This book, which occurs in the same universe as Doomsday Book (and shares some of the same characters), is pure comedy, with nothing of the emotional involvement of Doomsday Book's 14th-century chapters. However, Willis has developed the comic potential I noticed in Doomsday Book to perfection here. Ned Henry's time lag, the scene under the willow tree with Verity, the seance with the phony oracle--all of these left me in stitches. As I noted in my review of Doomsday Book, Willis is an expert at writing bustling scenes, where errors upon errors pile upon one another, to hilarious effect.
As with Doomsday Book, Willis's characters here are perfect. I rejoiced at seeing Mr. Dunworthy again, although he plays a much smaller role here, and the characters of Ned, Verity, Tossie, Terence, and Professor Peddick were clearly delineated and very appealing from the start of the book.
This book really only has two faults. First, it lacks the emotional depth of Doomsday Book. And second, the plot--which has something to do with resolving time-travel paradoxes--is incredibly convoluted, to the point of incomprehensibility at times.
Fortunately, even its incomprehensibility doesn't stand in the way of its ultimate appeal; after all, the characters themselves hardly understand what's going on either. To Say Nothing of the Dog is a mystery, a comedy, a romance--and a sheer pleasure, from start to finish.
Copyright © 2001 Steven Wu 