Ilium

Rating:
Summary: Invites comparisons with Neal Stephenson--Terrific!
Review: Simmons is quite a famous author with a devoted following. He has ranged around the genre investigating all kinds of forms and, actually, writing exactly what he pleases. It's very refreshing to see a talented author write in the genre by choice and interest when he clearly could sell well writing anything for anybody. One of the effects Ilium will have on the genre is in inspiring readers to actually read The Iliad, Shakespeare's sonnets, and perhaps even tackle Proust (not to mention the odd poem by Tennyson). Much of the book reads like discussions of academics over beers at the local college bar and it is really that kind of interaction that provokes a deeper understanding of literature and keeps the Greats in front of people and their books read. In many ways, it shares the same agenda as Inchoatus. Eventually, though, we feel that Ilium will be something that the genre will absorb rather than it changing the genre. But all bets are currently off pending the publication of the sequel.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS:

People who read and adored the Hyperion Cantos will probably have already read this book before they read this review. This is exactly the kind of book they love. Similarly, there is a large number of students of literature both at the college and post-graduate level who nurse a secret, guilty pleasure in reading speculative fiction. Ilium is rife with jesting and satire regarding academics not to mention the whole Homeric classical world. For them, Simmons provides the best possible sort of book for these elite to take a break from James Joyce, Harold Bloom, and Jacque Derrida. For readers who enjoyed the humor of Neal Stephenson in Cryptonomicon and Jeff VanderMeer in City of Saints and Madmen, they will be delighted with the originality and scope of Simmons.

WHO SHOULD AVOID:

It's hard to imagine someone not enjoying this book. Rather, it is the level of enjoyment that different individuals will find in their reading. To properly enjoy Ilium in all of its facets, one is required to have a good understanding of Homer, canonical literature in general, and the behaviors of academics. One also has to be sincerely interested in mythology as it relates to literary theory and interested in the importance of literature itself. That being said, there is still plenty of humor, action, sex, and intrigue to satisfy what we will perniciously refer to as "groundlings." In a wonderful sense, Simmons is echoing Shakespeare's plays in that he plays to the intellectual intelligentsia as well as the bleating fanboy (groundling) who wants cool space weapons and pretty, naked girls. He serves both capacities almost equally well. In fact, part of the distraction of the work that may hinder some from finding final enjoyment in this book are those readers who want a bit more commitment to escapism or high-brow literature out of their author rather than him straddling the line. However, we submit that these people should probably get out of the house more and maybe exchange a few words of live conversation with other people, say, once a month or so in order to understand that life itself doesn't really commit like that.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

Rating:
Summary: When can we expect the next one, Mr. Simmons???
Review: I am not a regular reader of science fiction but one of the freshmen at school whom I had formerly mentored surely is, and knowing my background, he turned me on a while ago to what I'd call this "techno remix" of old epic. Although it took a considerable length of time for my enthusiasm and interest to overcome some initial surface friction when first picking up the book, I am very glad that I stuck with it.

Simmons begins his opus shakily: Thomas Hockenberry sullies the pure beauty and beautiful purity of Homer's opening with his own peevish, potty-mouthed, and highly colloquial bitching and moaning. The world of Ardis Hall and Paris Crater are not very engrossing before the character "Savi" comes on stage and injects some sorely needed purpose and reader interest into that para-developing story line. (Simmons includes a dramatis personae as a sort of index which in retrospect I would say is worth reading first). But the part of the tale which took longest to get moving was that of the Jupiter duo, who drone on endlessly in their ship about Shakespeare, Proust, their secret mission (even they're in the dark about it), and their often incomprehensible futuristic technologies. Things do pick up quite a bit with them when they reach Mars.

Surely enough, if you have the patience, Simmons does not disappoint. Though an earlier reviewer agrees that the non-Iliadic story lines develop too slowly for those of us who are less than diehard sci-fi fans, each of the slowly intertwining sub-plots steadily builds toward a tremendous interlocking climax, tantalizingly cut short by the break between this volume and its sequel. Characters do eventually start coming into conflict, face exhilirating adversities, and give the narrative several good twists. The last 150 pages the book kept me awake seriously late a for couple of nights.

Ilium has primed my interest in Simmons writing talent to seriously consider picking up his older Hyperion series, but I will withold a decision on that until I can judge how well he carries out the rest of this current story in the upcoming "Olympos". In addition to asking "what happens next" after finishing "Ilium", I am left with many questions about what I have already read and sincerely hope that the sequel will answer them.

Rating:
Summary: Simmons does not disappoint; highly recommended
Review: Having read the Hyperion saga I got Ilium with expectations of the highest order. The book did not disappoint me. The story is gripping and the writting have the Simmons mix of epic drama, high-end Sci-Fi and fantasy.

Best book I've read in a long while...

Rating:
Summary: Ultimately Rewarding
Review: When I am about to read a Dan Simmons book I prepare myself. I prepare myself because, it's not always going to be an easy read and everything may not have the closer I want it to have. I believe this is because Simmons does not write for the lowest common denominator(ala The Da Vinci Code-not that "Code" doesn't have it's own merits).You have to fill in some of the blanks yourself, you have to look at some of his phrases and treat them as if they were mini-puzzles. In fact I would only recommend a Dan Simmons book to someone whose reading habits and tastes I were familiar with...and even then it can be a poor recommendation. So with that said we look at Ilium, part one of a two part book series.

Those familiar with Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" should not be disappointed. Again we are flung far into the future where a robot society exists among the moons on the edge of our solar system, earth is an old forgotten planet with Logan's Run overtones, and Mars has become the new Mount Olympus where the Greek gods of old live and breath again.

The main plot centers around the gods as they recreate the Trojan War on the plains of Mars. The people fighting for (and sometimes with) the gods think they are on the Mediterranean, they think they are Paris, Helen, Achilles etc.. The gods also re-animate academics of old to monitor the war and make sure it follows Homer's book. One of these academics, Hockenberry, is propositioned by Aphrodite to kill Athene. Hockenberry is dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't. His ultimate response turns the Iliad upside down.

The other two sub plots intertwine with the main story, one more than the other, but all the stories are filled imagination and mind pondering moments. Being the first of two books, there are many questions left unresolved. The book does has more finality than "Hyperion" however.

Ilium should appeal to all fans of Simmons, a good many sci-fi fans and maybe even a few followers of Homer.


Rating:
Summary: As good as Hyperion
Review: I wouldn't have picked this book up except for an article Dan contributed to a recent issue of the Wabash College alumni magazine. Until then, I didn't know he and I went to the same school, and I hadn't cared for the last several books in the Hyperion series. But, given that parts of the Illiad and Odyssey are required reading at Wabash, I decided to support a fellow alumn.
And in general, I'm glad I did. This is a fun book to read, with mostly fun characters and a fairly unique combination of plot devices. I liked Hyperion, although not the remainder of the books in that series (which I plowed through just to get the satisfaction of getting to the end). So, I'm hoping Olympos is a better follow-up than the later Hyperion books.
I thought the Eloi and "Time Machine" allusions (and outright references) were overdone. But I've never been a big Time Machine fan so that probably influences my opinion.
I enjoyed the Illiad and Trojan War references. However, they did lend more length to an already longwinded style. But, if you are going to dive into the Illiad, there's no decent way to do it briefly. You can read this book without being an Illiad or Trojan War expert by the way. My memories of what I read of this in the mid-80s are fuzzy at best. His reference guide to the Greek gods, trojans, etc at the back of the book is very helpful in this regard.
I don't care much for the regular pattern of 3 plots, with chapters rotating through each plot 1 by 1.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing.
Review: I believe this may be the best book that I have ever read. Simmons mixes mythology with science fiction in the wildest, most unbelievably amazing way. If there's one sci-fi book that everyone should read, this is it.

Rating:
Summary: Great but unfinished
Review: Reviewing Ilium without mentioning Hyperion is unthinkable to me. Both take great works of literature (Canterbury Tales, Iliad) and use them to stunning effect in a far future SF setting. Both are compulsive page turners. But Hyperion, for its greatness, still had flaws in the overall series architecture, and I am hoping Simmons is not going to fall into a similar trap with Ilium.
Ilium is a superb book, taking one of the greatest works of literature and riffing off of it like a great jazz musician. I have read the Lattimore Iliad, and it's great - nearly the definition of tragedy. This background greatly enhanced my pleasure during the book as Simmons makes some hilarious commentary on the characters, but I have not read Proust or The Tempest, so there's certainly stuff I'm missing. But I enjoyed the book with and without the background, so don't let the gaps of your reading list keep you away.
The fecundity of the ideas, the originality, the depth and texture, just all of the angles this book come at you with is wonderful. Like jazz, and Hyperion for that matter, there's a ton of stuff floating around and it doesn't always get resolved. There are robot civilizations, a photosynthesizing slave race, murderous literary mutations in orbit, a creepily thoughtless utopia, and beings with the power (literally) of Gods. That's an impressive list, but none of them are jarring within the context of the story. It's just that amazing. This is most certainly the first of two books and should not be considered complete, but an act one hopefully to be wrapped up in Olympos.
Simmons fell into the trap with Hyperion of trying to coherently bundle all of his ideas into one great arcing narrative with three more books. It didn't quite work, with Fall of Hyperion being great but spending too much time explaining Hyperion. The next two books tried to wrap up the whole shebang and did, but it felt a little forced, like a chore that needed completion rather than a story that needed telling. All four were good, but the whole is not nearly as great as the first and second parts.
Ilium is a great first part of the overall story to be told with Olympos. Let's hope this project is as carefully sculpted overall as the first installment. This is a great intellectual achievement as SF goes, so enjoy Ilium for its solid plotting, and original thoughtscape. I'm betting an older and wiser Simmons is going to write pure dynamite with Olympos and finish this work with the dignity it deserves - a dignity denied the Hyperion series.
I considered giving Ilium five stars - it is a truly wonderful read - but just couldn't justify the rating when Olympos will reshape my understanding of Ilium. It will probably seem better, but five stars are reserved for books with no reservations.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Totally disagree with various previous reviews. I can hardly wait for the sequel - When, Dan?!!!! Could not put the book down. The change from character and scene to another kept me turning pages. And how appropriate to read about Olympus Mons and Mars as we now are presently exploring Mars further. And loved his historical references to the Trojan war and the gods of Olympus. And his characters are all fascinating and complex as well as his scenic descriptions and well thought out and imaginative locations. One of his best. Actually, I think it is even better than Hyperion or Endymion.

Rating:
Summary: Confused & incomplete
Review: As a lover of the Trojan myth cycle & Greek mythology in general, I read this book with a great deal of expectation. I was aware there were going to be several stories told at once & that some of them were from way out there, without even human protagonists. And by "way out there", I mean way, way out there. I give two stars overall, but I could have given four stars for the long stretches when I lost myself in the narrative. However, those stretches are constantly interrupted by a jolt back to another narrative that is much less intriguing & seems to have nothing to do with the first. Indeed, this is the major problem of book. By the end, I still had no idea what had happened to Earth & its people & how things came to be as they are: I closed the book in frustration. I realize this is part one of a planned two part opus, but, still, some loose ends need to be tied, some subplots need to be linked more completely, & some sort of conclusion (even temporary) has to be reached at the end of a 576 page book. Maybe if I read part 2, I would find it all fitting together & concluding with satisfaction. However, I still wouldn't give it five stars. The writer is extremely proficient & moves things along in places with breathtaking rapidity, but -- like Homer -- he repeats catch-phrases & epithets & his style does not change much from plotline to plotline. It seemed to me he was himself identifying with a few of characters to the point of irritation. These were characters of unlikely heroism, even cowardice, who grew heroically in the course of the novel. I speak here of Hockenberry, the twentieth century classicist, Daeman, the effete human voluptuary, & Orphu, a sentient robot. (Sentient robots are called "Moravecs", which I admit is a nice nod toward robotic visionary Hans Moravec.) His female characters tend to be underdrawn, verging on stereotypes. Their motivations seem to shift with contradictory behaviour often the result. (Then again, maybe he's on to something here.) Worse, though he claims Homer & Homeric scholarship among his research sources, he changed (or reversed in the case of Diomedes) the character of some of my beloved Homeric heroes. So, despite adventures & complexities beyond reason ranging from a very distant future Earth (with the ancient past of the Trojan War still present) to Olympic gods on Mars to Moravec colonies on the moons of Saturn & beyond (or maybe because of all this strained overreaching), I feel no inclination whatsoever to read the apparently forthcoming conclusion of this two-part "epic" to be called *Olympos*. When curiosity gives up, two stars are the appropriate response.