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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
The sheer exuberance and creative originality crammed into the pages of this behemoth more then make up for some minor missteps and occasional weak character plotting. Part epic Greek poem, part sci-fi thriller, part best friends road trip and wholly Dan Simmons weirdness extraordinaire this is either a book you will love or hate. Luckily for me I mostly loved it, but could definitely understand people hating it as well. It's a hell of a ride and I'm looking forward to seeing how the next and final book wraps everything up.
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ending was a little too abrupt, but otherwise this was quite the adventure
It was a slog at the beginning, but once I wrapped my head around the different characters and timelines, it all started making wonderful sense.
This won't be for everyone, but if you like Neal Stephenson and his intricate world-building, this is probably a good fit (i.e. It's not for readers who like linear narratives).
This won't be for everyone, but if you like Neal Stephenson and his intricate world-building, this is probably a good fit (i.e. It's not for readers who like linear narratives).
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Came across this in my ongoing exploration of fantasy literature (something I've dabble in a bit but not really explored). A pleasant surprise. A complex story set in the future (and the past), with good characters, lots of history and lots of imagination. The Greek gods are real (and live on a terraformed Mars) and are dabbling in the Trojan War to settle their own spites. But there are also watchers from the past who know their Homer and get involved. Several intersecting story lines that weave together fairly nicely at the end. Wish I knew my Homer better...
Here's a review from someone who knows their Greek gods, but has never read the Iliad: I found the sci-fi parts of this often hand-wavy, and the Iliad parts mostly boring.
Dan Simmons knows how to write big stories with lots of interesting ideas, and for this I loved the Hyperion series, but here it doesn't fully mesh for me. I was right to be worried that I wouldn't enjoy the parts retelling the Iliad — this person stabbed that person; this person, son of some guy, threw his spear, wounding son of some other guy — descriptions of battles just don't do it for me. Fortunately this is only one of three plot lines, and fortunately for this plot line, it's not all warring. The bits without were generally fun and more interesting.
Daeman's plot line back on Earth was interesting and I liked him as a character, because it's novel to have someone stupid and vapid as a protagonist. I also enjoyed Mahnmut and Orphu's friendship, although again their Shakespeare and Proust discussions didn't do it for me.
But overall, this felt like a dare, or a thought experiment vainly struggling to be a whole book. Rather than an internally consistent world, this seems like a world full of deus ex machina where things exist and happen in certain ways for convoluted reasons that don't hold up to scrutiny. I enjoyed it most of the time but I was frustrated by it too.
I guess I'll finish the duology but I don't have high hopes.
Dan Simmons knows how to write big stories with lots of interesting ideas, and for this I loved the Hyperion series, but here it doesn't fully mesh for me. I was right to be worried that I wouldn't enjoy the parts retelling the Iliad — this person stabbed that person; this person, son of some guy, threw his spear, wounding son of some other guy — descriptions of battles just don't do it for me. Fortunately this is only one of three plot lines, and fortunately for this plot line, it's not all warring. The bits without were generally fun and more interesting.
Daeman's plot line back on Earth was interesting and I liked him as a character, because it's novel to have someone stupid and vapid as a protagonist. I also enjoyed Mahnmut and Orphu's friendship, although again their Shakespeare and Proust discussions didn't do it for me.
But overall, this felt like a dare, or a thought experiment vainly struggling to be a whole book. Rather than an internally consistent world, this seems like a world full of deus ex machina where things exist and happen in certain ways for convoluted reasons that don't hold up to scrutiny. I enjoyed it most of the time but I was frustrated by it too.
I guess I'll finish the duology but I don't have high hopes.
A Sci-Fi 're-telling' of the Siege of Troy with multiple storylines and lots of very original ideas - fascinating stuff.
It was interesting to see elements from multiple sources combined. I liked the virtual reality 'TV' show, the travelling by portal (the portals reminded me of those in Hyperion) and the appearance of the Magician Prospero (Shakespeare's 'the Tempest').
On the downside? I'm not really interested in the blood and guts of ancient battles and the fighting was described in minute detail. This was ok the first few times (it was valid to show the brutality and bloodiness of war) but I soon found myself skipping whole passages to get 'back to the story'.
I also found the gods annoying and their similarities to the gods of Ancient Greece too far-fetched. I felt the author was trying too hard to follow the original Greek myths.
I really enjoyed the SF aspects, but there was too much 'padding' for my tast, so just 3 stars for me.
It was interesting to see elements from multiple sources combined. I liked the virtual reality 'TV' show, the travelling by portal (the portals reminded me of those in Hyperion) and the appearance of the Magician Prospero (Shakespeare's 'the Tempest').
On the downside? I'm not really interested in the blood and guts of ancient battles and the fighting was described in minute detail. This was ok the first few times (it was valid to show the brutality and bloodiness of war) but I soon found myself skipping whole passages to get 'back to the story'.
I also found the gods annoying and their similarities to the gods of Ancient Greece too far-fetched. I felt the author was trying too hard to follow the original Greek myths.
I really enjoyed the SF aspects, but there was too much 'padding' for my tast, so just 3 stars for me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes