Olympos by Dan Simmons Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $18.87 You Save: $7.08 (27%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.36 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Olympos
Book Review: A strong sequel, even if it is a little bloated.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Greeks and Trojans have stopped fighting each other and started fighting the gods of Mt.Olympus, the pampered "child like" remnants of our future earth have just bitten the hand of their master and are now surviving day by day...fighting off the very robots that once served them, a fictional monster has taken over Paris and is preparing to eat the world, and robots from the outer ice planets are making their way to earth to stop the universe from imploding. Take a breath and welcome to the sequel of Ilium, a multi-storied arch that juggles so many concepts and so many plot lines that some kind of a Cliff note bundle should be included.
Dan Simmons uses his formula from Hyperion, of combining classical literature with contemporary science fiction. The result is a sort of Homer/Shakespeare/Asimov hybrid. Simmons dives into the Illid, the Odyssey, and the Tempest, twisting those tales in a way that makes them come alive, quite literally. The reader doesn't have to know those works well, but it helps since we deal with nearly all of the characters from these classic tales. How do these books come to life? The answer to that one sort of makes sense, it's how they ended up threatening existence that had me constantly retracting my thoughts as I read the book.
There are a few other problems as well, not only does Simmons get a little self-indulgent with the classical lit. origins, it also gets a little long. For me the book dragged in the middle and had moments, even during the end, where I found myself skimming. I could have done with about 100 less pages. The ending does wrap most things up, but I was left to make some leaps of faith when it came to certain characters and situations. Much like other Dan Simmons Sci-Fi I felt that I only got about 95% of what happened. Still I don't mind that missing 5%. In the end, this is a very good book. A book that I plan to re-read and hopefully gain an even deeper understanding of these truly inventive stories. I'd rather scratch my head a little than to have a book that tries to be everything to every body.
If your looking for an easy read, pass on Simmons. If your looking for an exciting read that may take a little work...take a week off, sit back and enjoy Ilium and Olympos.
Book Review: A triumphant "return" to form...
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been waiting for something like this from Mr. Simmons ever since I finished reading the "Hyperion" series years ago.
While not as likely to blow you away as those particular 4 books are, this is a very enjoyable series that will not disappoint fans of Mr. Simmons' ealier "SF" work.
Book Review: A very good sequel with a slightly disappointing ending
Summary: 4 Stars
I was thrilled when I read Ilium and looked forward to reading the followup. Olympos takes the story from Ilium and moves in some totally new directions. Dan Simmons comes up with some surprising developments, and we get to see the characters grow more in new situations.
The themes from the first book, the gods as spoiled post-humans, Prospero as storyteller, are extended here and start to make more sense. The introduction of Setebos provides strong dramatic tension, as well as filling in the Shakespeare theme and explaining some of the other events.
Most of the mysteries of the first book are explained well. Some new ones develop too; however, the ending, while somewhat satisfying, fails the wrap up in a truly satisfying way. I was expecting a bigger showdown between the final inhabitants of Earth and the evil elements, so the ending seems a little rushed (the main reason why I'm not giving it a 5). Also, the details of the doomsday device at the end feels out of place, logically and thematically, with the rest of the book. It felt tacked on as an afterthought.
Simmons is a master at creating futuristic worlds, and this book is worth reading just to explore his concepts. The biggest draw to these books for me was the melding of literary figures and themes (Achilles, the gods, Caliban) with space fantasy. After reading Ilium, I read the Iliad for the first time. After finishing Olympos, I want to go read The Tempest again. Any story that makes me want to read other works of literature must be good.
Book Review: An Olympic achievement...
Summary: 5 Stars
As a long time fan of Simmons' science fiction work, I can yet again say I am in awe of this man's work. This is a tale of the triumph of the human spirit in times of desperation, when all will end in the extinction of the human race, that is, until a few visionaries risk all. Simmons takes all the loose ends from Ilium and ties them all up quite neatly in this fine gift to you. What will happen to Harman, Daeman, Ada and the other doomed old-style humans? What role do the post-humans play in this Iliad inspired tale? What will happen in the Trojan War, now that Hockenberry has blown the Iliad to shreds? All of this is answered in Olympos, plus a few more twists and revelations that will have you turning the pages for more. Literary fans can take heart in the fact that Simmons has included the usual suspects: Browning, Shakespeare, Blake, (with a great take on "The Crystal Cabinet"), Proust, Virgil, and of course, Homer.
My favorite subplot in the book is the one involving Harman's quest. It all gets very metaphysical and very satisfying. Harman is essentially the one who saves humankind from extinction but what he has to go through to save them all is astounding. Lots of great sci-fi as well as literary touches here. I also liked the subplot of Mahnmut and Orphu, two very literate moravecs (robots). They have such pleasant conversations amid such turmoil, a bit of culture from the icy reaches of the solar system- a nice touch.
The only downside to the book is the Trojan War subplot gets a little dull after a while, since there really is no Trojan War to speak of anymore. Also, it is never really explained how the post-humans came to become gods or who/what allowed them to do so, or why the voynix are so hell-bent on destroying the human race. Not that it really matters, but the explanations might have made the whole story a bit more real.
Book Review: Beyond Bad
Summary: 1 Stars
This book was really frustrating, boring, and just not up to par with Dan Simmons others books and series. By the end I was really frustrated that I had waded through 2 long books for nothing. Many of the 'mysteries' were never explained, way too many chapters were devoted to laborious details and inane poetry or quotes, and the story never really comes together. In addition, he repeated himself over and over, using the FULL long names of people and places every time. Perhaps if the books had been half as long and more succinct, they would have been tolerable. Dan Simmons' other books, especially the Hyperion series are simply awe inspiring SCI fi; The Rise of Endymion being one of the best books of this type ever. Not sure what he was thinking with this stuff, but I sure hope he doesn't keep going on this downhill spiral.