Perhaps more of a 3.75 than a 4 star:

Dan Simmons is truly one of the most underrated authors in existence. He has received well-deserved accolades such as the Hugos, and his work Hyperion has been widely loved. However, he is an absolute mad genius who merits far more discussion within the sci-fi pantheon.

His latest series, commencing with Ilium, further validates this point. Nevertheless, his eccentricity is starting to surface, and this story is not without its imperfections. Simmons has a penchant for constructing incredibly complex yet believable worlds that fuse his profound knowledge of literary history, philosophy, science, and military theory. He also enjoys inserting a deus ex machina into each story, romanticizing how the protagonists can "prevail" in those worlds. I completed Ilium this morning and was relatively satisfied. But, as he frequently does, Simmons incorporates several last-minute revelations and rapid character changes that enable the plot to unfold as it does. Maybe I should cut him some slack considering the enormous effort of combining The Iliad, The Odyssey, Shakespeare, Proust, Moravec theory, time travel, and quantum/wormhole theory, which shouldn't work at all initially. Yet, he actually blends these elements well enough for me to find fault.

I liked it less than Hyperion/Endymion. However, for fans of those books, an interesting distinction here is that he dedicates more time to building up the world and fleshing out individual character arcs. Consequently, by the end, the reader is compelled to pick up Olympos to witness the payoff. It reminded me of Sanderson, where there is a deluge of plot convergence at the conclusion that hooks you. I just wish it didn't require 500 pages to reach that point.

Another departure from traditional Simmons space opera is that the concepts he explores are less about speculative science and more about speculative history as seen through that science. Thus, he crafts a captivating page-turner that you read to discover which known histories are subverted rather than what is newly explored.

There were some feeble moments of prose, repetitive struggles in the Daeman arc, and some rather self-indulgent narcissism that I had to overlook (after all, he has a character based on himself literally have an affair with Helen of Troy!). Nevertheless, overall, this was an accessible yet mind-bending space opera that was truly enjoyable to read. My genuine assessment will be determined once I read Olympos, as I believe this is simply one book divided into two novels. But I am truly excited to read it.

I was truly excited to once again immerse myself in Dan Simmons' science fiction world.

Well, as it turned out, I had to abandon this particular work about two-thirds of the way through. It was indeed a brilliant piece of writing. However, the problem was that I had no prior knowledge of Homer's Iliad.

I firmly believe that in order to fully appreciate and understand the events unfolding in this novel, having some acquaintance with Homer's work is extremely beneficial.

Sadly, due to my lack of knowledge, the clever twists and references taken from Homer's tale completely eluded me, and I felt a sense of disappointment and being short-changed.

Given the various opinions I've come across regarding the sequel, which suggest that the story falls apart in the later parts, I didn't feel overly bad about making the decision to give up on this story at this point.

Perhaps in the future, if I were to familiarize myself with Homer's Iliad, I might be able to return to this novel and have a more fulfilling reading experience.

It is truly extremely cool with the combination of sci-fi and Greek mythology. At first, I had to take a moment to get into it, but once it started to unfold, I was completely hooked. The way these two distinct elements are blended together creates a unique and captivating experience. The sci-fi aspect brings in advanced technologies and futuristic concepts, while the Greek mythology adds a layer of rich history and cultural significance. It's like exploring a whole new world that is both familiar and yet full of surprises. The storylines and characters are developed in such a way that they draw you in and make you eager to see what happens next. Whether it's the adventures of the heroes or the mysteries of the gods, there is always something exciting going on. This combination truly has the power to transport you to a different realm and keep you entertained for hours on end.

So, the individuals who recommended this to me failed to disclose that it was science fiction.

Moreover, they neglected to mention that it consisted of 752 pages OR THAT IT WAS SCIENCE FICTION.

Nevertheless, it turned out to be an excellent read. The characters were truly great, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of reading it.

All things considered, it did contain a significant number of words. Although it wasn't as overly wordy as some other books I have perused, in my opinion, it could have benefited from a bit of editing.

Who would have ever imagined that the most captivating aspect of the Iliad would have been the robots?

This unexpected element added a unique and exciting dimension to the story, making it even more engaging and memorable.

Despite its length and the need for some refinement, I would still highly recommend this book to others who are interested in exploring the genre of science fiction.

I don't even know where to begin.

There is an abundance of events that occur in this story, and it gives the impression of being more like a trilogy rather than a mere 600-page book.

I believe I was so drawn to it because the worlds within which this book takes place are incredibly foreign and mysterious.

Some initially seem familiar, but as the narrative unfolds and the curtain is gradually pulled back, they become increasingly alien.

It is also a tale of growth and learning to confront the unknown.

However, for me, Mahnmut and Orphu of Io were truly the stars.

If you have a penchant for the Trojan War, Shakespeare, and hard dystopian sci-fi, then this is a must-read for you!

You'll be immersed in a captivating and complex world that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

The characters are richly developed, and the plot is filled with twists and turns that will leave you breathless.

So, don't hesitate to pick up this book and embark on an unforgettable literary journey.

The one thing that sticks in my mind from when this novel was first released is a review that essentially stated, "It's great but it's missing one thing... the ending." These days, with this book and its sequel "Olympos" having been in print for a long time, that's not as much of a concern. However, it should serve as a warning that if you're going to take the leap and read this, you're essentially committing to reading both books. And you probably have to refrain from passing judgment until you've read the whole thing, much like that long-ago masterpiece "The Hyperion Cantos". It's one giant book broken up into two just at the point where things are really starting to heat up.

That being said, we're going to go ahead and judge it prematurely anyway. In a sense, Simmons was perhaps ahead of his time in dividing a giant novel into two chunks centered around what should be the climax in any other normal book. This is a practice that has become standard in movie adaptations of famous series when they reach the final novel in the sequence. If they ever film this, they'll probably have to make it six books. And also hand out a primer on Greek literature to the audience.

An author with a long career shouldn't be judged on just one book. But when that book is "Hyperion", it's not surprising that it overshadows most of his other science fiction work. Speaking strictly personally, nothing else he's ever done (with the exception of "Phases of Gravity", which I think is vastly underrated) has ever had the same impact on me in terms of showing how a blend of science-fiction and literature can function and have resonance without seeming like the author is simply showing off his research. So, even though it's been years since that slightly time-twisted work of science-fiction based on classic literature, he dips his toes back into the same format by giving us a slightly time-twisted novel based on a classic of world literature, in this case, the Iliad.

If I have to explain to you what the Iliad is, you either didn't pay attention in high school or are definitely in the wrong place. But, for those without immediate access to an Internet search engine, it's the famous poem by Homer that tells the story of the Trojan War. The war lasted ten years, had an extraordinarily large cast, and saw a lot of very bad things happening to people, some of it deserved and some of it simply because the Greek gods, when you come right down to it, are petty, petty beings. Simmons divides his story into three parallel plotlines that converge at the end. One of them is devoted to what's essentially a reenactment of the Trojan War, with people who seem to be the Greek gods running the show and managing everything while people who also seem to be famous Greek and Trojan heroes squabble and stab each other while shouting heroic speeches that are fortunately summarized because in the real thing they tend to go on for pages. In this is the resurrected scholar Thomas Hockenberry, an expert on the poem who has been brought back after his death along with some other experts to observe and report and help ensure that things are proceeding as they're supposed to be.

At first glance, this section appears to be a strange mix of Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light" (people use super advanced technology to turn themselves into gods, in this case the Indian pantheon) and John Crowley's "The Deep" (on a strange planet, aliens are apparently making everyone reenact the War of the Roses for no understandable reason). But it mostly succeeds on the "what the heck is going on?" aspect of it, lacking both Zelazny's humanity and intensity and Crowley's eerie sense of mystery. Hockenberry makes for a fun narrator, especially as he attempts to find room to move in a situation where he's completely out of his element. But the early scenes are more or less science-fictional retellings of the Trojan War and every time a bunch of names are listed in great detail it just seems like Simmons is showing off his research through Hockenberry. As long as the novel sticks to a basic reenactment of what's happening, it's not terribly exciting since we're being told what's going to happen and thus aren't very surprised when it does. The Greeks and Trojans, famous and otherwise, make for interesting people in some parts but there are so many of them that we don't get to know many of them in depth and after a while it starts to feel like a slightly better budgeted episode of "Doctor Who", or the BBC costume drama department going way off the rails. Only toward the end of the novel when Hockenberry starts to possibly find places to make deviations to his own advantage does it seem like there are actual stakes at play (fortunately, my biggest criticism, that we know how the war goes, gets jettisoned eventually and he starts to take that ball and run with it in the beginning of "Olympos").

Part of the problem may be that the Trojan War portions come across as a straight retelling with SF trappings, while the other sections start to play more to Simmons' strengths. ("Hyperion" integrated the "Canterbury Tales" into the story and used the basic structure as a starting point for Simmons to launch his own take). These other sections feature a pair of sentient robots that are on a mission from Jupiter to figure out what the heck happened on Mars, and a small group of people who are among the very small population of people who are left on a nearly abandoned Earth.

The sentient robots (called "moravecs") probably have the best sense of humor and their attempts to not get killed as the mission goes haywire very quickly make for some of the cleverest parts of the book. And initially, they offer the best chance to discover what's really going on as they're directly investigating strange events. However, their bits get bogged down by Simmons wanting to cram more literature down our throats. One robot is an expert on Shakespeare and the other on Proust, giving them plenty of reason to have constant exchanges about the merits of each while doing mundane things like attempting to repair their ship or staying alive in a gradually worsening situation. Since it has no immediate bearing on the plot, it seems self-indulgent to have the robots go on and on about it and feels more like padding than anything else (although Proust is spoken highly enough that it may make the otherwise unaware reader curious about seeking it out. A feeling that may end abruptly when they realize "Remembrance of Things Past" is three times as long as this book and the sequel put together and about ten times as dense).

That leaves the Earth plot, following a group of men and women who live lives of leisure for about a hundred years or so thanks to "post-humans" who abandoned the planet in droves but seem to hang out up above watching over everyone and fixing the planet while they're at it. The layers of science and mystery in these sequences are the most intriguing and feel more like Simmons than anything else. With the casual yet dazzling references to future technology and a mysterious backstory that we're not completely clear on, the story remains interesting even when the characters themselves aren't the most compelling (a girl, an older guy, a whiny guy, and a girl who isn't the first girl is how I remember them. Though things get better when the stereotypical Crotchety Old Woman Carrying Forbidden and Forgotten Knowledge arrives to take everyone to Future School). Seeing a reimagined Earth thousands of years in the future, with orbital rings carrying possible god-like people floating silently overhead, makes for a fascinating setting as the characters careen through an oddly vacant world, encountering some decently weird unanswered questions, most of which have the potential for satisfying answers (or a whole load of gibberish, it could go either way at this point).

Needless to say, the individual stories all start to interconnect at the climax and while things wind up just enough so you could technically say this is a standalone experience, absolutely no real revelations are uncovered as to how and where and why of this entire setup beyond those required to get you to keep reading the next novel to continue and finish the story. If I didn't already have "Olympos" (having bought both when they came out and taking my usual inordinate amount of time to get to anything), I'd probably be somewhat upset that I had to wait to give the story anything other than an incomplete grade.

Still, having not read much Simmons SF in a while (most of what I've read from him in recent years seems to be horror oriented), it's nice to see that the old guy still has it for the most part. The ideas are there, although the execution lacks the detailed intensity that I fell in love with during the "Hyperion Cantos" era and the literary references seem more forced this time. For some reason, I found the constant references to literature before the 20th century to be a little jarring, with characters who are familiar with Proust and Shakespeare and the Trojan War, but apparently no other literature after 2006 or so was created before the post-humans rocketed out of there since no one ever mentions it (having Hockenberry originally die around 2006 means that Simmons gets to reference the September 11th attacks a couple of times, which feels even more weirdly out of place). So it threatens at times to become a warped exercise in nostalgia. Looking back is nice, but the trick is to take cues from the past and use them to shape the future, not use the past as a way to make the future seem more exciting than it really is.

A Fantastic Sci-Fi Epic: Ilium

Ilium is a remarkable sci-fi epic in the vein of Simmons's Hyperion Cantos. Simmons showcases his profound knowledge of classical literature, with a deep understanding of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The author also weaves in literary and historical references to Shakespeare, Proust, and more, making it an ingenious and engaging read. Set in the 40th century, it's a retelling of the Iliad, but with a twist. Thomas Hockenberry, a 21st-century classics professor, is revived by the Olympian gods to monitor the Trojan War on Mars. The gods, who are beings of super-science, use quantum manipulation and nanotechnology to assume the roles of the classical Greek deities. Hockenberry and his fellow scholics are like embedded journalists, but they're forbidden to tell the gods how the story ends. When Hockenberry is recruited for a secret mission and changes a key event, the story takes an unexpected turn. He decides to change the story completely, putting himself in danger.

But Hockenberry is just one of the main protagonists. There are two other subplots that merge with the Iliad on Mars. A pair of Moravecs, sentient robots, discovers dangerous quantum manipulation and terraforming on Mars and is shot down by a bearded man in a chariot. The only two survivors, Mahnmut and Orphu, try to make it across Mars with the help of mysterious Little Green Men. The dialog between the two robots adds a touch of comedy relief. Finally, there are the last surviving humans on Earth, a population of laborless dilettantes. They live in a world created by the post-humans, but a few set off on an adventure and discover the truth about their world and the existence of Morlocks.

Ilium is rich in world-building and has a complex plot. There are some parts that left me a bit confused, like the role of Caliban and the strange nature of the Little Green Men. And we still don't know why the super-advanced godlike beings have resurrected the Iliad on Mars. But I'm hopeful that these questions will be answered in the second book, which I'm eager to read.

Prepare to have your mind blown.

I have a penchant for dense reads and for immersing myself in the complex worlds crafted by brilliant minds. However, never, and I mean never, have I come across a more astonishingly complex novel. Halfway through this gigantic mind-bender, I was still completely clueless about what was happening in the book. The fact that I, along with so many others, rate this book so highly speaks volumes about Mr. Simmons and the caliber of his writing. Who else could get away with this? Nobody, except for Dan. Read this book, and don't give up just because you don't understand it right away. It is truly well worth the effort. You will find yourself drawn into a world that is both perplexing and captivating, and before you know it, you will be completely engrossed. So, pick up this book and prepare to have your mind expanded and your imagination set free.

As with all the books by Dan Simmons that I have read so far, I am also enthusiastic about this one. Ilium is a brilliant fusion of the future and the past, with gods, humans, aliens, intelligent, sentient machines, as well as monsters and some things that one still doesn't know exactly what they are after reading the book. The story that Simmons builds around the historical Trojan War is exciting from beginning to end and awakens a great desire for the continuation, which fortunately I already have at hand and will start reading right away. Just like in Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, the various species and their worlds are wonderfully described here and the characters of the individual figures encourage one to cheer along, even if one (or at least I) would sometimes like to slap some of the main characters when they act too stupidly (according to my standards) again. ;)

A small minus point, which however has not been enough to deduct a star, is that Simmons takes a very long time to explain some important things, which led to some confusion for me, which was only resolved on the last two hundred pages.

A compulsory reading recommendation from my side to all science fiction fans! And read the Hyperion Cantos as well when the opportunity arises and preferably also all the other books by Simmons!! ;)

"Literary science fiction" is a phrase where one word seems to struggle and strain against the other two, much like an 18-month-old who resists being picked up. It doesn't desire to be linked with a genre that is often rich in ideas but lacking in quality prose and a sharp, distinct style. It frequently manages to break free from the weak gravitational pull of science fiction. Occasionally, an author crafts a story so dense that the term is held in an unstable orbit. However, many of these ultimately fail under their own weight and implode into the speculative fiction black hole. Rarely, and I mean very rarely, O Muse, an author possesses the incredible imagination, literary style, and courage to weave together a story with just the right blend of literary competence, adventure, science, and kickassedness to maintain the balance required to uphold the phrase. Dan Simmons achieved this with Hyperion, displaying inhuman aplomb.

And yes, he accomplishes it again with Ilium. It's simply freaking awesome. While Hyperion presented us with a structure loosely based on the classic Chauceresque frame story, Ilium is a straightforward Homeric Trojan War set on Mars. There are robots from Jupiter who are obsessed with Shakespeare and Proust, along with the Greek gods and quantum teleportation. And did I mention dinosaurs? We experience a significant portion of the action from the perspective of a formerly dead scholar. Oh yes, Simmons has employed his favorite weapon of intertextuality and delivered a doozy.

I haven't yet read about how Dan Simmons came up with this idea, but I wouldn't be surprised if it involved a bet and a half-empty bottle of whiskey. I can picture him waking up on the bathroom floor in the morning with some indecipherable napkin notes ending with the phrase "good luck with that." Stacked on top of this Achillean challenge are three seemingly unrelated plot lines that span the solar system, resulting in what I like to call the impossible. But that's precisely what makes this book so excellent. Simmons takes the impossible and shapes it with Zeus-like vision into something that I devoured in just over a week, smiling throughout. The pace will leave you gasping for air in the thin atmosphere of Olympus Mons.

There is absolutely no way I can rate this book less than 5 stars, considering the sheer effort it must have taken to conjure up this opus and the resulting amusement park for your brain. However, if I had any criticism, it might be the same as I had for The Fall of Hyperion, and it's only in (an unfair) comparison to its predecessor: many characters in Hyperion are so unique and familiar that it's difficult, if not impossible, to replicate that feeling in subsequent works. I did identify fairly well with Hockenberry, though, and even with the darn robots. Continuing my theme from my review of Carrion Comfort, five Dan Simmons books in, and I can say he remains at the top of my list.

According to the cover for Ilium, it was nominated for the Hugo Novel of the Year in 2004. It absolutely deserved it. It also didn't win, and it deserved that as well.

Don't get me wrong. It's a great book and I loved reading it. Indeed, this was the second time I read it and I think I enjoyed it more the second time. It's really three stories all happening in different places in the solar system at the same time, inevitably approaching one another. It's rare to find a book that tries this and does it well, and Ilium does it well.

The main hook of Ilium is that it's a science fiction book set in the Trojan war of Homer's Iliad. It also mixes in a healthy dose of Shakespeare and even Proust. And this all contributes to a fine and wonderful story, but it's also Ilium's downfall. At parts, the Iliad thing starts to feel gimmicky. It's not often, but it's enough to keep me from giving the book five stars.

On the whole, it's well-written. Every once in a while, the author tries to conjure up some convoluted imagery which is ridiculous enough that I just laughed at the poor sentence structure instead of being struck by whatever he was trying to tell me. But that was rare and for the most part I didn't notice the language at all.

So I loved the book, but it's ever-so-slightly flawed. Still, it was much better than even this review is, and I'll definitely be reading it a third time in the future.

But now, I'm looking forward to starting the sequel \\n  Olympos\\n. Onward.

The Iliad serves as the starting point here (

"Sing, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles..."

). And from there, Dan Simmons proceeds to amaze you with some of the most literate science fiction you'll ever read. The story unfolds in three parts, which are skillfully woven together. As the plot lines spiral closer to each other, the dramatic tension increases.

The end of Ilium is a soft stop. There is some closure, but it leaves much open for the next book, Olympos.

The science fiction in this work is the good stuff that sci-fi fans want and need. We're talking about quantum teleportation, nanotechnology, sentient cybernetics, and a light hint of time travel - the works. The literature references are numerous and impressive.

You don't have to understand all the references to enjoy this book. However, getting some of them will make you feel quite well-read.

When you encounter a little Proust, a lot of Shakespeare, a dash of Browning, mixed in with twists on Homer, Aristophanes, and Virgil, you know this isn't lightweight stuff.

It's a complex and engaging blend of science fiction and literature that will keep you hooked from start to finish.