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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Another thrilling and insightful book from Dan Simmons. Like the Hyperion series, this book is concerned with the question of Deicide.
Here are somethings I thought about reading the book:
Like `Lord of Light' the book investigates the use of technology in order to impersonate gods of mythology. Like that book, it asks the question whether living as such a god (which necessitates the existence of mortals) would be a good way to live, and whether as a mortal it would be more meaningful to live in a world with such gods. Like that novel, the book argues that such a world might 'make more sense to live in', but would inevitably invite rebellion. I very much enjoyed how the novel ended with the protagonist turning the Trojan war against the gods themselves. Is the idea of a god who would not deserve rebelling against even coherent? What if the god ruled a world of perfect justice -- would we still rebel as Dostoyevsky suggests?
This leads one into thinking of the 'Last Men' or 'eloi' who are contrasted with the blond beasts of Achea. Could these last men have been satisfied indefinitely had their mortality been removed? This in some ways is the position of Ian M. Banks' Culturniks -- who seem to be doing pretty well. I would have loved to get Banks and Simmons in a room to talk about the possibility of indefinite utopia.
Both these types are compared with the `modern men' of the belt moroveks and the wandering Jew. (Does that make Zeus the Ubermench?) These are the most understandable and sympathetic characters. Are they living the best lives? It's hard to say, but I'd likely choose to be her rather than any of the other characters. I wonder too about how Judaism is presented in the novel -- what makes this religion different than the ones of Illium?
Lots to think about in a well paced, engaging, literary work.
Here are somethings I thought about reading the book:
Like `Lord of Light' the book investigates the use of technology in order to impersonate gods of mythology. Like that book, it asks the question whether living as such a god (which necessitates the existence of mortals) would be a good way to live, and whether as a mortal it would be more meaningful to live in a world with such gods. Like that novel, the book argues that such a world might 'make more sense to live in', but would inevitably invite rebellion. I very much enjoyed how the novel ended with the protagonist turning the Trojan war against the gods themselves. Is the idea of a god who would not deserve rebelling against even coherent? What if the god ruled a world of perfect justice -- would we still rebel as Dostoyevsky suggests?
This leads one into thinking of the 'Last Men' or 'eloi' who are contrasted with the blond beasts of Achea. Could these last men have been satisfied indefinitely had their mortality been removed? This in some ways is the position of Ian M. Banks' Culturniks -- who seem to be doing pretty well. I would have loved to get Banks and Simmons in a room to talk about the possibility of indefinite utopia.
Both these types are compared with the `modern men' of the belt moroveks and the wandering Jew. (Does that make Zeus the Ubermench?) These are the most understandable and sympathetic characters. Are they living the best lives? It's hard to say, but I'd likely choose to be her rather than any of the other characters. I wonder too about how Judaism is presented in the novel -- what makes this religion different than the ones of Illium?
Lots to think about in a well paced, engaging, literary work.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I consider Hyperion one of the best books ever written, and Dan Simmons is by far the best modern SciFi author. So when Simmons book Ilium was shown to me, a book about gods, androids, post-humans, and the Trojan War, I had to look into it.
Suffice it to say, I was not disappointed. This book was simply amazing.
Ilium has three stories that occur relatively concurrently (there are a lot of quantum physics in this book, so hence the relatively). Thomas Hockenberry is a 20th century Iliad scholar who is reconstituted by the gods to observe the Trojan War as it happens, to satisfy the God’s of Olympus.
Mahnmut is a moravec, an android tasked by the post humans to explore Europe in his personal submarine. He is tasked with exploring the strange quantum fluctuations coming from a terraformed Mars.
Daeman, Harmon, Ada, and Hannah are old-style humans who live a luxury life. Every 20 years they are sent to the orbital habitats of the post humans for rejuvenation, and on their 100th year they ascend to the habitats and join the posts in a new and better life.
The posts, however, disappeared, and no one knows what happened to them. The moravecs around Jupiter have not heard of them in years, and the old style humans are left in their stagnant lifestyle.
As all three story lines converge on Mars, and the strange quantum flux there, it becomes apparent the future of the human race is at stake.
The thing I love about Dan Simmons is the sheer uniqueness of his stories. They move like a speeding bullet, are coherent, and extremely entertaining. At the same time, there is a very deep and introspective look at humanity.
The old style humans are in a stagnant lifestyle, they can’t read, and are obsessed with a life of luxury and ennui. It is only with the introduction of an extremely unlikely character that they finally start to embrace their destiny and join the fight for their future.
The Trojans and Acheans of the Trojan War are as bloodthirsty and greedy as the Iliad describes that war. Indeed, the great heroes Hector and Achilles act like heroes but are also hell bent on their goals. There is a determination, courage, and fortitude that is inherent in the human spirit.
The most human characters, however, aren’t even human. Mahnmut, and his companion Orphu, discuss the meaning of great works of literature by Shakespeare and Proust. When Orphu is crippled and blinded in an attack, and both moravecs are abandoned on Mars, Mahnmut stubbornly refuses to give up on his friend. The bonds of love and friendship between the two are some of the most compelling scenes I’ve read in a book in quite a while.
I can’t say enough about this book. It was an electric read. The story moved and was extremely compelling, the characters are identifiable and enjoyable, and the writing was simply top notch.
As I said, Hyperion is one of the best books I’ve ever read, certainly in science fiction. While Ilium falls minutely short, it gives Hyperion a hell of a run towards being one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I highly recommend it!
(Check out this review and others on SciFi Readers
Suffice it to say, I was not disappointed. This book was simply amazing.
Ilium has three stories that occur relatively concurrently (there are a lot of quantum physics in this book, so hence the relatively). Thomas Hockenberry is a 20th century Iliad scholar who is reconstituted by the gods to observe the Trojan War as it happens, to satisfy the God’s of Olympus.
Mahnmut is a moravec, an android tasked by the post humans to explore Europe in his personal submarine. He is tasked with exploring the strange quantum fluctuations coming from a terraformed Mars.
Daeman, Harmon, Ada, and Hannah are old-style humans who live a luxury life. Every 20 years they are sent to the orbital habitats of the post humans for rejuvenation, and on their 100th year they ascend to the habitats and join the posts in a new and better life.
The posts, however, disappeared, and no one knows what happened to them. The moravecs around Jupiter have not heard of them in years, and the old style humans are left in their stagnant lifestyle.
As all three story lines converge on Mars, and the strange quantum flux there, it becomes apparent the future of the human race is at stake.
The thing I love about Dan Simmons is the sheer uniqueness of his stories. They move like a speeding bullet, are coherent, and extremely entertaining. At the same time, there is a very deep and introspective look at humanity.
The old style humans are in a stagnant lifestyle, they can’t read, and are obsessed with a life of luxury and ennui. It is only with the introduction of an extremely unlikely character that they finally start to embrace their destiny and join the fight for their future.
The Trojans and Acheans of the Trojan War are as bloodthirsty and greedy as the Iliad describes that war. Indeed, the great heroes Hector and Achilles act like heroes but are also hell bent on their goals. There is a determination, courage, and fortitude that is inherent in the human spirit.
The most human characters, however, aren’t even human. Mahnmut, and his companion Orphu, discuss the meaning of great works of literature by Shakespeare and Proust. When Orphu is crippled and blinded in an attack, and both moravecs are abandoned on Mars, Mahnmut stubbornly refuses to give up on his friend. The bonds of love and friendship between the two are some of the most compelling scenes I’ve read in a book in quite a while.
I can’t say enough about this book. It was an electric read. The story moved and was extremely compelling, the characters are identifiable and enjoyable, and the writing was simply top notch.
As I said, Hyperion is one of the best books I’ve ever read, certainly in science fiction. While Ilium falls minutely short, it gives Hyperion a hell of a run towards being one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I highly recommend it!
(Check out this review and others on SciFi Readers
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was not an Amanda book, but I'm trying to convince my husband to read this because it's straight sci-fi. I liked it, but I didn't love it as much as Dan Simmons other books.
Lo tiene todo: acción, inteligencias artificiales, entidades alienígenas incomprensibles, guerras, naves, misterio, tecnología... El libro empieza con un ritmo pausado pero va cogiendo ritmo hasta el final.
Dan Simmons, al igual que hace en Hyperion, mezcla distintos estilos para conseguir dotar de personalidad propia a esta novela. Hay pocos autores que tengan un estilo propio, diferente al resto, y este es uno de ellos.
Dan Simmons, al igual que hace en Hyperion, mezcla distintos estilos para conseguir dotar de personalidad propia a esta novela. Hay pocos autores que tengan un estilo propio, diferente al resto, y este es uno de ellos.
adventurous
mysterious
Considering the two Hyperion books are my favourite sci-fi novels to date, it was only a matter of time to get my hands of something else by Dan Simmons. Looking at reviews, I wasn't in a hurry as they gave me an impression that Simmons is a one-hit-wonder and there isn't much else worth exploring... Well, how wrong I was!
Ilium is immediately recognizable as Simmons work, to someone who read Hyperion. First of all, it's long, but it managed to fit so much in it, it could have been three good novels on their own. Simmons doesn't save good ideas for separate books, he just goes full on. The novel switches between three narratives (which, obviously, are bound to connect at some point), and each of them constructs a distinct, rich in detail fictional world, with very different characters and even writing styles. Again, as with Hyperion books, here you'll find lots of literary references (half of which probably got over my head). I'm not sure how much I've lost by not reading anything by Proust or Shakespeare's "The Tempest", but all I know it certainly hasn't detracted from my enjoyment at all!
Will certainly proceed to Olympos now, as this novel (as expected), while ending on a satisfying resolution of the main character's journeys, did finish on a cliffhanger.
Did I like it more than Hyperion? No, that one would be extremely hard to top. But it's close, it is right up there with some of the best sci-fi novels I had luck to come across...
Ilium is immediately recognizable as Simmons work, to someone who read Hyperion. First of all, it's long, but it managed to fit so much in it, it could have been three good novels on their own. Simmons doesn't save good ideas for separate books, he just goes full on. The novel switches between three narratives (which, obviously, are bound to connect at some point), and each of them constructs a distinct, rich in detail fictional world, with very different characters and even writing styles. Again, as with Hyperion books, here you'll find lots of literary references (half of which probably got over my head). I'm not sure how much I've lost by not reading anything by Proust or Shakespeare's "The Tempest", but all I know it certainly hasn't detracted from my enjoyment at all!
Will certainly proceed to Olympos now, as this novel (as expected), while ending on a satisfying resolution of the main character's journeys, did finish on a cliffhanger.
Did I like it more than Hyperion? No, that one would be extremely hard to top. But it's close, it is right up there with some of the best sci-fi novels I had luck to come across...