This might be the most ambitious series/duology I’ve read. Compared to Hyperion I think the low points in Ilium are lower, but the high points are just as high.
I LOVE these books. Dan Simmons is a living legend. He has written books in many different genres and I've enjoyed a couple dozen of them. That being said...I felt like a lot of questions went unanswered in these books. I had so many after I finished Olympus. But maybe that's the way Simmons intended.
I'm so glad you reviewed the Illium. It's been on my "want to read" list forever, but the book's synopsis is so far out there that it drowned my enthusiasm. Well, after your review I'm quiet excited and moving Illium to the top of my list!
Thanks for this video. These are two of my favourite books. What I love about them is that all the characters are so well realised. And Caliban is the scariest thing ever.
Having read Hyperion Cantos I totally fall in love of Simmons. Hyperion is one fo the best if not the best science fiction I have read in my life. Discovering that he wrote another series like the Hyperion in this case the Ilium/Olymp made my look it up and buy it without any second thoughts. Right now I am half way through Ilium and boy there are no equals to Simmons in term of geniality and creativity. At first I found it difficult to procceed through the story but very soon I totally fell for it the same way I did in Hyperion series and right now I am speeding up to the end of first book so much that I have to stop myself from time to time not only to properly enjoy the journey but to digest the richness of the story, characters and set ups. I have read many authors many series many stand alone books in science fiction genre, from soft to hard sci-fi, to many other formats, but this I pledge to the God almighty, totaly in love of legendary trio Asimov/Heinlein/Clarke, loving Pohl, Crichton, Weir, enjoying Reynolds or Tchaikovsky or even King (sometimes), but Simmons is the best of them all. For me anyway.
I did enjoy both books. What about Dan Simmons...might he be among the top ten best sci-fi writers of all time? Oh, by the way, his historical fiction, horror fiction, and hard-boiled detective fiction are pretty good too. My take on the all-time top ten in no particular order: Ursula Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, Dan Simmons, Iain M. Banks, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Neal Stephenson, Robert Silverberg, and Kurt Vonnegut, with Orson Scott Card, Frederik Pohl, and Harlan Ellison as runners-up. But that leaves out Heinlein and Herbert and Sturgeon and...well, you get the picture.
This video was VERY helpful! I have always been a huge fan of Simmons’ work - having read damn near everything he’s ever written - with things like The Hyperion Cantos & The Terror & Carrion Confort being obvious high points, and novels like Song of Kali & Drood being relative lore points. I’m about halfway through Illium now and was having a lot of trouble following along & understanding a lot of it, but your videos and other TH-cam creators have really helped me get a grasp on it :) So thanks much, I’ve subscribed and I’m sure I’ll be back for more!!!
Read these books when they first were published. I to this day still have images in my head from the events in the books. Got me into reading more from Dan Simmons too, not just Hyperion Cantos but others. Great author.
Hyperion Cantos is better then anything anyone have ever read. I absolutely love Ilium and Olympus, but Hyperion cantos is on a whole different level. Best books I ever read
I read these books long ago, when they were relatively new or in paperback, and I still think of them fondly. I might re-read them or audible them soon.
Illium is great. One of the most epic cliffhangers I have ever read. Makes you hurry to read sequel. Id recommend you dont tho. Sequel doesnt live up to the previous.
that was my issue with the Hyperion Cantos series. I rushed through the books only to be let down by the ending of the last one. I hated it so much I actually sold all the books just so I wouldn't have to look at them.
Another great vid mate, loved these books and equal to H Cantos imho. Gotta say though, I am pretty certain that Troy wasn’t on Mars. You mentioned the Posts creating it multiple times but I’m sure it was stated clearly that it was Earth and there’s all that stuff about travelling to different parts of two Earths eventually. Do I have all this wrong?
If I recall correctly, I believe that Olympus Mons is referenced several times in the story, and that this Trojan war is playing out at the foot of the mountain. That said, I haven't read the book in many years, so may not be remembering it all that well.
I really enjoyed and admired Illium but Olympus was so underwhelming. The intense islamophobia and pro-zionistic deus ex machina didn't help either but one must understand the historical context in which they were written by a conservative person.
The Voynich, robotic? I know they sort of mirror the Morlocks of the Time Machine but I never got the impression they were robots, more to my mind demonic creatures from elsewhere (another quantum reality?) Two other things that I never really understood but enjoyed, the Easter Island heads lining the Martian Canals, and Odysseus's home on the bridge which reminded me very much of William Gibson's bridge trilogy.
This might be the most ambitious series/duology I’ve read. Compared to Hyperion I think the low points in Ilium are lower, but the high points are just as high.
Ilium is a major work that doesn't get enough love. You've talked me into rereading it.
I LOVE these books. Dan Simmons is a living legend. He has written books in many different genres and I've enjoyed a couple dozen of them. That being said...I felt like a lot of questions went unanswered in these books. I had so many after I finished Olympus. But maybe that's the way Simmons intended.
It's always a great day to see a new post from you!
I'm so glad you reviewed the Illium. It's been on my "want to read" list forever, but the book's synopsis is so far out there that it drowned my enthusiasm. Well, after your review I'm quiet excited and moving Illium to the top of my list!
Thanks for this video. These are two of my favourite books. What I love about them is that all the characters are so well realised. And Caliban is the scariest thing ever.
A fantastic read. Every few years I reread and always find something new.
Darrel, you could sell me snow in winter. Now I need to read Ilium 😅
😂
Having read Hyperion Cantos I totally fall in love of Simmons. Hyperion is one fo the best if not the best science fiction I have read in my life. Discovering that he wrote another series like the Hyperion in this case the Ilium/Olymp made my look it up and buy it without any second thoughts. Right now I am half way through Ilium and boy there are no equals to Simmons in term of geniality and creativity. At first I found it difficult to procceed through the story but very soon I totally fell for it the same way I did in Hyperion series and right now I am speeding up to the end of first book so much that I have to stop myself from time to time not only to properly enjoy the journey but to digest the richness of the story, characters and set ups.
I have read many authors many series many stand alone books in science fiction genre, from soft to hard sci-fi, to many other formats, but this I pledge to the God almighty, totaly in love of legendary trio Asimov/Heinlein/Clarke, loving Pohl, Crichton, Weir, enjoying Reynolds or Tchaikovsky or even King (sometimes), but Simmons is the best of them all. For me anyway.
I did enjoy both books. What about Dan Simmons...might he be among the top ten best sci-fi writers of all time? Oh, by the way, his historical fiction, horror fiction, and hard-boiled detective fiction are pretty good too. My take on the all-time top ten in no particular order: Ursula Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, Dan Simmons, Iain M. Banks, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Neal Stephenson, Robert Silverberg, and Kurt Vonnegut, with Orson Scott Card, Frederik Pohl, and Harlan Ellison as runners-up. But that leaves out Heinlein and Herbert and Sturgeon and...well, you get the picture.
This video was VERY helpful! I have always been a huge fan of Simmons’ work - having read damn near everything he’s ever written - with things like The Hyperion Cantos & The Terror & Carrion Confort being obvious high points, and novels like Song of Kali & Drood being relative lore points. I’m about halfway through Illium now and was having a lot of trouble following along & understanding a lot of it, but your videos and other TH-cam creators have really helped me get a grasp on it :) So thanks much, I’ve subscribed and I’m sure I’ll be back for more!!!
Thanks a lot. For a long time I was on a fence whether to read these books or no. Thanks for the video. Informative as always
Amen. Dan Simmons is a master and Illium / Olympus is in my top 5 (along with his Cantos).
👌 analysis
Read these books when they first were published. I to this day still have images in my head from the events in the books. Got me into reading more from Dan Simmons too, not just Hyperion Cantos but others. Great author.
Masterpiece. Absolute amazing pure creativity.
Hyperion Cantos is better then anything anyone have ever read. I absolutely love Ilium and Olympus, but Hyperion cantos is on a whole different level. Best books I ever read
I read these books long ago, when they were relatively new or in paperback, and I still think of them fondly. I might re-read them or audible them soon.
Illium is great. One of the most epic cliffhangers I have ever read. Makes you hurry to read sequel. Id recommend you dont tho. Sequel doesnt live up to the previous.
that was my issue with the Hyperion Cantos series. I rushed through the books only to be let down by the ending of the last one. I hated it so much I actually sold all the books just so I wouldn't have to look at them.
I agree, Olympos does not live up.
I thought the sequel was far more flawed than Ilium, but I still enjoyed it overall.
So if I read the first book when it originally came out, do I need to reread it or can I just dive into the second book?
Another great vid mate, loved these books and equal to H Cantos imho.
Gotta say though, I am pretty certain that Troy wasn’t on Mars. You mentioned the Posts creating it multiple times but I’m sure it was stated clearly that it was Earth and there’s all that stuff about travelling to different parts of two Earths eventually.
Do I have all this wrong?
If I recall correctly, I believe that Olympus Mons is referenced several times in the story, and that this Trojan war is playing out at the foot of the mountain. That said, I haven't read the book in many years, so may not be remembering it all that well.
Rodger Zelazny Lord of Light is similar in Basic theme worth a read if you like classic fantasy.
Three readings since the original publication of Ilium and Olympos. More than the Vernor Vinge's "Zones of Thought" book series.
absolutely loved this book
Audio booked it recently. Blew my head off. It's so loaded! Amazing
Still prefer Hyperion but ive read Illium twice.
Can you read and enjoy this with out reading that much classic literature?
Absolutely, in fact, it's so well told that it makes you want to read more about classic literature.
such a good read
Errrr they don’t change Mars to create the Trojan war? They quantum teleport back in time to the Trojan war in another universe
Fml. I have never heard of this series before, but I just wrote a sci-fi campaign for my rpg group, and it is so similar to this it's stupid
I really enjoyed and admired Illium but Olympus was so underwhelming. The intense islamophobia and pro-zionistic deus ex machina didn't help either but one must understand the historical context in which they were written by a conservative person.
The Voynich, robotic? I know they sort of mirror the Morlocks of the Time Machine but I never got the impression they were robots, more to my mind demonic creatures from elsewhere (another quantum reality?) Two other things that I never really understood but enjoyed, the Easter Island heads lining the Martian Canals, and Odysseus's home on the bridge which reminded me very much of William Gibson's bridge trilogy.
barely two minutes in and I'm out again! I need to read these book without spoilers.
The ending was massively underwhelming though.
Can you read and enjoy this with out reading that much classic literature?
In a word. Yes.
@@Sci-FiOdyssey Thankyou. Im not really a magic person but can step to fantasy if its approached from the science fiction angle.
@@thewhitewolf58yes. Of course, if you have a bare-bones knoeledge of the referenced original works, it will help.