Blackout vs The Silence of Ghosts: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: World War II, World War, England, Fiction
Blackout
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In her first novel since 2002, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author Connie Willis returns with a stunning, enormously entertaining novel of time travel, war, and the deeds--great and small--of ordinary people who shape…
The Silence of Ghosts
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"Dominic Lancaster hoped to prove himself to his family by excelling in the Navy during World War II. Instead he is wounded while serving as a gunner and loses his leg. Still recovering from his wounds and the trauma of…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Blackout highest: Blackout 3.9 · The Silence of Ghosts 3.5.
- The Silence of Ghosts is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 9 for Blackout.
- Blackout has the widest readership — 27947 ratings behind its score.
- The Silence of Ghosts runs the darker storyline; Blackout stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Blackout | The Silence of Ghosts | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (27947) | 3.5 (993) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (108) | 3.5 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (111) | 4.5 (12) |
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Reception
| Blackout | The Silence of Ghosts | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 27947 | 993 |
| Editions | 15 | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 23795 | 1871 |
| Reading it now | 1220 | 60 |
| Written reviews | 3701 | 174 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1735 | — |
| Pages | 502 | 202 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Blackout or The Silence of Ghosts?
Blackout has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Blackout 3.9/5, The Silence of Ghosts 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: Blackout or The Silence of Ghosts?
The Silence of Ghosts is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Silence of Ghosts (202 pages, ≈ 3 h 44 m); Blackout (502 pages, ≈ 9 h 18 m).
Which is harder to read: Blackout or The Silence of Ghosts?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Blackout: Moderate; The Silence of Ghosts: Moderate.