I doubt you can find many novels that are as detailed, dense and inspired in science fiction as Dan Simmons' Hyperion ones. His next attempt was the duet "Ilium" and "Olympos". The first thing that amazes you is that once again Simmons' imagination is over the top. "Ilium" starts with the same verses as Homer's "Iliad" but the person who recites them is one Thomas Hockenberry, a scholar of the "Iliad" from the 21st century. And his relationship with the Muse is nothing like Homer's. You go on, astonished to find out that Hockenberry is living the legendary Trojan War, and his job is to report to the Muse everything that is going on and how, if at all, it differs with Homer's text. Yes, the Gods, the heroes, and everything else is in place. Thomas Hockenberry has no idea how he was brought there, but it soon becomes clear that the "Gods" owe their supernatural power to advanced technology.
Meanwhile, sentient machines of earthly origin embark from Jupiter to investigate strange quantum anomalies that are emanating from Mars. These AIs were created by humanity millenia ago, but they still are obsessed with everything human. Named "moravecs", after the robotics researcher
Hans Moravec, the two machines contemplate on what it is to be human and analyze the texts of Shakespeare and Proust on their journey. But what is happening on Earth?
Things are even weirder here. Humanity has been dumbed down despite the advanced technology they are using. Noone knows how to read, or do anything else since everything is provided by machine servitors. Societies have no structure, there is no government, and the concept of family has been forgotten. Everything has been arranged so by the post-humans, a population of genetically advanced humans who have disappeared and left only their rules behind.
How all of this connects in a coherent way is something that only Dan Simmons could pull through. However, as I said, he does go over the top. There are some things that could be left out, like wandering dinosaurs. Yes, it's not implausible considering the age and technology described but I think it hurts the overall picture.
As we turn to "Olympos", a lot has happened. Hockenberry, sick of being a pawn for the Gods, takes matters into his own hands. As a result, the war takes a new turn when Greeks and Trojans ally against the Gods themselves. The moravecs find out that this war is taking place on a terraformed Mars and it is the source of the anomalies they were sent to investigate. The entities posing as Gods must be stopped before the anomalies become a threat for the universe.
As if the Trojan War wasn't enough, characters from
Shakespeare's "The Tempest" , come to life, much like the greek Gods. Their roles are less of a mystery and more of a literary challenge. A challenge of sorts, also, is Simmons' detailed descriptions of future technologies that are up to date with the latest advancements in physics.
The final verdict on this very ambitious fantasy creation is not an all-together positive one like it was for "Hyperion". You will, of course, be amazed at the complexity and imagination of the writing. Despite its wild and fun character, it requires some level of literature and even science involvement from the reader. This will tend to be annoying for some but it can also be something to spark interest for these things. But there are other flaws to consider. The plotlines come to be extremely complex and their resolvement is not entirely satisfying. It makes you think that it would require one or two more books to do this right. Finally, even though Simmons tries to be subtle about it, his religious convictions come out more strongly here than in "Hyperion". Hard to avoid this, considering how closely related fiction and religion are.
The title and the hype can certainly be misleading, but that doesn't mean a popular book can't be enjoyable. If you ignore the facts that the economy, in the most common meaning, is never mentioned and that the whole thing reads like a shrine to Levitt, then "Freakonomics" will keep you some good company.
