I know there are many of these posts, but I just finished the Dan Simmons sci-fi series, Hyperion and felt the need to write this. Wow. Utterly stunned is my best description of how I feel. In awe, really, that someone could craft such a thoughtful, thought-provoking, and magnificent tale. Over 30 years ago no less!
The characters, the scope, the detail, the emotion, the ideas, OH! the ideas! How does someone come up with so many futuristic ideas, realities, visions, prophecies?
Dan Simmons, if you are out there, I’d love to interview you. I’m overwhelmed with the genius you possess, but it struck me, at the end of Rise of Endymion, that you’re describing the place where you tapped into to create this beauty - The Void Which Binds. Bravo.
Thank you for writing this series. My worldview is forever changed.
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Great book for sure, but I don’t enjoy that style of story construction. To me its just annoying :-)
The first two were great. After that I couldn’t get past the grooming vibes and from what I read, it doesn’t get any better in that regard.
I’ve read Hyperion a few times and some of the concepts it introduces still astounds me. The story where bodies affected by the cruciform stood affixed to steel lighting rods is striking.
Oh, I really enjoy this series, but dont think I could go back to it. Its sex scenes really were offputting for me.
See you later, alligator
<3
I really enjoyed Hyperion. Unfortunately for me, the Priest’s tale in the first book is probably one of my favorite short stories of all time - it really checked all the boxes for me. The rest of the book/series was good, but didn’t hit the same.
That’s really interesting I always felt it was my least favorite, though still great, out of all of them. Looking back, I think it’s his ability to write about relationships that has me loving all the other ones more.
At the risk of going against the grain, I find most of the relationships in the series were written a bit … Amateurish? Idk, it felt a bit fan fiction-y.
That said, I love the more horrific, methodically written, virtually devoid of any semblance of a healthy relationship prose - like in the Priest’s Tale.
It’s funny how we seem to have completely opposing viewpoints. Nothing wrong with that of course lol
To this day, its one of my favourite random used bookstore finds. Randomly see it, read back and go that looks good. My oh my was I in for a good time!
Incredible!
The priest and the scholar were so good.
The Consul’s tale was fucking heartbreaking as well.
I feel like it’s among the best of all Sci-Fi - and I keep seeing the influence of this in a lot of things - like Starcraft, Mass Effect, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
I wish so hard that they’d do an adaptation, but do it right, long-form 6 seasons of HBO quality…hold no punches, make it authentic.
Reminder that, however you imagined him, the Consul character was wearing a dorky tricorn hat the entire time. Like a civil war reenactor
How does one person come up with so many ideas… while there’s great originality in Hyperion, there are also great examples of borrowing and imitation, for example there is a sequence where Braun Lamia gets a hacker friend to hack into the AI’s database (I can’t remember the proper terms sorry) which draws heavily on Neuromancer. Also in general Hyperion draws together different genres in a really great way. Btw for those who like Amazon Audible, I recommend the audiobook version.
Over 30 years ago no less!
This made me smile. The implication that a) It’s a long time ago, and b) Some writers of yore could write well.
It’s just funny. Thanks for the recommendation!
added to my wish list
I loved Hyperion. Also enjoyed reading the Terror.
I could be mistaken, but I recall an interview or essay he wrote years ago and he was shitting all over Tom Clancy saying he wrote books for sixth graders. I rather liked Clancy’s early stuff, but later on… yeah… kinda giggled at Simmon’s take.
I’ve never read it but I have a tendency to read up on the lore from a lot of different series and get into them that way. I say this because even though I don’t know much as far as the story goes, the Shrike is easily the scariest and most badass “villain” I think I’ve ever read about. The whole concept of its victims being impaled and essentially kept alive and in the worst torment one can imagine for eternity is just metal as fuck.