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Muse of Fire
Since the publication of Song of Kali in 1985, Dan Simmons has produced a substantial body of fiction notable for its vigor, variety, and sheer imaginative reach. His latest, a novella-length tale of startling originality, beautifully embodies these qualities, reaffirming Simmons's position as one of the finest storytellers of our time.
Muse of Fire takes place in a remote future age in which the human enterprise has all but ground to a halt. Earth, drained of its oceans and populated largely by the dead, is little more than a distant memory. The scattered human remnants occupy the lowest rung of a Gnostic hierarchy that dominates both their secular and spiritual lives. Against this backdrop, Simmons introduces the Earth's Men, a wandering troupe of players dedicated to presenting the works of Shakespeare to every accessible corner of the settled universe.
The story begins on the planet known as 25-25-261B, a regular stop on the players' interstellar tour. A routine performance of Much Ado About Nothing is in progress when an unprecedented event occurs. A band of Archons—members of the usually invisible ruling caste—enter the makeshift theater and join the audience. In doing so, they change the course of human—and non-human—history.
What follows is an intellectual adventure story of astonishing richness and depth in which disparate species face each other across an insurmountable divide, their only point of contact the indelible language of William Shakespeare, the story's true muse. Skillfully deploying the elements of traditional science fiction—advanced technologies, alien encounters, strange new worlds—Muse of Fire entertains and illuminates while celebrating the best, most durable elements of our cultural legacy. It is a work of wit, erudition, and tightly compressed grandeur that only Dan Simmons could have written.
Muse of Fire takes place in a remote future age in which the human enterprise has all but ground to a halt. Earth, drained of its oceans and populated largely by the dead, is little more than a distant memory. The scattered human remnants occupy the lowest rung of a Gnostic hierarchy that dominates both their secular and spiritual lives. Against this backdrop, Simmons introduces the Earth's Men, a wandering troupe of players dedicated to presenting the works of Shakespeare to every accessible corner of the settled universe.
The story begins on the planet known as 25-25-261B, a regular stop on the players' interstellar tour. A routine performance of Much Ado About Nothing is in progress when an unprecedented event occurs. A band of Archons—members of the usually invisible ruling caste—enter the makeshift theater and join the audience. In doing so, they change the course of human—and non-human—history.
What follows is an intellectual adventure story of astonishing richness and depth in which disparate species face each other across an insurmountable divide, their only point of contact the indelible language of William Shakespeare, the story's true muse. Skillfully deploying the elements of traditional science fiction—advanced technologies, alien encounters, strange new worlds—Muse of Fire entertains and illuminates while celebrating the best, most durable elements of our cultural legacy. It is a work of wit, erudition, and tightly compressed grandeur that only Dan Simmons could have written.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2008
18 people are currently reading
818 people want to read
About the author
Dan Simmons
289 books13.6k followersDan Simmons is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also writes mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
July 20, 2009
What a fabulous little novella! I just totally fell in love with this story of a far-future troupe of Shakespearean actors traveling from planet to planet performing the Bard's plays for scattered human slaves on inhospitable mining planets. In this future universe, Shakespeare is the only remnant of human culture left. The troupe catches the attention of some higher life-forms and is called to a command performance. You'll just have to read the story to find out what happens next.
With this novella, I think Dan Simmons officially confirms what I previously thought of him. He's an extremely well-read man who has an extremely fertile imagination and an incredible ability to blend classic literature with genre fiction (either horror or science fiction). I can't wait to see what he does next.
With this novella, I think Dan Simmons officially confirms what I previously thought of him. He's an extremely well-read man who has an extremely fertile imagination and an incredible ability to blend classic literature with genre fiction (either horror or science fiction). I can't wait to see what he does next.
January 23, 2023
This is a quick read, not even a novel but a novella. I'm giving it only 3 stars--as much as I like Dan Simmons ( his book, "The Terror" is one of my favorites). The story is beautifully written and it is as imaginative as good science fiction should be. but the ending let me down. "Is that it?" I asked when I finished the book.
It takes place in the far future. The humans are not the masters of the galaxy or even members of a federation of more-or-less equals. Humans are on the bottom rung of the cosmic hierarchy, only good for being worked as slaves. But there is a troupe of stage actors travelling about in space, trying to keep alive the best of Earth's culture--the works of Shakespeare. So this is Simmons' homage to the Bard of Stratford. And I liked that idea...but not enough to give it 4 stars!
It takes place in the far future. The humans are not the masters of the galaxy or even members of a federation of more-or-less equals. Humans are on the bottom rung of the cosmic hierarchy, only good for being worked as slaves. But there is a troupe of stage actors travelling about in space, trying to keep alive the best of Earth's culture--the works of Shakespeare. So this is Simmons' homage to the Bard of Stratford. And I liked that idea...but not enough to give it 4 stars!
January 23, 2013
Whereas delaying reading
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
for four years didn’t improve the experience, I am glad that I waited until now to read Muse of Fire. I recently read Much Ado About Nothing for the first time, in order to teach it to a Year 9 class, and being familiar with that play’s plot and characters definitely improved my comprehension of this Shakespeare-infused novella.
Dan Simmons banks on the continued popularity of the Bard in this book, which is set in a future where humanity has regressed under the baleful influence of a hierarchy of alien species. The vast majority of humans are labourers, eking out an existence on any number of planets. After dying, their alien overseers transport their corpses back to Earth to be entombed until the day of reckoning. Muse of Fire follows a group of humans who have escaped this dull life for one slightly more adventurous. Told from the perspective of Wilbr, a minor player, the story follows the crew of a ship of the same name as they travel from world to world and put on Shakespeare plays.
Shakespeare’s wild popularity despite the fact that his language becomes more archaic with every passing decade is a testament to his skill as a writer, and to the skill of the people who perform his plays. I suppose it’s similar to how people can enjoy an opera even if they don’t speak the opera’s language; the actions and tone of the players are a language all on their own. In the future, human civilization has fallen apart to the point that, as Wilbr explains, they no longer have their own arts; they barely have their own culture. Hence, Shakespeare is even less accessible to their audiences than it is to the audience of today.
Indeed, one has to wonder if Shakespeare would make much sense at all. Do these people know what a thane or a king even is? How much of an oral tradition preserves the past? Simmons doesn’t quite let on, which makes it difficult to judge the extent to which Shakespeare might be understood by these people. In discussing the role of Shakespeare in Brave New World with my AS Level literature class, we talked about how the people of the World State didn’t have the emotional training needed to appreciate Shakespeare, let alone the cultural baggage necessary to understand him. I can’t help but wonder if the same is true here. People’s lives seem so curtailed; can they comprehend the richness of fantasy and circumstance that Shakespeare unleashes with every line?
Our intrepid (and youthful) narrator, Wilbr, certainly does. He is our only window into this watered-down version of humanity, and as the plot thickens he recounts how he went from being a rather undeveloped human being to a Shakespearean actor and afficionado. His commentary on Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth all evoke the passion for and sense of wonder about Shakespeare’s plays that demonstrate why they are so timeless. If all Simmons set out to do was write a story that celebrated Shakespeare’s work, he has succeeded.
The plot itself, unfortunately, is much less exciting. Wilbr’s troupe has attracted the attention of the aliens who lord it over humanity (the “overlords”, if you will). They get ordered to perform, again and again, for increasingly alien species who are higher up in the pecking order. At last, only Wilbr and his shallow, poorly-characterized love interest are left to perform an ad hoc version of Romeo and Juliet for “God”. And it’s all a test (of course).
Echoes of Simmons’ other work, particularly Hyperion, are evident here. There’s the humanoid manifestations of god and the questions of whether such beings are worthy of worship. There’s the transcendent or otherwise sacrificed human beings, such as the mysterious woman called the Muse who embodies the ship’s cognitive functions. And there is a sense of inevitable, eschatological doom hanging over the collective souls of the human species. It is rather heavy stuff.
But all this takes place on a very flimsy canvas of a setting. Simmons doesn’t see fit to explain much about how humanity got this way. He leaves a lot about the story’s background mysterious, such as why human corpses are always returned to Earth. Aside from the repetitive plot structure and frequent praise for Shakespeare, there is not much going on here. Similarly, the characters are nothing to write home about. Wilbr is well developed as our narrator, but the others are flat and two-dimensional, remaining loyal to the one-line descriptions Wilbr tags them with near the beginning of the story.
Plenty of interesting ideas. Excellent use of mood, atmosphere, and tone. And, of course, it’s all about how Shakespeare is the bomb (and you know he is). In these respects, Muse of Fire is an excellent novella—but as a story, it failed to capture, sustain, or really even stir my interest. Once again, I remain ambivalent about Simmons—this was not the book that could push me to one particular side of the fence.
Dan Simmons banks on the continued popularity of the Bard in this book, which is set in a future where humanity has regressed under the baleful influence of a hierarchy of alien species. The vast majority of humans are labourers, eking out an existence on any number of planets. After dying, their alien overseers transport their corpses back to Earth to be entombed until the day of reckoning. Muse of Fire follows a group of humans who have escaped this dull life for one slightly more adventurous. Told from the perspective of Wilbr, a minor player, the story follows the crew of a ship of the same name as they travel from world to world and put on Shakespeare plays.
Shakespeare’s wild popularity despite the fact that his language becomes more archaic with every passing decade is a testament to his skill as a writer, and to the skill of the people who perform his plays. I suppose it’s similar to how people can enjoy an opera even if they don’t speak the opera’s language; the actions and tone of the players are a language all on their own. In the future, human civilization has fallen apart to the point that, as Wilbr explains, they no longer have their own arts; they barely have their own culture. Hence, Shakespeare is even less accessible to their audiences than it is to the audience of today.
Indeed, one has to wonder if Shakespeare would make much sense at all. Do these people know what a thane or a king even is? How much of an oral tradition preserves the past? Simmons doesn’t quite let on, which makes it difficult to judge the extent to which Shakespeare might be understood by these people. In discussing the role of Shakespeare in Brave New World with my AS Level literature class, we talked about how the people of the World State didn’t have the emotional training needed to appreciate Shakespeare, let alone the cultural baggage necessary to understand him. I can’t help but wonder if the same is true here. People’s lives seem so curtailed; can they comprehend the richness of fantasy and circumstance that Shakespeare unleashes with every line?
Our intrepid (and youthful) narrator, Wilbr, certainly does. He is our only window into this watered-down version of humanity, and as the plot thickens he recounts how he went from being a rather undeveloped human being to a Shakespearean actor and afficionado. His commentary on Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth all evoke the passion for and sense of wonder about Shakespeare’s plays that demonstrate why they are so timeless. If all Simmons set out to do was write a story that celebrated Shakespeare’s work, he has succeeded.
The plot itself, unfortunately, is much less exciting. Wilbr’s troupe has attracted the attention of the aliens who lord it over humanity (the “overlords”, if you will). They get ordered to perform, again and again, for increasingly alien species who are higher up in the pecking order. At last, only Wilbr and his shallow, poorly-characterized love interest are left to perform an ad hoc version of Romeo and Juliet for “God”. And it’s all a test (of course).
Echoes of Simmons’ other work, particularly Hyperion, are evident here. There’s the humanoid manifestations of god and the questions of whether such beings are worthy of worship. There’s the transcendent or otherwise sacrificed human beings, such as the mysterious woman called the Muse who embodies the ship’s cognitive functions. And there is a sense of inevitable, eschatological doom hanging over the collective souls of the human species. It is rather heavy stuff.
But all this takes place on a very flimsy canvas of a setting. Simmons doesn’t see fit to explain much about how humanity got this way. He leaves a lot about the story’s background mysterious, such as why human corpses are always returned to Earth. Aside from the repetitive plot structure and frequent praise for Shakespeare, there is not much going on here. Similarly, the characters are nothing to write home about. Wilbr is well developed as our narrator, but the others are flat and two-dimensional, remaining loyal to the one-line descriptions Wilbr tags them with near the beginning of the story.
Plenty of interesting ideas. Excellent use of mood, atmosphere, and tone. And, of course, it’s all about how Shakespeare is the bomb (and you know he is). In these respects, Muse of Fire is an excellent novella—but as a story, it failed to capture, sustain, or really even stir my interest. Once again, I remain ambivalent about Simmons—this was not the book that could push me to one particular side of the fence.
August 3, 2014
I don’t read a lot of science fiction. Not lately, anyway. Oh, sure, there was the obligatory fling when I was in my 20s: the Isimov Foundation trilogy, Herbert’s Dune series, a little Heinlein. But since then, I’ve indulged very little in this genre.
I was totally onboard this little spaceship of a novella for the first nine-tenths before the ending let me down. Initially I thought my dissatisfaction with the ending might be because I failed to make connections that a more experienced sci-fi aficionado could better appreciate, but I quickly re-read the ending this morning and discovered I did understand it. It’s just that the resolution was so simplistic and deus ex-machina, I was disappointed and hoped that I had missed something. I assumed it was building up to something more profound, a more satisfying summation, a bit of grandeur perhaps. I know it’s a lot to ask --“grandeur!”-- but when stories deal with the importance of artistic expression, human potential and the fate of the race, my expectations tend to run high.
The premise was intriguing and the prose, especially the descriptions of the worlds encountered, was very good. Simmons’ powers of description in painting the beings populating these worlds and how they dealt with lowly humans were good enough to creep me out a little.
Many, many years in the future, the only remnant of human culture consists of the plays of Shakespeare, which are performed by a traveling troupe of humans for audiences on different planets in various galaxies. Earth has been reduced to an ocean-less repository for the remains of humans whose bodies are shipped back to rest there when they die. Out in the Tell, there is a hierarchy of ruling species that blends in with a theology also hierarchical in nature, and these systems keep everyone in line. Human beings are now a slave class subservient to the Archons, rarely seen beings who communicate only through even odder creatures called dragomen. Means of communicating and degrees of comprehension are themes throughout, especially when the narrator ponders the ramification of the actors suddenly being summoned for command performances by the various ruling classes/deities. The Muse of Fire is the ship and also refers to a mysterious character/energy source that runs it (the latter a concept I wish had been better explained). The story also involves a wannabe revolutionary on board who is a dangerous loose cannon, and a sort-of-love story involving one of the girls in the troupe who is beloved by the narrator, but out of his league.
The fact that the only thing that has survived from Earth’s achievements is the poetry of Shakespeare’s plays, and the fact that these works may be the only reason humankind was allowed to survive at all, allow the story to inspire reflection about the value of creativity as the saving grace of human beings. The denouement, though, as I’ve said, left me feeling somewhat cheated that the ending did not live up to the thematic promise of the rest of the book.
I was totally onboard this little spaceship of a novella for the first nine-tenths before the ending let me down. Initially I thought my dissatisfaction with the ending might be because I failed to make connections that a more experienced sci-fi aficionado could better appreciate, but I quickly re-read the ending this morning and discovered I did understand it. It’s just that the resolution was so simplistic and deus ex-machina, I was disappointed and hoped that I had missed something. I assumed it was building up to something more profound, a more satisfying summation, a bit of grandeur perhaps. I know it’s a lot to ask --“grandeur!”-- but when stories deal with the importance of artistic expression, human potential and the fate of the race, my expectations tend to run high.
The premise was intriguing and the prose, especially the descriptions of the worlds encountered, was very good. Simmons’ powers of description in painting the beings populating these worlds and how they dealt with lowly humans were good enough to creep me out a little.
Many, many years in the future, the only remnant of human culture consists of the plays of Shakespeare, which are performed by a traveling troupe of humans for audiences on different planets in various galaxies. Earth has been reduced to an ocean-less repository for the remains of humans whose bodies are shipped back to rest there when they die. Out in the Tell, there is a hierarchy of ruling species that blends in with a theology also hierarchical in nature, and these systems keep everyone in line. Human beings are now a slave class subservient to the Archons, rarely seen beings who communicate only through even odder creatures called dragomen. Means of communicating and degrees of comprehension are themes throughout, especially when the narrator ponders the ramification of the actors suddenly being summoned for command performances by the various ruling classes/deities. The Muse of Fire is the ship and also refers to a mysterious character/energy source that runs it (the latter a concept I wish had been better explained). The story also involves a wannabe revolutionary on board who is a dangerous loose cannon, and a sort-of-love story involving one of the girls in the troupe who is beloved by the narrator, but out of his league.
The fact that the only thing that has survived from Earth’s achievements is the poetry of Shakespeare’s plays, and the fact that these works may be the only reason humankind was allowed to survive at all, allow the story to inspire reflection about the value of creativity as the saving grace of human beings. The denouement, though, as I’ve said, left me feeling somewhat cheated that the ending did not live up to the thematic promise of the rest of the book.
June 21, 2009
In an indeterminate future humans are the slaves ("doles" and "arbeiters") of a hierarchy of aliens - archons, poimen, demiurgos and Abraxas - and the Earth's Men tour the galaxy performing Shakespeare. Beyond a nice, well written novella that incorporates the Bard's work (primarily "King Lear," "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet") and celebrates his genius, it also says that Shakespeare is just the beginning of exploring what it means to be human. As the ship's AI (the Muse) says at the end, "You people need to learn some new poets."
There was a deus ex machina at the end that prevents this gem from rising to the fourth star but, in the main, I enjoyed it and recommend it (esp. to Dan Simmons fans who may be exhausted by door stops like Drood but still need their fix).
There was a deus ex machina at the end that prevents this gem from rising to the fourth star but, in the main, I enjoyed it and recommend it (esp. to Dan Simmons fans who may be exhausted by door stops like Drood but still need their fix).
February 18, 2016
This lovely tribute to the bard is just profound enough to remind any Shakespeare fan just how amazing old Willy is, laced with enough intergalactic strife to fuel the fire of die hard sci fi fans, and short enough to allow a mother of two hobgoblins the chance to actually read an entire book in one sitting.
Muse of Fire tells the story of "The Earth's Men" a space faring Shakespeare company that travels the universe in their ship "The Muse of Fire" performing the bard's works for what left of the human race. The world's they perform on are desolate, barren wildernesses or planets that rain down fire and waves of acid. Humanity is on the brink of utter annihilation having been enslaved by the Abraxas an all seeing all knowing alien race who have taken the place of God for every human left living. Humans are scattered across the universe in slave colonies and what is left of earth is used for burying the dead.
The story is told through the voice of one of the younger, less talented members of the troupe who makes up for what he lacks in talent with his devotion to Shakespeare's works and his pride in his fellow actors and their performances.
Arriving on a barren world to perform the company is shocked when Abraxas representatives inform them they will be giving a command performance for the very aliens that enslaved them. Before long it becomes apparent that "The Earth's Men" will be determining the fate of what is left of humanity. They must prove that the genius of Shakespeare and their ability to bring him to life is worth letting the human race survive.
Simmons really has fun with this story and manages to pack in quite a bit of plot and beautiful language in a relatively tight amount of time. I loved his young narrator and found it perfectly fitting that he should be a devoted Shakespeare fan destined to forever play supporting players while longing always for Hamlet and King Lear. There's also plenty of spooky, cool sci fi surprises and a bit of a bait and switch ending I really didn't predict though more seasoned Simmons readers might.
There's a reason this guy wins awards guys. This is a charming, eloquent story with firey, melodramatic characters and a rollicking plot worthy of Will Shakes himself.
Muse of Fire tells the story of "The Earth's Men" a space faring Shakespeare company that travels the universe in their ship "The Muse of Fire" performing the bard's works for what left of the human race. The world's they perform on are desolate, barren wildernesses or planets that rain down fire and waves of acid. Humanity is on the brink of utter annihilation having been enslaved by the Abraxas an all seeing all knowing alien race who have taken the place of God for every human left living. Humans are scattered across the universe in slave colonies and what is left of earth is used for burying the dead.
The story is told through the voice of one of the younger, less talented members of the troupe who makes up for what he lacks in talent with his devotion to Shakespeare's works and his pride in his fellow actors and their performances.
Arriving on a barren world to perform the company is shocked when Abraxas representatives inform them they will be giving a command performance for the very aliens that enslaved them. Before long it becomes apparent that "The Earth's Men" will be determining the fate of what is left of humanity. They must prove that the genius of Shakespeare and their ability to bring him to life is worth letting the human race survive.
Simmons really has fun with this story and manages to pack in quite a bit of plot and beautiful language in a relatively tight amount of time. I loved his young narrator and found it perfectly fitting that he should be a devoted Shakespeare fan destined to forever play supporting players while longing always for Hamlet and King Lear. There's also plenty of spooky, cool sci fi surprises and a bit of a bait and switch ending I really didn't predict though more seasoned Simmons readers might.
There's a reason this guy wins awards guys. This is a charming, eloquent story with firey, melodramatic characters and a rollicking plot worthy of Will Shakes himself.
October 5, 2013
A junior member of a Shakespeare troop living in the far and fantastic future of the human race tells of several command performances--Much Ado...King Lear....Hamlet....Romeo and Juliet --given for reified gnostic gods. I could say this short novel could not contain and flesh out the many planets and perlieus Simmons envisioned, or I could be honest and say I didn't get it. The astronomical/metaphysical talk seemed like gabble to me. On the other hand, there are some fine nuggets of Shakespeare criticism along the way.
August 4, 2022
Dead Shakespeare vs godlike aliens?
Poor buggers didn't stand a chance.
This book reminded me how I loved how Dan Simmons plays with the language, uses other poets and writers. I'm sure one needs to be more educated in matters of English poetry and such than I am to fully appreciate this story, but I still enjoyed it immensely.
Poor buggers didn't stand a chance.
This book reminded me how I loved how Dan Simmons plays with the language, uses other poets and writers. I'm sure one needs to be more educated in matters of English poetry and such than I am to fully appreciate this story, but I still enjoyed it immensely.
September 18, 2012
Muse of Fire was a straightforward read that has more interesting implications if you care to think about it.
On the surface, the book serves as a sort of travelogue story through Simmons' universe. The main characters are human actors in the company the Earth's Men. They travel through known space staging Shakespeare's plays for human settlements. Humanity has long since been subjugated by a hierarchy of other races, and the Earth's Men are one of the few ways that human culture survives.
Unexpectedly, the Earth's Men are asked to play for the local Archons of one planet - the alien overlords. This kicks off a multiple stop tour, each time with a different play.
The story also serves as a short, layman's commentary on the Bard. Many of the things discussed by the narrator, a skilled but not virtuoso actor, are things that I had already gleaned or read about the plays. Some others led me to consider them in new lights.
Finally, it's a bit of a tour through Gnostic cosmology. The alien hierarchy of races are lifted straight out of Gnostic teachings, and Basilidean Gnosticism is the human religion.
The ending of the tour involves a twist that I didn't see coming, and which raises questions about the parts of the book that have gone before.
Simmons' prose was up to his usual high standard - intelligent, readable, and elegant.
On the surface, the book serves as a sort of travelogue story through Simmons' universe. The main characters are human actors in the company the Earth's Men. They travel through known space staging Shakespeare's plays for human settlements. Humanity has long since been subjugated by a hierarchy of other races, and the Earth's Men are one of the few ways that human culture survives.
Unexpectedly, the Earth's Men are asked to play for the local Archons of one planet - the alien overlords. This kicks off a multiple stop tour, each time with a different play.
The story also serves as a short, layman's commentary on the Bard. Many of the things discussed by the narrator, a skilled but not virtuoso actor, are things that I had already gleaned or read about the plays. Some others led me to consider them in new lights.
Finally, it's a bit of a tour through Gnostic cosmology. The alien hierarchy of races are lifted straight out of Gnostic teachings, and Basilidean Gnosticism is the human religion.
The ending of the tour involves a twist that I didn't see coming, and which raises questions about the parts of the book that have gone before.
Simmons' prose was up to his usual high standard - intelligent, readable, and elegant.
September 16, 2018
For me, Simmons is a historical horror or sci-fi horror writer first, and then a straight forward Sci-Fi writer. But this book is about stories, poetry, and religion
A group of performers is forced to perform Shakespeare's greatest plays and if they fail, the human race is doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed. Wiped out.
Simmons does a wonderful job capturing the fear and stress of the needed performances. But the world building is good as well and the various levels of aliens as well as the space ships provide reasons for a look at religion.
What I really enjoyed was how he captured all the ins and outs of the personal lives of the performers as well as rivialries but without making anyone into a trophe or sterotype.
A group of performers is forced to perform Shakespeare's greatest plays and if they fail, the human race is doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed. Wiped out.
Simmons does a wonderful job capturing the fear and stress of the needed performances. But the world building is good as well and the various levels of aliens as well as the space ships provide reasons for a look at religion.
What I really enjoyed was how he captured all the ins and outs of the personal lives of the performers as well as rivialries but without making anyone into a trophe or sterotype.
November 7, 2010
2.5
A decent story, and I liked the twist at the end. I thought it was kind of funny and interesting how Shakespeare is held as the bastion of civilization, and one of the only things held-over in this vision of the future, but I especially liked the bit at the end about having to learn new poets.
The philosophy was interesting, as were the descriptions of the bard's plays, but both went on a bit too much.
Ultimately, though, I never really connected with it on any kind of emotional level, thus I can't rate it that highly.
A decent story, and I liked the twist at the end. I thought it was kind of funny and interesting how Shakespeare is held as the bastion of civilization, and one of the only things held-over in this vision of the future, but I especially liked the bit at the end about having to learn new poets.
The philosophy was interesting, as were the descriptions of the bard's plays, but both went on a bit too much.
Ultimately, though, I never really connected with it on any kind of emotional level, thus I can't rate it that highly.
December 29, 2019
"Muse of Fire" is a fun, short read about the effect Shakespeare's works have on aliens. A bit too magical for my taste, but overall reading it was an entertaining 90 mins.
Read
May 19, 2020Humans have lost their "culture, politics, arts, history, hope"; their once grand civilisation is now atomised, reduced to pockets of 'arbeiters' and 'doles', directed by Archons: "They own us, they control our lives, they dictate our actions and fates". Except that there are still pubs, and churches, and casual hook-ups, and travelling theatre troupes, such as that in which the narrator serves. So once again, it's an attempt at a horrific dystopia which now feels considerably more fun than the present. Hell, at least their Archons are genuinely alien, instead of just a bunch of corporate shits and hedge fund lackeys who are still supposedly fellow members of our species and so really have even less excuse, just as we have even less excuse for our failure to get shot of them. Yeah, granted, Earth's ecosystem is even more desolate in Muse Of Fire than it is now, but hey, disaster capitalism is taking advantage of the current crisis, just like it always does, to make sure we'll close that gap soon enough, and without even these unappealing other planets as escape routes. Such as the one with acid seas where our wandering players find themselves invited to perform for the Archons – an unprecedented opportunity in which, somewhat inexplicably, they opt to tempt thesp fate and put on the Scottish Play. From that point on, the story's brevity is a mixed blessing, the lack of connective tissue and pause to examine the new wonders unfolded with each performance sometimes making it feel like a Gnostic act-'em-up, Xenon 2 crossed with The Chemical Wedding.
The way the classics echo into our interplanetary future is familiar from Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, as also the strange resonances in the characters (the personnel of the Earth's Men contain many names familiar from the Bard's own King's Men). As much as anything it reads like a fictional framework for Simmons to expound his own thoughts on Shakespeare, and as someone who thinks Cabell's Beyond Life one of the most delightful books ever written, I can hardly object to that, or the sentiments expressed, even if I didn't entirely follow the admixture of Jung. Let's just hope that if the rulers of the universe arrive any time soon, during the longest gap in Shakespeare performances since the Interregnum, they'll be prepared to settle for NT 'Live' streams.
The way the classics echo into our interplanetary future is familiar from Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, as also the strange resonances in the characters (the personnel of the Earth's Men contain many names familiar from the Bard's own King's Men). As much as anything it reads like a fictional framework for Simmons to expound his own thoughts on Shakespeare, and as someone who thinks Cabell's Beyond Life one of the most delightful books ever written, I can hardly object to that, or the sentiments expressed, even if I didn't entirely follow the admixture of Jung. Let's just hope that if the rulers of the universe arrive any time soon, during the longest gap in Shakespeare performances since the Interregnum, they'll be prepared to settle for NT 'Live' streams.
March 7, 2015
Started well enough, but ended up having one of those meeting-the-gods-mystical-experience climaxes that don't do much for me. Coupled with the woman-with-no-personality-and-barely-any-dialog-but-she-sure-is-pretty being bestowed on the male hero as some sort of reward (reward for what, I have no clue, he wasn't all that special) at the end, it left me unimpressed.
That and I am not big on boner books. That's what I call books like this that are written because the author has a boner for some cultural phenomenon (Shakespeare in this case) and writes a story just to fanboi about how awesome the object of his boner is. They are tedious for people that don't share his boner. Like Ready Player One was tedious in its 80s worship.
It was short, though, and mostly entertaining with creative aliens, so 2.5 stars for that.
I'll be nice and not elaborate on the crimes committed against the hydrological cycle in this book.
That and I am not big on boner books. That's what I call books like this that are written because the author has a boner for some cultural phenomenon (Shakespeare in this case) and writes a story just to fanboi about how awesome the object of his boner is. They are tedious for people that don't share his boner. Like Ready Player One was tedious in its 80s worship.
It was short, though, and mostly entertaining with creative aliens, so 2.5 stars for that.
I'll be nice and not elaborate on the crimes committed against the hydrological cycle in this book.
March 29, 2015
Dan Simmons has become one of my very favourite authors, I think he is an outstanding writer. I say this and I have not read even half of his catalogue of work. However, I am that impressed by what I have read and it has catapulted him into my top four authors. This book, a novella, is a little gem. It does contain a lot of Shakespeare references and some of that went over my head but I did LEARN things and it has educated me on a few Shakespeare topics. The imagination and world(s) building is fantastic, really impressive. I don't like spoilers and none will be written here but I do recommend this if you like science fiction mixed with literature references and even horror elements. Dan Simmons is well known for his science fiction novels, Hyperion being the most famous. I have high hopes for them and look forward to reading them in the future.
November 5, 2009
The packaging is quite nice, with rich, creamy pages and a running head in a contrasting color. The content is a little less pleasing, though. This book is described as a novella, which may even be technically correct, but it felt more lightweight to me than that, no more than a long short story. I made short work of it, anyway, reading the book over the course of one sluggish Saturday afternoon.
The gist of the plot is simple to describe as well: what if Shakespeare's plays were all that is keeping humanity's alien overlords from exterminating our conquered species altogether? This is the antithesis of a "John W. Campbell story"—that is, one in which humans are inherently superior to other life forms. Here, the humans are not in any way the masters of their own fates. They are actors, but only on stage.
Of course King Lear, a recent mini-obsession of mine, would figure into this, as does the "Scottish Play" and several others. The story would be even shorter without the liberal use of the Bard's words and frequent references to his work.
In this story, Dan Simmons does a fine job of evoking a crepuscular human existence on the sufference of vast, incomprehensible forces. It's an effective story, a moody mood piece, and if I'd encountered it in an anthology or a collection I wouldn't have given a second thought to its standing... but as a standalone work, I think it really does leave the reader wanting more than it delivers.
The gist of the plot is simple to describe as well: what if Shakespeare's plays were all that is keeping humanity's alien overlords from exterminating our conquered species altogether? This is the antithesis of a "John W. Campbell story"—that is, one in which humans are inherently superior to other life forms. Here, the humans are not in any way the masters of their own fates. They are actors, but only on stage.
Of course King Lear, a recent mini-obsession of mine, would figure into this, as does the "Scottish Play" and several others. The story would be even shorter without the liberal use of the Bard's words and frequent references to his work.
In this story, Dan Simmons does a fine job of evoking a crepuscular human existence on the sufference of vast, incomprehensible forces. It's an effective story, a moody mood piece, and if I'd encountered it in an anthology or a collection I wouldn't have given a second thought to its standing... but as a standalone work, I think it really does leave the reader wanting more than it delivers.
September 28, 2009
I give this novella 5 stars for the idea but 3 stars for its execution.
The story is set in a future where humanity has been subjegated and dispersed among farflung habitable planets. Initially saved from extinction because aliens found a voice of merit in the works of William Shakespeare, a roving troop of actors is selected to perform his plays in front of hierarchical aliens as a test for mankind's continued existance.
As a long time fan of Dan Simmons, I was disappointed he did not flesh out the story in more depth. I did however enjoy the way he described the rationale for the selection of each play for each audience. I also enjoyed the use of Shakespeare in a science fiction setting.
The story is set in a future where humanity has been subjegated and dispersed among farflung habitable planets. Initially saved from extinction because aliens found a voice of merit in the works of William Shakespeare, a roving troop of actors is selected to perform his plays in front of hierarchical aliens as a test for mankind's continued existance.
As a long time fan of Dan Simmons, I was disappointed he did not flesh out the story in more depth. I did however enjoy the way he described the rationale for the selection of each play for each audience. I also enjoyed the use of Shakespeare in a science fiction setting.
May 23, 2015
I liked the setting and the premise -- is it wrong of me that I find the poor characters's predicament funny? -- but I wish Wilbr and Aglaé were better developed as characters. I didn't get a sense of Wilbr growing enough to do what he does at the end.
I'm also a little tired of the SFnal trope that Shakespeare is the height of human culture, even in the future. It may be so for the English language, but maybe aliens would be more interessed in other cultures. (Although, with all the mentions of lore, I wondered if I was missing a twist about the evolution of culture and their version of the plays being different from ours, but the references I recognized seemed correct).
I'm also a little tired of the SFnal trope that Shakespeare is the height of human culture, even in the future. It may be so for the English language, but maybe aliens would be more interessed in other cultures. (Although, with all the mentions of lore, I wondered if I was missing a twist about the evolution of culture and their version of the plays being different from ours, but the references I recognized seemed correct).
May 7, 2015
This meditation on The Bard and what he means to humanity both now and in the far future is interesting in its details but a little cliched in its reliance on popular tropes to characterise the troupe of actors central to the story. Still, it’s fun and quick and provides a really interesting look at a future where humanity has been completely and totally subjugated by alien overlords.
March 1, 2015
Shakespeare in space...and it's a test with existence itself at stake. Nice story idea, well enough executed but I thought the players didn't seem quite real.
August 31, 2016
Oh god...Shakespeare. Bleah.
September 12, 2020
Brilliant! This novella by Simmons was lovely to devour in a couple of hours.
May 11, 2024
Bought this book from an ihop at 16, and I still love it.. amazing story !
September 28, 2019
Muse of Fire is pure Dan Simmons and is an excellent read. He once again creates and deeply textured world and asks the basic question of what is human and what is religion. The reader follows a traveling troupe of Shakespearean plays on various planets to both human and alien crowds. Fans of Shakespeare will love this homage because it is so well nailed. It is the entire base to the book and you have to understand Shakespeare to understand the story. Man is not at the top of the food chain, but this group travels there and what they find questions everything. Though this story is short for Dan Simmons, it is very intense as a read and is introspective. This is one of his better stories, but I would suggest to read some of his earlier works or short stories to get a feel for his writing style before trying to tackle this story.
March 3, 2020
Excellent short read. Far future, humans are riff-raff, reduced to slave status, at the bottom of the galactic rank. Yet companies of Shakespearean players roam the galaxy performing for the human dregs. It turns out that when the galactics (uppity bunch) first surveyed humanity they were in favour of extermination, but the decided to give humanity a millennium of grace, due to Shakespeare! So, 1,000+ years latter a player company must perform for the high-level galactic overlords. They (we) pass and are allowed out into the wider galaxy to find our own destiny.
Full of twists and turns, no idea what is happening until it does, and more than a few surprises, as well as disturbingly crafted. Recommended.
Full of twists and turns, no idea what is happening until it does, and more than a few surprises, as well as disturbingly crafted. Recommended.
January 3, 2020
Let me be clear, I engage with SciFi at the movies; I do not eagerly seek it out on the page. However, when I heard about Simmons book on a Folger Shakespeare podcast, I could not resist. A tale where humans are slaves to aliens, a band of Shakespearean players travels the universe performing. During a particularly wonderful rendition of Much Ado, things begin to change. Really, how could I, a professed Shakespeare nerd, not be enthralled after reading, "Your species was excused upon first encounter because of Shakespeare. Only because of Shakespeare." A wonderful novella full of SciFi and Shakespeare.
August 25, 2023
How refreshing! I devoured this novella. I love the theater, so hearing of a novel, by an esteemed author no less, mixing that with science fiction will make me spend money faster than the speed of light. I was very keen on this universe, which does not come as a surprise to me, because Dan Simmons has great ideas, most of the time. I also respect authors who make their characters transcend themselves in short fiction. Our protagonist here, a timorous actor, transforms into some kind of Sir Ian McKellen, in an organic and beautiful way. I was not as big a fan of the ending, but like some Shakespearean character always says: "You can't always get what you want."
November 15, 2023
I picked this up on a whim from my library because I own Hyperion and wanted to try something shorter from Dan Simmons before I jump into that book.
As a theatre major this was a fun sci-fi. Imagine putting on Shakespeare plays in the future for the aliens that now rule all of Space. I found this plot extremely interesting but also brought up so many questions of figuring out the world.
The world building was easy to follow in so few pages.
I don't know that I completely understood the ending. Overall, I had a fun time with this futuristic theatre touring group.
As a theatre major this was a fun sci-fi. Imagine putting on Shakespeare plays in the future for the aliens that now rule all of Space. I found this plot extremely interesting but also brought up so many questions of figuring out the world.
The world building was easy to follow in so few pages.
I don't know that I completely understood the ending. Overall, I had a fun time with this futuristic theatre touring group.
December 28, 2019
Dan Simmons continues to amaze me with his mastery of high-concept sci-fi, especially in an author known more for his horror stories. It's both a novella about mind-breaking alien species of godlike power and intellect, and a love letter about Shakespeare's plays as the ultimate expression of theater. Even for someone who's not a big theater guy, and was never that into Shakespeare, I loved this book.
September 11, 2023
Short, odd, and very heavy on the Shakespeare.
I was not a fan, the story is short and quick, and has a few fun points (hence why it was not 1 star). Overall, I would not recommend unless you really enjoy the idea of behind the scenes theater mixed with SciFi.
I was also surprised at the number of sections which had poor editing, sentences where you know what they mean to say but does not read correctly because there are missing words or something wrong.
I was not a fan, the story is short and quick, and has a few fun points (hence why it was not 1 star). Overall, I would not recommend unless you really enjoy the idea of behind the scenes theater mixed with SciFi.
I was also surprised at the number of sections which had poor editing, sentences where you know what they mean to say but does not read correctly because there are missing words or something wrong.
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