This was not an easy book to read. In fact, structurally it may be the most difficult book I've attempted to review here. Dan Simmons, notable for his Hyperion Cantos (and specifically Hyperion, winner of the 1990 Hugo Award) is known for long, complex sagas involving themes drawn from disparate sources throughout literature. His best stories take more than one book to complete, and Ilium is no exception: I plan to read the sequel/conclusion, Olympos, as soon as I get some other reading I need to do out of the way.

Basically, if you want it, you've got it in Ilium: in addition to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey (for that matter, the whole of classical Greek drama and literature) you've also got William Shakespeare (specifically The Tempest and the sonnets), Marcel Proust, Edgar Rice Burroughs (via John Carter of Mars), H. G. Wells (via The Time Machine, First Men In The Moon and possibly The Island of Dr. Moreau), Buck Rogers, some Jewish tradition, and a touch of H.P. Lovecraft for good measure. Simmons in his introduction describes the book as being similar to his childhood experience of mixing and matching toy soldiers from different eras to create elaborate battles. He does exactly this, figuratively and literally, in Ilium.

The story is set in the 40th century, when 'old-style' humans have become decadent and lost all contact with human culture and history under the influence of modified 'post-humans' who've set themselves up as reimaginings of the ancient Greek gods. Appropriately, they live on Mt. Olympos--Olympos Mons, a volcano the size of France on Mars, the highest peak in the solar system. The post-humans have not only set up shop on Olympos but also terraformed Mars. Either on Mars itself, or traveling through time to Earth, the post-humans busy themselves observing the Trojan War in 1200 BC (or a recreation thereof). To aid them they've resurrected classical scholars from throughout history. One such scholar, Thomas Hockenberry, lived during our time and becomes embroiled in a plot by Aphrodite to assassinate Athena. He does find time to get lucky with Helen of Troy along the way, so at least he's got some fringe benefits to his job.

Meanwhile, a group of moravecs--sentient robots--working on the moons of Jupiter discover that the post-humans' activities threaten the fabric of spacetime itself, and seek to locate and destroy the source of the activity in order to safeguard life throughout the solar system. In their spare time, the moravecs study what they term 'Lost Age' culture: the whole of human history, art, and literature up to at least the 26th century when a not-completely-specified disaster overcame humanity and set the stage for the setting we see now.

A group of old-style humans becomes involved via the services of Savi, a woman who's lived for 1400 years and is the sole source of any meaningful knowledge of human culture. Initially out of curiosity, and then after Savi's urging, the old-style humans (including the only man left on Earth who can read) start to seek out the truth behind the culture the post-humans have imposed upon them.

But wait...there's more! Along with the Greeks and Trojans, bio-engineered Greek gods, resurrected historians, androids, Eloi, Morlocks, and the Wandering Jew are Little Green Men (who are called as such in the book), Native Americans, anime-style combat mecha, Lovecraftian Elder Beings, and lots and lots of references to Proust and Shakespeare. Oh, and did I mention the dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts that have been reintroduced to Earth's ecosystem?

For those not well-versed in literature, the first three-quarters of this book could get intimidating. I'm very familiar with the Greek classics, somewhat familiar with Shakespeare (The Tempest is not one of the plays I've had any contact with) and not familiar at all with Proust (whom I actively avoided thanks to a literature instructor whose moods were as black as her clothes--although Simmons may have redeemed Proust for me here). I found it a challenge to wade through the references and some of the deeper literary discussion that fuels most of the first half of the book, so a reader whose familiarity isn't as great may have more difficulty. These sections do have bearing on the larger story, so they shouldn't be neglected by the reader. Just have patience and all the cool stuff with androids and nuclear weapons will show up in due course.

The moravecs are easily the most relateable of the characters, showing more depth of emotion and humanity than most of the human characters (with the possible exception of the Greeks and Trojans, who are played pretty much as they were depicted by Homer). Orphu and Mahnmut argue, bicker, have raging disagreements, and are together for each other through all circumstances. They as far as I'm concerned are the true heroes of the story. They're the ones who recognize the threat and take action, sacrificing everything in order to safeguard others. Hockenberry gets annoying and takes actions (e.g., his trysts with Helen) that actually jeopardize both his stated and unstated missions out of pure selfishness. The old-style humans are thoroughly irritating in their ignorance and childishness, although at least two of them manage to show greater initiative and awareness toward the end. It says a lot that, at the end of history, the one man who can change these children in adult bodies into true men and women turns out to be one of the greatest heroes from history's beginning.

Simmons as I said before is incapable of finishing a story in one volume. He takes 570 pages just to set up the conflict he really wants to show (and which he apparently shows in Olympos). I'd read both of these together if you're up to the challenge. It's worth the patience, but patience it will demand.

Oedipus is called to find who killed the former king. The oracle tells him that his fate is to kill his father and marry his mother. The king's fate was to be killed by his son. Oedipus recently killed a man of the king's description. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on, but it takes Oedipus a good while. When he realizes that he's had children with his mother and killed his father, he gouges his eyes out so he won't have to look upon his children, or upon his father when he dies. This is where the term "Oedipus complex" originated.

Okay this story made me laugh because of how twisted it is. I loved it. This is definatly a story that you will remember no matter what.

Eugenides writes a beautiful saga of 3 generations of Greeks in America. The narrator Cal weaves us through the story of his grandparents' journey to America from Turkey, his parents' courtship and his unique coming of age as a boy who grew up a girl. Yes, Cal, or Callie as she was then, is a hermaphrodite. In order to understand his legacy and his chromosomal makeup, he takes us through his family history with humour and insight. One of the most well-written books I've read in a long time.

This beautifully written book is more than a story of a hermaphrodite. It is a rich family history interwoven with the history of Greek immigrants, as well as a history of life in the Detroit area from the early auto industry through the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. I liked all the characters from the grandparents Desdemona and Lefty through the narrator, Cal/Callie.

wonderfully written, poignant prose (i'm going with the alliteration today).

Absolutely adored this book. Eugenides has a staggering gift for prose. The scene in the girls' locker room with the descriptions of exoctic salt water fish blew my mind. I loved the history, the descriptions, the story, the characters...It was one of those books that I didn't want to finish and was sad to put down. Rich, wonderfully told.

I have a different edition.

I have a different edition and translation.

I've a different edition; beautiful, leatherbound with gold imprinting, English side by side the original Greek - can't find it here.