Ilium

Rating:
Summary: But be warned-
Review: I agree with the consensus of reviews. Simmons has outdone himself. BUT -- this is not a standalone novel. It is the first half of a very, very long novel. Simmons chopped off Ilium at a reasonable point in the plot, but we are going to need to read the second half for the sense of completion a novel normally delivers. That said, hurry to buy or borrow it, and wait eagerly for the next installment.

You don't need to know a lot about the Iliad. Simmons provides enough information so that I never felt lost. The Shakespearean allusions were more of a problem. I think a reading of "The Tempest" (or even just a summary) would be helpful. But if you like, you can blow past all of that and still enjoy the novel and get lots out of it.

Rating:
Summary: Dan Simmons knows how to teleport you to another dimension
Review: If I love Dan Simmons for any reason it is for his science fiction. While I have read many of his books his SF is simply masterful. I would have rated this book at a five but I had to take off one star for the numerous typos and inconsistencies that should have been edited before the book was released.

For all lovers of the Hyperion series you will find a much different story here. While we have a different story all of the elements that made Hyperion and the other books in the series so interesting are present. You are constantly trying to understand what is going on and your mind is allowed to make this attempt. It is a very enjoyable process. That is why Hyperion was such a better book than Fall of Hyperion. Simmons also uses classic literature in this book, like Hyperion,etc., to draw comparisons and to just try to understand things that may or may not be important to the story. Some of the most interesting parts of this book happen when the two biological machine moravecs discuss their favorite writers Shakespear and Proust.

A complaint I've read from other users are what they refer to as uninteresting, undeveloped characters that they don't care about. A good writer doesn't need to spend a lot of time in character development when in a line or two you can masterfully describe the essence of a person. Like when Odysseus responds to a question near the end with: "If you only knew." And in a story like this, one could argue, characters are merely a means to an end. They are the askers and answerers of questions and in those questions and answers we not only ultimately understand what is really going on we gain insight into those characters. We are told so much when the old-styles are so shocked when Savi is actually cooking her own food.

My final advice: take this book on but don't expect any simple answers and expect to use your brain quite extensively.

One last note: will people please quit referring to the 4 Hyperion books as the Hyperion Cantos. The Hyperion Cantos was an epic poem written by one of Hyperion's characters Martin Silenus. Never has Dan Simmons referred to this body of work as the Hyperion Cantos.

Rating:
Summary: Hyperion Cantos - Book Five?
Review: I managed to snag an advanced copy of "Ilium" several months ago. I can't say I was too enamored with the book back then. As with "Hyperion", you are immediately immersed in the conventions of the world long before those conventions make sense to you (ie - how long did it take you to figure out what the "fatline" was in the Hyperion Cantos?).

So the hardcover came out and being a Dan Simmons fan, I simply had to have it. And because it was just sitting there on the shelf, I just had to read it again. And like "Hyperion", I came to love this book.

I know a good many sci-fi fans that hold the Hyperion Cantos close to their hearts. I go back into my collection and read those four books at least once a year. Dan Simmons exhibits so much affection for his characters, you can't help but follow suit. While I cannot say I've been as big a fan of his horror and mystery novels, Simmons is back in true sci-fi form with "Ilium".

I'm not going to discuss the plot except to say it involves ancient greek gods, highly "evolved" demi-humans, a resurrected 20th century history teacher, a band of Eloi-like humans undertaking a trip of discovery across a shattered Earth, and a group of sentient machines traveling through the solar system to investigate some strange signals on the planet Mars. Again, Simmons makes his characters familiar to us. No matter if the plot sometimes goes haywires, the characters archor us to the story despite implausablilities.

I do have to wonder if this book isn't an addition to the Hyperion Cantos. ARNists are mentioned in both series. You got instant teleportation through what might be Planck space, again in both series. The plot somewhat involves some malfeasence involving Earth. Another character is called "The Wandering Jew". Where is Simmons going with all this?

With that, I'm eagerly awaiting the second volume in this series.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome Back to SF, Mr. Simmons!
Review: Daeman, an Eloi-like man who lives on Earth in the distant future, has it all; he's moderately handsome, eats when he pleases, has [physical activity] with multiple women, and doesn't have to lift a finger to work. The Voynix and Servitors (two forms of automated intelligence) do all the work for him and his people. But his life is soon turned upside down by Savi, the wandering Jew who's lived over 1500 years thanks to cryogenic sleep. She will teach him and his friends what their life is truly like. Why can't they live past their fifth 20 (100 years old)? Where did the Voynix and Servitors come from?

Thomas Hockenberry is a 20th century scholar brought back to life in the far future by Zeus and the other gods and goddesses of Olympos. Hockenberry's prime focus is to monitor the events of Homer's Iliad and report back to the Gods. Problems arise, though, when Hockenberry is approached by a Muse and told to help her [destroy] one of the Goddesses. He's given special, god-like equipment to do it, too. But if he interferes in the events surrounding the Gods and Ilium, what will happen to the past that Hockenberry knows?

Mahnmut and Orphu are two Moravecs (part man, part machine) who have been sent by a council of concerned Moravecs to find out what is going on on Mars. There's so much quantum flux going on there that it could [endanger] the entire galaxy. Mahnmut is forced into the role of possible destroyer of a planet (Mars). But he also finds out some interesting things about Mars: Gods live on Olympos! Little Green Men inhabit the tidal flatlands near the oceans of Mars (Oceans? Yes, oceans. Mars has been suddenly terraformed in a very short time). A scholar named Hockenberry could be an ally since he seems to know what the hell is going on.

Initially, this novel seemed like a jumble of unrelated stories, but Mr. Simmons (the author) pulls the story together with mastery and cunning. His ability to put the story of the Iliad into laymen's terms is done so well that the narrative fairly whipped by and never slowed down.

I would wager that this book will be seen on the upcoming Hugo and Nebula lists for best science fiction novel of 2003. I'm putting my money on it. Welcome back to science fiction, Mr. Simmons. We missed you...

Rating:
Summary: Ilium an engrossing hit.
Review: Ilium is one of those rare books in which you become totally engrossed in all the storylines. It has plenty of unexpected plot turns to keep you off balance. The characters are well-developed and their dialogues witty.

When you start Ilium, you will want to keep reading until it is done. Can't wait for the next volume.

Rating:
Summary: An Intense Read
Review: Somehow this odd juxtaposition of Homeric Epic and post-apocalyptic science fiction worked out beautifully. You can't help but suspend your disbelief and be immersed in this phantamogorical retelling of the Illiad.

Rating:
Summary: Ileum
Review: Since Hyperion was published, Dan Simmons, has been in my pantheon of four or five great living sci-fi authors (his great work is not limited to just sci-fi, as I've read everything I know he has published).

But after my reading Ileum, he has assumed in my mind the title of "Greatest Sci-Fi Writer of all Time". He beats Card, Bear, Asimov and Heinlein hands down. The guy is a literary genius. He sure hits my hot button.

I wish I could thank the man personally for the wonderful time I have spent reading his work, and especially Ileum. Whatever you do get this book. There will be a follow-on book. I cannot wait to buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Dan is the Man!
Review: This book is inspired. What a fresh look at the Iliad. I was describing the story to a friend and it was fun to see his eyes get big at the notions DS has put forward in Ilium. Another feather in DS' cap. It is a shame that the editor skipped the the first third of this this epic.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended - one of the better books this year.
Review: I have read all the Hyperion novels and so have many of my family and friends, so it was with great anticipation that I opened the pages of Illium. I was not disappointed. In seeing other reviews I have heard comparrisons to the Hyperion series. Well, that was a four book series, Illium (and one more to follow that we know of) and should not be compared to the Hyperion series. This is a different story, another universe. I found the story involving, interesting, and just plain fun! Thinking about Greek Gods on Mars, proto-humans, and robots, well I found no problem with the characters or the story. Dan Simmons has a great imagination, I do wish I could have read the next book right away, but that is quite often the wish of most readers when they have read a really good book that is to be continued.

Illium is recommended reading on several sites and in bookstores and I believe will be nominated for Hugo, Locus or one of the major awards. There are so many "sci-fi" books written that or so formulaic, have little imagination, and uninteresting characters, it was a great treat to read Illium, I highly recommend it and can't wait for the next one!!

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: i don't believe in reviews that reveal a lot about the plot of a book. so i will say this. if you like dan simmons, if you liked the hyperion series, if you like far-future hard sci-fi, you will like this book. you will not be disappointed. i can't wait for the sequel. this book actually inspired me to buy a copy of the iliad!