Passage by Connie Willis

(discussed April 24, 2003)

On a ten-point scale (1=bad, 10=good), the people who read the book gave the following ratings: 5 (Judy), 8 (Raja), 9 (Dedaimia), 9 (Ignacio), 9 (Mary)
Average: 8

There were not very many people present at the meeting, perhaps because Raja warned that any discussion would require the revelation of serious spoilers.

Of the four people present who had read the book, Ignacio, Mary, and Dedaimia all really liked the book, and they all rated it a 9. Raja was uncertain how to rate the book; he said he was sorry that John Gallman wasn't present, because he wanted to ask (a) whether the book was "really" Science Fiction, and (b) what the criteria were for rating it ;-). Depending on these criteria, his rating could be 7, 8, or 9. Ultimately, he decided on 8 (though not as an "average" value, despite Ignacio's joke).

You can see some of Raja's comments on Passage (placed on another page to avoid spoilage).

The consensus seemed to be that this was a very interesting book with very some very vivid characters, an interesting narrative strategy (that mirrors the themes of the book!) and an unflinching look at some very serious issues.