Rating: 
Summary: Loses its way at first but a breathtaking finish
Review: I eagerly awaited this book and at first felt disappointed, I found the characters smug and the travelling through the worlds section rather boring but Dan Simmons though did a marvellous job of pulling everything together and I found myself haunted by the ending. He set his sights high - few people would dare base a fiction novel on Christianity - even fewer would pull it off. As soon as I finished the book I had to re-read the entire set of hyperion and endymion novels in the light of what I now knew and found my enjoyment of them further enhanced. A breathtaking piece of work my only regret is that it is over!
Rating: 
Summary: Awful - rated one star because I couldn't pick zero stars
Review: The first 3 books were great, with each exceeding the previous. The last in the series is awful, with flat characters and the heroine being an irritating and boring imitation of a TV evangelist. I couldn't wait to pick up the 1st 3 books, and I can't wait to put this one down. Simmons at his worst.
Rating: 
Summary: A book So like Hyperion but so different.
Review: I have just finished reading this book. It is much different from Hyperion, but is also alike. I think the opening of the book sums it up for the critics of this exellent book - "You are reading this for the wrong reason". I have finished the book in a mere two days read and enjoyed every moment of it. Especially, the terror I felt after reading the "thing's" exploits and thoughts still haunts me.
Rating:
Summary: The Hyperion series falls into decay
Review: Hyperion and it's "fall" are two of the best science fiction-fantasy books I have had the pleasure to read. The final two books of the series have taken a very unpleasant turn for the worse. Simmon's bigotry and general hatred for certain aspects of humanity come about in full force through his 2 dimensional Endymion characters. Has Simmons become so full of himself that his characters are simpleton mimics for his, (Simmons) New Age beliefs. The richness of Hyperion has been lost forever in the lack luster and hate filled new age Dan Simmons. In the scope of things it is sad that Simmons has not allowed his 2D characters to rise above his own petty beliefs. Simmons' own prejudices are expressed far too often and are out of place. No reason to read Simmons any longer it would appear. A real shame.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic finish to a fantastic series.
Review: While it may not be as "action-packed" or written in the same style as the other three, "The Rise of Endymion" sums up the series so well, it makes you want to read all four again. At times it reads more like a James Redfield novel rather than a Sci-Fi book, but that just makes it that much more appealing. To think that Simmons knew this entire storyline at the very beginning... My only regret is that there will be no more Hyperion novels. A must read for those who've read the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was the first book in the series I've read and it's probably the best sci-fi novel I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: In like a lion, out like a lamb.
Review: Hyperion is one of the best SF novels that I have read. Fall of Hyperion continued in this same excellent vein. After that, the course was downhill, or perhaps into a gravity well in the spacetime continuum. The last installment in the series, the Rise of Endymion, is not a terrible novel. However, the work is a great disappointment when held against the promise of the first two in the series. It also squelched hopes that the prosaic and dull, Endymion was a just a glitch. The essence of good drama is human conflict. Not war and strife, but humans who are torn between good and evil, right and wrong. This is true of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Richard Wright's Bigger Thomas, and Frank Herbert's Paul Atreides. People lacking the "tragic flaw" of Greek drama are often not very interesting subjects. Good stories centered on Jesus Christ are lacking because as a person of perfection, he is not particularly interesting (dramatically speaking). Contrast this with the figures, such as Solomon or Joseph, from the Old Testament who are conflicted, and often dramatically exciting. Aenea, the central figure of Endymion and the Rise of Endymion is a Christ-like figure of perfect character who foresees and accepts great personal tragedy for the good of humankind. She even shares her blood with her disciples, so that who so ever believeth in me.... Well, you get the picture. Unlike the complex, multifaceted characters of the first two novels, Aenea, and Raul Endymion are flat, unidimensional and ultimately uninteresting. Father Captain de Soya is by far the most interesting character in the novel, but receives very little press. This is unfortunate in a novel that is excessively long and pays great attention to ultimately unimportant items (such as the society on the world T'ia Shan). Simmons is talented. He seems to have lost focus in these last two novels of this series. With his penchant for poetry, I suppose that Aenea is named for Aeneas, the hero of Virgil's Aeneid who roamed the Mediterranean after the Trojan War, and eventually founded Rome. The Romans plucked Aeneas from the powerful imagery of the Trojan War to create a hero worthy to be the founder of the world's greatest civilization. The story is much less interesting than the Iliad and the Odyssey which follow the trials of much more complex, and therefore appealing people. Homer and Shakespeare are not considered the greatest poets in Western history for nothing. That Simmons missed the message is unfortunate.
Rating:
Summary: One of the rare books that I did not want to end.
Review: The final volume in the excellent 'Hyperion' series, this book is truly a masterpiece of interwoven styles, character and plots. I found myself putting the book down to preserve the reading experience! I highly recommend this book and the entire series.
Rating:
Summary: Maddening and ultimately a disappointment
Review: There's so much filler, such poor writing and a lack of the kind of imagination and pacing from the earlier books, that I was seriously tempted not to finish it but wanted some answers after all those other pages. My suggestion is to find someone to tell you the plot and resolutions instead of wasting your time reading this incriminating indictment of Simmons' fall from artistry, professionalism and conscience. If you're stuck with time on your hands and you can't sleep, then at least you've had your expectations lowered.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel, one of Simmon's best to date.
Review: This is one of the few cases in science fiction where the final novel of a series is as good if not better than the first. The novel brings the saga introduced in Hyperion to an intellectually and emotionally satisfying conclusion. If you haven't read the previous novels, you would be advised to do so first, otherwise you will miss out on much that this novel has to offer.
| 
