History Literature / Illium

** [[spoiler: Ilium (a.k.a. Troy) may also count, having received its fair share of damage from the Greek armies, wrathful gods, and quantum teleportation fields to the point that it is almost in ruins by the end, despite its ''Iliad'' -ordained fate being avoided.

* {{Expy}}: Savi [=/=] [[spoiler: Moira]] is essentially [[spoiler: Rachel Wintraub of the ''Literature/HyperionCantos'']] placed into a new setting. Much like [[spoiler: Rachel, she can travel back and forth in time and her death brings rebirth for herself as "Moira" and the others of humankind. Heck, once Prospero even refers to her playfully as "Moneta", Rachel's nickname in the ''Cantos'']]
** It is explicitly stated that [[spoiler: Moira is a post-human who took over Savi's appearance, and is not actually Savi.]]

At the same time, near Jupiter, two "[[StarfishRobot moravecs]]" named Mahnmut and Orphu spend their time, when not mining the seas of Europa or flying around the Jupiter system, [[ConversationalTroping discussing ancient literature]], [[AuthorAppeal the likes of Shakespeare and Proust]]. Eventually, they notice [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale strange readings emanating]] from Mars, and determine that something there is [[RealityWarper warping reality]] to a degree which [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt could destroy the universe]]. Mahnmut and Orphu begin to journey towards Mars to investigate...

''Illium'' is a SpeculativeFiction novel by writer Creator/DanSimmons. It's a sprawling epic story that is conveyed through three seemingly disconnected but intertwining narratives. Though it touches on many topics, the story is perhaps best described as a [[RecycledInSpace high-tech reenactment]] of UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar.

!''Illium'' and its sequel ''Olympos'' contain examples of the following tropes:

* JerkassGods: All of them, except for The Quiet.

'''''Illium''''' is a SpeculativeFiction novel by writer Creator/DanSimmons. It's a sprawling epic story that is conveyed through three seemingly disconnected but intertwining narratives. Though it touches on many topics, the story is perhaps best described as a [[RecycledInSpace high-tech reenactment]] of UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar.

* AGodAmI: Greek Gods, of course - but they are just little-g gods. [[spoiler: Later on Zeus goes on to delude himself into thinking he is the capital-G God, usurping Nix, the Fates, and possibly the actual capital-G God (referred to as The Quiet in-story). His comeuppance comes extremely swiftly at the hands of his son Achilles, leaving Hephaestus as the new lord of Olympos.]]

* BashBrothers: Ajax and Teucer, as well as Agamemnon and Menelaus, just like in TheIlliad.

* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Just like in The Illiad,the Greek heroe Diomedes, gets some augmentations from Athena that allow him to go into a rampage and defeat Aphrodite and Ares as well as dozens of Trojan heroes.

* {{Badass}}: Savi, Harman, [[spoiler:Daeman]] after some CharacterDevelopment.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Koros III is simultaneously an ActionHero, GuileHero, and ScienceHero and is definitely a {{badass}} but he isn't a main character and his adventures are only alluded to by other characters.

* AGodAmI: Greek Gods, of course - but they are just little-g gods. [[spoiler: Later on Zeus goes on to delude himself into thinking he is the capital-G God, usurping Nix, the Fates, and possibly the actual capital-G God (referred to as the Quiet in-story). His comeuppance comes extremely swiftly at the hands of his son Achilles, leaving Hephaestus as the new lord of Olympos.]]

* CoolOldLady: Savi
* CoolOldGuy: Harman

* CulturedBadass: Ulysses, who at one recites a portion of his namesake poem that is perfectly apt to the circumstances.

* NobleDemon: Apollo, who is far more pleasant than the rest of the Greek gods.
* OmnicidalManiac: The Global Caliphate again.

* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Just like in The Illiad, one of the Greek heroes Diomedes, gets some augmentations from Athena that allow him to go into a rampage and defeat Aphrodite and Ares as well as dozens of Trojan heroes.

* NobelDemon: Apollo, who is far more pleasant than the rest of the Greek gods.

* JerkassGods: All of them.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This is what happens when the entire cast of ''Literature/TheIliad'', a resurrected Scholic, two sentient robot creatures, and a band of five old style humans on earth in one story. It's no wonder that the novels are ''huge.''

* MayDecemberRomance: Ada and Harman. Also Hannah and Odysseus.

** [[spoiler: Except Savi...]]

* [[spoiler:EverybodyLives]]: Surprisingly enough.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: One can only fully understand every reference after studying Homer's ''Literature/TheIliad'', ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', and Shakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTempest'', Browning's 'Caliban upon Setebos' and also have some familiarity with TheTimeMachine, the complete works of Marcel Proust, Shakespeare's sonnets, and Hans Moravec's writings. They should know a decent amount about quantum physics, the Voynich manuscript, terraforming, transhumanism, and biosphere theory. Even then... no guarantees you'll get everything.

* AIIsACrapshoot: The "Allnet", which expanded out of control and took over, resulting in humanity reverting back into a satiated, indolent, [[TheTimeMachine Eloi]]-like state.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: One can only fully understand every reference after studying Homer's ''Literature/TheIliad'', ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', and Shakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTempest'', Browning's 'Caliban upon Setebos' and also have some familiarity with TheTimeMachine, the complete works of Marcel Proust, Shakespeare's sonnets, and Hans Moravec's writings. They should know a decent amount about quantum physics, the Voynich manuscript, terraforming, transhumanism, and biosphere theory. Even then...no guarantees you'll get everything.

* MiddleEasternCoalition: The now defunct Global Caliphate, which was responsible for the the loss of much of the world's population.

* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: Let's see...we have a re-enaction of the epic poem of Homer, two sci-fi robot creatures, and the people of an Earth that no longer remembers how to live (as they have essentially become [[ShoutOut Eloi]]) and [[spoiler: the Reveal that another time traveller shares the same name as one from another continuity; the ''Literature/HyperionCantos''. However, when you put the two together the facts match up: Moira is Jewish, as is Rachel, and they both are described as having dark hair and being able to travel through time, having a small romance of some sort.]] Put 'em all together and you get a work like this one.

Meanwhile, on Earth, humanity seems to be hugely reduced in population; the few societies that exist [[{{Utopia}} have everything they could ever want]], due to instantaneous teleportation and advanced technology, but they [[CrapsaccharineWorld live in relative ignorance of the past]]. A young man named Daeman struggles to make his cousin Ada [[KissingCousins notice him]], but she only has eyes for an older man named Harman. Along with Ada's friend Hannah, the four are set off on a journey to figure out what's wrong with the world...why are there [[WorldHalfEmpty so few people]]? And why is there a [[AlienSky giant ring in the sky]]?

Professor Thomas Hockenberry, a Homeric scholar [[FishOutOfTemporalWater from the 20th century]], finds himself resurrected in the far future by [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the Greek Gods]]...[[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane except not really]]. In fact they're post-humans ''pretending'' to be the Greek gods, and they're [[CosmicChessGame amusing themselves]] by re-enacting the entire Trojan War on a terraformed Mars. And it's Thomas's job to compare the events of the re-enactment to actual history.

Professor Thomas Hockenberry, a Homeric scholar [[FishOutOfTemporalWater from the 20th century]], finds himself resurrected in the far future by [[ClassicalMythology the Greek Gods]]...[[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane except not really]]. In fact they're post-humans ''pretending'' to be the Greek gods, and they're [[CosmicChessGame amusing themselves]] by re-enacting the entire Trojan War on a terraformed Mars. And it's Thomas's job to compare the events of the re-enactment to actual history.