Hyperion

Rating:
Summary: Finally, some QUALITY fiction...it deserves 6 stars...
Review: A trend of stagnation has plagued fiction writers in the past few years; truly innovative work has become increasingly hard to come by. Dan Simmons has overcome mediocrity and reached a pinnacle in the science fiction community with the Hyperion series. He has combined amazingly complex settings, a scattering of historical fiction, and a cast of genuinely intriguing characters to create one of the most memorable and satisfying science fiction series to date. Simmons has shown himself to be a literary jack-of-all-trades with this series, covering a daunting amount of historical, social, scientific, and linguistic material. Then there's the Shrike...And it all started with Hyperion-the first of four very high quality novels. Hyperion is a modern classic-pick up a copy and see.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh
Review: How does an author who cannot even write convincing dialog manage to win the Hugo? Don't ask me. The worst is the character Silenus, a crazy poet, who speaks like someone straight out of a B sci-fi movie. A couple of the stories are actually interesting but if you're into "hard" science fiction, don't even consider this book. Simmons is heavy on the speculative but low on scientific content. He should stick to writing horror.

Rating:
Summary: good read, but a resolution would have been nice
Review: Tons of the Ender's Game reviewers included this novel among their favorites, which inspired me to purchase it. I personally enjoyed the Colonel's tale the most, (I wonder if perhaps I'm an intellectual dwarf since everyone else seems to prefer the spiritually/theologically compelling tale of Rachel to blood, gore, and war; I'm just a talking monkey--forgive me). Regardless, this guy can write! His ability voice the thoughts and sensibilities of the varied characters is quite impressive. I am a bit disappointed that Simmons left me hanging in the end, but I wonder if perhaps he initially wrote this and "The Fall of Hyperion" as one mammoth book that the publisher elected to divide into two. Probably not, but it would ease some of my frustrations to know that at least it wasn't his idea.

Rating:
Summary: Complex & inventive look at the future of humanity.
Review: He has me, I want to go out and read everything that Dan Simmons has written. It took me long enough to allow myself to be introduced to the words of this incredible talent, and I am glad that it did. Dan Simmons is a writer who lives the lives human beings, all human beings. He has painted a future for humanity that while frightening is also just too tantelizing to turn away from. In Hyperion he sets the stage for characters and actions that will hook you. I've read them all. You should as well.

Rating:
Summary: Superion
Review: I don't read much science fiction/fantasy, but a friend of mine suggested that I read the book with the promise I would love it anyway. He was right. It was a marvelous journey into an amazing make-believe future with a culture and lexicon of its own. I was impressed from start to finish with Simmons' ability to create entire worlds and races, complete with historical facts, figures, and names. I was so enthralled with the narrative I found myself reading bits and pieces whenever I could. My only disappointment came when I found the author chose to postpone the resolution...forcing me to buy The Fall of Hyperion! A literary cop-out in my eyes, but one worth following up on. A great effort!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I picked up this book hoping it would be thought-provoking SF (not fantasy) and found it to be much, much more. The characters are dark and complex. The story is not linear, but the sum of the character's individual stories, which could all stand on their own as some of the best short fiction of the decade. The reader is challenged to think (for a change) about how civilizations work, what role religion plays, etc.

Just an all-out awesome read. This ranks up there with my favorite book => Time and Again by Jack Finney.

The story of Rachel is the best!

Rating:
Summary: Entrancingly Hypnotic! The ultimate in Science Fiction!
Review: Dan Simmons has truly astounded me. Never before have I seen so many Science-Fiction themes interwoven in a single book. Truly told, before reading it I would have been convinced such a feat would be impossible without the majority of it being dedicated to mere description of the themes as opposed to actual plot development; Hyperion is not merely a guidebook to the wonders and threats of the future -- it is a tale that makes the future a living, breathing being as seen through the all-too-mortal eyes of very real characters.

Simmon's characters demand the life he has given them. As I read I could almost sense their living breathing souls hovering at the periphery of each page; bearing themselves to me through the small portal of print in my hand. Indeed, even had there been no overlying plot, the character sketches Simmons provides have such rich detail and life that they almost need no cohesive bond between themselves.

Yet this book -does- have an underlying story that itself is just as well conceived as even the characters involved!

I've read Asimov, Heinlein, Brin, Herbert, Zelanzy, Niven and countless others. This work truly is among the finest (if not THE finest) Science Fiction tales ever conceived.

Rating:
Summary: The Lone Reader Reviews...The "Hyperion" Series.
Review: This is not a review of "Hyperion", per se. It is, instead, a summation of what I consider to be the strengths and shortcomings of a critically- and reader-acclaimed science fiction series.

If I were to advise a reader, my advice would be that they acquire and read the first two novels ("Hyperion" and "Fall Of Hyperion") in succession. It is my opinion that the tertiary and quaternary novels are fundamentally weaker than the primary and secondary, to the extent that they actually cause harm to the narrative. I evaluate the "Hyperion" series as two two-book series'; the first series being "Hyperion" and "Fall Of Hyperion", and the second series being "Endymion" and "Rise Of Endymion". I'll refer to them as the "Hyperion books" and "Endymion books" hereafter.

The "Hyperion books" stand, in my estimation, with classics such as "Dune" and "The Hobbit" in their conception and realization of potential realities. The "Hyperion books" have consistently enthralled me, even after repeated readings, and I value that experience. When I discover new plot points in a book after the fiftieth reading, I believe that points to the author's command of meta-threads within the narrative. The narrative has not fundamentally changed, but the overarching framework that contains the narrative threads has evolved, and presents new opportunities for intellectual ferment. If I were to give them a rating, it would be four and a half stars; there are some fundamental weaknesses in linking the narratives and in character reasoning that stop the "Hyperion books" short of a five-star ranking.

Now, the "Endymion books".

"Puagh. Vomit.", to quote John Ashbery.

Well, perhaps not THAT bad. But, still. To be blunt, the "Endymion books" ___ by comparison to their predecessors. The character development is weak, the narrative veers from mildly interesting to Barnum and Bailey "I Gotcher Suspension Of Disbelief Right Here Behind The Egress" outrageousness, and the precise, complex and highly developed feel of the "Hyperion books" is almost entirely absent. In general, I don't recommend that readers who adore the "Hyperion books" continue with the "Endymion books" because, like I said, the narrative is actually damaged by the "Endymion books". If I were to rate the "Endymion books", I would give them a two-star rating. And a healthy "Puagh".

I think the best way to sum up how I feel about the series as a whole is as follows: "Hyperion" and "Fall Of Hyperion" are brilliant, and well worth reading for any fan of science fiction. "Endymion" and "Rise Of Endymion" are like books adapted from screenplays; you suspect them of being capable of much more than they deliver. They are what they are, though; and, for me, it's more fun to imagine what they could have been than to read their rather disappointing reality.

Buy "Hyperion" and "Fall Of Hyperion". Borrow "Endymion" and "Rise Of Endymion". And then write a review so that we can all argue with you.

Thanks for reading,

Ashton Treadway END

Rating:
Summary: Best series out there!
Review: I read endymion first, fall of hyperion hooked me, hyperion solidified the bond, and rise of endymion only made me love it more.The best series ever written,and the shrike the best creation/character ever commited to page.

Rating:
Summary: Superior novel bursting with ideas and terrific writing
Review: Simmons is one of America's best writers, not just sf writers. This novel(and the sequels that followed)are as sophisticated and complex as anything by Pynchon or Joyce but incorporate a more commerical narrative structure. The first two novels in this "series"(I use the term loosely because of the time frame the series covers)are among the best fiction produced in the past 20 years. Simmons, along with his more unconventional contemporary Stephenson, is among the best authors currently writing.

The ideas, situations and characters are all sophisticated and have considerable depth. It's clear that Simmons is trying to structure a narrative with a thematic structure comparable to the fiction of a Homer or Joyce(two authors at other ends of the spectrum).

I can highly recommend this book. Give it a chance and you'll be sucked into its world. Easily the most comprehensive world created since Herbert's DUNE series.