Monday, September 15, 2003

Ancient Greeks Meet The Future in Simmons "Ilium"

by Dan Simmons

"This book is not so serious nor so horrific as Hyperion although it has its share of terrors, most notably those belonging to reanimated present-day classics professor Thomas Hockenberry, who is hauled into the Trojan war to verify that it does indeed follow exactly as the Iliad promises. He knows who dies, how and when, and he has time to get to know the actors before they have to meet their fate. Then Aphrodite pressgangs him into helping her get rid of Athena, at which point action and adventure take over from the thoughtful opening scenes and it's hell-for-dazzling-leather until the end of the book. Unfortunately by this point there are more loose ends and unsatisfactory lacunae than in the Turin shroud (which also features, once as TV and once as toilet paper - don't ask). "

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