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Worlds Without End Blog

2011 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master, Connie Willis Posted at 6:18 AM by Rico Simpkins

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Grand Master Connie WillisOh the heels of our Grand Master Reading Challenge, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America has added Connie Willis to their Grand Master rolls. Ms. Willis is the fourth female author to gain the honor, and her addition is no surprise. Over the years, Ms. Willis has won an impressive 10 genre awards, putting her third in our all-time winners list (only just behind China Miéville and Ursula K. Le Guin).

As Willis is such a prolific writer, your Reading Challenge options are about to expand greatly, as we add her canon to the database. If you have already selected your twelve authors, but would like to add her, feel free to switch up! Right now, we only list the eight most honored Willis books, but Dave is working feverishly to include her entire canon for you to peruse.

Congratulations to Connie Willis for this great honor. I’m sure we’ll be seeing her face on the GMRC status board, soon!

5 Comments

Dave Post   |   16 Jan 2012 @ 18:28

You did not have to wait long. I’m finally going to read a Connie Willis book! Not sure why I haven’t yet but I’m going to take the GMRC as the perfect opportunity to rectify the lapse. It happens to coincide with my desire to read more women authors as well. I’m thinking Doomsday Book or To Say Nothing of the Dog. Any opinions on which I should try?

Emil   |   17 Jan 2012 @ 00:17

Oh dear, and I so wanted to read all the female Grand Masters. I’ve read "Doomsday Book" and "To Say Nothing Of The Dog" already. Both were good, although I preferred "Dog" – I found "Doomsday Book" a little long-winded at times, a defect I hear her recent two-volume-one-novel is prone to suffer as well. I’ll need six months to read "Blackout/All Clear" 🙂 That, I fear, will interfere with the already daunting task of reading the rest for the challenge. But the year is still long, and much can and usually does change! (Ha, I bet Allie would have loved to add "Blackout/All Clear" to her challenge!)

Emil   |   17 Jan 2012 @ 00:21

Is she not the fourth female Grand Master: Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin and Connie Willis? Or am I missing a someone / pseudonym?

Dave   |   17 Jan 2012 @ 01:24

@Emil: You’re right of course. I fixed the post. Thanks for pointing that out.

Carl V.   |   19 Jan 2012 @ 16:59

Congrats to Connie Willis. I’m very much a newbie when it comes to her fiction, but last year I read her novelette, Fire Watch, and thought it was fantastic. It has me very hopeful for Blackout/All Clear. And I’ve read several recent reviews of To Say Nothing of the Dog and it sounds like something I would enjoy. That might be my choice for the Grand Master Reading Challenge.

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