This book was an unfortunate DNF for me as the writing style didn't quite work out for me.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

Because this was Connie Willis I 100% thought this was going to be a Time Travelers of Oxford style narrative until the end - like in “Fire Watch” - partially because of the Blitz setting. Instead it plays with an equally cool, more horror-y trope; I want to reread it now that my confusion has subsided and I actually better follow what’s going on. (I did understand what the protagonist THOUGHT was going on but I expected a time portal to pop up somehow.) Really good, weird, paranoid and unsettling book. I’m glad it’s been reissued and I can see why it made waves in the 90s when it was released.

Connie Willis' 1991 classic is a must-read for anyone who considers themselves a fan of science fiction and historical fiction. As always, her ability to convey the time and place about which she writes is uncanny, leading the reader to forget that this is, after all, a masterful product of someone's imagination.

This short read is a beautiful novella from a talented author. The story is moving, a bit creepy, and quite emotional. Fans of the Oxford Time Travel series will enjoy this. Highly recommended.

Jack is an beautifully well written and atmospheric gothic novella set in London during the blitz during WW2. Originally released in 1991, this reformat and re-release in a special hardcover edition from Subterranean Press and Connie Willis is 112 pages.

I really loved everything about this read. There are classic nods to horror fiction from the past at the same time maintaining a wonderfully clean and distinct narrative which never devolves into homage. The characters are so distinctly drawn and motivated that they live and breathe. The narrative arc is precisely controlled and the denouement crisply delivered (and bittersweet).

I started reading at bedtime and I'm glad it was a short book because there's absolutely no way I could've put it down before finishing it.

Wonderful novella from a talented author at the top of her game. (Trivia factoid: The author has won more major awards in the SF/Fantasy category than any other writer - 11 Hugos and 7 Nebulas (nebulae?)).

Five stars. Fabulous short read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I think of this novella, set in London during the World War II blitz, as a companion piece to Connie Willis’s duology, Blackout and All Clear, and her “Fire Watch.” Whereas the two novels were time-travel science fiction, Jack falls into fantasy. Or rather, topples headlong into a seemingly ordinary world replete with Victorian gothic references. A few are obvious, like the character Renfrew, others more subtle. One of the joys of an ereader is the ability to look up names and references <g> When you think about it, it stands to reason that a chaotic, violent time like the London blitz might attract predators, now freer to hunt than in more sedate times – but to what end? To feed on death and pain, or to in small way atone for the evil they’ve done?

As usual, Willis is in fine style, weaving in hints through everyday happenings, in this case, an air raid rescue team spotting fires, digging out survivors, and so forth.

This novella was first published in 1991. I’m glad to see it and others, new and old, find audiences. Not so long ago, it was very difficult to sell a novella, but changing markets and technologies have reintroduced readers to the gifts of this length

A slim book which packs a hell of a punch! The many allusions to Dracula make it clear early on what the mystery man's secret is, but Willis goes far beyond the standard vampire tale; her characters are vivid and the depictions of the Blitz are harrowing.

It's wonderful to see this delightful novella in Willis' Oxford Time Travel series in print again. It's a lovely and moving and slightly creepy story, and it's a must-have for any fan of the series as a whole.

Jack by Connie Willis, an interesting premise. I was very interested in this book but had a hard time connecting to it. I do think others will enjoy this book, Thank you for giving me a chance with it.

I received a free copy of this book. I am leaving my honest opinion.

I have read books by this author before and enjoyed them. I am sorry to say that I just couldn't enjoy this one.

To be fair, I only read halfway through. However, I was never drawn in. I didn't find the characters particularly relatable. Nor did I find the plot interesting.

Hopefully, other readers will have a better experience.

4.5 stars. Subterranean Press is reissuing Connie Willis’s moody and bleak 1991 novella "Jack," which was a finalist for the Nebula and Hugo awards and has appeared in several anthologies over the years. It’s set during the London Blitz in WWII, one of Willis’ favorite settings for her works, including the time-travel novels BlackoutBlackout and All Clear and the Nebula and Hugo award-winning novelette "Fire Watch". Once again, there’s something peculiar going on during the Blitz … but this time it’s not just time travelers visiting from the future.

Jack Harker is part of a squad of air raid wardens, charged with helping to put out the fires caused by German incendiary bombs and digging survivors out of the rubble left by explosive bombs. Their group is joined by a new part-timer, Jack Settle, who proves to be unusually good at finding live people who are trapped under the rubble. But Jack Harker can’t help but think there’s something suspicious about the new Jack. He never shares the group’s food, even when it’s a special treat; he works during the night and disappears at dawn.

"Jack" has a sense of mystery about it, although Willis doesn’t try especially hard to hide the answer. On rereading "Jack" for the first time in many years, I noticed all of the hints that Willis strews around like so many breadcrumbs. References to churches, the “walking dead” (exhaustion caused by lack of sleep, poor nutrition and anxiety), allusions to places and even characters’ names (seriously, take a hard look at the names!): all combine to create an increasing sense of anxiety and dread, compounded by the Nazis’ constant bombing.

But in the final analysis it’s not the particular mystery of “who or what is Jack Settle?” that Willis focuses on, but how the events in this novella affect Jack Harker and those around him. The name “Jack” isn’t all he shares with the man of whom he is so distrustful. And there are many ways for people to be monstrous, as well as human. The ending is gut-wrenching. It’s a finely crafted novella.

“Sometimes it takes something dreadful like a war for one to find one’s proper job.”

This is a reissued novella originally published in 1991. During the London blitz, a group of wardens are joined by a new part timer, Jack Settle, who has an amazing knack for finding survivors in the rubble following a bombing.. He leaves promptly each morning to go to an undisclosed day job. The book was an interesting portrayal of the camaraderie and self-sacrifice of the people who watched out for incendiary devices, put out fires and rescued bomb victims. Jack Harker was another warden who, after perhaps too many sleepless nights, began to be suspicious of Settle’s true motives. This was an unexpected take on the awfulness of war. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Originally published in 1991, this novella set in London during the Blitz is a bit of a departure for Connie Willis, as it doesn’t rely on time travel for its bit of extra kick.

Instead, watch the names. Jack Harker, our narrator, is a warden, responding to the nightly German bombing attacks and doing his best to save buildings from fire and rescue trapped civilians from rubble under the direction of his post’s leader, Mrs. Lucy.

One of his fellows, a chap named Renfrew, is struggling with PTSD-induced delusions … and now, if you know your horror, you’ve got it.

It’s more about the ride than the destination, though, and Willis knows her way around the London of wartime (for proof, read her excellent duology Blackout and All Clear—though to really enjoy what she’s doing, you’ll want to start with Doomsday Book).

This novella is also available in her collection Impossible Things, available as an ebook at a much lower price-point than this beautiful hardcover collector’s edition.

Willis’ novella is set in her oft used world war 2 London but has a slight supernatural twist that readers will enjoy. Those discovering her for the first time will want to read more and long time fans will be pleased to see this novella gain a wider audience

I didn’t catch that this was a reprint when I downloaded it from NetGalley a few weeks ago. Upon further investigation, I discovered that I read this one, a long, long time ago. It’s part of Connie Willis’ marvelous short story collection, Impossible Things. This is one I even have a signed copy of.

And just for the record, my absolute favorite story in that collection is Even the Queen. Even after reading Jack. If you haven’t seen the collection or read that particular story, it’s certainly worth looking into.

But we’re here to talk about Jack. Both Jacks, really. Because the titular character is named Jack and the subject of the story is named Jack and they are NOT the same Jack.

The story here is about a group of Air Raid Wardens in London during the Blitz. A time of chaos and confusion, a time of monsters and heroes. This is a story about someone who is a bit of both.

War makes monsters of us all. Sometimes it makes the monsters into heroes, and the heroes into monsters. One’s perspective shifts depending on whether one is one of the bombers – or one of the bombed.

War is also a time when people reach deep inside themselves and find the hero, or the villain, within. London during the Blitz was a time of rising crime. It was also a time when people went out into the bombed streets to rescue their friends, their neighbors, and even relative strangers.

War is also a time when life is in upheaval, when social norms are overthrown, when some people manage to have the best of times, while others experience the worst.

Jack, our narrator Jack, is a young man waiting to be called up for military service. While he’s waiting, he’s part of a quirky bunch of air raid wardens. The portrait of the life of the air raid wardens, their gallows humor, their intense camaraderie, their harrowing experiences in the field and their endless war against paperwork, brings the read deeply into their little found family just as the other Jack, the subject of the story is introduced to their little gang.

New Jack, Jack Settle, is a bit of a mystery. He has an uncanny knack for finding survivors under the rubble of a bomb site. He is entirely too good at finding people who aren’t making a sound – and he knows when they’ve died while the rescue is still ongoing.

Our narrator can’t resist poking into the conundrum that is Jack Settle, and he finds something unexpected – and shocking. Some monsters are more literally monstrous than others. But even they have a part to play in this war. There are times when a curse can be a blessing, even though no amount of rescues can balance the scales weighing past crimes.

Escape Rating B: Jack is a quiet little story. Quietly heroic and quietly chilling as well. The narrator’s discovery about Jack Settle’s true nature creeps up on both the narrator and the reader, as does that narrator’s understanding that this war, as terrible as it is, has allowed some people to show their best selves – even a monster like Jack Settle – while others display the more monstrous side of their humanity.

I don’t think it’s any accident that there’s a “bodysniffer” every bit as successful as Jack Settle over in Whitechapel. He’s probably named Jack, too.

Jack, the story, is a quick read. If you’re a fan of the author, particularly her award-winning Blackout/All Clear duology, Jack is a return to that setting from a different perspective. And if you haven’t read her Impossible Things collection, the entire thing is available in more formats for less money and is a real treat!

I always enjoy Connie Willis, and this novella is no exception. Set during WWII, this moody novella follows ARP wardens as they attempt to rescue civilians after the bombings. When a mysterious man, Jack, joins their team, our protagonist, also Jack, grows increasingly suspicious. Is this paranoia brought on by lack of sleep and stress or something more sinister? I missed the allusions to Dracula upon first reading, I just enjoyed this novella for what it was. A bleak glimpse into the war and the lives of the folks trapped in it, doing their best. It wasn't until the next day that the implication of the ending and the reference struck me. If you're a Willis reader, or just want to revisit a celebrated novella, this edition is for you.

First published in 1991; published by Subterranean Press on April 30, 2020

Nominated for both a Hugo and a Nebula, Jack is a novella by the incomparable Connie Willis that Subterranean Press has reissued in a signed, limited edition. It is one of many stories that Willis set in London during the Blitz. Some of those are time travel stories, but Jack is more a work of horror than science fiction. The Blitz is the novel’s true horror; nothing a lone man could do can compare to the carnage of war. Willis has a knack for conveying the terror of being present at a time when falling bombs and crumbling buildings caused indiscriminate death.

The narrator is named Jack. He works as an air-raid warden, helping rescue people who are buried under the rubble after the bombs fall. Jack tells us about another man named Jack who has recently come down from Yorkshire to do the same work. Jack Settle is particularly adept at finding people who are trapped. Another person in a different ward with the same talent is called a “bodysniffer” and claims the ability to read the minds of the people who are trapped.

So can Jack Settle read minds? Can he distinguish the scent of the living from the dead? Is his hearing exceptionally acute? Narrator Jack begins to understand how Jack Settle finds so many bodies, why he refuses to eat or drink, and why he disappears (supposedly to go to his day job) before the sun rises.

Jack Settle’s quirks will suggest an obvious explanation to fans of horror novels. Jack the narrator comes to that conclusion and regards Jack Settle as a monster. Maybe he is, but how should the reader balance Jack Settle’s nature against all the lives he saves? Is Jack really such a bad guy when compared to the men on both sides of the war who drop bombs that set cities on fire and tear children to pieces? Is he worse than the shopkeepers who keep young women working until closing time, even after the air raid sirens blow, forcing them to run through the blackout in the hope of finding shelter? People do what their natures compel them to do; whether that makes them monsters is a matter of perspective.

Willis gives life to a half dozen characters besides the Jacks, the names of whom will be familiar to readers of a famous horror novel. They are ordinary people whose ordinary lives are disturbed by the extraordinary forces of history. The characters are transformed by their experiences, in ways both big and small — a wallflower gains self-confidence, a man who always wanted to write produces a newsletter, a delinquent makes his father proud by earning a medal in the RAF. Even Jack Settle is transformed, because he finally has an opportunity to use his nature for a worthwhile purpose. As always, Willis takes a deep and meaningful look at what it means to be human, even when she writes about a character who might not be.

RECOMMENDED

This short novella set in London in WWII with their version of emergency responders has some familiar names that you slowly start recognizing with dawning horror. Hero? Monster? Questions abound, and this book is so well written, you'll think it's longer than it is!

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:

Connie Willis wrote the doomsday book and it was seriously one of the best books I have ever read;
It is a Subterranean Press book and they do great work; and
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!

This novella about London air raid wardens during WW II is beautifully written and meticulously constructed. The mystery and suspense build up as the narrator, Jack, starts to notice odd things about Jack Settle, a new warden. Settle is uncommonly good at finding people in the debris of bombed-out buildings. Are the narrator's growing suspicions correct? Or is the narrator another "walking dead" rescue worker, with paranoia, hallucinations, and obsession brought on by lack of sleep and trauma? Willis again demonstrates her excellence in writing shorter fiction in this moving and ironic tale.

I note that this novella, first published in 1991, is included in Willis's collections "Impossible Things" (1994) and "The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories" (2007).

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.