''Fire Watch'' is a book of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

Connie Willis Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards tha ...

, first published in 1984, that touches on

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear wa ...

, the end of the world, and cornball humour. The title story, "Fire Watch", is about a time-travelling historian who goes back to

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He's miffed because he spent years preparing to travel with

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and gets sent to

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gra ...

in London, instead. This model of time travel also features in Willis's subsequent novels ''

Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'', ''

To Say Nothing of the Dog ''To Say Nothing of the Dog'': ''or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last'' is a 1997 comic science fiction novel by Connie Willis. It used the same setting, including time-traveling historians, which Willis explored in '' Fire Watch'' ...

'' and ''

Blackout/All Clear ''Blackout'' and ''All Clear'' are the two volumes that constitute a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis. ''Blackout'' was published February 2, 2010 by Spectra. The second part, the conclusion ''All Clear'', was releas ...

'', set in the same continuity. The stories are: *" Fire Watch" *"Service for the Burial of the Dead" *"Lost and Found" *"All My Darling Daughters" *"The Father of the Bride" *"

A Letter from the Clearys "A Letter from the Clearys" is a science fiction short story by American writer Connie Willis, originally published in the July 1982 issue of the ''Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'', and later reprinted in the short story collections '' F ...

" *"The Sidon in the Mirror" *"And Come from Miles Around" *"Daisy, in the Sun" *"Mail Order Clone" *"Samaritan" *"Blued Moon" This was Connie Willis's first collection.

Reception

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of ''Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whic ...

rated ''Fire Watch'' three stars out of four, and described Willis as a "talented new writer". David Pringle, ''The Ultimate Guide To Science Fiction''. New York: Pharos Books: St. Martins Press, 1990, (p.120). Several of the stories won or were nominated for awards: * "Fire Watch" won both a

Hugo Award for Best Novelette The Hugo Award for Best Novelette is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novelette award is available for works of fiction of ...

and a

Nebula Award for Best Novelette The Nebula Award for Best Novelette is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to a science fiction or fantasy Novella#Versus novelette, novelette. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novele ...

in 1983, besides other awards * "

" won a

Nebula Award for Best Short Story The Nebula Award for Best Short Story is a literary award assigned each year by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy short stories. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a short stor ...

in 1983 * "The Sidon in the Mirror" was nominated for a

and a

in 1984 * "Daisy, in the Sun" was nominated for a

Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction of ...

in 1980 * "Blued Moon" was nominated for a

in 1985.

References

External links

A review
1984 short story collections Science fiction short story collections Hugo Award for Best Novelette winning works Works by Connie Willis {{1980s-sf-story-collection-stub