Mais par où aborder cette œuvre monumentale ? La tâche semble insurmontable tant "CETTE ŒUVRE" est dense et complexe. Afin de se représenter l'immensité de cette histoire, sachez simplement que La Chute d'Hyperion est la suite d'Hyperion de Dan Simmons. Rien d'exceptionnel jusque là. Oui, sauf quand on sait que Hyperion (le premier roman donc) consiste uniquement en la présentation des personnages de cet univers et de leurs histoires. Oui, un livre entier pour introduire les protagonistes et l'univers d'Hyperion. Rien que ça.
Il est rare de tomber sur un roman de SF qui ne se contente pas d'être simpliste dans ses thématiques

Je ne me tenterai pas à résumer l'histoire de ces deux premiers livres ici, mais sachez simplement que vous aurez le droit à :
Des IA, le poète anglais (réel) John Keats, le poète John Keats mais dans un cybride (sorte de cyborg), du voyage dans le temps, du paradoxe temporel (tiens, je tiens mon bébé moi du passé dans mes bras ce qui veut dire que j'ai réussi à me sauver moi-même, mais pour me sauver moi-même je dois exister donc déjà être sauvé, mais pour ça il faut que je sois sauvé... Bref vous saisissez), des questionnements sur la religion, les dogmes, les dépendances, la technologie...

La technologie justement... Ce livre a été écrit en 1990 et aborde pourtant des thématiques tellement comtemporaines. Alors oui, vous allez me dire "duuuh c'est de la SF quoi, c'est pas la première fois qu'un auteur tombe juste". Oui peut-être, mais ici l'auteur nous décrit avec précision une société dépendante d'une certaine technologie apportée par des éléments extérieurs à titre gracieux mais dont l'utilisation a un coût invisible et ses utilisateurs exploités sans même le savoir (GAFA et nos données ?)

Bref je pourrai écrire un pavé encore plus long que le livre tellement y'a de choses à aborder mais :
- J'ai la flemme
- Personne ne le lira
- Z'avez qu'à lire ces bouquins
- J'ai bientôt plus de batterie
- Ma meilleure lecture SF de tous les temps
- Congolexicomatisation

I picked this up after first reading Hyperion because I couldn't find a non mass-marker paperback for Fall of Hyperion. I have a think about book sizes. It's a problem, I know.


So,

I love them both: Fall of Hyperion more than Hyperion itself but both are excellent novels.

Hyperion is set in a far distant future where humans have populated thousands of planets and centers on a group of 7 individuals sent on a pilgrimage to the titular planet, on the eve of an impending war. The bulk of the story is comprised of their physical travel to Hyperion and a location known as the "Time Tombs", during which each of the pilgrims tells their story which links them to the planet.

Each story is thematically different but they all share a common thread, of which I will not spoil.

The novel is a lot of set up and world building that introduces many different plot elements that are not fully explained or resolved before the end.

Which means you also need to read:

The fall of Hyperion.

This story follows the unfolding of the war and what happens to the pilgrims upon reaching the Time Tombs.

In contrast to Hyperion's slow narrative building and background exploration Fall of Hyperion is a much faster paced exploration of war, philosophy, political intrigue, misdirection, and betrayal. It builds questions upon questions and delivers answers in what I felt was a very satisfying manner.

I loved both books.

4,5⭐️
It is a really good book. So much so, that I even believe that it would be worth it to read it again so that I could understand and appreciate all the little details I’m sure are waiting for me all throughout the book. Unfortunately, it is a pretty long book for my standards, so I will not be re-reading it any time soon. But I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in hard science fiction.

Also, I believe I had the best experience reading this book instead of reading the two books individually. I just believe this story works better as a whole narrative than as a two-parter. This idea compensates for the fact that I had to carry an anvil disguised as a book wherever I wanted to go read. At least I got a workout out of carrying this book around.

If I could take only one book to Mars it wouldn't be Lolita, Borges' Labyrinths, Iliad, or whatever. It would be the the Hyperion Cantos (the two Hyperion and the two Endymion books). There is nothing like it. I never get tired of reading Dan Simmons's incredible tale.

One of the absolute best sci-fi books I've ever read.

Okay, so technically this is a review of two books, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion. I'm treating them as one book because I read them as one book and also because there is no point in reading the first book if you don't read the second. Unfortunately, you have to slog through 900+ pages before you finally reach any sort of resolution. My tolerable limit must be around 600 pages. Simmons used the Canterbury Tales-Decameron method for the first book. The seven main characters are, in fact, on a pilgrimage together although not so much for religious convictions as for personal quests to find out information. They have a conveniently long voyage so that they can all tell their background story which led them to undertake the pilgrimage. Not only is this voyage long enough for each person to share their entire life story but it is so long that the book runs out of pages just as they're actually getting somewhere. Or perhaps Simmons meant to write it that way. Whatever. The second book introduces an 8th major character who basically serves as a window into this universe through which the reader can see what is happening. Ironic, since he serves that same function within the narrative only between the pilgrims and a 9th major character. Basically, the plot finally develops and resolves, albeit rather circuitously over 500 more pages. The second book is the real heart of the story whereas the pilgrim stories of the first book merely serve as a foundation on which to place the story. The purpose of the pilgrimage and the political intrigues surrounding it are only fully revealed in the second book. I often wondered if it was even necessary to read Hyperion first. This book demonstrates one of the most successful techniques in science fiction. Unfortunately I have no idea what it's called. In media res? That's a slightly different technique which Simmons also used. One problem with science fiction is when technology or concepts are so obviously explained that it pulls the reader out of the story, breaking any connection they might have had with the universe of the narrative. Simmons avoids this almost to a fault; practically to the point where nothing is explained. However, the reader ends up learning how things work, almost without realizing it. Overall, not a terrible book. Just rather long. I still haven't decided if it could be condensed, but if possible, it would definitely be beneficial.

"Oh John Keats, put on your scarf." This book is so elaborately beautiful. And one of the few books to describe the gift of empathy in such vivid and accessible terms. It's the archetypal blend of high concept philosophy and sci-fi premise. The characters and their respective suffering and emotional journeys while mirroring a literary precedent feel like a real world, lived in exchange of genuine human stories. Their emotional weight giving the meta-narrative a gravitas and consequence high concept sci-fi sometimes lacks. A story to be cherished. I live in hope we will one day see the full terror of the Shrike on screen!

Ein großartiger Science Fiction Roman - ich bin froh, ihn endlich gelesen zu haben. Das Buch ist keine "harte" Science Fiction und konzentriert sich daher nicht auf technische Beschreibungen und Ausführungen der erzählten Wirklichkeit, sondern zielt auf die großen Themen wie Gerechtigkeit, Rache, Liebe und den Sinn des Lebens ab. Die Figur des Shrikes und das Spiel mit abgefahrenen Orten wie den "Zeitgräbern", in denen Figuren aus Vergangenheit und Zukunft umherstreifen, finde ich wahnsinnig interessant. Empfehlung :).

3.5/5 for me - The heavy use of world-specific terminology and the frequent switching between a slew of characters meant that it took me a couple hundred pages to really engage with this, but when I got there I was pretty invested. The characters are well-rounded with interesting and unique backstories that are interwoven together. Recommended read, though I would strongly encourage reading both Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion together, as this Omnibus presents them.

bello, bello, bello... non proprio fantascienza di quella pura, alla asimov per intenderci, ma 12isamente un libro di quelli che mi piacciono... che pu�� essere letto a vari livelli, dalla semplice storia alle implicazionini filosofico/religiose/etiche... 12isamente un libro che consiglio agli amanti della fantascienza... e qualcuno riconoscer�� degli elementi che hanno ispirato Matrix!

Incredibly complex, intelligent and elaborate science fiction book.
If I really wanted to start a review about is, I'd have to write down every sentence of it.
A must-read.
Really addictive.

O RLY?

ya rly.

easy-reading für einen entspannten nachmittag