Ilium by Dan Simmons

This is the SciFi book group selection for February. It's a small tome at 725 pages - which is why I was reading it early - but not very often do I get a page turner like this was. And since Ilium is a rather large book, I'm afraid my review my get a bit long. I mean, how does one sum up such a great book in an itty bitty space?

(Possible Spoilers Ahead!)

Ilium is based off of Homer's Illiad, but the reader doesn't need to know anything about Homer's story to follow the plot in this one. And in fact, there are three plots happening simultaneously. First, we have the basis for the book, the Illiad, being played out in full force complete with resplendent heroes, powerful gods, and humble scholic Thomas Hockenberry - a literary professor from the 20th century put in place by the Muse to watch and observe the battle and report any anomalies. Hockenberry is given tools to move around the battles; a morphing bracelet that allows him to assume any form so he may go unnoticed by the soldiers and heroes he watches, a quantum transfer medallion so he may teleport and zip around as need be, a levitation harness, special lenses to see farther, a recording wand, and specialized armor so he doesn't become an inadvertent casualty.

Hockenberry's trouble starts when the Muse through Aphrodite gives him the Helmut of Hades so he may spy on the Gods unnoticed. Much to his surprise, he is then tasked with killing Athena. From here, Hockenberry discovers the battle on the plains of Illium have now diverged from Homer's Illiad. Events are now up in the air as to what the outcome may be.

Meanwhile, on a much changed far future Earth, young Ada, Hannah, Daemon have met up with Harmon, who is in his fifth Twenty (nearing 100). Harmon doesn't want to "die" (be faxed up to the rings to live in resplendent idleness for ever after), so he and the others set out to try and find Savi. Savi is an almost mythological human, known as the Wandering Jew, and they suspect she knows how to get them to the rings that circle earth where the post-humans live. (Like I said, thick book, three plots, lots of concepts.) Harmon wants to bargain with the post-humans for a longer life. The three do meet up with Savi, and with the mythical yet alive Odysseus. The three recognize Odysseus from the "turin drama" they have been watching and following (which is indeed the one and the same Hockenberry is following). Ada and Hannah are instructed to take Odysseus back to Ada's home and introduce him to people while Savi, Daemon and Harmon continue their quest to reach the rings above Earth.

The third plot revolves around two Shakespeare and Proust quoting morvacs (autonomous, sentient, bio-mechanical organisms seeded though out the outer solar system by humans during the "lost age"). Little Mahnmut is pulled from the depths of Europa oceans and Orphu is selected from the fringes of the moons around Jupiter to join Koros II and Rhi Po on a mission to Mars to find out just what the heck is going on (think of investigating Iran for nuclear weapons here). On their entry, the ship is attacked by two Gods and Koros II and Rhi Po are vaporized instantly, leaving Mahnmut and Orphu to struggle on alone. Orphu was all but destroyed by the blast, leaving him legless, limbless and without sight. Mahnmut refuses to leave his one and only friend and struggles on with the larger morvac. Upon landing on Mars, they are met by LGM (little green men - I kid you not), who assist them in their quest to get the device to Mount Olympus.

Now, without revealing too much more, the three story lines are interconnected and mostly converge by the conclusion of the book. The last 1/4 of the book was absolutely fascinating as each sub-plot came step by step closer to the others. The plot with Daemon and Harmon was not as closely interlinked as the other two, but it's storyline was no less fascinating. The book does have it's few quirks and annoying characters, but I don't want to write a book about this book. You will just have to read it yourself!

Enjoy! I certainly did.