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"The most authentically Homeric portrayal of the Gods that I have read in a modern work of fiction. The violence and terror are convincingly epic." (Tom Holland SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
"...a mind-blasting look at the nature of humanity, and what it truly means to be a hero. Complex and multi-stranded, this free-wheeling and beautifully bonkers epic [is] more than worth the effort. " (Saxon Bullock SFX )
"A deeply satisfying and dark twist on the old comics idea of fictional heroes existing in parallel universes. The action is non-stop and it has an ending that's satisfying. Heavy but rewarding stuff." (Anthony Brown STARBURST )
"This is powerful stuff, rich in both high-tech sense of wonder and literary allusions, but Simmons is in complete control of his material as half a dozen baroque plot lines smoothly converge on a rousing and highly satisfying conclusion." (PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY )
" Like so many epics and space operas, Olympos measures individual lives against a cosmic scale... combines the historical and literary Trojan war with biotechnology, nano-engineering, quantum physics, geology, astronomy, sex, politics, and religion." (The Guardian ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"...a mind-blasting look at the nature of humanity, and what it truly means to be a hero. Complex and multi-stranded, this free-wheeling and beautifully bonkers epic [is] more than worth the effort. " (Saxon Bullock SFX )
"A deeply satisfying and dark twist on the old comics idea of fictional heroes existing in parallel universes. The action is non-stop and it has an ending that's satisfying. Heavy but rewarding stuff." (Anthony Brown STARBURST )
"This is powerful stuff, rich in both high-tech sense of wonder and literary allusions, but Simmons is in complete control of his material as half a dozen baroque plot lines smoothly converge on a rousing and highly satisfying conclusion." (PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY )
" Like so many epics and space operas, Olympos measures individual lives against a cosmic scale... combines the historical and literary Trojan war with biotechnology, nano-engineering, quantum physics, geology, astronomy, sex, politics, and religion." (The Guardian ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Saxon Bullock, SFX
"...a mind-blasting look at the nature of humanity, and what it truly means to be a hero. Complex and multi-stranded, this free-wheeling and beautifully bonkers epic [is] more than worth the effort. "
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I own most books by Dan simmons and loved all of them - except this one.
the first part, Ilium conveys a wonderful adaptation to sci fi of troy with its heroes and gods.
in Olympos it seems the narrative escapes the author, with too many threads running amok, leaving too little time for each individual thread.. too many things are left unexplained or just glossed over, leaving a jumble that , to me, just got boring. Also, while in a novel full of gods you expect some deus-ex he overdoes it. gods, overgods, and
"evenmorepowerfulgodsyouneverseebutsolvetheplotline" ruin the story, as all the plotting and the plans of ALL characters in the book are ultimately made irrelevant.
Dont get me wrong, its not a bad book, but not up to the standards one has come to expect from Dan Simmons.
the first part, Ilium conveys a wonderful adaptation to sci fi of troy with its heroes and gods.
in Olympos it seems the narrative escapes the author, with too many threads running amok, leaving too little time for each individual thread.. too many things are left unexplained or just glossed over, leaving a jumble that , to me, just got boring. Also, while in a novel full of gods you expect some deus-ex he overdoes it. gods, overgods, and
"evenmorepowerfulgodsyouneverseebutsolvetheplotline" ruin the story, as all the plotting and the plans of ALL characters in the book are ultimately made irrelevant.
Dont get me wrong, its not a bad book, but not up to the standards one has come to expect from Dan Simmons.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read the Hyperion cantos and being hugely impressed by Illium i couldnt wait to read this Illium sequel. When the book finally arrived (after a 1 month pre-order) i pretty much read it in one go.
One can only admire the scope of the story told through Illium and Olympos. However, Olympos as a book is simply not as good as Illium. Some storylines in Olympos either do not add (enough) to the story as a whole, or simply are a bit of a drag to read through, to the point where i even caught myself flipping through a few pages here and there.
Another issue i have with Olympos is the last 50-70 pages. I couldnt get around the fact that the ending felt a bit rushed and cramped. Where Illium's ending was obviously a setup for a sequel the ending we're presented with in Olympos feels too much like Simmons is done with the world of Illium. He fails to answer some big questions (properly) or discuss some important characters more extensively, but he doesnt leave enough open ends to justify a sequel. Also, the references to judaism and islam felt a bit forced, as if it reflected personal views of the author.
Olympos is not to Illium what the Fall of Hyperion was to Hyperion, but do not let that keep you from reading this excellent book. Apart from anything else, it is an great read, hugely engaging, and i would recommend this book to anyone with even a vague interest in SF.
When i flipped the final page, i felt dissapointed. A bit because of the aforementioned problems, but mostly because i reached the end of it. Olympos, together with Illium, is one of the best SF stories ever printed on paper, or at least the best i read so far. These books deserve a place next to, if not above the Hyperion books.
So in the end i cannot get rid of the "it could've been better" feeling, as Olympos is not the perfect sequal to Illium. But it's close, very close...
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
By the time I'd finished reading Ilium (the first book of this pair) I was enthused with anticipation. How on earth, I wondered, can the author tie up all the plot threads, characters and storylines into a satisfying, coherent and meaningful conclusion. I couldn't wait to find out.
If you're wondering the same thing, I can answer you: he isn't going to.
Ilium was a fast moving, exciting Sci-fi blockbuster with a lot of good ideas. With Olympos, Simmons piles on even more plot threads and ideas until the whole thing just collapses into incoherence. With the Greek Gods, teleportation, nanotechnology, magic, alternate universes, Shakespeare, Proust, artificial intelligences, quantum effects of consciousness, shaceships, islamic fundamentalists, black-hole bombs, little green men, Mars and more, the author throws in everything you can think of - by the end I was expecting Hitler to wander into the narrative, possibly carrying the kitchen sink because they were the only things which hadn't thrown into the mix.
Long flagged plot threads are wrapped up in a couple of lines, the villain of the book just ups and leaves about a hundred pages from the end with no satisfying resolution, major characters appear and then disappear with no indication of where they have gone, and other characters have resolutions which - to put it politely - make no sense whatsoever.
Terry Pratchett can get away with using the excuse of "it's all Quantum, innit?" when excusing plot hoes in his books because he writes comedy. An author of Simmons' calibre cannot get away with it and having read Olympos from start to finish my over-riding feeling is that not only did I not understand how the book ends, I don't think the author does either. What is worse, is that there isn't much evidence of the author caring. The last hundred pages feel rushed, as if the author is as sick as you are of the whole thing and just wants to get it finished so he could go and watch Lost instead. Which is what I advise you do. It's more satisfying and it makes more sense.
If you're wondering the same thing, I can answer you: he isn't going to.
Ilium was a fast moving, exciting Sci-fi blockbuster with a lot of good ideas. With Olympos, Simmons piles on even more plot threads and ideas until the whole thing just collapses into incoherence. With the Greek Gods, teleportation, nanotechnology, magic, alternate universes, Shakespeare, Proust, artificial intelligences, quantum effects of consciousness, shaceships, islamic fundamentalists, black-hole bombs, little green men, Mars and more, the author throws in everything you can think of - by the end I was expecting Hitler to wander into the narrative, possibly carrying the kitchen sink because they were the only things which hadn't thrown into the mix.
Long flagged plot threads are wrapped up in a couple of lines, the villain of the book just ups and leaves about a hundred pages from the end with no satisfying resolution, major characters appear and then disappear with no indication of where they have gone, and other characters have resolutions which - to put it politely - make no sense whatsoever.
Terry Pratchett can get away with using the excuse of "it's all Quantum, innit?" when excusing plot hoes in his books because he writes comedy. An author of Simmons' calibre cannot get away with it and having read Olympos from start to finish my over-riding feeling is that not only did I not understand how the book ends, I don't think the author does either. What is worse, is that there isn't much evidence of the author caring. The last hundred pages feel rushed, as if the author is as sick as you are of the whole thing and just wants to get it finished so he could go and watch Lost instead. Which is what I advise you do. It's more satisfying and it makes more sense.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Illium, but not quite!
I LOVED Ilium, It was probably the best book I read when it came out and so I was champing at the bit to get it's sequel. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. P. D. Gregson-allcott
Still good, but disappointing.
I absolutely loved Ilium. It was such a wonderful idea with great characters and a fantastic journey. The sequel though is a little disappointing. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dave S Sparrow
Good, but a disappointing sequel on the whole
The first half of this was definitely a step down from "ilium". It was very jarring how Simmons abandoned the multiple writing styles for different storylines and left me with the... Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2010 by Neil J. Pearson
Brilliantly complex
Well first of all the frustrating bit. I bought this book from one of the sellers on Amazon and the first copy, like a fellow reviewer experienced, also had pages 217-251 missing... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by Adrian
Good transaction
Book arrived in perfect condition. Delivery was not on the forecast date but was not time critical. Well pleased
Published on 24 Dec 2009 by D. Cuende
Lots of fun
This was a doozy of a book, epic in every way from page count to plot, timespan to style. I didn't re-read Ilium (Gollancz S.F. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by Sulkyblue
Does not improve on Ilium - I've just stopped reading
I've loved the Hyperion and Endymnion Ominibus and was so much looking forward to reading Ilium and Olympos. Unfortunately, I've been deeply disappointed. Read more
Published on 15 April 2009 by Francois
Fantastic follow up
Twists and turns, but keeps you engrossed and on your toes at all times. You just know your not going to be disappointed.
Published on 24 Mar 2009 by D. Martin
Mammoth Fun
To be honest, I would give this book a four, but I felt a lot of the reviews were far to low. This book is a worthy follow-up. Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2009 by Luka Rejec
What was the publisher thinking?
After Ilium, this is a big let down. It reads as if Simmons couldn't be bothered work out how to develop the story any more, and just started to make stuff up to fill out the... Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2008 by DonSC
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