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Banewreaker

Banewreaker is the first volume in a two part fantasy epic by Jacqueline Carey, whom I’d never read before. She’s been highly recommended to me, but this is the first one that sounded like something I’d like.

Fortunately it was. I enjoyed it very much.

Ilium

While I was on vacation in Mexico I read quite a few good books. The best of these was Dan Simmons’ epic space opera Ilium. This book has everything. And I mean everything. To try and explain what it’s about would be very difficult, but I think I can give you enough of an idea that it might get you interested.

Ilium begins on Mars, far into the future, and, at the same time, smack dab in the middle of the Trojan war here on earth thousands of years ago. The “greek gods”, through the use of nano, quantum and other technologies are recreating Homer’s Iliad with the help of 20th century Iliad scholar,Thomas Hockenberry, on the terra-formed plains of Mars.

Their vast use of quantum technology has alerted a group of self-aware (and, in one case, Shakespeare loving) robots living on the various moons of Jupiter, who launch an expeditionary force to investigate, and possibly eliminate, the activity on Mars.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, a dwindling number of “old style” humans—people with no past, no future beyond their alloted 100 years, no art and no clue about anything outside of their pampered existence—struggle to find meaning amidst some pretty radical changes as their lives are turned upside-down.

When Hockenberry decides to change the path Homer laid out, everything goes crazy and Gods, Greek heroes, robots, little green men, dinosaurs, alien entities and classic Shakespearean characters collide in a very well written and highly engaging tale that really works…and really hooks.

Simmons blends classic literature, great characters and lots of good, hard science fiction into one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Hockenberry is a great protagonist whose interaction with the old world of Troy and the new, slightly crazy world of the post human “gods” makes for a great read.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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