HECK. That was intense.

It felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest. The situation was so nerve-wracking that I could hardly catch my breath. Every moment seemed to stretch on forever, filled with anticipation and anxiety. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like it before. The pressure was palpable, and I had to dig deep within myself to stay composed. But despite the intensity, there was also a strange sense of excitement. It was as if I was on the verge of something big, something that could change everything. And in that moment, I knew that I had to give it my all. No matter what the outcome, I was determined to face it head-on.

**Ilium: A Mesmerizing Blend of Genres**

Dan Simmons has once again proven himself to be a master storyteller with his novel Ilium. The book begins with the author's characteristic ability to draw the reader in, as he sets the stage with a quote about death on the plains of Ilium.

The story is a complex web of three distinct plotlines that gradually intertwine. We first find ourselves on Mars in the future, where a war similar to the Trojan War is unfolding. The gods on Mount Olympus are overseeing the events, and Thomas Hockenberry, a resurrected scholar, provides the point of view for this part of the story.

Next, we travel to a post-apocalyptic Earth, where the human race has been reduced and restricted in lifespan. Daeman, a man living in this sheltered world, is soon thrust into a quest to learn more about the mysterious 'post humans'.

The final narrative takes place on the moon of Europa, where the biomechanical droid Mahmut and his friend Orphu of Io embark on a mission to investigate strange quantum activity on Mars.

Simmons' writing is as stunning as ever, with his ability to blend fact and fiction in a highly imaginative way. The description and imagery are so vivid that the reader is transported into the story. Despite the complexity of the narrative structure, the story remains readable and engaging, with a fast pace and action-packed battle scenes.

The characters in Ilium are diverse and well-developed. The Greek gods are portrayed in a unique and interesting way, while Hockenberry, the average professor turned secret agent, is a relatable and conflicted character. The human characters on Earth, although initially shallow, serve to highlight the importance of art and culture. The real stars of the show, however, are the robotic moravecs, who have bags of personality and humour.

In conclusion, Ilium is an amazing space opera that combines historical literature with a dazzling science fiction setting. It is not a standalone book, but the first part of a bigger story, and I can't wait to read the second part, Olympus. I highly recommend this book to any fans of science fiction or fantasy.

  "Death, when it comes, comes fast on the plains of Ilium."



4.9

Holy bloody freakin' incredible hell. Or Hades. Whatever. I'm... I have no words. Seriously. This was beyond brilliant. I don't know who took Dan Simmon's brain, drugged it up, sprinkled it with colours and glitter to come up with THAT but please do it again. Often.

Ilium is a wild mixture of science-fiction, fantasy, a history (or should I say literature?) lesson, and awesomeness. And it's only the first part - don't think you can get in other books between Ilium and its sequel Olympos (I wanted to, but now I can't).

In Ilium, you follow three different, but somehow converging story lines. The first one is that of scholar Hockenberry, an Ilias expert from the 20th/21st century. He is dead and revived by the old Greek Gods and taken to the Olymp - or at least the Olympos Mons on Mars. Yes, you've heard right, the old Greek Gods. Zeus, Hera, Athene, Aphrodite, Apollo, and the whole rest, augmented by nanotechnology, quantum teleportation, and lots of other interesting stuff. The Greek Gods want Hockenberry and other scholars to live because the Ilias is happening right at this moment, and Zeus wants them to look for any discrepancies between Homer's opus and the real life happenings. And it IS real life. You get Achilles and Hector and Helena and the whole bunch - and they fight and slaughter and kill to the best of their abilities.

The second story line starts on the Jupiter moon Europa. There, a few biomechanical, intelligent, technologically highly advanced, conscious Moravecs are worried because of the massive quantum disturbances they detect on Mars. So, they send out a small group of Moravecs to have a look at what's going on there, and to stop it if necessary. Part of the four-Moravec-crew are best friends Mahnmut, a little Moravec originally stationed in the deep sea on Europa and a Shakespeare fan, and Orphu, a high vacuum Moravec from Jupiter's moon Io and a Proust aficionado. Their journey is peaceful, but their welcome committee isn't so much. Soon Mahnmut and Orphu have to put together every creative shred of their mostly synthetic bodies to get their mission done.

The third story line is earth-bound and deals with humans as we know them. Or almost. Served by servitors and voynixes, the human race has become complacent and dull. The few human exemplars still living have forgotten how to read, how to care, and how to ask questions. Living lives focused on party, sex, and food, freed of the fear of any sudden and permanent death, and fed with stories about their afterlife and the eternal normalcy of their behaviour, they know nothing about the world they live in. But Harman, on the verge of reaching the age of 100 and therefore destined to die soon, is not satisfied. Hungry for life, he cannot accept his close demise and looks for answers in a world that doesn't know questions. On his quest, he takes with him Ada, Daeman, and Hannah - and finds Savi, the only human existing who is old enough to still remember a different world. She can guide them along a dangerous path to see for themselves what this world of theirs is made of. Where are the "Post-humans"? Why do humans live to a hundred and no longer? Why are they cared for like children? And who or better what are these voynixes?

Aside from the craziness of the story itself, what I loved the most about it were the character portrayals and the perfectly thought through details. I loved Mahnmut and Orphu who, probably deliberately, defy their inhuman and synthetic exterior and have the most touching, human, and incredibly caring conversations (and show the behaviour and actions to match them) in the entire book. I enjoyed Daeman's development - a complete ignorant and arrogant idiot at first who in the fight for his own life and the life of others finds a strength in himself that he - and I as the reader - would have never thought him capable of. I loved how the Greek fighting scenes sounded so very Greek because they always began with a minute listing of who was where and said and did what. I enjoyed the fact that so much wasn't explained, that I had to just accept all the details at first and only later started to understand what they meant, how things worked together. How the whole world functioned. I had so many hypotheses while reading about where it was really set, what the time course might be, and I still have no idea now, but I LOVED all that. That I had to work, too, didn't only consume, but tried to interpret all the clues I got and still didn't manage to make up a coherent picture. And I still always felt that there WAS a coherent picture, I just didn't/couldn't see it.

This is so very much recommended to anyone who thinks he/she could enjoy such a story, really let go and dive in. Because this book is brilliant. Especially the last 50 to 100 pages. Seriously. And now I'm off reading Olympos.

After reading Hyperion, one can't help but think that in the realm of sci-fi, Simmons is truly in a class of his own. And this offering, Ilium, does not disappoint the reader.

Once again, the book is deeply rooted in classical history and literature, centered around Homer's The Iliad of Homer and William Shakespeare's The Tempest. By centered, I mean that a 20th-century historian is revived to oversee the Iliad and see how it matches Homer's poem, for his employers, the classical Greek gods!

If you've read Hyperion, you know what to expect - a very well-constructed sci-fi reality that explains how and why the Iliad is happening where it is, and why Prospero and Caliban exist. It's a world of almost unfathomable robo-organic AIs, post-humans, and frail Eloi-like protected humans. However, where it fails to reach Hyperion's level is in the lack of clarity, plot holes, and the lack of depth of characters with such a small first-person narrator cast (each chapter is from a different view, and usually a different part of space).

If you haven't read Hyperion, this book may still blow your mind, but you definitely need to pick up Hyperion as soon as possible! Overall, I'd rate it 8.5 out of 12.

2020 read

A certain mishmash of Homer, Shakespeare, Proust and SF (Science Fiction) that somehow manages to be digestible enough to make me decide to start the second volume. :)

It's quite an interesting combination. The works of Homer, with their epic tales and heroic characters, bring a sense of grandeur and adventure. Shakespeare's plays are renowned for their complex characters and profound exploration of human nature. Proust's writing is known for its细腻的描写 and deep insights into the inner workings of the mind.

And then there's the addition of SF, which adds a touch of the unknown and the futuristic. This combination creates a unique reading experience that keeps me engaged and eager to see what comes next in the second volume. It's like a literary cocktail that, despite its seemingly disparate ingredients, manages to blend together in a way that is both satisfying and thought-provoking.

Incredible. It is a triple-story structure that alternates with many, many characters. At the beginning, it can be a bit slow. (After all, we have to introduce all of them, put them in a situation, and to be honest, it's quite messy at the beginning.) However, it gradually picks up a rhythm to such an extent that in the end, you are unable to stop reading.

As a drawback, although it finishes the main story arcs, it ends with a "to be continued" which can be easily fixed by starting (right now) Olympo. This book truly offers a captivating reading experience, with its complex web of characters and storylines that keep you engaged from start to finish. Despite the initial confusion, the building momentum makes it impossible to put down. And while the ending may leave you hanging, it also provides an exciting incentive to explore the next installment.

Fourteen years after his most popular work "Hyperion", Dan Simmons presents to the hungry public his new novel "Illium", in which he bets on the familiar formula: parallel and seemingly unconnected plot lines plus mysteries. This time they are combined with literary analyses for Dummies, and sweetened with descriptions of women, about whom the author informs us that they were sexy.

Let me say a few words about the plot before I let the cat out of the bag and express my negative attitude towards the book.

The first and most frequently quoted plot line is Simmons' version of "The Iliad". In it, the scholastic Hockenberry tracks the siege of Troy. More... Simmons weaves this classic tale with other storylines that involve gods, robots, and time travel. The result is a complex and ambitious work that attempts to explore themes such as fate, free will, and the nature of reality. However, some readers may find the book overly convoluted and difficult to follow, especially with the added literary analyses that can seem a bit forced at times. Despite its flaws, "Illium" is still a thought-provoking and engaging read that will appeal to fans of Simmons' previous works and those who enjoy epic science fiction adventures.

Rewriting this text, we can expand on the ideas and provide more details. Firstly, having recently reread Homer's Iliad, it becomes evident that this book serves as an excellent follow-up. It offers a change in genre while also refreshing one's knowledge of the Iliad, which is crucial for understanding Simmons' novel. In Simmons' work, Homer's relevance extends far beyond being a mere opening prop or gimmick. The Iliad initially provides a bearing, a compass for the reader, upon which the entire narrative depends. Without it, one could argue that the rest of the story, especially during the first third or so, would fall apart. This is a complex novel in terms of plot, and it is the familiarity of the Iliad storyline that initially holds the work together, serving as a solid foundation. Meanwhile, the other two strands, which initially seem unrelated, gradually converge.

Part humor, part literary space opera, and perhaps part mind game for intellectuals, Ilium is captivating in its grand scope and the way it reimagines earlier works to create an entirely new epic type. The novel is filled with references, not only to literature but also to popular culture, current events, philosophy, and recent concepts of physics. It can be challenging to keep one's bearings as the author's vision is so expansive. The scale of events, characters, and themes is often touched upon or merely suggested, only to be later viewed from different circumstances or perspectives. Much of what occurs throughout the novel is driven by the anticipation of how the author will ultimately resolve and integrate all of his various plotlines, cast, and speculations. Intriguing hints are laid, sometimes in opposition, such as Proust's exploration of time, memory, and perception, or the secret paths to the puzzle of life. The moravec Mahnmut's interpretation of Shakespeare's Sonnets as a dramatic construct, the interaction and influence of will, represented by Zeus, the Fates, and kaos, upon events on the plains of Ilium, the fulcrum Hockenberry is urged to find to change the outcome of Homer, or the identity of "A bitter heart that bides its time and bites." Cosmologies, ontologies, and metaphors are borrowed, their identities and purposes remaining unclear or unexplained, as is much else by the novel's end, though suspicions are deliciously aroused. It is a novel that successfully entices the reader to continue the saga in the sequel, Olympos.

This book is completely bonkers, but in a really good way.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the different points of view presented. Each one added a unique layer to the story and made it even more engaging.

However, the Troy story within the book had me absolutely hooked. It was so captivating that every time the narrative left that particular storyline, I was clamouring to get back to it.

If you're a fan of Simmon's other sci-fi works, especially the masterful Hyperion Cantos, then you're sure to love this book as well.

I'm already looking forward to checking out the sequel, and I'll be doing so sooner rather than later. I can't wait to see what other adventures and surprises it has in store.

This book is a must-read for any sci-fi enthusiast, and I highly recommend it.

Dan Simmons is one of my favorite authors.

His book is truly remarkable as it encompasses a wide range of elements. It features the Trojans, Troy, and the Iliad, which bring a sense of historical grandeur. Additionally, it includes aliens, robots, and Gods of all sizes, adding a touch of the fantastical and the science fictional.

The combination of these diverse elements makes this book an absolute blast to read. It has the power to appeal to a wide variety of readers, including those who love fantasy, science fiction, and even historical fiction.

It is a book that offers something for everyone and is truly a must-read. Whether you are a fan of one specific genre or enjoy exploring different literary worlds, this book is sure to captivate your imagination and keep you engaged from start to finish.

A book should not pose a great challenge when it comes to reading. Picking up a book, reading the words, and deriving pleasure from it should be a seamless experience. However, reading this particular book was an arduous task. Every time I would normally reach for a book to read a bit, I would pick up this one, but I never looked forward to it.

It truly confounds me. I was certain that I had enjoyed Hyperion and that it was well-written. Could I have been so mistaken? This book was far from enjoyable, poorly written, and incredibly disappointing.

Asking a person to read 700 pages is a tall order, especially when the story is divided into what could potentially be three books, and each book is filled with characters who lack even the slightest bit of interest or depth. What bothers me the most are the gods and heroes of the Iliad. This was my opportunity to witness some proper characterization of all my favorite mythological badasses, but it failed spectacularly. Diomedes, my favorite character from the Iliad, is reduced to nothing more than a spear or a weapon, and the only descriptions of him depict him as a bumbling, greedy oaf. Odysseus is portrayed as a bulky, bear-like man who seems neither cunning nor clever, and most of the characters come across as rather monstrous. At least in the Homeric versions, there is no authorial opinion imposed on the actions, just statements of fact. If Jason (who was a total douche) wanted to love and leave women, he could do so without the writer explicitly telling us what a jerk he was. Here, all the characters are colored by perspectives that I couldn't care less about and find quite frustrating.

Ultimately, it felt as if Simmons was more interested in showing off what he had studied rather than telling a story or developing characters or any of the other aspects that I typically enjoy in a book. After reading 350 long pages, almost nothing has happened. There is a lot of posturing and pondering, but very little has advanced the story. It's as if most of the novel is just filler, with Simmons simply churning out words to meet a page quota. Additionally, and even more irritatingly, the prose is terrible. Adverbs can be great, but I don't need them for something that is already obvious. Typing "DO NOT DISOBEY ME" in caps and bold is enough to convey Zeus's anger; there's no need to follow it with "Zeus bellowed angrily." Seriously, it's like a high school paper. Every event is repeated, and things that were pointed out earlier are repeated again, as if I couldn't just refer back to it if I forgot something.

This is a jumbled mess of showboating and condescension (or at least underestimation) of the audience, and I can no longer tolerate it from an author I thought I liked any more than from one I know I don't.

Christmas 2010 was a turning point for me. I realized I was stuck in a reading rut, rehashing old favorites and waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to change.

On a whim, I challenged myself to read every book that had won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That's 35 books, 6 of which I'd already read, leaving 29 titles by 14 new-to-me authors.

While working through this list, I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched careers, and became a father. These stories became intertwined with the happiest period of my life so far.

In 2004, "Ilium" won the Locus Sci-Fi award. In my opinion, if the award were a motor race, the other contenders would have been left in the dust. It's not that there weren't other good books that year, but "Ilium" was just so perfect for me.

I chose the Locus Sci-Fi Award over other more prestigious genre awards because of "Ilium". I saw it on my bookshelf, with its shiny silver sticker, and thought, "I want more books like this." I looked online and discovered that the other awards had missed out on Dan Simmons' mind-blowing genius.

My introduction to "Ilium" was a bit unusual. My Mum couldn't get into it, saying it was "all a bit much". But for me, that was a good sign. Previous authors who had elicited the same response from my Mum were some of my favorites, like Stephen Baxter, Greg Egan, and Alistair Reynolds.

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy has already done a great job of summarizing the story, so I won't repeat it here. But I will say that this mash-up of classic literature and sci-fi is both audacious and inspirational. It's the kind of book that makes you want to write, or at least try to.

I've read "Ilium" multiple times, and it never fails to delight me. I can't wait to read its sequel, "Olympus", and explore more of Dan Simmons' work. I highly recommend "Ilium" to anyone with an interest in intelligent, playful sci-fi. Give it a try!

After this, I read "Hyperion".