I just read Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion for the first time this year. When I got to the end of Hyperion I did something I rarely do. I usually buy all my books used as sort of a “thrill of the hunt” thing. I bought The Fall of Hyperion new… out of rage. I demanded to know what was going to happen next, because without knowing I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated the fucking book! I then read through The Fall of Hyperion as fast as I could manage.
Now I can say, without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. And yet I’m still not sure I am willing to go forward with the Endymion books.
Great series. My personal favorite from Simmons is the Ilium/Olympos duology, although Olympos was a bit of a letdown at the end. Simmons is brilliant but he does have a way of setting a lot of things up and occasionally failing to deliver a satisfying climax. Hyperion and Endymion, read as two complete works, do a better job of concluding things.
I distinctly remember reading Ilium when I was like 12 and just being absolutely dumbfounded by the erotic scenes with Helen of Troy. I had never encountered adult content like that in a book and it just blew my horny teenage mind.
Simmons’ fusion of historical literature with robust far future science fiction is chef’s kiss.
Endymion by Dan Simmons. Part of the Hyperion Cantos.
I just read Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion for the first time this year. When I got to the end of Hyperion I did something I rarely do. I usually buy all my books used as sort of a “thrill of the hunt” thing. I bought The Fall of Hyperion new… out of rage. I demanded to know what was going to happen next, because without knowing I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated the fucking book! I then read through The Fall of Hyperion as fast as I could manage.
Now I can say, without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. And yet I’m still not sure I am willing to go forward with the Endymion books.
Great series. My personal favorite from Simmons is the Ilium/Olympos duology, although Olympos was a bit of a letdown at the end. Simmons is brilliant but he does have a way of setting a lot of things up and occasionally failing to deliver a satisfying climax. Hyperion and Endymion, read as two complete works, do a better job of concluding things.
I distinctly remember reading Ilium when I was like 12 and just being absolutely dumbfounded by the erotic scenes with Helen of Troy. I had never encountered adult content like that in a book and it just blew my horny teenage mind.
Simmons’ fusion of historical literature with robust far future science fiction is chef’s kiss.