Ilium by Dan Simmons

[Boaz]

I read Ilium by Dan Simmons late last year or early this year. Simmons completely sucked me in. I usually avoid futuristic sci-fi, sticking mostly to high fantasy and historical fiction, but Simmons ended up bringing all three together! It all depends upon what point in the story, what place in time, and whose point of view is taken.

Potential Spoiler Alert!

Ilium is Homer, Bradbury, Shakepeare, Clarke, and Pressfield all rolled into one.

Simmons research into The Iliad, Shakespeare's The Tempest and various sonnets, French authors, the topography of Mars, cybernetic mutation, and quantum physics is first rate, imho.

I liked Simmons writing style. He writes well in a clear style that fits both the majesty and minutiae of his story.

Hockenberry, imo, is who Thomas Covenant should have been.

I must admit, I was disappointed and delighted to find out that Ilium is only the first half of the story. Though, imo, Ilium could stand by itself... the ending leaves so much to the imagination.

 

[Rane Longfox]

I also loved Illium. Though I'm not sure that this is the right forum for this topic...

I bough Olympos, the sequel, earlier today, as a matter of fact. The first chapter or so seem to have moved on somewhat from the end of Illium, but the writing quality is continuing

 

[Boaz]

I did not know part two was out! I'm going to the bookstore!

PS - Dear Mods, please move this to the correct forum, if I have posted incorrectly. I just went looking for where I should have started this thread... like in the Review forum, perhaps.

 

[Brys]

I'm reading it at the moment and I'm about 2/3rds of the way through it. It's currently my favourite science fiction novel. I love all of the ideas in it - from the Iliad in a science fiction setting, to the post-apocalyptic earth, to the mysterious mission of the moravecs.

I didn't know that it was part of a series though. Looks like another book on my to read list.

 

[robcg]

i just finished Ilium. great book! so, is the Trojan war taking place on earth or on mars. what do u think?

 

[iansales]

The sequel, Olympos, was published last year. I thought Ilium was the better of the two, but it was still one of the best SF novels of the year.

 

[Farinspire]

Personally I wouldn't mind reading a Dan Simmons book that draws inspiration from the mind of Dan Simmons. I recently slogged through Endymion for a second round and I'm terribly tired of his awkward use of historic literary figures as primary plot motivators... I felt as if Ilium was an even worse offender when I read it coming back from Mexico some time ago. Why not focus on just the works of Homer? It all seems so contrived to throw in all the rest, just as in his earlier cantos, where he blends Keats and Chaucer and others... sorry for the rant, but I feel as if I was kicked in the face after reading the last few hundred pages of Rise...

 

[world in progress]

I loved Hyperion and really enjoyed its three sequels and think Carrion Comfort is a highly compulsive read, as are several of Simmons' other works. However I found Ilium to be extremely boring and couldn't even finish it. :-(

 

[jemhadar]

I really liked Ilium, it was a nice SF and I can't wait to see how it wraps up. Is Olympos really worse?

 

[Thanatos]

Olympos chances pace and structure. Also if you're in a hurry to see things wrapped up... don't. Only after 500 pages do we get to have a glimpse of what the heck is happening. For me it was a very unsatisfactory ending to a great promise.