Rating: 
Summary: the best of the three
Review: Hyperion was an introduction. It left me mad because it was
not a complete story in itself. Rather it was half a novel.
You have to read Fall of Hyperion to get a whole novel. The two
novels are great together. Endymion stands on it's own as well
as continues the saga. How anyone could be dissappointed in this
book is beyond me. This is Dan Simmons at his best. I am looking foward to the fourth book in this series coming soon.
Rating:
Summary: Same Universe, different story.
Review: "Hyperion" cycle is a quartet divided in two halves that shares the same universe. "Endymion" starts the second part. Three hundred years had elapsed since the end of "The Fall of Hyperion" and new forces are playing the game. Some characters of the first half, as A. Bettik, Martin Silenus and The Shrike reappear here. The Catholic Church with her new resurrection "sacrament" is expanding everywhere. The "farcasters" are not working and space travel takes a toll in the form of time debt.Simmons give a new turn of the screw to his story: the new main character is an anti-hero. He is not very brave or smart; he is loyal and devoted to Aenea. Usually M. Endymion just goes ahead pressed by the events that pop up and strives to stay alive and protect Aenea. He is just an ordinary man subjected to extraordinary events. The Pax forces leaded by Father Captain de Soya launch an all-out persecution thru the universe and this is its chronicle. Simmons uses a subtle humor and winks the reader to enter the game. At the same time, in another level of the story, more complex issues are touched as predestination versus free will; religion and faith; ethical and unethical choices. Before reading this book is advisable to read "Hyperion" and "The Fall of Hyperion", to fully understand what's going on. But you will not regret doing so, you'll get in touch with one of the best sci-fi sagas written in the '90s.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Rating: 
Summary: The beginning of the end...
Review: Dan Simmons' third installment in the Hyperion series, "Endymion," is hardly comparable to the previous two. No longer do we have the broad, sweeping storytelling from the Hyperion Cantos, but instead, we are presented with a relatively narrow plot following the adventures of a couple characters. Rather than a sci-fi version of the "Canterbury Tales," "Endymion" is simply an adventure novel. If that was all you really liked in the first two books of the series, you will probably agree with several other reviewers who have criticized this book for its smaller scope and different style. However, Simmons' writing still retains its fluidity and rich style. The characters are still well-crafted and engaging, the plot remains just as intriguing, and Simmons again shows his remarkable knack for creating rich and believable worlds. Like the first two novels in the series, "Endymion" and its sequel "Rise of Endymion," are really almost two halves of a single book. While "Endymion" does not have the abruptly unsatisfying end of "Hyperion," its story is certainly incomplete. The real value of this novel is that it lays the groundwork for its sequel, the capstone of the four-book series, and the true jewel that makes the Hyperion saga stand out as one of the greatest science fiction works written.
Rating:
Summary: Dan Simmons is a class act
Review: Part three of Dan Simmons Hyperion series. Is it as good as the other two? Not quite, but it certainly stands shoulder to shoulder with them as a classy novel. It is much lighter in spirit than its predecessors of the series, with less sense of universal catastrophe imminent (as in the second) or of grandly sinister mystery (as in the first.) There's a little more goofing off and relaxing between the characters. Having said that, this one picks up with the mysteries of the Shrike, the Technocore, and about what happened, exactly, to old Earth. (I had a hunch that planet might rear its head, and it does- reassuring for those of us who live here still.)
Spoiler warning! Beware, spoliers! Duck and cover!
At first the premise of this book annoyed me slightly, as it seemed to me too simple: the child messiah Aenea is to be guided through space by Raul, and hunted by Father Captain de Soya, who is working for the all-powerful Pax (revitalized Christian church power base, who have overtaken the Hegemony after their demise in what's known as The Fall, whereby all farcaster portals were shut down to keep the Technocore from wiping out human kind. Got all that? It will be on the exam.) So it looked like being a simple foot race, but as usual, I was wrong. There were enough secrets about the distant future, the Core, the Pax (and its relationship with the Core) to intrigue the most jaded sci fi fan, which may describe me. This book is top notch stuff. The Pax politics are also fascinating, as is de Soya himself while he endures multiple deaths and revivals. You can see him gradually waking up to the brutalities and hypocrisies of the men who order him about in the name of loving Jesus Christ (although when given the chance to defy them for good and join Aenea and Raul, de Soya takes the path of the company man and goes home to face punishment.)
Other memorable moments: The journey with the Chinchita, the duel between the Shrike and the new and improved Shrike- scary notion; there's an upgraded Shrike who beats the old one in combat fairly easily [although it does inconvenience her by wrapping its teeth around her throat, enough to make her mad] and at first I thought this Shrike-woman was the Pax's attempt to build a Shrike; surely they couldn't beat the Shrike with this second rate model? The Shrike is godly, it's invincible! Be damned, I was actually rooting for the monster. This new one- Nemes, her name is- regards the Shrike as an 'obsolete time shifter'- scary. What else is good about this one? The whole damn book, okay? Just read it.
This is without question top of the line sci fi; probably Simmons is the best going around right now. If there's anyone comparably close to his standard, I haven't read it. Niven and Pournelle remain favourties of mine, but Simmons is, I think, starting to pull clear in the race to my heart. He'll no doubt be thrilled!
Rating:
Summary: Fun adventure!!
Review: I am glad to see that there have been more positive reviews of this book. When I finished Fall of Hyperion and I looked for this book, the reviews were very negative.
Personally, I liked the book a lot. It was a great adventure where your followed two distinct parties through a cat-and-mouse chase. Simmons' world of Hyperion is great, and he has not let us down in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it
Review: After the first two books in the series the author should have stopped. This book does not add anything worth reading to the story. It's a sad copy of Terminator I and II mixed with Alien. It's so sad, stay with the first two books, don't even read this one.
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of the end...
Review: Dan Simmons' third installment in the Hyperion series, "Endymion," is hardly comparable to the previous two. No longer do we have the broad, sweeping storytelling from the Hyperion Cantos, but instead, we are presented with a relatively narrow plot following the adventures of a couple characters. Rather than a sci-fi version of the "Canterbury Tales," "Endymion" is simply an adventure novel. If that was all you really liked in the first two books of the series, you will probably agree with several other reviewers who have criticized this book for its smaller scope and different style. However, Simmons' writing still retains its fluidity and rich style. The characters are still well-crafted and engaging, the plot remains just as intriguing, and Simmons again shows his remarkable knack for creating rich and believable worlds. Like the first two novels in the series, "Endymion" and its sequel "Rise of Endymion," are really almost two halves of a single book. While "Endymion" does not have the abruptly unsatisfying end of "Hyperion," its story is certainly incomplete. The real value of this novel is that it lays the groundwork for its sequel, the capstone of the four-book series, and the true jewel that makes the Hyperion saga stand out as one of the greatest science fiction works written.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST
Review: The best Sci-Fi ever, the whole series (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion). The characters, the plot and the intensity make it a must read not just for Sci-Fi buffs but for any Fiction reader. Dan Simmons has as big of a surprise in the end as did Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. This series touches on all aspects of humanity in seven characters lifetimes through a plethora of worlds.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the prequels
Review: I don't know why anyone who read the Hyperion series would be disappointed by either Endymion or The Fall of Endymion. While I felt the Hyperion series was the best hard science-fiction I have read since Foundation, Endymion upped the ante considerably with absolutely cannot-put-it-this-book-down plot hooks. The Archangel class ships are simply chilling, and Simmons is one of the best at making the science readable. The character development is stunning in both the carryovers from Hyperion and the newly introduced characters. Simmons is a musn't miss for anyone interested in a riveting read.
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