Customer Reviews

The Hollow Man

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It is a rare occurrence for me to read a book straight through from sunset to sunrise, but "The Hollow Man" deserved that kind of attention, even though it is very grim reading--in Dan Simmon's world, it is better to be brain-damaged than normal, drunk or drugged rather than sober, possibly dead rather than alive.

After his wife dies, Simmon's telepathic hero descends into a peculiarly American hell of gangsters, cardboard cities, rabid gangs, child molesters, and serial killers--there are many references to Dante in this book, and although Sartre isn't directly quoted, I'd guess that the main message of "The Hollow Man" is 'Hell is other people.'

What can a brilliant mathematician do when his perfect relationship with his telepathic wife ends with her death? He can commit suicide quickly or commit suicide slowly. Jeremy Bremen tries both ways.

I didn't even try to follow the equations in this book. I had my fill of diffie q's when I was in college. You might be interested in figuring out whether the author is merely waving his hands over the math and science, or whether he is truly attempting to make a case for the creation of new universes every time we commit to an action--whether it is something as simple as sitting down or remaining on our feet. Somewhere in the swiftly branching universes, Jeremy Bremen's wife didn't get brain cancer and die. Another, much older scientist who may be the only one who understands Jeremy's equations, gets the notion that he can find a universe that didn't experience the Holocaust of WWII, and where his family didn't die in the Ravensbruck concentration camp.

He kills himself.

"The Hollow Man" splits its chapters between Jeremy's hellish adventures after his wife dies, and flashbacks to happier days when she was alive and he was solving the mysteries of the universe. The poignancy is almost too difficult to bear, but Simmons is a good author and he makes you want to follow Jeremy to his quietus. Another character, a boy who was born blind, deaf, and mute and who is viciously abused by his mother and her live-in boyfriends, also narrates parts of the story. How Jeremy's universe and the universe of the handicapped boy overlap is the highlight and climax of "The Hollow Man."

After reading the other comments on this page I realise that this may not be everybody's idea of a fantastic novel. However, if you have enjoyed Simmons previously and/or you would like to read something truly original, try this. This novel certainly lives up to Dan Simmons reputation as being perhaps the most dynamic author of our, or any, time. This book, the story of Jeremy, who loses his way after the death of his wife only to, eventually, rediscover himself, his wife and the secret of life and death itself, is one of the strangest and most brilliant works of fiction in existence. I can only guess that the authors of the negative comments on this page must simply have failed the understand the massive scope of the journey that Simmons had led them on. Perhaps second only to Summer of Night, although I am yet to read Children of the Night or any of The Hyperion Cantos.

This book grabbed me by the eyeballs - like the best of S.King/R. Bachman - and didn't let go until the very end. A wild ride - thought provoking and well-conceptualized throughout. An on-the-road type book, the protaganist travels from Philly to Disneyworld to the deserts to Las Vegas to... and deals with lots of intense violence and good sickening horror. And reminisces about l-o-v-e on the way to stir the reader in a different way. I liked the Hyperion series a lot - Hollow Man was easier to read (maybe because it is earthbound?) and I liked it just as much (if not better). Only disappointment (which some may like a lot), too much math and physics. Otherwise great stuff.

. . . despite the "love it or hate it" theme of the rest of the reviews on this page. I don't think this is a great book, but neither is it as bad as some of the other reviewers have posted. Bad one star books are the formulaic garbage cranked out by too many publishers these days. This isn't one of those. At least there are some thought provoking ideas in this book, and for me the best part was the romance between the telepathic married couple. Imagine the possibilities (and the difficulties). I think Simmons handled that part very well, while other parts didn't work for me. Such as the "look everybody, I did my research" mathematics formulae scattered throughout, which the average reader will not understand or care about. Doing the research is important, but I think it was overdone for this book. I would say that this is not a good place to start with Simmons, but for someone who has read his better books and wants more, there are much worse ways to spend an evening than reading this. Nobody hits a home run every time they step up to the plate.

Mr. Simmons is arguably one of the most intelligent, unorthodox writers kicking around out there. The book is truly a thinking person's story under the guise of science fiction/horror. He smartly interjects explanations, in laymen's terms, of quantum physics which is vital to understanding what transpires at the end. The ability to read others' thoughts is both a plus and a minus. The protagonist, Jeremy Bremen, must be one of the unluckiest people on the planet. Even with such a powerful mental tool at his disposal, the guy stumbles into more than his fair share of nasty situations. A lesser author might have played it safe and simply had Jeremy go through oodles of heroic adventures. But Mr. Simmons upped the ante by making the reader question mortality, the world around us and the existence of God. A morose mood permeates this work. Heck, another pivotal character named Robby is a blind, deaf, mentally-challenged kid who could be the poster child for "Life Sucks." At points, it becomes downright grueling to read about Jeremy's and Robby's ordeals. Avoid reading this baby if it's a gloomy, grey day or you're in a funk.

This book has just about everything: Fine character developement, plenty of action, great plot arcs and (most importantly) it makes you think. Here's a writer with great clarity and humanity who can also surprise the reader with the most amazing, not to mention gruesome plot twists (beware offers of work from tall, wealthy female homesteaders). I look forward to reading the rest of his work with great anticipation, and unreservedly recommend this novel to readers who like something to get their teeth into (pardon the pun).

A truly unique and rewarding reading experience. One of the very few novels I've come across that blew my mind and brought tears to my eyes. Simmons puts impressive research to good use backing up a series of unexpected events that lead to a surreal finale so logically expounded I completely believed and was greatly moved. The kind of novel I always wish for and very rarely find. Thank you Dan Simmons!

Hard to tell if Simmons was trying to define misanthropy or if he just wanted to show Stephen King that others can write horror/sci-fi hybrids also. I never really cared for Stephen King's books, and I'm glad that Simmons moved away from this kind of stuff. He is a gifted writer of intelligent science fiction; I am not interested in horror novels.

"The Hollow Man" is mostly science fiction and delves into some significant concepts, but his main character descends into a darkness that, after a horror scene that just doesn't fit, finally becomes distracting--too distracting. Probability waves, brachiating realities, God doesn't play dice with the universe...Simmons could have used his skill to probe these concepts much more deeply, but instead the reader is treated with something that feels like one of those horror movies in which the central character is incongruously pursued by bad guy--demon--ghost--or whatnot only to wake up from a nightmare within a nightmare until some baseline of reality or presumed reality is completely lost within a tangle of interference patterns. And maybe this is what Simmons was trying to show--his protagonist lost in a jungle of shifting reality and madness--I just couldn't grok what he was up to. A re-read might clear some of this up, but there were just not enough strong elements to draw me back for a second try.

I read this after reading the Hyperion books, wondering what else Simmons had to offer and found that this guy thinks big thoughts and communicates them well. I did find parts of this book disturbing (in a good way) when things began to happen that I did not see coming. An excellent read indeed!

Hollow Man may not be for everyone and may not be Simmons' best, but neither objection warrants a negative review of the novel. Simmons writes in different genres, or perhaps better: he disregards genre stereotypes. Hollow Man itself uniquely mixes horror, sf, and other elements. The book should be evaluated on its own terms. Don't read it with the expectation that the book should have all of the strengths, say, of Hyperion.

Hollow Man has its own strengths and weaknesses. The technical stuff about quantum mechanics combines with postmodern (neo-Kuhnian) ideas about solipsism and paradigm shifts. These details may be distracting and unnecessary for some readers, but for those even mildly interested in such issues, the speculations will likely be thought-provoking. The jargon is balanced too, since one of the main characters (Gail) always asks the jargon-monger to explain the point in simpler terms. There are some moving, disturbing scenes, especially those involving Robby, a deaf, blind and retarded boy, and the flashbacks to a happy marriage. The middle section dragged a little, but while reading most of the second half I couldn't put the book down.

In recommending the book, I agree with much of what one of the other reviewers says, the reader from Pennsylvania, March 5, 2000.