On the Horizon – jack (Connie Willis)

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this historical fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here are me honest musings . . .

jack (Connie Willis)

Title: jack

Author: Connie Willis

Publisher: Subterranean Press

Publication Date: TODAY!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1596069633

Source: NetGalley

The cover drew me in and three things convinced me to read this book:

1. Connie Willis wrote the doomsday book and it was seriously one of the best books I have ever read;
2. It is a Subterranean Press book and they do great work; and
3. This novella was a finalist for the 1991 Nebula and Hugo awards and is set during the Blitz in London.

I have yet to read a bad Connie Willis book.  This novella is awesome!  This story is told from the prospective of Jack who is a member of the air raid rescue squad.  The main job of their squad is to rescue folks trapped in rubble from the bombs.  A new member joins the squad who also happens to be called Jack.  The two Jacks end up on patrol together.  But the newest Jack (#2) doesn’t seem to have a clear past and has an uncanny ability to find survivors.  So Jack (#1) starts to investigate his partner.  Jack’s (#1) rationale for what he finds sounds insane.  Or is it . . .

I am not going to give ye anymore plot then that.  I loved the ending.  Ye can take it two different ways.  One just happens to be more fun than the other.  As always the setting is excellent, the world-building superb, the writing sublime, and the characters lovely.  I do think Willis is a genius.  So much complexity and yet a short, clear, and engaging read.  If ye have missed this one pick it up.  If ye have never read anything by her then certainly get a hold of her work.  This would be a great place to start.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Subterranean Press!

Side note: I do really need to finish the Oxford Time Travel series.  I am only halfway through but the two books I have read were awesome!

Netgalley had this to say about the novel:

During the height of the Blitz in London, the air raid rescue squad operating out of Mrs. Lucy’s house is close-knit and ever-watchful. When a new volunteer named Jack shows up, his odd behavior—not eating, disappearing during the day for a mysterious job—isn’t concerning at first. The sleepless stress of the job is hard on everyone. Soon, Jack is in high demand, due to an almost uncanny talent for finding buried people still alive under the rubble…

But how does he do it? As the narrator, another member of the squad also named Jack, begins to investigate, the truth turns out to have a dark, tragic twist.

New York Times bestselling, multiple-award-winning author Connie Willis’s surprising and deftly rendered classic 1991 novella “Jack,” a finalist for the Nebula and the Hugo awards, is a must-have for readers of her beloved works set in World War II, including “Fire Watch,” Blackout, and All Clear.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Connie Willis – Author

To buy the novella please visit:

jack – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous Log Entries for this Author

crosstalk (On the Horizon – Sci-Fi eArc)

i met a traveller in an antique land (On the Horizon – Fantasy eArc)

to say nothing of the dog – book 2 (Captain’s Log – Sci-Fi)