the use of dead actors without consent.
Anyway, this is probably my least favorite Willis book, and recommend the aforementioned Doomsday Book or Passage instead.
Which is why I don't think her style works in a novella form, where you're plopped into a scenario already in progress, there are things the protagonist knows that you'll never know, which can be especially frustrating. I did like the second story, Remake, as it seemed to foretell the current problems in Hollywood with AI that has driven the current SAG AFTRA strike, and was written before the creation of IMDB. It reminded me of reading the Doomsday Book during lockdown and being struck on how a time travel book seemed to foretell Covid. I also think she was inspired in part by that Fred Astaire vacuum commercial that caused such controversy about the use of dead actors without consent.
Anyway, this is probably my least favorite Willis book, and recommend the aforementioned Doomsday Book or Passage instead.
February 20, 2023
Maybe 2.5*
This the first Connie Willis book that I didn't connect with in some way. A couple of others have had slow parts, but have redeemed themselves as the story reaches a conclusion. My favorites are still the Oxford Time Travel and All Clear series.
Other reviewers have mentioned that the third story (and shortest) in this work (D. A.) was the best and I probably felt the same, although it didn't seem very meaty, even for a short story. The first, Uncharted Territory, seems to meander around, but didn't seem to have that much of a story. I was hopeful about the world-building, but too much was left vague.
The second novella, Remake, was clever in some ways for readers that are interested in or have watched a lot of old movies/musicals. However, I found the entire view of society portrayed to be distasteful, so couldn't connect with the characters much (other than our small-town girl who wanted to actually dance...)
Disappointing, but I'm still a fan of Willis and will continue reading her body of work.
This the first Connie Willis book that I didn't connect with in some way. A couple of others have had slow parts, but have redeemed themselves as the story reaches a conclusion. My favorites are still the Oxford Time Travel and All Clear series.
Other reviewers have mentioned that the third story (and shortest) in this work (D. A.) was the best and I probably felt the same, although it didn't seem very meaty, even for a short story. The first, Uncharted Territory, seems to meander around, but didn't seem to have that much of a story. I was hopeful about the world-building, but too much was left vague.
The second novella, Remake, was clever in some ways for readers that are interested in or have watched a lot of old movies/musicals. However, I found the entire view of society portrayed to be distasteful, so couldn't connect with the characters much (other than our small-town girl who wanted to actually dance...)
Disappointing, but I'm still a fan of Willis and will continue reading her body of work.
June 21, 2019
I wasn't a fan of the first 2 novellas -- the story ideas and the endings were very enjoyable, but it felt like it took too much time and energy to get there. The first was intentionally a bit vague and hard to visualize; that supports the story concept so while it wasn't particularly pleasant, it did seem necessary.
The second was just too much. Too much making up slang terms (popsy = meaningless sex; cooch = Quaalude or Viagra??). Too much throwing in 1001 movie/musical titles with most of them not being relevant to the story. There was just so much chaotic detail, probably to support the manic feelings of the main character, that it overwhelmed the plot. The woman the M/C was pursuing accomplished something pretty amazing and that felt like just a brief footnote at the end.
The third novella was technically a short story and I *loved* it. Original concept, boom-boom-boom pacing, and very relate-able & interesting main character.
The second was just too much. Too much making up slang terms (popsy = meaningless sex; cooch = Quaalude or Viagra??). Too much throwing in 1001 movie/musical titles with most of them not being relevant to the story. There was just so much chaotic detail, probably to support the manic feelings of the main character, that it overwhelmed the plot. The woman the M/C was pursuing accomplished something pretty amazing and that felt like just a brief footnote at the end.
The third novella was technically a short story and I *loved* it. Original concept, boom-boom-boom pacing, and very relate-able & interesting main character.
February 21, 2023
All the novellas feature Connie Willis' signature wit and charm, but the first novella, Uncharted Territory, is the best of the bunch. A classic sci-fi setting, with geologists mapping a new planet, but make it a satire of an empire that on the surface has all these rules about being respectful and not disturbing indigenous life etc etc, but who, when oil or diamonds or minerals are discovered, will swoop in just as fast as necessary and feel no qualms about screwing over the people who live there. And Connie Willis once again hits with an excellent, understated romance.
The second novella, Remake, had an interesting premise and point to make. I love old musicals and am a dance snob so this hit a specific niche for me, but even then, I found it too long. She could have made the points she wanted to make in half the page count.
The last short story was cute and fun!
The second novella, Remake, had an interesting premise and point to make. I love old musicals and am a dance snob so this hit a specific niche for me, but even then, I found it too long. She could have made the points she wanted to make in half the page count.
The last short story was cute and fun!
December 31, 2018
I had read the first 2 novellas before, but enjoyed the re-read.
Uncharted Territory is at least partially about exploring new worlds while living the Prime Directive (not that the Prime Directive is mentioned). It's also about relationships, research, and saving people from themselves. People aren't always what they seem.
Remake is in a bizarre world that's a mere stretch from the present Hollywood (where it seems everything is a remake or a sequel). In the new Hollywood, you can pull old actors from one film into another. You can use computer editing to paste one person into an existing film. The references to Crays are pretty dating, but that's it.
D.A. is about a student who gets accepted to the most prestigious school ever without even applying. As she and her best friend try to figure out why, she learns the important role they want her to play.
Uncharted Territory is at least partially about exploring new worlds while living the Prime Directive (not that the Prime Directive is mentioned). It's also about relationships, research, and saving people from themselves. People aren't always what they seem.
Remake is in a bizarre world that's a mere stretch from the present Hollywood (where it seems everything is a remake or a sequel). In the new Hollywood, you can pull old actors from one film into another. You can use computer editing to paste one person into an existing film. The references to Crays are pretty dating, but that's it.
D.A. is about a student who gets accepted to the most prestigious school ever without even applying. As she and her best friend try to figure out why, she learns the important role they want her to play.
January 11, 2020
I’m a big fan of Connie Willis’s time travel books, and was looking for some light reading after the holidays, so I pulled this off my TBR shelf.
I didn’t enjoy the first novella, which was too long and too full of extraterrestrial jargon. Lots of humor, but not much point to it.
The second novella was well done and a great commentary on intellectual property and the film industry’s reliance on remaking the same movies over and over. Also the general public’s dependence on familiar tropes, narcissism, and addictive substances (abbreviated in the story as AS). It’s a remarkably prescient story, first published in 1995.
The third novella is really more of a short story with a fun twist. Clever and entertaining
I didn’t enjoy the first novella, which was too long and too full of extraterrestrial jargon. Lots of humor, but not much point to it.
The second novella was well done and a great commentary on intellectual property and the film industry’s reliance on remaking the same movies over and over. Also the general public’s dependence on familiar tropes, narcissism, and addictive substances (abbreviated in the story as AS). It’s a remarkably prescient story, first published in 1995.
The third novella is really more of a short story with a fun twist. Clever and entertaining
May 20, 2020
I liked the writing in general, but found the stories themselves didn't hit the mark for me.
Really engaged with the first story, and loved many of the themes (exploration, colonialism, relationships), but agree with others that the ending didn't really land, and I also found the use of "Indigenous" (or "Indigs") REALLY uncomfortable throughout, and also fairly paternalistic.
The second story was really a miss for me, but mostly because it relies on a vast catalogue of and nostalgic investment in old movies. Which, meh.
The third was short, sweet, and clever and interesting.
Enjoyed it enough overall as a package, but really wanted more out of it.
Really engaged with the first story, and loved many of the themes (exploration, colonialism, relationships), but agree with others that the ending didn't really land, and I also found the use of "Indigenous" (or "Indigs") REALLY uncomfortable throughout, and also fairly paternalistic.
The second story was really a miss for me, but mostly because it relies on a vast catalogue of and nostalgic investment in old movies. Which, meh.
The third was short, sweet, and clever and interesting.
Enjoyed it enough overall as a package, but really wanted more out of it.
September 21, 2021
I’m not a reader of sci fi but once in a while try something outside of my comfort zone. Willas seems to be an author much adored by those who love the genre…so here I am.
This is a book of three novellas (the third being more like a short story). I enjoyed the first which took place on a alien planet with a couple of explorers who chart all of the uncharted territory despite constantly being fined by the indigenous alien guide. The second is about the decline of old Hollywood. I was tired by the end of that one. I get it there is no originality in Hollywood anymore.
I like the final short story the most. It felt more relatable….easier in a way.
This is a book of three novellas (the third being more like a short story). I enjoyed the first which took place on a alien planet with a couple of explorers who chart all of the uncharted territory despite constantly being fined by the indigenous alien guide. The second is about the decline of old Hollywood. I was tired by the end of that one. I get it there is no originality in Hollywood anymore.
I like the final short story the most. It felt more relatable….easier in a way.
January 17, 2023
The first short story in this book, Uncharted Territory, is pretty good. However, I've read it before and totally didn't remember it. In fact, I made a review of it already on this site. So I guess it's not very memorable. The second short story, Remake, was interesting but dragged quite a bit. Seems like Connie Willis is an old-movie buff because this is filled with references (too many in my opinion). And the payoff isn't very fulfilling. The third short story, D.A., is really good. It's short and sweet. All in all, this was a good read.
September 24, 2018
It actually took me a while to realize that these three Connie Willis novels weren’t brand new ones, as I hadn’t encountered any of them before. They are of a very pleasant vintage, however, especially the first, Uncharted Territory, a story full of layers of meaning and wheels within wheels, which takes its sweet time to reveal its secrets. None of the stories is quite as clever or heartrending as parts of her Time Travel series, but you will be glad she wrote them.
November 10, 2018
More precisely, two novellas and a short, Uncharted Territory is a bit bizarre and snarky with no real plot or meaning, if expanded it might make an OK novel. Remake is a dark look at a future Hollywood filled with old film references, I've read it before, and it was OK the second time. Film fans may enjoy it. D.A. is an extremely funny short story, as funny the second time around as the first. An OK collection with one gem and a decent read.
Read
January 14, 2020I got an autographed copy from a local bookstore. :) I loved her "Blackout" and "All Clear", though her recent style takes some getting used to. This book is a collection of earlier novellas ('94, '95 an '07). They show signs of being less mature work, and I have to wonder if her publisher reprinted them just to keep her name out there. I liked the first and third considerably more than the second.
January 4, 2021
A mixed bag of Connie Willis here. There are two novellas and a short story in this brief collection. The first novella, "Uncharted Territory," drags terribly and though it does have a few good ideas and targets for its satire, it's almost painful to read. The second novella, "Remake," and the short story, "D.A.," fare much better.
Not my favorite Connie Willis, but lesser CW is light years better than most.
Not my favorite Connie Willis, but lesser CW is light years better than most.
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