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A review by malloryfitz
Ilium by Dan Simmons
3.0
Premise- (4/5) A retelling of the Iliad? That’s all you need to get my interest. Not only was it a retelling of the Iliad but it took place on Mars. Super interesting and very unique. I was excited to read it, if a little daunted by the size. The premise discussed the other plotlines a bit too, but the big draw for me was the Iliad.
Characters- (4/5) I really enjoyed Simmons’ characters. It took me a little while to appreciate and identify with some of the characters (for a while I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in Mahnmut/Orphu and I couldn’t stand Daeman), but the farther I got in the book, the more invested I became in all the characters. I loved seeing Simmons’ depiction of the Iliadic characters, and thought Hockenberry’s perspective was super interesting. As a classics student myself, I was trying to imagine being in his position the whole time.
Plot- (3.5/5) At first, the three separate plots were a little hard to take in. Especially in the beginning, before they started to interconnect. It was a little jarring to be going back and forth between such different stories between chapters. And I’ll admit, part of me was the slightest bit outraged that Simmons dared to change the Iliad. But the direction he took it in was very interesting, and I’ll be curious to see how things go in the sequel.
World- (2.5/5) So, the world Simmons created was very, very complex, and that was part of the problem. Sometimes I was extremely confused by the terms he used and the language the characters–especially the moravecs and the old-style humans–threw around. The world itself was great–but the world building was not, which made things tough for the reader. There wasn’t enough explanation about the world and I felt like I was thrown in headfirst without any sort of lifeline.
Writing- (3/5) I’ve never read anything by Dan Simmons before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I found his writing style difficult to keep up with at times. There were so many technical terms (by necessity, since so much of the the story depends on technology and complicated science), and they weren’t all explained very well. As someone who knows next to nothing about space science and its workings, it was really confusing at times. I appreciate his literary prowess, and thought he did a nice job paying homage to Homer, but would’ve liked a little more explanation.
Overall- (3.4/5) Super interesting book and concept, and I’ll certainly read the sequel, but a lot of technical jargon left me behind. Very interesting characters and a totally new take on Troy, but I would’ve liked more world-building and explanation. Still, a good read, especially if you like the Iliad or space science fiction.
Characters- (4/5) I really enjoyed Simmons’ characters. It took me a little while to appreciate and identify with some of the characters (for a while I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in Mahnmut/Orphu and I couldn’t stand Daeman), but the farther I got in the book, the more invested I became in all the characters. I loved seeing Simmons’ depiction of the Iliadic characters, and thought Hockenberry’s perspective was super interesting. As a classics student myself, I was trying to imagine being in his position the whole time.
Plot- (3.5/5) At first, the three separate plots were a little hard to take in. Especially in the beginning, before they started to interconnect. It was a little jarring to be going back and forth between such different stories between chapters. And I’ll admit, part of me was the slightest bit outraged that Simmons dared to change the Iliad. But the direction he took it in was very interesting, and I’ll be curious to see how things go in the sequel.
World- (2.5/5) So, the world Simmons created was very, very complex, and that was part of the problem. Sometimes I was extremely confused by the terms he used and the language the characters–especially the moravecs and the old-style humans–threw around. The world itself was great–but the world building was not, which made things tough for the reader. There wasn’t enough explanation about the world and I felt like I was thrown in headfirst without any sort of lifeline.
Writing- (3/5) I’ve never read anything by Dan Simmons before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I found his writing style difficult to keep up with at times. There were so many technical terms (by necessity, since so much of the the story depends on technology and complicated science), and they weren’t all explained very well. As someone who knows next to nothing about space science and its workings, it was really confusing at times. I appreciate his literary prowess, and thought he did a nice job paying homage to Homer, but would’ve liked a little more explanation.
Overall- (3.4/5) Super interesting book and concept, and I’ll certainly read the sequel, but a lot of technical jargon left me behind. Very interesting characters and a totally new take on Troy, but I would’ve liked more world-building and explanation. Still, a good read, especially if you like the Iliad or space science fiction.