Dan Simmons (1948–2026)

One of my all time favourite books. A fictional account told by Wilkie Collins about on the latter part of Charles Dickens' life which introduces a malignant, supernatural character known as Drood which inspires Dickens to compose his final novel.

A wonderful blend of fact and fiction, with Simmons keeping things cleverly veiled as Collins wonders whether Drood is real or an opium phantasm. A deep exploration of the relationship Dickens has with Collins his mistresses, but also the connection show more he had with the deeper underbelly of London - which is both haunting and beautifully described.
But what Simmons does best, is bring his historical charatcers to life and Dickens is perhaps his most triumphant achievement in this field, accurately bringing Dicken's eccentric and colourful personality out in way no other fiction or biography has captured.

I love the Terror - a book I rate as one of the all time great novels - and found some value in The Abominable. But, Drood is perhaps the one that clicked the most with. A dark, brooding and gothic masterpiece, it's also a long, slow book which might not click with everyone, but one I felt more than earned its time with me. show less

The last few days I've been tired, uncomfortable, on edge, and cold. Despite the summer weather, this book brought me into the world of the Franklin Expedition crew in a way I did not anticipate. The horror of daily life for unprepared sailors at the edges of the world was far more horrifying than any spooky ghost or serial killer. It weighed on me, the dread. We know how this story ends, regardless of the minimal supernatural influences Simmons sprinkled across the narrative. It is not a show more happily ever after story. It is brutal. It is poignant. It is well-researched and honest, as much as honest can be given that we don't have the full picture from any of the folks from the expedition. And it is delivered through countless perspectives in a way that will resonate with any reader. I found myself with tears rolling down my cheeks more often than not through the expert weaving together of historical and fictional elements, superb characterization, and depictions of daily life over years on the ice.

You could say this book had a happy ending, that it was inspiring even to see how men can persevere, but more impactful was how even 100 men were nothing against the cold, the hunger, and the madness. Before they even left port, the government had demonstrated how low quality, contaminated, and unsealed canned food would be sufficient for the insignificant men seen only as tools toward empire. The men were truly alone, even among each other. I'm reminded of Thor Heyerdahl's quote, "In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. If he should win that too, he will perish, like an embryo cutting its own umbilical cord". If we live as if we are battling against the land, we will soon see who wins and who loses. show less

Do you remember the Earth when you were young? I looked at my world with young eyes, but the Earth was younger too, more innocent and trusting. Now, I see my world with old, jaded eyes and the Earth looks back, older, jaded, and hurting. In just the 60 years since I was young, a fragment of a blink in geographic time, we have hurt our beautiful Planet beyond the point of healing, and rescue. All because of a species that values a meaningless medium of exchange that can't be held beyond our show more graves.

Now, project 7 centuries into the future. Old Earth is long destroyed in a plan by our future capitalists to force their sick expansion of humans into as many star systems and their planets as possible, destroying any indigent species standing in their way. If you possessed the means to stop them, even if it meant the loss of your own, and your loved ones' lives, even if it meant interstellar war, would you do it?

In a heartbeat. show less

This is possibly the first science fiction book I've come across that rewards its readers for being ridiculously well-read. Allusions to Proust, Shakespeare's sonnets, "The Iliad", "The Time Machine," "The Tempest," "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," and Judeo-Christian mythology are all woven into the tapestry of this novel. There are probably many more that I simply did not catch.
"Ilium" is intelligent, earnest, and funny, leading the reader on a deliriously intricate ride between show more far-flung plots which seem impossible to fit into one single novel. However, Simmons managed this feat with ease. As the plot kept getting weirder, the author increasingly imbued the characters with more humanity and empathy, so that I truly cared about their fates through the climax of the story. Even better, the development of the characters occurred naturally and believably because of the events of the plot, not out of convenience or necessity as a plot device. Simmons ably made it a joy for the reader to try and put all the pieces together. Overall, the effect was like mashing up a traditional science fiction novel with a sudoku puzzle. It was a great ride, but it was also an active read.
Be ready to have the sequel standing by on your shelf, however, because he definitely leaves the reader hanging at the end of the book. I've never so enjoyed being in the dark. show less