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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Rage.
Sing, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles, of Peleus' son, murderous, man-killer, fated to die, sing of the rage that cost the Achaeans so many good men and sent so many vital, hearty souls down to the dreary House of Death. And while you're at it, O Muse, sing of the rage of the gods themselves, so petulant and so powerful here on their new Olympos, and the rage of the post-humans, dead and gone though they might be, and of the rage of those few true humans left, self-absorbed and useless though they may have become. While you are singing, O Muse, sing also of the rage of those thoughtful, sentient, serious but not-so-close-to-human beings out there dreaming under the ice of Europa, dying in the sulfur-ash of Io, and being born in the cold folds of Ganymede.
Sing, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles, of Peleus' son, murderous, man-killer, fated to die, sing of the rage that cost the Achaeans so many good men and sent so many vital, hearty souls down to the dreary House of Death. And while you're at it, O Muse, sing of the rage of the gods themselves, so petulant and so powerful here on their new Olympos, and the rage of the post-humans, dead and gone though they might be, and of the rage of those few true humans left, self-absorbed and useless though they may have become. While you are singing, O Muse, sing also of the rage of those thoughtful, sentient, serious but not-so-close-to-human beings out there dreaming under the ice of Europa, dying in the sulfur-ash of Io, and being born in the cold folds of Ganymede.
What a wonderfully creative sci fi read. Each of the three plots could be a novel on their own. As they began to intersect with each other I couldn’t put it down.
I found the character development for Daeman really well done. He went from hateable to me rooting for him at the end.
The literary analysis on the robot plot did sometimes get a bit much.
Really excited to read the next one.
I found the character development for Daeman really well done. He went from hateable to me rooting for him at the end.
The literary analysis on the robot plot did sometimes get a bit much.
Really excited to read the next one.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Golden age sci-fi on steroids is what this book feels like. A combination of Clarke/Heinlein in their prime this space opera is a lot of fun. Just a pity one of the main characters is bloody annoying and I wanted to punch him at some points in the story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ilium is an impressive work. Dan Simmons presents readers with three groups whose stories begin to converge. The legendary war between the Greeks and Trojan forces is unfolding with the influence and interference of the Greek gods. A modern day classical scholar brought back from the dead now serves the gods as witness to the war in person. A second group is those modern day human remnants living on an Earth considerably de-populated after the rise of Post-humans. A few begin to discover that their current idyllic existence came from great upheavals in an earlier age. A third group of players are the sentient moravecs living in the solar system. They become very concerned when powerful quantum technology is detected emanating from Mars and decide to send a team to investigate.
I really liked Ilium, and look forward to reading Olympos, the concluding volume.
I really liked Ilium, and look forward to reading Olympos, the concluding volume.
Sci-fi set in the world of Troy and Homer's "Iliad." Just like the "Hyperion" series, this is epic writing, with huge storylines and themes. Highly recommended.
Occasionally heavy going, Ilium is mostly a pleasurable read. Unfortunately it doesn't grab the attention easily and you will often find your focus drifting away.
That said, it has an intriguing premise. In some far future time, the events of Homer's Iliad is playing out for real with the Gods, the characters and kingdoms recreated. Thrust into the centre of this is Thomas Hockenberry, a 20th century scholar of Homer's work who is brought to this future to advise on events. While there, Aphrodite asks him to kill Athena... and that is when the book really opens up.
The book's events don't play out exactly like Iliad, and as a result of the Scholics, these beings are fully aware of Homer's work so it isn't 'just' a sci fi version of Iliad. I have just read a synopsis of the sequel (Olympos) and unfortunately it seems that the plot threads at the end of Ilium are still unresolved so prepare for disappointment. I shan't be reading it.
See more book reviews at my blog
That said, it has an intriguing premise. In some far future time, the events of Homer's Iliad is playing out for real with the Gods, the characters and kingdoms recreated. Thrust into the centre of this is Thomas Hockenberry, a 20th century scholar of Homer's work who is brought to this future to advise on events. While there, Aphrodite asks him to kill Athena... and that is when the book really opens up.
The book's events don't play out exactly like Iliad, and as a result of the Scholics, these beings are fully aware of Homer's work so it isn't 'just' a sci fi version of Iliad. I have just read a synopsis of the sequel (Olympos) and unfortunately it seems that the plot threads at the end of Ilium are still unresolved so prepare for disappointment. I shan't be reading it.
See more book reviews at my blog