While my enjoyment of the first book was primarily based on vivid characters and their emotional stories, this switched to a way more worldbuilding focused novel, that is almost a Cyberpunk.

It was done very well, but not my preference. There still was some very good character stuff, but while Hyperion felt like it's focus was 85% character- 15% worldbuilding this felt almost like the reverse. And it basically seems like all the least interesting characters got the most time, and we get a new character who is less interesting to me than everyone in book 1 who gets more time than everyone else.

Also holy damm Dan Simmons loves John Keats a frightening and unhealthy amount.

That worldbuilding being really well thought out, and unique, the Shrike and the Tree of Pain being one of the most horrifying things I have read, and the character moments with Sol and Martin still being amazing when they are their carry this book I found frustrating to a 6.8/10. Despite all that, I still mostly enjoyed it quite a bit, just do to the quality of the writing, and the creativity.

Now I have a problem.

Before I start reading my next book, I have to somehow reset my brain and my heart to a general baseline, otherwise I’m not sure anything will compare to the reading experience I had with those two books of „Hyperion“.

This two-parter completely swept me away. It was so moving and terrific on so many levels, that I don’t know where to begin. Dan Simmons mastered the difficult task to bring a multitude of ideas and genres into one novel – and succeed with it. Interplanetary politics, cyberpunk, horror, poetry, parental love, religious and ecological issues, detective story and war: Everything fits. I raise my hat to this excellent author, for keeping me on edge for roughly 1000 pages, for losing my sleep and biting my nails. Most of what I love about Science Fiction is somewhere in those pages.

The six standalone fates that the pilgrims narrated in the first book, that brought each of them to Hyperion on the brink of war, are now interwoven into one all-encompassing story that tackles nothing less than the dooming extinction of humankind. The POV shifts frequently and I found myself looking forward to each of them, there was none I wanted to skip like is often the case with other multi-POV novels.

I wish GR had a more detailed rating system, because now I have the feeling that I have to re-rate some of the books I already rated, cause they simply don’t play anywhere in the league of „Hyperion“.

3.5 stars

This was by no means a bad book, but it just didn’t grab me the way the first one did. I really enjoyed the first book’s “Canturbury Tales” structure and the way Simmons wove the tales tightly together. The second book is a more traditional novel complete with war, a topic which doesn’t thrill me. It is in some ways tied together by the John Keats cybrid, who narrates his vision of what is happening, but the amount of POV hopping was challenging for me.

I did appreciate the wide field of interests that Simmons must have—of course, Keats’ poetry is referenced a lot. In fact it is his epic poem, Hyperion, which provides much of the structure for these two of Simmons books. Stephen Hawking is honoured by the Hawking drive used in the space ships. John Muir’s environmental philosophy is acknowledged in the Templars, on their planet God’s Grove.

Echoing the Canturbury Tales, there is a priest’s tale and the involvement of the Catholic Church. I am always surprised at the inclusion of religion (and often Catholicism) in science fiction set in the far future, as I don’t feel the Church is all that relevant even today, let alone hundreds of years from now. The emphasis on the presence of gods, either evolved from human consciousness or constructed by powerful artificial intelligences, didn’t interest me all that much, despite its pivotal role in the novel.

There is another connection to the Wizard of Oz movie, when the Consul at the book’s end plays “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and teaches the words to some of his fellow pilgrims. (In the first book, they sang “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” if I recall correctly).

My absolute favourite reference, however, was when one of the Artificial Intelligences makes a speech in the Hegemony in which he says, “It pains the Core to take any human life…or through inaction, allow any human life to come to harm.” What a great tribute to Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, from which the Core AIs have obviously been liberated during their evolution! And of course, the Core represents human creation run amok, a frequent theme in science fiction.

What I found truly impressive was Simmons’ writing in 1990 about a World Web, to which citizens were connected at all times using comlink devices! Remember, this was before our World Wide Web was really much of a thing and well before smart phones which could keep people connected almost all the time. Simmons seems rather prescient about our current reliance on these devices, to the extent that some people in the novel are made anxious and/or mentally unstable when their access to the Web is cut off.

There is so much more going on in this novel—exploration of time travel and its paradoxes, the nature of the Shrike, the choices faced by the Hegemony (shades of Card’s Ender’s Game), the nature of the Ousters. It must have been difficult for the author to keep all of those balls in the air!

n  Book number 291 in my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading project.n

”Sometimes...dreams are all that separate us from the machines.”

This is a difficult book to write a review for. Like the first book, it is many things at once. Drama, action, sci-fi, philosophy; a reflection on what it means to be human and a stunning space opera; musings (possibly critique) on religion, and adventure through the galaxy. There is so much here; so much to think about with an unbelievably well fleshed-out universe, all wrapped up in a 500 page package. We get the joys of being alive (and aware), mixed with moments of crippling existential dread. But let’s back up.

This novel starts right where the previous book left off, and in the interest of remaining spoiler free, that’s all I’m going to say about the plot. The less you know about the Hyperion books going in, the better. Let them grab your brain, twist it into a dodecahedron, and toss it out somewhere in the orbit of Vega. I believe the summaries for these books are vague for a reason, as any paragraph-long summary could never do justice to what is in these pages.

Dan Simmons is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I know some people have issues with him-his alleged politics being the main complaint. I don’t know, and I’m not here to comment on that. He has an incredible imagination, and he’s written some of the most unique novels I have ever read, all delivered with beautiful prose. Bottom line-the guy is a top tier writer.

“First, Abrahams path of obedience can no longer be followed, even if there is a God demanding such obedience. Second, we have offered sacrifices to that God for too many generations...the payment of pain must stop.”

Abrahamic religions once again play a notable role-the role of religion, of varying sorts, has been a part of our species since we were first able to look up at the night sky and ponder our own existence. It should be no surprise that centuries in the future, this is an issue that humans are still grappling with. In my interpretation, this is reflected in multiple aspects of this story, both directly and through metaphor. I don’t know that Simmons is making any kind of “bold statement”, or offering any kind of easy answer to these questions, as much as reflecting on the role religion has played and will continue to play going into the future.

But wait! Religion, philosophy, blah blah blah. I thought this was a kick-ass sci-fi story?!? Yes; first and foremost this is a sci fi story that even without the existential deliberations stands on its own. No, this isn’t light reading. It’s dense, but in all the best ways, and remains very readable. I’m not a heavy sci-fi reader, but this contains all the elements I’d imagine one would look for in such a book-it’s filled with exotic planets, awesome space battles, and plausible and thought-provoking technology of the future (both sentient and not). It is meant to get your gears turning, and it does.

The pictures it paints are vivid and wondrous, the novel is populated with great characters, and overall this has been one hell of a journey that I couldn’t recommend more. I am aware that this type of novel isn’t for everyone, but for me the Hyperion Cantos has really hit the sweet spot. The genre-bending, heart wrenching and at times shocking mixture of timeless human stories and smart science fiction ended up landing at the top of the heap, so far. And I couldn’t be more excited that there are still two more books in this series.


Kwatz!

One word: “Phenomenal”.
I went from enjoying Hyperion to loving Fall of Hyperion! Will definitely continue with book 3, Endymion. Dan Simmons has definitely weaved an atmospheric universe and I can see why the fan following is so big. My only regret is that I waited this long to read these books. If you’re on the fence, give them a try. Well worth it! Easy 5 stars from me ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The trouble with reading a book like The Fall of Hyperion is that whatever book I read next will likely seem like a load of ol' crap. In fact, in a Shrike-like manner this book traveled back in time and slashed my opinion of the book I read prior to this one which now looks shabby by comparison.

The first Hyperion book ends on a (musical) cliff hanger, The Fall of Hyperion carries on from there though the first chapter is narrated in the first person by a "new" cybrid protagonist Joseph Severn. While he is not in the previous book he is derived from the same John Keats template as "Johnny", the wavy hair cybrid and lover of the bad-ass Brawne Lamia P.I., one of the seven pilgrims who traveled to confront The Shrike (a real cutting edge guy possibly descended from Freddy Krueger). The wonderful world building from the previous book is further developed in this book, we get more expositions about the Hegemony, the TechnoCore and a little more about The Shrike, not to mention the further adventures of our favorite pilgrims. The Fall of Hyperion is structurally different from its predecessor, it is entirely linear though narrated from several different points of view. While I enjoy the way the first book is structured (The Canterbury Tales style), where the stories are very strong on their own this more conventional structure also works well for me, it is nice and cohesive and a pleasure to follow.

The Hegemony and the TechnoCore remind me of Iain M. Banks Culture society and the AIs that mess about with the poor humans living in these societies. The citizens of the Hegemony are similarly pampered but are not watched over with paternal fondness by the AI like in Banks' books. The Hegemony government is done by human politicians with an AI representative, led by the awesome Meina Gladstone who I picture as resembling actress Maggie Smith at her sternest. The high technology tend to be of the more handwavium variety with FTL travel achieved by "Farcaster" portals, and instant Fatline (FTL) communication, all compliments of the TechnoCore. The social ramification of this technology is very well thought out, the novel is to some extent a cautionary tale about over reliance on technology.

Dan Simmons' prose is deservedly lauded as one of the most literary best in the scifi business, at times lyrical, often witty and evocative. Most of the central characters are already well established in the first book, they are further developed here and the relationship between the pilgrims are much strong stronger. Their loyalty to each other, which slowly developed in the first book, make them much more appealing, even the two that don't get along like Brawne Lamia and Martin Silenus (though the "mouthing off / shut up" running gag gets a little old after a while). The back story of each of the five Pilgrims form plot strands that converge and then beautifully woven together by the epic conclusion. My favorite section of the first book, the poignant story of Sol Weinthrob and his backward aging daughter is particularly well concluded. I am also glad to see my favorite character Brawne Lamia get spend more time on the centre stage.

I love the literary and pop culture references. To be honest what I know about John Keats and poetry can be written on a postage stamp and leave enough room for the Queen's entire head, but things like The Wizard of Oz (movie) references are more my neck of the wood and I find them very amusing.

The Fall of Hyperion is an entirely satisfactory conclusion to the classic Hyperion. I look forward to reading Endymion and The Rise of Endymion in the near future.

Buddy read with Athena, Desinka, Gavin & Kaora

"The Final Days are here, priest. The prophecies given to us by the Avatar centuries ago are unfolding before our eyes. What you call riots are the first death throes of a society which deserves to die. The Days of Atonement are upon us and the Lord of Pain soon will walk among us."

The shadow of war has fallen on the Web. The Ousters are initiating a full-scale invasion of the central planets of the Hegemony of Man. Chaos rules in the corridors of power on Tau Ceti Center. Out of reach from the clashing empires, the artificial intelligences of the TechnoCore manipulate everyone and everything. And on Hyperion itself, where battle rages in the skies and the streets alike, the pilgrims fight desperately for their lives in the Valley of the Time Tombs.

The Fall of Hyperion removes itself from the style of the masterpiece Hyperion and instead of a collection of short stories with a frame story, we get something a lot more similar to a traditional novel. The second book has only one real protagonist, a character who was also rather significant in the first. Other than that, there are secondary points of view written in third-person narrative through the protagonists's dreams. While very different from the first, this change in style was performed flawlessly by Dan Simmons, and while I did not, and still don't, find the protagonist particularly endearing, this was not a change for the worse.

The storyline was not as enthralling as that of the first book, unfortunately. This is war, pure and simple. And despite that, there are few actual battle scenes. Most of the time, our story takes places in equal parts on Tau Ceti Center and in the Valley of the Time Tombs. In the beginning, the switches between the two locations were praiseworthily interesting, but after a time, very little happened in either of the places. Except for general panic.

Characterisation is in my opinion not one of Dan Simmons's strengths. Even in the first book, there were no truly memorable characters. In a science fiction series an interesting setting can be just enough to keep the reader captivated for one book, but when you get to the sequels, you need to have strong characters who can hold the series on top. And I actually felt that Simmons managed this to some extent. The protagonist, while not my favourite, is an interesting character, mostly because of who he actually is. The Shrike remains an enigma. And while all three of the major powers; Hegemony, Ousters and Core; are difficult to root for, they are all incredibly to find out more about.

And there is one character who stands out from among the rest. Meina Gladstone, Chief Executive Officer of the Senate of the Hegemony of Man and arguably the most powerful human in the universe. Gladstone was a very minor character in Hyperion, but rose to the centre of the scene here in the second book. Gladstone is a sometimes ruthless political realist, but all her intentions are as noble as they get. It's amazing to watch her try to save a society crumbling in the flames of war, and remain a beacon of hope for billions of Hegemony citizens.

Writing a sequel to Hyperion must have been a difficult job for Dan Simmons, and it shows in the book. The Fall of Hyperion is just not as good as the first book. Both the beginning and the ending were up to it, but there's a rather large part in the middle where there is no plot or character development and it's more or less dreadfully boring. Some of the most important scenes in the book could also have been much more climactic if they had been written better.

Still, this was far from a bad book. The Hyperion Cantos has still got me firmly on the hook, and I am definitely excited to unveil the rest of the mysteries of the universe Simmons has created for us. His writing is extraordinary at times, and as a taste of it I'll leave you with my favourite passage from the series so far, which is very reminiscent of a certain fantasy author I've read a lot of books by this year.

In the dead city, screams echoed for another minute, growing fainter and farther away. Then there was a silence broken only by the doves returning to their nests, dropping into the shattered domes and towers with a soft rustle of wings.

The wind came up, rattling loose Perspex panes and masonry, shifting brittle leaves across dry fountains, finding entrance through the broken panes of the dome and lifting manuscript pages in a gentle whirlwind, some pages escaping to be blown across the silent courtyards and empty walkways and collapsed aqueducts.

After a while, the wind died, and then nothing moved in the City of Poets.

3.5 stars

[ESP/ENG]

Antes que nada, aviso a navegantes. La reseña puede contener spoilers del primer libro, ya que es continuación directa del mismo.

n  - No se equivoque - advirtió – Sabemos quién es usted, qué es usted y a quién representa usted.
- Enhorabuena – mascullé- , porque a estas alturas le aseguro que yo no lo sé.n

Esta obra no es una secuela al uso, sino que, como se indica en los prefacios tanto de Hyperion como de esta, la historia era tan grande que se tuvo que partir en dos, por lo que aquí partimos del mismo punto en que quedó todo, a saberse, los peregrinos de camino a las Tumbas de tiempo, la Hegemonía enfrentada a una guerra con los éxters, y nosotros sin saber por dónde puede salir la cosa.

Hay que decir que la primera parte estaba narrada en forma de relatos de cada peregrino, algo que aquí por necesidad se pierde y tenemos una narración más al uso, y un narrador principal que nos servirá de guía en una gran parte de la historia. Ambas cosas me supusieron un pequeño bajón, pero poco a poco les he ido cogiendo el gusto, y tanto narrador como narrativa han acabado siendo muy de mi agrado. Sobre todo porque no es algo lineal, sino que va dando saltos y te mantiene pendiente para saber qué está pasando, dónde y cúando. Aquí sí tendremos respuestas, muchas y muy buenas en mi opinión. Todo lo que estaba en duda en la primera parte queda resuelto, y lo que se plantea aquí casi todo queda resuelto también (algo queda pero hay dos partes más, pinta a que se hizo así para dar pie a esos libros)

n  En ese caso, Dios es la criatura, no el creador. Tal vez un dios deba crear a los seres inferiores que están en contacto con él para sentir alguna responsabilidad por ellos.n

Este libro tiene mucho de filosofía, e incluso teología, para dar forma a los personajes y sus acciones. A veces demasiado, pero no es difícil seguir la trama, a pesar de todos sus términos de ciencia ficción. De lo que más me ha gustado es todo lo que tiene que ver con las Tumbas de tiempo, su origen y propósito, y ese Alcaudón desatado. Hay ciertos pasajes que son sobrecogedores, como pueden ser los que tienen lugar en El árbol de espinas, o cierto momento en los laberintos que recorren Hyperion.

Hay mucho misterio detrás del origen de la guerra en Hyperion, y ver cómo poco a poco se va desvelando todo es muy satisfactorio, así como la resolución del conflicto, que es para mí totalmente inesperado, además de ser apoteósico. El libro está escrito en tres partes, y la tercera es sin duda la más frenética, tanto en acción como en respuestas. Y todas me han gustado, no le pongo un pero a nada (bueno, sí, Silenus me sigue pareciendo un petardo)

n  ¿Qué se puede opinar de la guerra? La guerra no pide reflexión, solo supervivencia.n

Aquí dejaré un batiburrillo de cosas que me apetece reflejar, pero habrá spoilers gordos:

La primera parte giraba en su mayoría sobre La última peregrinación, y los siete peregrinos eran lo importante. Aquí tendremos el final de cada uno de ellos, a cual más impactante. Desde ese Silenus enganchado al árbol y luego rescatado, pasando por Brawnee Lamia, su hija y su destino así como su enfrentamiento con el Alcaudón al que da pa'l pelo, la muerte de Hoyt y posterior resurrección de Paul Duré, la lucha de Kassad y su épica muerte y conversión en símbolo, el destino de Het Masteen, la sorpresiva resolución de la historia de Sol y Rachel (es Moneta!!!!! whaaaattt), y la trama de El cónsul quizá flojea un poquito aquí pero es clave para la resolución.

Me ha encantado la resolución de la trama de la guerra, cómo estaba todo conectado desde el inicio. Pasa de la típica invasión "alienígena" a la traición interna de las IA, pasando por una guerra en el lejano futuro que tienen que mandar elementos atrás en el tiempo (las infames Tumbas de tiempo y el Alcaudón), todo muy bien hilado con una resolución muy bestia, pero muy prometedora.

Todo lo que tiene que ver con el Alcaudón me ha impactado, esos momentos en que se ven miles de ellos, o el aspecto de El árbol del dolor, y su popósito de ser usado como nave. Y por supuesto las Tumbas de tiempo, son un elemento fascinante. No puede ser más impactante:

El árbol era más vasto que el valle, más alto que las montañas que habían cruzado los peregrinos; las ramas superiores parecían llegar al espacio. Era de acero y cromo, sus ramas eran espinas y ortigas. Seres humanos forcejeaban y se bamboleaban en esas espinas, miles, decenas de miles. En la rojiza luz del cielo moribundo,Silenus se sobrepuso al dolor y comprendió que reconocía algunas de aquellas formas. Eran cuerpos, no almas ni abstracciones, y evidentemente sufrían los suplicios de los vivientes arrasados por el dolor.

En resumidas cuentas, una lectura obligatoria para fans de la ciencia ficción, pero asequible también para lectores con menor bagaje. Y si has leído el primero, este es necesario para resolver lo planteado allí.



-----------------


First of all, notice to navigators. The review may contain spoilers from the first book, since it is a direct continuation of it.

n  - Make no mistake - he warned – We know who you are, what you are and who you represent.
- Congratulations - I mumbled -, because at this point I assure you that I don't know.n

This work is not a typical sequel, but, as indicated in the prefaces of both Hyperion and this one, the story was so big that it had to be split in two, so here we start from the same point where everything ended, namely, the pilgrims on their way to the Time Tombs, the Hegemony facing a war with the Ousters, and us not knowing how it will end.

It must be said that the first part was narrated in the form of stories from each pilgrim, something that is lost here out of necessity and we have a more traditional narration, and a main narrator who will guide us through a large part of the story. Both things were a little down for me, but little by little I have been taking a liking to them, and both narrator and narrative have ended up being very much to my liking. Above all because it is not something linear, but it rather jumps and keeps you pending to know what is happening, where and when. Here we will have answers, many and very good in my opinion. Everything that was settled in the first part is resolved, and what is raised here almost everything is also resolved (something remains but there are two more parts, it looks like it was done that way to give rise to those books)

n  In that case, God is the creature, not the creator. Perhaps a god must create the lower beings that are in contact with him in order to feel any responsibility for them.n

This book has a lot of philosophy, and even theology, to shape the characters and their actions. Sometimes too much, but it's not hard to follow the plot, despite all its sci-fi terms. What I liked the most is everything that has to do with the Time Tombs, their origin and purpose, and that Shrike unleashed. There are certain passages that are overwhelming, such as those that take place in The Tree of Pain, or a certain moment in the labyrinths that run through Hyperion.

There is a lot of mystery behind the origin of the war in Hyperion, and seeing how little by little everything is revealed is very satisfying, as well as the resolution of the conflict, which is totally unexpected for me, as well as being tremendous. The book is written in three parts, and the third is arguably the most frenetic, both in action and in responses. And I liked all of them, I can't say anything bad about it (well, yes, Silenus still looks like an idiot to me)

n  What can you say about the war? War does not ask for reflection, only survival.n

Here I will leave some things that I want to reflect, but there will be major spoilers:

The first part was mostly about The Last Pilgrimage, and the seven pilgrims were the important thing. Here we will have the end of each of them, each more shocking. Starting with Silenus hooked to the tree and then rescued, through Brawnee Lamia, her daughter and her fate as well as her confrontation with the Shrike, Hoyt's death and subsequent resurrection of Paul Duré, Kassad's fight and his epic death and becoming a symbol, the fate of Het Masteen, the surprising resolution of Sol and Rachel's story (she's Moneta!!!!! whaaaattt), and the plot of The Consul may be a little weak here but it's key for resolution.

I loved the resolution of the war, how everything was connected from the beginning. It goes from the typical "alien" invasion to internal AI betrayal, through a war in the far future that has to send elements back in time (the infamous Time Tombs and the Shrike), all nicely spun with a resolution very dramatic, but very promising.

Everything that has to do with the Shrike had a big impact on me, those moments when thousands of them are seen, or the appearance of The Tree of Pain, and its purpose of being used as a ship. And of course the Time Tombs are a fascinating element. It couldn't be more shocking:

The tree was wider than the valley, higher than the mountains that the pilgrims had crossed; the upper branches seemed to reach into space. It was made of steel and chrome, its branches were thorns and nettles. Human beings struggled and swayed on those thorns, thousands, tens of thousands. In the reddish light of the dying sky, Silenus overcame the pain and realized that he recognized some of these forms. They were bodies, not souls or abstractions, and they evidently suffered the torments of the living beings devastated by pain.

In short, a must read for science fiction fans, but also affordable for readers with less background. And if you have read the first one, this is necessary to solve what was raised there.

While somewhat uneven at the start this book developed into an awesome story with some of the most distinct, memorable and well developed world-building I've ever read, interesting and sympathetic characters, a strong central plot, cool literary references (mostly stemming from Simmons' serious man-crush on John Keats) and some thought provoking philosophy (although Simmons loses marks for incorporating philosophy into the plot and world in an organic and interesting way rather than through a series of forced monologues from every single character as the great Mr. Erikson has shown us is the best, in fact only, way).

The first 1/2 to 2/3 of the book was probably a 3 star read but towards the end the momentum built and everything came together in impressive fashion. If I was an objective, professional reviewer I would probably be obligated to reflect the weak start in my rating, but the conclusion was so powerful and well done and left me with such a positive feeling about this book that I've decided to be generous (note: this could also apply to pretty much every Malazan book). Also since I'm writing this review at 5 p.m. while eating cereal, in my boxers, and in between trying to play "Tears in heaven" on the accoustic guitar, it's probably fair to say that the "professional reviewer" ship has sailed.

The start of this book was kind of hit and miss. I felt that the pilgrims' storyline lacked the focus and tension of the first book. The tension of the lonely journey and the mystery of the pilgrims combined with the vastly different storylines that each further developed a unique aspect of the world and/or plot were replaced by confused, anti-climactic wandering around. However the new plotline following "M. Severn" was interesting, especially in how it elaborated on the conflict and politics that were hinted at in the first book. The introduction of Meina Gladstone was also cool as she became the strongest and most compelling character in the series.

However from about 2/3 of the way through everything that was set up started to come together and made this book un-putdownable (it's a word because I say it's a word, come at me language police). Most of the Pilgrims finally found interesting, relevant storylines after wandering around aimlessly earlier, mysteries began to be unraveled and the stakes of the political game were raised ever higher. The ending was one of the best I've ever read. It wrapped up pretty much all the loose ends satisfyingly and in style and set the stage brilliantly for the next half of the series. I hadn't been planning to read book 3 for a while but now I'm really intrigued to see what the fallout of the events at the end of this one will be.

Overall this was an epic, memorable and thought provoking SFF tale, that despite it's weaknesses has left a massive impression on me. I'm now really interested to see how this story and world will be further developed in the second half of this series.

“I wish we had the technology to fight God on an equal basis. To beard him in his den. To fight back for all of the injustices heaped on humanity. To allow him to alter his smug arrogance or be blown to hell.”



A fascinating continuation of the powerful first installment, Dan Simmons' The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #2) follows the characters we met in the first book as well as several others, but with a different perspective of the galaxy-wide ramifications of this fateful pilgrimage.

The stories behind those ramifications take a different structure than the pilgrim's story used in the first book. I thought that structure had worked perfectly. Instead, the story bounces back and forth between the Hegemony government and our characters with much of the weight of the storytelling falling on a nearly omniscient narrator/character. This was probably necessary to tell the bigger story and provide closure to all the unanswered questions from the first novel, but it was a bit jarring, especially in the early going. Still, The Fall of Hyperion is an epic novel that addresses how our humanity can evolve even as it faces serious peril. 4.25 stars

It's nearly impossible to give this novel the praise it deserves.

It's also a mystery wrapped within an enigma, the conclusion to the grand tale set up in the first book, and it's an amazingly smart ride.

I mean, sure, I could just point at all the great SF goodies packed in here, from black holes eating planets to AI gods creating Ultimate AI gods to an enormous war hitting the known universe for reasons that are delightfully complex and even more delightfully mysterious until the reasons blow us over with those wonderful "aaaah, COOL" moments.

But I won't.

Instead, I'll just point at how smart this book is on a theme and character level. Poetry and the poet is still as important as the first book, but rather than rest on the laurels of such amazing worldbuilding and structure and genre-hopping of the first book, we get into the real meat of the characters and the REASON for it all.

The Shrike. Why all these kinds of peoples from all kinds of planets and walks of life have all come to Hyperion, and why it is the fulcrum on which the fate of humanity and AI life hinges. And let's not forget the amazingly complex discussion about What Is God. Or our place in it. Or the AI's place in it.

There is nothing trite about this novel. The writing is absolutely fantastic. So are all the characters. The plot is twisty enough to give thrillers a scare. And the themes, the structure, and the layout put even modern classics in the traditional literature categories to shame.

In short, these two books are modern classics and remain so for very, very good reasons, and not least because they're wildly entertaining.


Honestly? I put these up there in my top ten books of all time. It's near Dune and Requiem for Homo Sapiens in my mind. As rich, as beautiful, as complex.

I'm recommending these for everyone who likes SF. Period. And those who don't, as well. See what can REALLY be accomplished first before making any judgments.

Sólo hay una cosa que me mosquea de este libro.... ¡NO HABER SABIDO JAMÁS EL NOMBRE DEL CÓNSUL!