Blackout is a book which won the Hugo Award, the Locus Award, and the Nebula Award in 2010 – 2011 for the best science fiction novel.  It is part one of a two-part series, followed by All Clear.   Although it is fundamentally a science fiction story, there is a considerable level of historical accuracy, and the characters of the time period are credible, human, and interesting.

The book starts in the future when time travel has been developed and a team of scientists are sent to the past to experience and document the historical period, living lives with the people of that time.    The target time and place is London during the Battle of Britain.

The paradoxes and challenges of time travel are part of the narrative and there is considerable angst over problems encountered during the time spent in the past, but it is the stories of the time travelers and the people they meet that wins our hearts.   Historical accuracy and a retelling of the Blitz makes this story a cut above the rest.

Connie Willis has written other time travel books, of which The Doomsday Book is the best.    Blackout and All Clear are recommended, not for the sci fi, but for the historical stories of ordinary people.    Recommended – 0.0 out of 5.0 stars0.0