Rating: 
Summary: Hyperion Cantos ends on a high note
Review: After loving both Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, I was less than impressed with Endymion. I had already bought this book by the time I finished its predecessor, however, so I decided I had nothing to lose by giving it a chance. I'm glad I did. Where Endymion was more or less an episode of The Dukes of Hazard, with Raul, Aenea, and A.Bettik running from Boss Hogg DeSoya and his deputies for hundreds of pages (and no real story), this book is much more complex. I have read many of the complaints of this book, that the ending is predictable, that Nemes is more or less a female Terminator, etc. While these all have some credibility, I would say that the book is involving enough, the story compelling enough, the characters interesting enough to overcome these faults. This is not a book where a "surprise" ending was ever the point. And yes, Nemes is the Terminator, but its all very well explained and I for one did not feel strange about it. I thought that the strong religious storyline were refreshing for science fiction. Implications of alternative evolution, the higher emotions, and mortality are all explored with intelligence. To naysayers about this book I would ask, since when does a surprise ending trump intelligent and thought-provoking discourse in creating a great novel? If you have read the first two books in this series, but were disappointed in Endymion, I encourage you to overcome your fears and rediscover what Dan Simmons is capable of in this volume.
Rating: 
Summary: As bad as «Hyperion» was good
Review: A very ordinary guy falls in love with...the messiah! Worse, the depiction of this love is reminding of clumsy adolescent passions, where inexperienced and hormone soaked hearts become obssessed by someone who probably don't share the feeling, or don't even know how to respond to it. For hundreds of pages, this grown up man turned into a puppy can't do anything but wait until he can rest his head on his love's lap. She, being the messiah, have tasks of much higher priority to attend... The style is obsolete and immature, the plot predictable, the end disappointing. It seems incredible that the same author also wrote «Hyperion»
Rating:
Summary: Phoenix Rise of Endymion
Review: I rate Hyperion the best non-fiction book I have read. The Fall of Hyperion in the top 3. Endymion, though, was so ordinary that I did not buy Rise of Endymion until I saw it in the paperback scrap heap for US$2. If you were like me, dissappointed in Endymion, read Rise of Endymion ASAP. A fantastic plot, deep character development, and an incredible display of Simmon's awesome knowledge about religion, politics, physics, psychology and, of course, his exceptional empathy with such a variety of personas. Sure its predictable at the end, but this book is not for drama devourers. Read it to be educated, read it to be inspired by the potential of human beings, read it to get many perspectives on the meaning of life. I'll re-read Endymion now to see if I misjudged it!
Rating:
Summary: Heart rending and Powerful
Review: This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It seems silly to say that about an SF novel -- but this book has affected me like only one other -- Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. I cried my way through the last 50 pages and after I put it down I couldn't sleep for hours. Mr Simmons' writing is so powerful, so poignant that the characters of Raul and Aenea have been burned into my literary memory forever. A teacher of mine once said that any book -- and life itself -- can be experienced at many levels of consciousness. The author has managed to encapsulate all of the incredible sadness, joy and beauty of being human into this book. The last 200 pages or so (from Chapter 25) is a prediction of where we are headed as a species, I believe, an expanded consciousness where every human is in effortless contact with every other. Mr. Simmons weaves a possible future based on the inherent power of LIFE -- not technology. He has conceived of a future -- correctly I believe -- where beings understand and use their true power. His handling of time is just brilliant and the ending is so poignant that I still get a lump in my throat thinking about it. One of the reviewers of this book said that it was predictable in some spots -- and I agree, having guessed the ending a few hundred pages from the end -- but it is a tribute to Dan Simmons that it made no difference. I was tugged along by the power of the story and I forgot all about my guesswork until the last sentence. I am sure that most people will find this review an over-reaction -- but I am understating the full range of my emotions as I write this. If any of you who read this have been so powerfully affected by this book and would like to share your thoughts, please e-mail me at kmaclean@ic.net.
Rating: 
Summary: The End... For a lot of things
Review: I cannot imagine being in the mind of Raul Endymion for an instant. It has been hard not to skim; to train myself to read each of these Simmons novels every page! Such a simple track to begin with, I took a break in reading and reviewing and now I see the the utter chaos Dan Simmons has intended to unleash all along. Brother, this a good one.. a sit up and look back.. a re-read all the books and look carefully at the names, dates and places. I like to be impressed, and this did it, Thanks DS.
Rating: 
Summary: Hyperion
Review: The book was very well written and is a lot of fun to read but the ending is rushed. I thought the next two sequels were mediocre but the Rise of Endymion was really good. Overall, I think the series is worth reading, although in hindsight, I would skip the middle two.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read!
Review: The whole Hyperion series was wonderful. But the Rise of Endymion was the best. It tied up all lose ends of the book and explains the biggest mystery off all. Not only what happens to Raul Endymion, A. Bettik and Aenea but what happens to the Core, the Pax and for that matter the future of the universe. This book was more than a Science fiction book. It had adventure, danger and intrigue. And a love story that ends in the most improbable way. If you won't a book that leaves you with no questions this is it. But I'll say the ending to this story will be happy but at a price. It was the best book I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Good yarn, tired yarn, old yarn breaks easily
Review: Overall, this series was well done if a little predicable. If you can not figure out the ending before you read it, perhaps you should go to college and enroll in a Kiddie Lit. class. The ending really ruined the series for me.
Rating:
Summary: Great series
Review: Yes, this book is too long, particularly during the characters' sojourn to Tien Shan, but I'm not going to hold that against this story. One can always skim ahead. Rather, I was impressed with Simmons' big imagination, the scope of the action and the care he took in constructing his future universe in such detail. Altogether, the four Hyperion books make for a great ride. I'm sure I will reread the series someday.
Rating:
Summary: One of THE BEST SF Novels of all time
Review: I love hope. This book is about Hope and is the final of four books of Simmons' Hyperion saga. Wow! It ranks in the top five of all SF books I have read in the past 25 years including DUNE, THE DEMOLISHED MAN, SPACE PIRATE, and THE STARS MY DESTINATION. The Rise of Endymion made me laugh and cry. The three books before this one are also superb but this one is a major capstone to this project. BRAVO Dan Simmons! and thanks!
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