Rise of Endymion

Rating:
Summary: Hyperion cantos a masterpiece
Review: I hate authors such as Dan Simmons. They keep you in suspense for years awaiting the next release in a series and in a matter of days you have completed it. A great void opens up leaving the reader feeling like more. So much goes on in the mind continually analyzing the plot and what you did and didn't immediately grasp. I certainly hope that this isn't the end in the Hyperion series as there is still Rachel's story to tell as well as the "others". What is this wonderful technology in the future that Rachel Weintraub is using in the final battle against the core? What about Colonel Kassad? What does the future hold for him? What an experience. It is only when you take the series as a whole can you really appreciate the sheer brilliance of this series. The characters are so well written you can actually sense their emotions. After the fall of Hyperion I thought that that was the end of the series. I didn't even dream that it would get even better. I can't believe that this is the final adieu. Come on Dan don't make this the last in the series.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: I finished this book a few weeks ago and I still think about it all the time. It really hit me hard. Especially the love story. I did ascertain the ending and I did cry the last 100 pages.

Rating:
Summary: Dan Simmons'thoughts:
Review: Thanks to Amazon.com for carrying these books -- especially the Hyperion series -- and a thanks to all the readers who took the time and energy to send in thoughtful comments. I was especially interested in people's reaction to THE RISE OF ENDYMION. Adieu, Hyperion Universe.

Rating:
Summary: How about 100?
Review: First of all, anyone who even bothered to individually rate the Hyperion saga books should have their heads examined. How could you rate an individual part of a tale? This book brings to close some of the most complex and wonderful characters and story ever to be put onto paper and makes you feel like a weathered traveler at the end. It is almost offending to have to try and put into words how good it is. For those who had to wait the couple of years for each to come out, I would suggest reading them back-to-back-to-back-to-back so every single one of the unbelievable many angles and subplots is fresh for the understanding.

Rating:
Summary: A bit inconsistent, but still wonderful
Review: I feel the length was somewhat justified by the sweep of the love story betwen Aenea and Raul. I would have liked some of the length to be devoted to some explanation. How did the Shrike, which was barely a match for Nemes in Endymion become able to stomp the Nemes creatures in ROE, and still who exactly made the Shrike and still why? But overall I have to give it an outstanding.

Rating:
Summary: A very mixed opinion......
Review: Regrettably I have a very mixed opinion. I truly dug the first two in the series, especially the second novel. The third was interesting, due to its jump in time, but okay. This however was so wordy I actually skipped pages due to its boring content, and that is what bums me out. A couple of others mentioned the same thing, so I do not feel that bad giving it a mediocre review. It's good that Simmons wraps up all the answers, but why so long I ask? It is with regards to the exploration of religion and its differences with other cultures/religions, as well his concept of the marginalization of such groups---that is why. It was like reading a cruddy college freshman essay on the differences in culture and religion for an anthropology class. Hence its wordiness. I think it's the worst of the novels. At least I know now about the identity of the Shrike, and other answers from the other books in the series. That is the only reason I give it a 6.

Rating:
Summary: A Love Story
Review: Just finished this fourth book in the series. What a book!!!! After Hyperion I was hooked. I think this one ties a lot of loose ends together, while still leaving room for another. The imagery and scope of these novels are incredible!! No realism is sacrificed in these novels. I too found myself staying up to the late hours of the morning finishing this one. I know it sounds silly, but I too had tears streaming down my face in the last couple chapters. Aenea sacrificed so much!!! She knew what would happen the whole time. To give her self to save so many. Poor Raul..to have a little longer til she leaves him once again. In her last moments,letting Raul and the universe know how much she loved him. This is a love story on the grandest scale. I have felt moved for days after I read this..If anyone would like to discuss this book further..Please E-mail Me.

Rating:
Summary: "a level of craft and style unparalleled by any novelist"
Review: As usual, Simmons' text (in "The Rise of Endymion") is filled with many levels of thought; and the multi-layered plots are peopled with a rich cast of characters. Simmons pays homage to Grandmasters like Jack Vance (via a wild and varied world-hopping trip taken by Raul Endymion) and Ray Bradbury (one of the foodstuffs on Mars is the homegrown bradberry). And there are sly, humorous "throwaways" like Madrededios (a planet whose name translates to "mother of god") or the animal called a Zygoat (a bit of science humor). Simmons also manages to tie up any loose ends and answer all of the questions posed by the first three books (such as how the Shrike was created and what its ultimate purpose is) while introducing new puzzles like the mysterious beings known as the Others. If you are an admirer of good science fiction, this series of books by Dan Simmons is a terrific example to hold up high when someone tries to vilify the genre. And if you are just introducing yourself to science fiction, the "Hyperion/Endymion" books are the perfect place to start. Like Baedekers to a magical world, these novels will guide the uninitiated to a universe of endless wonders. No matter what genre Dan Simmons chooses to write in, he brings to each book a level of craft and style unparalleled by any novelist working today. He is, without a doubt, one of the most important writers to emerge during the late twentieth century. (Copy right, 1997)-- "Bloomsbury Review"

Rating:
Summary: whew! A compelling story...
Review: This thought provoking, at times heartbreaking/stopping tale is most definitely worth the read. I fell in love with Raul Endymion's all too real human strengths and frailtiies.... A. Bettik's sublties.... Martin Silenius' obscenities.... Aenea's incredible joi de vivre in spite the knowledge of her and others future devastations, ... and so many of others characters the author gave life to. A most thought provoking examination of a (any, actually) religion at it's ethnocentric worst. AND I must admit, I appreciated and applauded Mr. Simmon's treatment of his characters inner strengths and humor, be they male, female, ouster, cybrid or android... On top of being a totally nerve jangling, hair raising and bloody tale, it is a tender, lump in the throat forming love story. I really liked this and all the books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: This story could use a heroine...
Review: I loved the whole series. Hyperion, Fallor Hyperion... I loved them. I even loved Endymion -- until Aenea hit the pages. Unfortunately Aenea is in all of the Rise of Endymion. I mean, come on, she is supposed to be this charismatic messiah but she comes off as an abnoxious child... If only her involvement could be edited out, I'd have given the book a 10...