History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

brilliant
So disappointing
A stew of greatness
A story in three parts
Intricate plot, excellent book. How does Simmons think this stuff up?

Ilium (Simmons, Dan)
Dan Simmons
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0380978938

Amazon.com

Genre-hopping Dan Simmons returns to science fiction with the vast and intricate masterpiece Ilium. Within, Simmons weaves three astounding story lines into one Earth-, Mars-, and Jupiter-shattering cliffhanger that will leave readers aching for the sequel.

On Earth, a post-technological group of humans, pampered by servant machines and easy travel via "faxing," begins to question its beginnings. Meanwhile, a team of sentient and Shakespeare-quoting robots from Jupiter's lunar system embark on a mission to Mars to investigate an increase in dangerous quantum fluctuations. On the Red Planet, they'll find a race of metahumans living out existence as the pantheon of classic Greek gods. These "gods" have recreated the Trojan War with reconstituted Greeks and Trojans and staffed it with scholars from throughout Earth's history who observe the events and report on the accuracy of Homer's Iliad. One of these scholars, Thomas Hockenberry, finds himself tangled in the midst of interplay between the gods and their playthings and sends the war reeling in a direction the blind poet could have never imagined.

Simmons creates an exciting and thrilling tale set in the thick of the Trojan War as seen through Hockenberry's 20th-century eyes. At the same time, Simmons's robots study Shakespeare and Proust and the origin-seeking Earthlings find themselves caught in a murderous retelling of The Tempest. Reading this highly literate novel does take more than a passing familiarity with at least The Iliad but readers who can dive into these heady waters and swim with the current will be amply rewarded. --Jeremy Pugh

Book Description

From the towering heights of Olympos Mons on Mars, the mighty Zeus and his immortal family of gods, goddesses, and demigods look down upon a momentous battle, observing -- and often influencing -- the legendary exploits of Paris, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, and the clashing armies of Greece and Troy.

Thomas Hockenberry, former twenty-first-century professor and Iliad scholar, watches as well. It is Hockenberry's duty to observe and report on the Trojan War's progress to the so-called deities who saw fit to return him from the dead. But the muse he serves has a new assignment for the wary scholic, one dictated by Aphrodite herself. With the help of fortieth-century technology, Hockenberry is to infiltrate Olympos, spy on its divine inhabitants ... and ultimately destroy Aphrodite's sister and rival, the goddess Pallas Athena.

On an Earth profoundly changed since the departure of the Post-Humans centuries earlier, the great events on the bloody plains of Ilium serve as mere entertainment. Its scenes of unrivaled heroics and unequaled carnage add excitement to human lives devoid of courage, strife, labor, and purpose. But this eloi-like existence is not enough for Harman, a man in the last year of his last Twenty. That rarest of post-postmodern men -- an "adventurer" -- he intends to explore far beyond the boundaries of his world before his allotted time expires, in search of a lost past, a devastating truth, and an escape from his own inevitable "final fax." Meanwhile, from the radiation-swept reaches of Jovian space, four sentient machines race to investigate -- and, perhaps, terminate -- the potentially catastrophic emissions of unexplained quantum-flux emanating from a mountaintop miles above the terraformed surface of Mars ...

The first book in a remarkable two-part epic to be concluded in the upcoming Olympos, Dan Simmons's Ilium is a breathtaking adventure, enormous in scope and imagination, sweeping across time and space to connect three seemingly disparate stories in fresh, thrilling, and totally unexpected ways. A truly masterful work of speculative fiction, it is quite possibly Simmons's finest achievement to date in an already storied literary career.

Download Description

From the author of the Hyperion Cantos -- one of the most acclaimed popular series in contemporary science fiction -- comes a powerful epic of high-tech gods, human heroes, total war, and the extraordinary transcendence of ordinary beings. The first book in a two-part epic. ""I am in awe of Dan Simmons."" -- Stephen King

On an Earth profoundly changed since the departure of the Post-Humans centuries earlier, the great events on the bloody plains of Ilium serve as mere entertainment. Its scenes of unrivaled heroics and unequaled carnage add excitement to human lives devoid of courage, strife, labor, and purpose. But this eloi-like existence is not enough for Harman, a man in the last year of his last Twenty. That rarest of post-postmodern men -- an ""adventurer"" -- he intends to explore far beyond the boundaries of his world before his allotted time expires, in search of a lost past, a devastating truth, and an escape from his own inevitable ""final fax."" Meanwhile, from the radiation-swept reaches of Jovian space, four sentient machines race to investigate -- and, perhaps, terminate -- the potentially catastrophi

Customer Reviews:

brilliant.......2007-08-22

The way Simmons blends history and his own tale is a delight to read. As a fan of the Hyperion series, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't disappointed at all, though I only rated Olympos a four because I think Hyperion is better. Ilium's future/alternate world doesn't seem as convincing to me and its characters weren't deeply compelling. The novelization of the Trojan war could stand alone though, and carries the volume.

So disappointing.......2007-08-10

I wanted to like this book. I'm a huge fan of Simmons' Hyperion/Endymion books, and the premise for this one sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, it's a mess. There are three interwoven storylines and at least 2 of them don't make any sense. The characters are never fleshed out, so by the time anything happened to any of them, I found I just didn't care. I understand that the reason for the abrupt ending is that the story is finished in Olympos, but when I got to the end of this one I just had no desire to find out what happened.

I'll give it three stars because the Troy storyline is such a pleasure to read. Simmons's way with language shines through in those sections.

A stew of greatness.......2007-08-02

Simmons takes greek gods, robots, evolved humans, and a 20th century schlub and tells a masterful sci-fi tale. Can't be done? HAH!
This is a book that is hard to put down. There are three stories that alternate faithfully throughout the book. The first is the story of a 20th century professor brought back to life to observe the Trojan War, the second is a Jovian robot who is sent to investigate the energy emissions that are given off by this war, and the third is the story of a few of a one million surviving humans on earth.

The story was unpredictable and kept me guessing, but consistant in it's quality. The perspectives of each of the different viewpoints was very well done, and the universe was more imaginative than any I have read. I'm really impressed by this book, and Simmons has vaulted to the top of my favorite authors list.

A story in three parts.......2007-07-18

I liked it. It has been years since a book kept me up reading until 1:00 am night after night!!

It was a story in three parts:

Chapter 1 starts on another earth at Ilium (Troy) 3,000 years in the future where the Trojan War is being fought by Nanotech'ed pre-literate humans. All the major players are there including the gods and the story is repeated with some variance on the "Iliad" and told in the first person by a reconstructed classical scholar who died in 2006. The gods, who are obviously not really the Greek gods, act just like the gods of the Myths and the humans, although they all look like "they are all members of the greatest health club in history", are cruel barbarous killers, even the women.

Chapter 2 takes place at the same time on a post-literate earth where "old-style" humans are ignorant of just about everything. History, Geography, Reading, etc are all lost skills. The "old-style" humans are also Nanotech'ed but they a connected to various networks which they do not know about nor care but they can still interface with it through their palm screens. It is just a matter knowing the right symbols to visualize in order to activate the function. The humans of this time live in an idyllic play ground which not only guarantees them a hundred year of life, but relieves of all the responsibilities of providing for that life.

Chapter 3 starts on one of the moons of Jupiter where the still literate cyborgs, known as moravecs, spend their free time, that is when they are not mining the moons for resources, thinking and debating the relative values of Shakespeare, Proust and other "Lost Age" literary figures. It has always been my contention that good Science Fiction must an element of Philology in it and I find it absolutely hilarious that he chooses to put the Philosophical portion of the story into the hands of some very non-human character. That is and physical abilities, non-human in appearance but very human in thought.

Not wanting to give away anything: The book follows the chapter order until near the end when the timelines splits a bit too much, and will keep you guessing all the way through. He destroys the Iliad's story with a nice little war against the gods, allows the humans to see the error of their ways which way so much the understatement, and put a nice little twist on the moravecs story that I admit, I did not see coming. Damn good book and one hell of a writer.

Intricate plot, excellent book. How does Simmons think this stuff up?.......2007-04-04

Mr. Simmons is arguably one of the best genre-hopping authors around, having pulled down awards for SciFi, Horror, Fantasy, etc. But this massive book (700+ pages in the paperback) makes me wonder exactly how does he think this excellent stuff up?

Ilium mixes the Trojan War (is it the real Trojan War, or a setup re-creation?), future humans (who are so pampered that they have forgotten or have been forced to forget their history, basic skills like reading and cooking, etc.), post-humans (evolved in some fashion) and Jupiter/Asteroid Belt organic-plus-Artificially Intelligent miner/workers into a story that is part future, part past. Combining these characters with literary references to Shakespeare, Proust (the Jupiter miners have all of ancient Earth in their databases and a weakness for literature), Homer and others, would in the hands of a lesser writer, make for a slogfest of a read.

Simmons masterfully blends these characters, time-shifting settings and science fiction creations into a plot that is a page turner for the majority of it's bulk. The plot opens up, little by little, letting the reader slowly but surely put these pieces together, while keeping us engaged with what's happening. The science of the science fiction is added to make this complexity quite possible, which is what good science fiction is all about.

The only issue I have with this novel is that (without giving away any spoilers) one has to read the next novel, Olympos. But it is a small issue, and, given the quality of Ilium, I will happily dive into Olympos.

Highly reccommended!

Average customer rating:

A mixed bag
Slow at times, complex, carefully thought out
Stop expecting Hyperion and you will enjoy it more....
Sooooo Disappointing
Disappointment after Illium

Olympos
Dan Simmons
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0380978946
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Amazon.com

Welcome back to the Trojan War gone round the bend. Hector and Achilles have joined forces against the Olympic Gods. Back on a future Earth, assorted creatures from Shakespeare's The Tempest get ready to rumble in a winner-takes-the-universe battle royale. And amid it all, a group of confused mere mortals with their classically trained robot allies (from Jupiter no less) race across time and space to keep from getting squashed as the various Titans of the Western Canon square off.

Confused? It's all part of Dan Simmons's Olympos, a novel one part fun-with-quantum-physics and two parts through-the-looking-glass survey of Western Literature. Picking up where he left off in the high-wire act Ilium, Simmons doesn't disappoint. Not only is Olympos excellent hard science fiction and grand space opera, it's a riveting and fast-paced book that is alternately shocking, thrilling, and often deftly hilarious as his hapless human creations wrestle the forces of literary history itself. Be sure to read Ilium first though. That and a more-than passing familiarity with The Illiad might come in handy for the journey to Mars, Ilium's far-off shores, and the Earth that might be. --Jeremy Pugh

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

Master of the Universes: An Exclusive Interview with Dan Simmons

Changing genres as easily as others change clothes, bestselling author Dan Simmons has written horror, mystery, historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction. In this Amazon.com exclusive interview, he talks about his latest SF triumph, Olympos, a tale of Mars, the Greek gods, and survival in a post-human world.

Book Description

Beneath the gaze of the gods, the mighty armies of Greece and Troy met in fierce and glorious combat, scrupulously following the text set forth in Homer's timeless narrative. But that was before one observer—Twenty-first Century scholar Thomas Hockenberry—stirred the bloody brew; before an enraged Achilles joined forces with his archenemy Hector; and before the fleet-footed mankiller turned his murderous wrath on Zeus, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and the entire pantheon of divine manipulators.

Now, all bets are off.

Dan Simmons, the multiple-award-winning author of The Hyperion Cantos, returns with the eagerly anticipated conclusion to his critically acclaimed, Hugo Award-nominated sf epic Ilium. A novel breathtaking in its scope and conception, Olympos ingeniously imagines a catastrophic future where immortal "post-humans" high atop the real Olympos Mons on Mars restage the Trojan War for their own amusement even while the sad remnants of mortal humankind are forced to confront their ultimate annihilation.

For untold centuries, those few old-style humans remaining on Earth have never known strife, toil, or responsibility, each content to live his or her allocated hundred years of life in unquestioning leisure. But virtually overnight and for reasons beyond their comprehension, the world around them has changed forever. The voynix—terrible and swift creatures that once catered to their every need—are now massing in the millions with but one terrifying purpose: the total extermination of the human race.

Having traveled farther and learned more of the wondrous and terrible truth of their world than any others of their kind, Ada and Daeman—with the aid of the crafty and mysterious warrior once called Odysseus, now called Noman—must marshal the pathetic defenses of Ardis Hall in anticipation of the onslaught of the murderous voynix. And they must do so without Harman, Ada's lover and the father of her unborn child, who wanders the Earth on a great odyssey of his own. Harman seeks nothing less than the limitless knowledge necessary to defeat Setebos, an unspeakable, otherworldly monster who feeds on horror, and whose arrival heralds the end of all things.

And meanwhile, back on Mars . . .

The vengeful rebellion of Achilles—and the intervention of sentient robots from Jovian space, determined to prevent a potentially universe-obliterating quantum catastrophe—has set immortal against immortal, igniting a civil war among Olympian gods that may send all things in Heaven and Earth and everywhere in between plummeting straight to Hell.

A monumental work that blurs the often arbitrary line between great sf and serious literature, Dan Simmons's Olympos—together with its extraordinary predecessor, Ilium—sets new standards for the genre, confirming his reputation as one of the most original authors currently working in the field of speculative fiction.

Download Description

Beneath the gaze of the gods, the mighty armies of Greece and Troy met in fierce and glorious combat, scrupulously following the text set forth in Homer's timeless narrative. But that was before one observer -- Twenty-first Century scholar Thomas Hockenberry -- stirred the bloody brew; before an enraged Achilles joined forces with his archenemy Hector; and before the fleet-footed mankiller turned his murderous wrath on Zeus, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and the entire pantheon of divine manipulators.

Now, all bets are off.

Dan Simmons, the multiple-award-winning author of The Hyperion Cantos, returns with the eagerly anticipated conclusion to his critically acclaimed, Hugo Award-nominated sf epic Ilium. A novel breathtaking in its scope and conception, Olympos ingeniously imagines a catastrophic future where immortal ""post-humans"" high atop the real Olympos Mons on Mars restage the Trojan War for their own amusement even while the sad remnants of mortal humankind are forced to confront their ultimate annihilation.

For untold centuries, those few old-style humans remaining on Earth have never known strife, toil, or responsibility, each content to live his or her allocated hundred years of life in unquestioning leisure. But virtually overnight and for reasons beyond their comprehension, the world around them has changed forever. The voynix -- terrible and swift creatures that once catered to their every need -- are now massing in the millions with but one terrifying purpose: the total extermination of the human race.

Having traveled farther and learned more of the wondrous and terrible truth of their world than any others of their kind, Ada and Daeman -- with the aid of the crafty and mysterious warrior once called Odysseus, now called Noman -- must marshal the pathetic defenses of Ardis Hall in anticipation of the onslaught of the murderous voynix. And they must do so without Harman, Ada's lover and the father of her unborn child, who wanders the Earth on a great odyssey of his own. Harman seeks nothing less than the limitless knowledge necessary to defeat Setebos, an unspeakable, otherworldly monster who feeds on horror, and whose arrival heralds the end of all things.

And meanwhile, back on Mars ...

The vengeful rebellion of Achilles -- and the intervention of sentient robots from Jovian space, determined to prevent a potentially universe-obliterating quantum catastrophe -- has set immortal against immortal, igniting a civil war among Olympian gods that may send all things in Heaven and Earth and everywhere in between plummeting straight to Hell.

A monumental work that blurs the often arbitrary line between great sf and serious literature, Dan Simmons's Olympos -- together with its extraordinary predecessor, Ilium -- sets new standards for the genre, confirming his reputation as one of the most original authors currently working in the field of speculative fiction.

Customer Reviews:

A mixed bag.......2007-08-13

This is the sequel to "Ilium". Although sequel isn't really the right word, because that implies each book can stand independently. This is one long story that, for whatever publishing or marketing reasons, is being sold as two different books. The "Kill Bill" of literature, if you will.

I suspect that the primary reason for this would be the sheer length of the story. At a combined total of close to 2000 pages, it would be hard to fit it all into one binding. However in my opinion, the publishers of this book are being slightly dishonest, because the book jacket really should read, "Don't even think about buying this book if you haven't read 'Ilium' yet, because it will make absolutely no sense." But there's not a word about this book being a sequel on the cover. In fact for someone just wandering through the bookstore, like I was a couple months ago, it is very hard to tell just by looking at the book covers which book is a sequel to which.

Marketing quibbles aside:

I thought Simmons did an excellent job of re-writing the characters from Homer's Iliad. At this point in the story, the meddling Dr. Hockenberry has succeeded in diverting the Trojan War from its normal course, and Homer's characters are now off on a new adventure, but all the more fun to follow these classic characters as they go down a new unknown path.

I was absolutely glued to this book during the Trojan War sections. However, as I noted in my review of Ilium, unfortunately the Trojan War sections are only 1/3 (maybe even less) of this story. The rest deals with the standard post-apocolyptic future being terrorized by cyborg killing machines, resurrected dinosaurs, Caliban and the characters from Shakespeare's "The Tempest", and some strange half organic robots from Jupiter. It all ties together somehow at the end, but for me, it got a bit too bizarre. Furthermore I never really got interested in any of Dan Simmons's original characters the way I was interested in the Greek and Trojan heroes.

Dan Simmons is juggling several balls at once in this story line, and I don't think he really does any of them justice. The plot, to the extent there is a plot, becomes this huge monster of a story line, which has several loose ends and unanswered questions by the time the book comes to a close. Furthermore several of the side stories could easily have been pulled from this book without making a difference. For example, the whole story about the Trojan War taking place in the future didn't really impact the other storylines in this book all that much.

Furthermore there are several errors in this book, both in regards to Homer's story, and continuity errors in regards to Dan Simmon's own story, which indicate a lack of thorough proof-reading or editorial oversight. To give one example from many: Dan Simmons claims Sarpedon was killed by Patroclus, which is technically true in Homer's Iliad, but Simmons apparently forgot that in his own story Patroclus was kidnapped by professor Hockenberry before the last chapters of the Iliad were allowed to unfold. These kind of things don't spoil the whole book, but there were enough of them to annoy me.

Slow at times, complex, carefully thought out.......2007-08-09

Like its predecessor, Ilium, Olympos starts kind of slow, and has its slow spots. Still, it's a worthy sequel, and addresses some of the open topics left dangling after Ilium. Simmons is a master of believable alternate realities and complex, credible intertwining storytelling. We learn more of the war against the gods, the Little Green Men are explained, and we see the post-literate society grapple with re-learning fundamental survival skills. Recommended.

Stop expecting Hyperion and you will enjoy it more...........2007-08-02

While Olympos isn't as strong as Ilium, it is still quite good. There's a lot of meat being left out in most of the bad reviews, which seem to hover around the same theme: This isn't what they wanted after reading Hyperion. That's a shame, and I think that clouded some from appreciating many of the insane concepts Simmons presents in this book.

I think the ending was solid enough to tie up the loose ends that needed to be tied up. At the same time, it was open ended, which makes it brilliant. If it ended with a titanic battle everyone seems to want, and let the reader know what happened to every single character, it would have come across in a very cliche fashion. An ending like that would clashed with the structure of the book. This book has some of the most far out concepts and plot lines I've read in ages, so expecting a book like this to have everything tied up in a neat package in the end is nothing but setting oneself up for disappointment. The answers are there for you to find. Everything else is left for the imagination.

Sooooo Disappointing.......2007-06-07

Ilium was fabulous in so many ways. Olympos is the opposite. In this novel, the author has let islamophobia, misogyny and homophobia get in the way of his storytelling gifts. Where the Hyperion series had a transcendent view of human destiny, Olympos ends on a downer - the future for women, at least, is to be chained firmly to the kitchen sink.

Plotting seems to go out the window as well and, as other reviewers have pointed out, the narrative threads are left hanging. Why on earth was Moira brought back, for example? Why did Setebos leave? Is there any point to the Moravec army? And for God's sake, posthuman women seem unlikely candidates to gender bend into muscle bound Olympian Gods! But then, for Simmons, maleness is clearly the superior state.

Even the Moravecs can't rescue this ultimately nasty novel. I used to look forward to every new Dan Simmons novel - now I'm not sure if I would read this author again. My advice? Avoid!

Disappointment after Illium.......2007-06-02

Illium was the first Dan Simmons book I read. I'd picked it up because I was on a bit of a Mars-sf jag. It was different from what I'd expected but it was still a great book. Simmons managed the multiple plotlines with style and grace and gave us some interesting characters, especially in Mahnmut the Moravec cyborg.

Olympos is just a big disappointment. As Illium ends it looks like we're going to have a major war against the Gods with the Moravecs tagging along and trying to fix the potentially reality destroying stuff that's going on.

Instead the war takes place mostly off screen and ends largely with a return to the status quo. This is okay though but Simmons takes the book into odd and pointless detours and peoples it with characters with the thinest of motivations. Worse yet, the book moves at a plodding pace. When I read Illium I was amazed that Simmons could have made me read 800 pages about a few weeks worth of events and not be bored with it. In Olympos we just get everything expanded and boring. Do we really need a whole chapter (and a relatively long one at that) devoted to a characters pseudo-necrophilia? Do we really need THREE whole chapters of a character journeying to plead with some elder gods? Do we really need two whole chapters of a character getting a library downloaded into his brain? Do we need several chapters of characters rehashing how dire their situation is? Do we need one whole chapter of people deciding whether or not to vote on something and then another whole chapter for the vote?

Worse yet, the ending is rushed and leaves so much feeling unresolved. When I was about halfway through and Simmons was still introducing major new characters and plot points I knew there was a problem. The resolution feels awfully rushed and extremely convenient. Some characters are never fully explained. What is the difference between the Odysseus's? Who is Sycorax? Why the hell did we bother with Moira at all? Through nearly 2000 pages, in two books, Simmons builds us up for a major confrontation with the big bad guy. But it never comes!

There are other little issues that people have pointed to about style as well. There's disturbing homophobic and Islamophobic statements in the book. The books also had an unusually large number of typos.

Gods of Mars (Mars (del Rey Books Numbered))

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Timeless classic.
I love this series
Life on Mars!
Gods of Mars, Warlord of Mars & a Princess of Mars
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Gods of Mars (Mars (del Rey Books Numbered))
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345324390
Release Date: 1985-03-12

Book Description

After the long exile on Earth, John Carter finally returned to his beloved Mars. But beautiful Dejah Thoris, the woman he loved, had vanished. Now he was trapped in the legendary Eden of Mars -- an Eden from which none ever escaped alive.

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In the sequel to A Princess of Mars, adventurer John Carter returns to Mars to find that the woman he loves has vanished.

Customer Reviews:

Timeless classic. .......2007-08-25

I just finished Gods Of Mars and am ready for chapter 3. I feel truly fortunate to have "discovered" burroughs at 43. The rush of action, the clash of steel and its all mine for the taking. I have been forewarned that perhaps after the first three books it becomes hit and miss but I shall discover that for myself. Do yourself a favor and pick up A Princess Of Mars - book 1 - if you haven't already.

I love this series.......2007-05-31

Burroughs gets a lot of love for his Tarzan books, but one never hears much about these books. If you love adventure stories, swashbuckling, and good old fashioned rescue missions, you'll love this series. CLASSIC in every sense of the word.

Life on Mars!.......2006-03-21

The Viking lander in the 70's proved there was no life on Mars. If you just forget that while reading this book you will enjoy it from beginning to end. Gods of Mars takes place ten years after the first John Carter Mars book, A Princess of Mars, but you really don't have to read it to enjoy this one. Another note, this there is a John Carter of Mars movie in the works due out some time in 2006-(7?). Check out this imdb link to learn more:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401729/

Gods of Mars, Warlord of Mars & a Princess of Mars.......2005-09-22

Thank you for having these books for sale. My mother loved the John Carter series, I bought a set and kept them for good reading. One day I offered them to my son, and he won't even lend the books out, he loves them so much. I hope to complete my set. PS, I gave the books to my sister who was curious about our Mom's reading likes. So I may order yet another set for myself.

WORTH A SECOND GO!.......2004-09-27

While digging through my large collection of books, I came across this one, along with the entire John Carter Series. I hate to admit to the fact that I first read these books over 45 years ago. I sat down and read them again. I was as delighted this time as I was when I was fifteen. This is fiction from an era we will not see again. This is the stuff little boys dream of! Read it, savor it and enjoy it! I cannot recommend this one high enough.

John Carter of Mars - volume 1 - The Princess of Mars & The Gods of Mars (John Carter of Mars)

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Leonaur Ltd. is publishing the definitive Edgar Rice Burroughs 21st century editions.
John Carter of Mars - volume 1 - The Princess of Mars & The Gods of Mars (John Carter of Mars)