Olympos by Dan Simmons Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Olympos
Book Review: Okay, so I did not really understand the science, but I liked the "mythology"
Summary: 3 Stars
To be honest, I was pretty much lost on the science part of the story Dan Simmons was spinning in "Ilium" from the very beginning and when I picked up "Olympos" to read it was not in the hope that I would be able to catch up in that regard. By the time I finished the 735-page book I had really assumed that I just did not understand the science and how the three main plotlines of this sprawling narrative came together in the end. However, seeing all these reviews bemoaning a coherent conclusion that ties up all of the major threads leads me to believe that is not just my lack of understanding of quantum physics and the like that was why I was not really sure what it all meant in the end.
Certainly these two novels constitute an ambitious effort by Simmons. I was attracted to "Ilium" because I teach Classical Greek and Roman Mythology, look for any opportunity to teach Homer's "Iliad," and am even working on my own retelling of the Trojan War on the off chance that I can actually write something besides instructor's notes and reviews. So I found the idea of posthumans masquerading as the Greek gods, living on Mars, and playing games with the real Trojan War, rather compelling because Simmons was using hard (and futuristic) science to duplicate the powers of the gods. Besides, obviously I was going to identify with Thomas Hockenberry, the classics professor who had been resurrected as a scholic and not because he ends up in the bed of Helen of Troy (I find Andromache to be a lot more attractive as a human being and what would Cassandra think of somebody who actually believed her?).
But Simmons is not content to combine up Greek epic poetry and quantum physics, but also throws in Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" and even more literature into the mix. If anything, the attempt is already overly ambitious at that point and we still have all of those additional elements like the moravecs and voynix on the science fiction side of the equation. I end up thinking that more would be less because all of this is too much. Maybe the second time through I will be able to better pick up how it all fits together better, but right now that idea is rather daunting.
Speaking as a student of mythology I will say that I really liked how Simmons played out his revision of the "Iliad." I had noted in my review of "Ilium" that there was a point where clearly we were not in the "Iliad" anymore, so when Hockenberry noted that this was literarily the case because what was happening was from Virgil's "Aeneid," that was my biggest laugh in reading "Olympos." Beyond that I really liked the idea that the invulnerability of Achilles, son of Peleus, came not from being dipped in the River Styx or having his mortality burned away (except for the heel in both cases), but from being a quantum singularity who is "fated" to be killed by Paris (and also by not being the son of Peleus). Once Paris is dead, Achilles is doing well. I also liked the scientific explanation for why he falls hoplessly in love with the Amazon Queen Penthesilea and what Achilles does about that love after he kills her (I really liked the idea that Penthesilea is armed with the knowledge of Achilles' fatal flaw and realizes at the key moment that she does not know WHICH heel to strike).
Ultimately the problem for me is simply that I never cared about any chapter that did not have Achilles, Hockenberry, or the gods in it (I hung in there with Odysseus for a while, but the more he became Noman it seemed the less I was interested). As interested as I was in the parts playing with mythology I would find myself zoning out way too often while reading the other parts of the novel. Since only one of the three worked for me and it really did not come together in a way that completed a sense of wonder at the massive narrative, that became the logic by which I came up with my rating for this book. I still think "Olympos" is worth reading, especially after you have invested time in "Ilium," but also because of what he does in making the "Iliad" his own.
Book Review: Olympos
Summary: 5 Stars
Olympos is the sequel to Illium and continues the inter universal conflict begun in book one. It is spell binding and fun. The concepts are both startling and convincingly portrayed. Definitely a good read. I purchased the item on Amazon.com and received it within just a few working days.Book Review: Olympos
Summary: 1 Stars
There should be zero and negative rating here. This book would quialify for it.
The novel was a great disappointment. It's filled with borrowed ideas from Homer to Shakespeare. After the two Hyperion stories, I think Olympos is a total let down. It lacks imagination and originality. It's also a Frankenstein of Sci-fi, Mythology, and Fantasy badly done. Even the pretentions to produce a literary novel failed, both in Olympos an Ilium.
Faxing people and the jumble of nonsensical so called science was hilarious. Some authors should take a few science courses.
The first person present tense use was jarring and irritating.
I think authors, especially science fiction authors, should at least attempt to come up with original ideas instead of cobbling together something from the works of ancient authors such as Homer and Shakespeare.
Book Review: Olympos - answering the important question.
Summary: 4 Stars
Ilium was a book that I really enjoyed for its style and characters and sheer epic scope - even though I didn't know what was going on most of the time.
Olympos had a lot to achieve - it had to be bigger and better than Ilium, plus answer all the questions (the most important being: what the **** is going on?) plus bring resolution to at least 20 important characters.
The good news is that it does all of the above. The better news is - it answers the most important question! It takes the story to a higher level of battle, tension and drama (including some kick-ass twists, particularly with Helen's character), then resolves the lot in ways that I certainly didn't see coming. I was totally satisfied by this book - if you liked Ilium, you'll be pleased to know that Olympos is worth the effort it takes to get through. But if you liked Ilium, you're not averse to a difficult but worthwhile read.
Olympos is better, actually, because the 'following the thread of the Iliad' plot of Ilium that was so thrown of the rails at the end of that book continues to spiral off the rails, providing a fascinating alternative universe that is nevertheless consistent with the classic characters as presented by Homer.
Another review on this site suggested that Olympos ends with too many loose ends hanging, with no third volume in sight - technically, this is true, but I wouldn't agree that the third book is necessary. Rather, the ending is one that left me believing that a really interesting story (what happens next, now that the world is just that little bit different) was on the horizon, but I didn't need to read it - just knowing it's out there is enough for me. My *favourite* kind of ending, truth be told.
Anyway, the most important thing I wanted to say in this review is that, yes, Olympos does resolve satisfactorily. There's plenty of interesting stuff along the way - but when a book is this big, it's good to know that your committment will be repaid. :)
Book Review: Olympos is Readable, but not what I expected from Simmons
Summary: 3 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed Ilium and was very much looking forward to reading its sequel, Olympos. The worlds that Simmons constructed in Ilium were vivid, rich and exciting and knowing Simmons' work I was eagerly anticipating the grand finale. It never seemed to happen. Instead, Simmons seems to lose control of the story shortly after the book begins: while Olympos, like Ilium, contains many spectacular images and scenes, they just don't seem to fit together very well.
My biggest disappointment was that the book just left me unsatisfied. Olympos promises a lot: the origin of the Greek gods, the story behind Setebos, a final confrontation with Caliban, the purpose behind the Voynix (if you've read Ilium, you know what I mean), but it never seems to deliver the goods. Sure, you get some explanations, but they just seem banal and don't fit very well into a coherent story. This is not the grand Simmons style.
The book's conclusion just seems hurried or even lazy. Here is an example of a loose plot thread that people that have already read Olympos would understand: how did Noman get to Earth? The conclusion is riddled with such loose ends. It's almost as if Simmons was past his deadline and had to submit an unfinished manuscript.
So while this book has its moments, and it was mostly fun to read, as someone who really loves Simmons' work, I reluctantly have to give Olympos only 3 stars. If it were any other author, I would probably go as low as 2.