The Fall of Hyperion [Mass Market Paperback]

Dan Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 1, 1995 | Series: Hyperion Cantos

In the stunning continuation of the epic adventure begun in Hyperion, Simmons returns us to a far future resplendent with drama and invention.  On
the world of Hyperion, the mysterious Time Tombs are opening.  And the secrets they contain mean that nothing--nothing anywhere in the universe--will ever be the same.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The stunning continuation of the epic adventure begun in Hyperion. On the world of Hyperion the mysterious Time Tombs are opening. And the secrets they contain mean that nothing--nothing anywhere in the universe--will ever be the same.

From Publishers Weekly

This densely plotted book concludes the futuristic tale begun in Hyperion . Earth has long since been destroyed, and humans now occupy more than 150 worlds linked by the Web, an instantaneous travel system created and operated by artificial intelligences (AIs--self-aware, highly advanced computers). These worlds are about to war with the Ousters, a branch of humanity that has disdained dependency on the AIs. At risk are the planet Hyperion, its mysterious Tombs that travel backward in time, and the Shrike, its god/avatar of pain or retribution. The narrative focuses on the government of the Web and its leader, Meina Gladstone, as observed by Joseph Severn, a cybernetic re-creation of the poet John Keats, and seven Shrike pilgrims, who may affect the war's outcome. Simmons pits good against evil, with the religions of man and those of the machines battling for supremacy. Despite his grand scale, however, he fashions intensely human individuals whom the reader will take to heart.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553288202
• ISBN-13: 978-0553288209
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (210 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Simmons was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1948, and grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years -- 2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York -- one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher -- and 14 years in Colorado.

His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado -- in the same town where he taught for 14 years -- with his wife, Karen. He sometimes writes at Windwalker -- their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike -- a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels -- was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan is one of the few novelists whose work spans the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, historical fiction, noir crime fiction, and mainstream literary fiction . His books are published in 27 foreign counties as well as the U.S. and Canada.
Many of Dan's books and stories have been optioned for film, including SONG OF KALI, DROOD, THE CROOK FACTORY, and others. Some, such as the four HYPERION novels and single Hyperion-universe novella "Orphans of the Helix", and CARRION COMFORT have been purchased (the Hyperion books by Warner Brothers and Graham King Films, CARRION COMFORT by European filmmaker Casta Gavras's company) and are in pre-production. Director Scott Derrickson ("The Day the Earth Stood Stood Still") has been announced as the director for the Hyperion movie and Casta Gavras's son has been put at the helm of the French production of Carrion Comfort. Current discussions for other possible options include THE TERROR. Dan's hardboiled Joe Kurtz novels are currently being looked as the basis for a possible cable TV series.
In 1995, Dan's alma mater, Wabash College, awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contributions in education and writing.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#83 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#83 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 96 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The ending of the two-book series was excellent. October 6, 1998

By dsrussell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dan Simmon's `The Fall of Hyperion' is not a sequel, but rather the second half of the unfinished story, `Hyperion'. While `Hyperion' was unique in its six wonderful tales as told by six people on a pilgrimage, `The Fall of Hyperion' is more conventional, but is a real page-turner.

`The Fall of Hyperion' explains what happens to our travelers and delves into the purpose of the Shrike. It also expands greatly on the fairly thin plot exposed in `Hyperion'. Most readers should enjoy this well-conceived and engrossing end to the story. Together, `Hyperion' and `The Fall of Hyperion' rank up there with the best science fiction has to offer and I give it 9 out of 10, or a five star ranking. However, because the reader is required (unknowingly) to purchase both books, I give each book 8 out of 10 and a four star rating.

Those who have forsaken `The Fall of Hyperion' because it requires another purchase, are missing a rewarding experience. Those who have not yet read the Hyperion series are in for a treat. It is worth every penny of the two-book purchase price.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Book Set 'Em Up January 18, 2000

By WolfDaddy

Format:Mass Market Paperback

And this book knocks 'em over. I love reading stories in which "everything you know is wrong". Simmons takes the characters and events recounted in "Hyperion" and swallows them whole in a tale that had me scraping my brains off the back wall. The introduction of M. Severn and Meina Gladstone makes for two of the more fascinating and deep characters I think I've ever read. The former is a cipher, reflecting the events taking place hundreds of light-years away (those of "Hyperion") and interpreting them through a dead poet's thoughts. The other is a master politician, leader of a Hegemony that encompasses more billions of souls than almost is comprehensible. The sacrifices they both make to save themselves save humanity itself, but at a terrible price.

Some sections of the book are slow (I found the myriad battles with the Shrike tedious) the majority of the tale is fast moving, incredibly rich and believable, and astounding in its plot and details. This book and its predecessor are simply two of the finest works of literature in any genre, and are utterly entertaining.

I've handed copies of the "Hyperion" books over to probably 20 friends over the last 8-9 years, and had never had any of them returned to me. I don't care ... these books are *that* good.

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars What a Disappointment! September 17, 2001

By Adam Pasztory

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I enjoyed "Hyperion" (see my 4-star review) and, upon finishing, I eagerly started "The Fall of Hyperion". I was anxious to find out the fate of our brave pilgrims. 500 pages later, I didn't even care about them anymore.

Rather than focusing on the characters in the first book that I had grown to care so much about, in "Fall", the author follows two new main characters that are not well developed, and tend to be only passive observers of the universe around them. Also, the style of this sequel is very different from the first book. Every chapter ends in a cliffhanger, and the next one picks up with a different character's story. Used sparingly, this technique can build suspense, but here it is irritating. There were many times when I was tempted to just skip ahead so I could follow a particular storyline. In general the writing feels sloppy and rushed.

Another annoying aspect of "The Fall of Hyperion" is the overabundance of exposition and explanation. Not only does Simmons waste dozens of pages, recapping the events of the first book, he even recaps things that happened 100 pages earlier in this< book. The whole thing could have been edited down to 100 pages, and tacked on as a final section of "Hyperion".

All this being said, there are some exciting moments every once in a while, and it's nice to learn how the story of "Hyperion" ends. Still, I can't say it was worth suffering through all the filler. I don't think I'll be progressing any further in this series.