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79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptional meld of sci-fi and literary elements, July 15, 1999
I'm somewhat surprised by some of the reviews for the Hyperion series, especially the latter two, Endymion and Rise of Endymion. I agree that Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are the /slightly/ stronger of the four, but again they are the foundational works which support the rest of the series, which branches off into a more ornate, but steadfast, structure. Looking at the structure of the Hyperion saga as a whole, both as science fiction and as literary fiction, few stories come close to matching the width and depth of Simmon's conceptualization of the future.Sci-fi ornamentation aside, much of the saga's strength lies in it's most literary qualities. The plot is epic and the characters are depthful and realistic, but Simmons raises the bar a notch above the average space opera's best, weaving a rich tapestry of allusion and parallelism that would challenge literary fiction's finest offerings. Hyperion itself, as many have surmised, takes on the patterns of Canterbury Tales as its own, with its tales spanning the genres from mystery and suspense to classic military sf. This multi-genre approach is an unusual vehicle for introducing an entire science-fiction universe, and duly appreciated by those sick of tired and stilted exposition. The Fall of Hyperion rightly gathers source from Keats' unfinished epic and the greatest tragedies of our time. By the close of this installment, Simmons' Mythos of the Hegemony, the Shrike, and the Hyperion pilgrims stands on its own in the form of Martin Silenus' Cantos, an accomplishment that, some say, Simmons should have stopped at. Yet mysteries and holes have been purposefully left unanswered and unfilled. Good marketing, certainly, but one must appreciate the difficulty of keeping this sort of complexity tight and controlled. Endymion is the perfect example of this. Simmons balances the story's elements to near perfection by developing and adding onto the Hyperion Mythos while answering some mysteries and making others more mysterious. Plot-wise, Endymion's fast-paced chase is a timeless theme (all Scharzenegger jokes aside), and Simmons does not waste it by relying wholly on the cliches that have led highbrows to dismiss action-based stories as inferior. Rather, the chase becomes a framework for Simmons to explore the mysteries and difficulties of faith and reason that he first introduced in Hyperion with the priest's tale. The Rise of Endymion is an exceptional way to cap off this saga (and unsurprisingly, there is always room for a sequel). This final installment shares many thematic elements with Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (and who can't resist imagining Martin Silenus as a caustic Jubal Harshaw?) The questions of religion, faith, and messiah-hood are presented fairly and with an objectivity that is refreshing in an industry and a culture where it is popular to portray such topics with a negative, mocking slant. (Honestly, name an Arthur C. Clarke novel where faith and religion are /not/ quickly dismissed as irrelevant to an imagined future culture.) Stylistically, Simmons writes with detailed clarity and a dry sense of humor that underpins every book in this series. While the story may bog at times during the particular verbose descriptions of the latter stories, the pacing is never derailed. Necessarily with any work of fiction, there are miniscule lapses of continuity and logicality. (What /did/ happen to Leigh Hunt?) But I would argue that these nits are so glaring only because the whole of the series is so well-implemented. To remain quotable, the saga is a spectacular tour-de-force, breathtaking in scope with heart-touching characters. Please read these books.
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by Dan Simmons
by Dan Simmons
by Dan Simmons
by Dan Simmons
by Natalie Portelli
