The Ilium by Dan Simmons

I really liked this book. Dan Simmons is one of my favorite sci fi authors of all time. I love the way he mixes classical literature, poetry and authors in with futuristic gritty sci fi. He also includes murder, pettiness, jealousy, greed, and sex in his novels-for a very real feel. It took a while to get into this novel-maybe 100 pages or so-but it was definetely worth the effort.
There are really three stories happening in three different setting/times zones. One takes place in the past? during the 10 long-year events of the Iliad by Homer. A resurrected 21st century classics professor is unobtrusively monitoring the Iliad for the Gods and Goddesses. That is one story line. How can he help, should he help, and what would happen if Hector and Achilles joined forces to fight the gods instead of allowing the gods to play amongst them?
The second story line is set off on Jupiter-Moravecs and Hardvecs are intelligent robotics turned out into the galaxy-what is known in the novels as "post-humans". They see alot of faxing activity on Mars- humans on earth fax themselves to where the need to go on earth-the "old-style humans". The moravecs are on a mission to Mars to check out what the post-humans are up to and to possibly destroy them.
The third story line takes place on planet is earth-where "old-style" humans-who aren't really like us-were left by post-humans after the "final fax" which took all post-humans to some kind non-coporeal existance.
The novel is face paced, interesting, funny, ironic and seems to be taking place in mulitple time zones as well mulitple planets. It ends on a cliff hanger and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!