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A review by skip2theend
Ilium by Dan Simmons
4.0
Actual rating is 4.5 stars
I honestly don't know if I can adequately describe this book. It contains Shakespeare and Proust and the robots who like to discuss and analyze them; Greek and Trojan warriors reenacting Homer's Iliad while the gods of Olympus meddle to bring about their desired outcomes; the scholic Hockenberry observing all of the action who suddenly finds himself a part of it; and band of ragtag old-style humans seeking answers to questions about their life and existence. There's quantum teleportation, chariots, cities on asteroids, the Greek legend Achilles, dinosaurs, and a wandering Jew thrown in for good measure. And yet somehow, all of this comes together - the stories converge - in what is a beautifully written epic tale of the future. I absolutely loved this book. The only reason I don't flat-out give this book 5 stars is because I honestly wanted to give up several times while reading it. The story takes so long to set up. The buildup is so slow I was still saying "What the hell is happening!?!?!" two-thirds of the way through the novel. But when the pieces do start to come together, the action moves fast, and suddenly the reality and consequences of everyone's decisions becomes clear and you realize what is about to happen to everyone and you simply cannot put it down.
I honestly don't know if I can adequately describe this book. It contains Shakespeare and Proust and the robots who like to discuss and analyze them; Greek and Trojan warriors reenacting Homer's Iliad while the gods of Olympus meddle to bring about their desired outcomes; the scholic Hockenberry observing all of the action who suddenly finds himself a part of it; and band of ragtag old-style humans seeking answers to questions about their life and existence. There's quantum teleportation, chariots, cities on asteroids, the Greek legend Achilles, dinosaurs, and a wandering Jew thrown in for good measure. And yet somehow, all of this comes together - the stories converge - in what is a beautifully written epic tale of the future. I absolutely loved this book. The only reason I don't flat-out give this book 5 stars is because I honestly wanted to give up several times while reading it. The story takes so long to set up. The buildup is so slow I was still saying "What the hell is happening!?!?!" two-thirds of the way through the novel. But when the pieces do start to come together, the action moves fast, and suddenly the reality and consequences of everyone's decisions becomes clear and you realize what is about to happen to everyone and you simply cannot put it down.