Very few authors can make something as mundane
as a fictionalized account of the last five years of Charles Dickens’ life appeal to readers outside of those with Degrees in English.
Dan Simmons is one of that select group. Drood is an enjoyable read, that intersperses factual references about Dickens and Wilkie Collins (a lesser known author of the time) with a character either real or imagined named Drood. Whether the Drood character is truly real or is a figment of Collins’ opium delusions (or some other reason which I won’t spoil here) is a large part of the enjoyment of this novel. This novel succeeds on multiple levels, introducing or reminding one of Dickens’ works and life, introducing the works of Collins, and blending historical fact with fiction in a smooth fashion, quite similar to Simmons’ previous tome, The Terror.
I read the traditional Little, Brown and Co. version, but I also most point out the magnificent cover (see picture) that graces the limited edition from Subterranean Press, designed by fellow San Antonian and Northside School District veteran (although my high school was better than his) John Picacio; another excellent cover, John!
The novel covers the last five years of Dickens’ life, told from the perspective of his sometime friend, rival and collaborator, Wilkie Collins. (more…)
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Being a Dan Simmon’s reader and fan takes a lot of commitment, but I must tell you, Dear Reader (pun intended) that it is certainly worth the commitment.
Having just tackled the 766 page behemouth that is The Terror and then immediately diving headlong into the 771 page door stop that is Drood, Simmon’s latest, I’ll admit that I did question my sanity. There are lots of quick little reads staring at my from my reading pile (not to mention writing of my own); was I truly committed enough to this author to spend that kind of time on his disparate works?
In a word, yes.
Mr. Simmon’s efforts do require a high level of commitment, for the following reasons: (more…)
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When people are recommending SciFi/Fantasy books to non-SciFi/Fantasy readers, books such as Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card or movie tie-in books are listed. Because of how seamlessly the science fiction is interwoven into the multiple story points, and the inclusion of Shakespeare, Proust and other literary authors and their creations, Dan Simmon’s Ilium and Olympos should also be on that list. My only caution for the new reader is that Simmon’s books are long (the hardcover Olympos is 690 pages), contain complex plots, and do not always answer all of the questions that the prose poses. 
The Ilium/Olympos duology examines a world where mankind has given into to the temptation to play Gods, where humans have evolvedphysially into ‘post-humans’ technologically capable of terraforming Mars and transporting the Greek/Troy war and warriors from the past onto that terraformed battlefield.
After reading the extraordinary Ilium, which ended after several hundred pages with more questions left, I was concerned that the sequel Olympos would not live up to the high bar Mr. Simmons set. I found the writing in the second tome just as good, the story lines equally well laid out….my only slight concern is the ending. I’ll try to present my thoughts on that later without spoiling the ending.
Spoilers after the break for the ending of Ilium. (more…)
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What could be more enjoyable than a Zombie story anthology? How about enjoying one 
during and after Hurricane Ike, with no power and candlelight?? How about one that includes three of my all-time fav authors (Dan Simmons, George R. R. Martin and Stephen King)? How about one nearly 500 pages long (at least the ARC is)? How about one edited by John Joseph Adams, who also brought us the anthologies Seeds of Change and Wastelands (which, yes, I need to finish).
Many of these stories have been previously published, but almost all were new to me. One obvious component: sex angles and zombies seem to mix. Not all include that perspective, but this is certainly not PG-13.
My favorites from this LARGE collection were Ghost Dance by Sherman Alexie, The Third Dead Body by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Malthusian’s Zombie by Jeffrey Ford, Home Delivery by Stephen King, Deadman’s Road by Joe R. Lansdale, The Song the Zombie Sang by Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg. Thoughts on each after the break. (more…)
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From the chameleon writer of many genres, a good detective novel
Dan Simmons writes Science Fiction (he won the Hugo award for Hyperion in 1989). Dan Simmons writes Horror (Bram Stoker Award, Carrion Comfort). Dan Simmons writes Fantast (World Fantasy Award, Song of Kali). And Mr. Simmons writes detective fiction.
These different genres mostly have different writing styles. Instead of trying to force one type of writing into another genre, Mr. Simmons changes his colors, adjusts his pacing, wording and style for the hard-core nasty world of private investigation.
Hardcase is the first of three (and we hope more) Joe Kurtz novels. Hard Freeze
and Hard as Nails are the other two. Joe Kurtz isn’t mean and nasty, but he also has no compunction about sticking a man’s hand in a disposal or running over an unconscious man’s legs. Kurtz has his own code. Getting out of jail after following that code, Kurtz throws himself in the middle of a Mafia mess that he learned about in prison, and starts churning up the mob and old acquaintances.
The pacing of this novel is well done, the dialogue believable. The plot integrates several subplots well, although some of the plot twists are tipped off early (ain’t this called foreshadowing?).
I also liked how Mr. Simmons slides in a reference to one of his other books, The Crook Factory, about a spyring in Cuba run by Hemingway (see page 221 in the paperback for the reference).
Language and graphic violence make this an unsuitable read for kids. Everyone else will enjoy it.
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Intricate plot, excellent book. How does Simmons think this stuff up?
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!
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as a fictionalized account of the last five years of Charles Dickens’ life appeal to readers outside of those with Degrees in English.
