Connie Willis has become one of my favourite authors. Most of her books take place in the same universe, in which University history professors have access to time-travel technology to help them study the past.

‘To Say Nothing of the Dog’ is a comic science fiction story following the (mis)adventures of Ned Henry and Verity Kindle, two folks from the year 2057 who have been sent back to pre-World War II England.

Their objective is to find the ‘Bishop’s Bird Stump’, a piece of Victorian…something, that is necessary for a wealthy American woman to complete the restoration of the Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed by German bombings during the war.

While the main story sounds a tad dry, Willis’ hilarious writing style,  lovable characters and possible time paradoxes make this a real page turner; something difficult to do for a comedy novel.

“Cats, as you know, are quite impervious to threats”

– Connie Willis, To Say Nothing of the Dog