Here is a list of them, via Graham Farmelo and others on Twitter. Here is one example of many of the cliches in action:
Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog is a science fiction tour de force: it is at once a rollicking comedy, a fully realized fantasy, and a highly readable yet nuanced page-turner. Willis' deceptively simple prose follows a group of futuristic time-travellers as they attempt to recover "the Bishop's bird stump" for their patroness, Lady Schrapnell, and get embroiled in a riveting adventure in the process. The sweeping story dips into the Victorian era, Medieval Britain, and World War II in a haunting yet timely look at the consequences of tampering with the fabric of history.
By the way, it should be "Willis's." And I am a fan of her scintillating, unputdownable work.
By the way, it should be “Willis’s.”
This has never seemed right to me. Luckily the Chicago Manual of Style is on my side (reference from wikipedia’s “apostrophe” entry.)
Those uncomfortable with the rules, exceptions, and options outlined above may prefer the system, formerly more common, of simply omitting the possessive s on all words ending in s – hence “Dylan Thomas’ poetry,† “Maria Callas’ singing,† and “that business’ main concern.† Though easy to apply, that usage disregards pronunciation and thus seems unnatural to many.
So is it really a good book? I have never heard of her. My favorite science fiction writers have not put anything out in some time (Gibson and Stephenson).
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