Hyperion Cantos #3

Endymion

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The multiple-award-winning SF master returns to the universe that is his greatest success--the world of Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion--to tell a story of love and memory, triumph and terror in a novel even more magnificent than its predecessors.

600 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1996

Literary awards

This edition

Format
600 pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 1996 by Headline
ISBN
9780747238263
ASIN
074723826X
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Martin Silenus
  • The Shrike

    The Shrike

    The Shrike is a character from Dan Simmons Hyperion universe, set far in humanitys future.The Shrike appears in all of the Hyperion books and is something of an enigma; its true purpose isnt revealed until the second book, bu...

  • Aenea

    Aenea

    ...

  • Raul Endymion
  • Federico de Soya

    Federico De Soya

    A Father Captain (official rank) in the service of the Pax....

  • A. Bettik

    A. Bettik

    An android in Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos series.more...

About the author

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Dan Simmons is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also writes mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.

Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
23(23%)
4 stars
42(42%)
3 stars
34(34%)
2 stars
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1 stars
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99 reviews All reviews
July 15,2025
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4.75 ⭐️


This is an extremely high rating that indicates excellence. It shows that the subject being evaluated has performed exceptionally well and has met or exceeded expectations. A 4.75 ⭐️ rating is not easily achieved and is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and quality of the product, service, or person in question. It gives confidence to others who may be considering engaging with or using the same thing. Such a rating can also open up opportunities for further growth and success. Whether it's a business, a professional, or a creative work, a 4.75 ⭐️ rating is a valuable asset that can set it apart from the competition. It serves as a recognition of outstanding achievement and a motivation to continue performing at a high level.
July 15,2025
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I'm truly sorry, but there are still some of my pending books.

However, I have a strong need to know how everything ends.

It's like a driving force within me that compels me to seek out the conclusions.

Maybe it's because I have an insatiable curiosity or perhaps it's just my nature to want to understand the full picture.

Whatever the reason, I can't seem to rest until I know the final outcomes of these stories.

It's almost as if they are unfinished puzzles in my mind, and I'm determined to find all the missing pieces.

I hope to be able to get back to these books soon and satisfy my longing for closure.

Until then, I'll continue to wonder and anticipate how each one will conclude.

July 15,2025
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Hyperion Cantos

This novel is the third book in the Hyperion cycle. The action takes place 274 years after the events described in Hyperion. The main character, Raul Endymion, is engaged in organizing a pilgrimage to the planet Hyperion. The world has changed after the fall of the farcaster portals. Instead of the Hegemony, the Order, the direct descendants of the future Roman Catholic Church, has come to power. The Order is given power by the cruciform, which allows any true believer to literally ascend after death. The main character has to deal with one of the new believers and, circumstances force him, he finds himself in a situation where he has to become a messenger in the name of the new messiah, Aenea.

The book is written in the form of a letter, and the main narrator is Raul Endymion himself (the name coincides with the name of a hero in Greek mythology, and the hero of the book also went to a shepherd in his childhood). Like Jesus' disciple, he tells about his life with the messiah. However, unlike the Gospels, this book reveals to us the new messiah as a human being, not as a messenger of God. In fact, it is not even clear what Aenea really represents. And to give the book a more philosophical tone, a lot is said about the nature of love.

This book seemed to me more like a cosmic opera. There is a great journey through the entire galaxy, one person is set against the Galactic Empire, and the empire also sees this person as an enemy and mobilizes all resources to destroy him. This person is a girl named Aenea, who is a cyborg and a human hybrid. She carries within herself the destruction of the old order. Now, in this good vs. evil setting, the entire action of the book takes place. The action is shown to us from both the side of the good and the side of the evil servants of the Order. As in a good cosmic opera, even the evil ones (in this case, Father de Soya) begin to question the justification of their actions and lean towards the good side. Although the plot seems quite banal, and one could even say nothing original, the brilliant characters bring it to life and make it interesting.

I give it a high 9 out of 10 points. I recommend it to everyone.
July 15,2025
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\"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever\". This profound statement holds true when it comes to Simmons' writing. I had forgotten that inner splendor within his works. I had forgotten that luminous emotion, infused with poetry, intelligence, and empathy that grabs you from the edge of a sentence. I had forgotten the colors of the worlds in the network, the galactic celebration of the Holi festival, the regal mass of the templar sequoias, or the grace of the Ouster swarms. I remembered the epic breath, the binding harmony, the balance of the narrative planes. But only the emotion had dispersed over time. Returning and finding everything intact has been truly beautiful.


As John Keats wrote in Endymion, \"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing\". Simmons' writing is like that thing of beauty, a source of lasting joy and inspiration.


\"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever\"
July 15,2025
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One of the best sci-fi series that I have ever had the opportunity to read.

After covering 3/4 of this intergalactic journey, I can only say that the void that connects us has never been stronger.

This series takes the reader on an exciting adventure through the vastness of space. The characters are well-developed and the story is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

The author has done an excellent job of creating a believable and immersive universe. The descriptions of the different planets and civilizations are vivid and detailed, making it easy to imagine yourself there.

Overall, this is a must-read for any sci-fi fan. It will transport you to another world and leave you longing for more.
July 15,2025
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Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion are two essential books for fans of science fiction literature. They are exciting, mind-blowing, beautiful, lyrical, and thought-provoking. The first volume, Hyperion, is often ranked among the top ten greatest sci-fi books ever. However, I read The Fall of Hyperion in November 2012 and only got around to reading Endymion almost two years later. I'm easily influenced by reviews and readers' comments, and while Endymion has more positive reviews than negative, it's clearly less popular than the first two books of the Hyperion Cantos. I remember someone saying that Endymion is like a bad fanfic of Hyperion (which it isn't), and that put me off. But I never removed it from my TBR, and eventually, I was in the mood for it.

Endymion is set more than 200 years after the events of The Fall of Hyperion. By then, the Cantos, written by Martin Silenus, has become a legend and a banned book. The story begins with Raul Endymion writing from a high-tech solitary satellite prison. While awaiting his death by cyanide poisoning, he regales us with the story of his adventures with Aenea, who will become a messiah. Aenea is the daughter of Brawne Lamia and the John Keats "cybrid". The book follows their journey via farcasters, with a parallel plot of military agents hunting them down.
Unlike the first two volumes, Endymion has a more straightforward structure and narrative style. It's a chase from start to finish. I can understand why some people are disappointed after reading the previous books, especially Hyperion. The tone is different, less poetic and profound. However, I'm okay with Endymion's less literary style as it shows the author isn't repeating himself. The world-building and sci-fi tech are still great, like the "archangel ships". The characterization is strong, with believable and sympathetic characters. The plot and pacing are good overall, though some chapters from Captain de Soya's perspective drag a little. The climax is thrilling, featuring The Shrike. I can't wait to read the final volume, The Rise of Endymion, which is highly rated. I give Endymion 4.5 stars, knocking off half a star for a few dull chapters.
July 15,2025
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Two hundred and seventy-four years after the fall of Hyperion, the Hegemony has risen again as a theocracy ruled by Pax, a military organization of the Catholic Church. Although Christianity was in the full phase of extinction during the Fall, thanks to the cruciform and its immortality, Pax has become an expanding power. However, they fear the arrival of a new messiah announced, Aenea, the daughter of the cybrid Keats and Brawne Lamia, who will return from the Tombs of Time on Hyperion. At the same time, a young priest dedicated to the business of duck hunting, Raul Endymion, will embark on the mission of protecting this girl together with the android Bettik, so that she can fulfill her destiny.


The third part of the enormous tetralogy The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons, which attempts to continue and tie up some loose ends of the first two novels by giving us a time jump of 274 years, to show us the consequences of the fall of the Hegemony, the situation of the exters and the TechnoCore. Simmons surprises again, using this time a narration from two points of view, in which one can be the hero and the other the hunter who pursues them. On the one hand, we will have that of Raúl Endymion, with a more intimate and simple style, where he shares with the reader his thoughts, fears, impressions, speaking to us in the past. On the other hand, Father Captain Federico de Soya, using a present tense and a style that involves much more action.


This volume, like Hyperion at the time, is the antechamber of what will come in The Rise of Endymion, as if it were a great introduction. The story may seem very classic, the hero tries to help the damsel in distress to fulfill her purpose while being pursued throughout the universe by her enemy. But Simmons has the ability to do this skillfully and interestingly, changing planets without stopping (each and every one of them with new characteristics and strange cultures) that continue to surprise by the overwhelming imagination they imply. I have to admit that there comes a point where it sins of being too linear and repetitive, you know that our protagonists will arrive at a new location and you can discern what is going to happen, but the pleasure of discovering a new planet and some of its characteristics makes you keep reading without any bother.


In terms of characters, we are presented with a completely new cast, but one that is not lacking in complexity, attractiveness and charisma; but there will be no shortage of a multitude of known characters, such as Martin Silenus or even the famous Alcaudón, who, although not the central argument, still contributes that grain of mystery and ferocity with each appearance. It immerses us again in an odyssey through its universe, providing us with knowledge about the situation that has arisen after the fall of the hegemony, through worlds that are increasingly eye-catching, such as enormous jungles, ice caverns or abrasive deserts. This prologue that will be completed with The Rise of Endymion, turns out to be a story full of action and adventure, a kind of cat and mouse game, a continuous persecution that seems to have no end and that in its final stretch is unstoppable. I really want (and at the same time don't) to pick up the last volume of these impressive Hyperion Cantos and find out how Simmons has managed again to tie up all his loose ends and conclude his story with a bang.

July 15,2025
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Hyperion was an innovative book that enhanced the science fiction genre. It didn't revolutionize it like some other greats but adopted and evolved amazing ideas from many other books to create a captivating story.

The Fall of Hyperion continued where Hyperion left off, changing the tone and structure while fleshing out the established world. Both books introduced well-constructed, lifelike characters, some of the best in science fiction.

The duology had a proper ending, and Endymion picked up from the loose ends and foreshadowing. However, the fanbase is divided on Endymion. While the majority still accepts it as a great book, some call it fan-fiction. I initially felt disappointed, but it's still a pretty good book.

The story takes place centuries after The Fall of Hyperion, with the human universe ruled by a futuristic Church. The power has shifted, and they have discovered the secret to immortality. The story is built around the prophecy of the One Who Teaches, who is considered a threat by the current power.

The book is well-written, with Simmons' prose being remarkable. The character building is amazing, but the cast falls a little short compared to the previous books. The environment is different, feeling like an adventure book. Overall, Endymion is a good book with some pitfalls, but it's a well-written bridge between the duology and its sequel.
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