Членовете на поклонението вече са в Гробниците на времето, тръпнейки в зловещо очакване за срещата си с Шрайка. И всеки един от тях има своето индивидуално преживяване. Междувременно, в космическото пространство над тях Хегемонията подготвя яростна атака срещу Прокудените, докато ИИ от Техноцентъра се опитват да дирижират цялата обстановка.
Втората част на Хиперион е едно величествено и шеметно приключение и с нетърпение чакам да видя как се разгръща историята в "Ендимион".

P.S: Между другото, става интригуващо разбулване на личността на Монита( любимата на Касад и довереница на Шрайка), което ме остави много изненадана. Не съм допускала, честно. Дан Симънс страхотно е навързал събитията във време- пространството.

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"...когато всичко друго е прах- верността към онези, които обичаме, е единственото, което можем да отнесем в гроба. Вярата- истинската вяра- се уповаваше на тази обич." ( стр. 318)

Spoiler-free recenzija:
DEFINIRANJE VARIJABLE HYPERION

Prva knjiga je odlična uvertira u svemir Dana Simmonsa, ima sporiji tempo i služi za postavljanje određenih bazičnih stvari poput definiranja misterija i tehnologije, detaljnog i opširnog uvođenja likova i slično. Sve te priče imaju svoju svrhu i sve misterije koje prva knjiga donijela u ovoj dobivaju zadovoljavajući kraj, a opet ostavljeno je sasvim dovoljno prostora za nove nastavke. Doduše, neke stvari su objašnjenja načelno i vjerujem da će u idućim nastavcima biti dodatno razjašnjenja pa je opet teško suditi o konačnom dojmu, ali prosječan čitatelj bi trebao nakon prva dva nastavka biti zadovoljan završetkom priče.

Pad Hyperiona ima potpuno drugačiju strukturu. Određenom broju ljudi sigurno je drugačiji način prezentacije priče kroz Hyperion izdvojio knjigu iz mase drugih naslova, ali meni osobno i ovakav uobičajeni način prezentacije radnje je odličan, pogotovo jer doprinosi dinamičnost knjige. Koncept povezanih priča je napušten i naracija se odvija kroz uobičajeno pripovijedanje s paralelnim radnjama. Općenito se nastavak više bavi čovječanstvom kao rasom nego kao pojedincem, duhom ljudi i nastojanjima da se suoči s prijetnjama koje dolaze izvan, ali i unutar vlastitih redova. Radnja je vrlo slojevita, počevši od borbe svakog lika sa svojim demonima do veće priče i galaktičkog sukoba. Kada tu umiješate vremensku komponentu koja je vrlo fleksibilna, izdaje i urote dolazimo do nekoliko razina radnje koje i samostalno mogu funkcionirati izvrsno, ali zajedno daju knjizi posebnu težinu. Način na koji su te sve priče povezane da djeluju kao jedna je izrazito zanimljiv i odlično funkcionira!

Pad Hyperiona se još više posvećuje pitanjima Boga, nastanka i postojanje Boga, odnosa prema čovjeku i slično. Jedan od zanimljivijih motiva je pretjerana ovisnost o tehnologiji i dosezi same tehnologije. Znamo svi koliko smo danas ovisni o svemu što nas okružuje, a sadrži poprilične količine silicija. Zamislite sada svijet u kojem su svi spojeni na nešto slično internetu (svemrežju op.a.), gdje u svakoj sekundi primaju razne informacije i podatke gotovo do razine kolektivne svijesti. Koliko ljudi u tom trenutku postaju robovi tehnologije i koliko ona njima upravlja s obzirom da je uz ljude aktivni sudionik radnje TehnoSrž koja predstavlja naprednu umjetnu inteligenciju. Uostalom u jednom trenutku autor zaključuje da jedino po čemu se čovjek razlikuje od strojeva su snovi. Sanjate li?

Već u prošloj recenziji spomenuo sam da vjerujem kako će ovo pričekati na ekranizaciju još neko vrijeme, a ovaj put moram to potvrditi. S druge strane zbilja se nadam da ćemo to doživjeti, jer je ova književna priča ispričana daleko zanimljive, dinamičnije i slojevitije s odličnom karakterizacijom od određenih koje su sada na vrhu popularnosti kad su ekranizacije u pitanju. Uostalom, legendarni Shrike je toliko jedinstven, interesantan i fenomenalan da ga želim vidjeti animiranog uz još mnoge stvari poput ergova, čeličnog stabla, raznovrsnih planeta, borbi, brodova, Odstranjenih, Ummona, portala i puno previše toga da ne bi ušao u teže spoilere.

Zaključno moram naglasiti da je ovo ogledan primjer kako odlična prva knjiga može biti nadograđena senzacionalnim nastavkom! Tempo priče je vrlo brz, misterije se gomilaju nevjerojatno brzo, likovi doživljavaju nezamislive transformacije, a priča svime time doživljava obrat na obrat. U određenim trenucima činilo mi se da svakih nekoliko strana dolazi novi i odličan obrat, koji jednostavno čitatelja natjera da ostavi knjigu na trenutak i razmisli što se upravo dogodilo i kako će to utjecati na radnju, a to je ono što meni ovu knjigu izdvaja u sam vrh pročitanog u posljednje vrijeme. Apsolutno zaslužena najviša ocjena 5/5 i naravno da nakon kraće stanke planiram zagristi i drugu duologiju Endyimion, koja je ipak nešto tvrđi orah s otprilike 1250 naprema ovih 925 stranica. Svima dakako ogromna preporuka!

6.0 stars. On my list of All Time Favorites. Viewed as one novel, the Hyperion Cantos (including Hyperion, this novel and the two subsequent novels) comprise, in my opinion, one of the GREATEST works of Science Fiction EVER WRITTEN. Space Opera on a epic scale. Detailed, original and incredibly imaginative world building and a dense, mind-blowing plot. Oh yeah, and it has one of the coolest characters/creatures ever devised...THE SHRIKE!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Winner: British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel (1992)
Winner: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1991)
Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1991)
Nominee: Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1991)

What a crock of shit. I loved the first book and gave it 5 stars. This one... man, I hate it. It's nothing even like the first book. It's just a bunch of political/religious/philosophical non-sense. The Pilgrims from the first book are basically secondary characters here. They aren't really even the focus of the story anymore. I spent almost the entire book just wishing the Shrike would slaughter everyone so this book would be over.

Too much poetry
Too much boring descriptions of people traveling - walking really far, endless descriptions of farcaster travels, really boring descriptions of traveling in the datacore etc.
Too much tedious political backstory details
BORING TEDIOUS BORING

Una obra maestra de la ciencia ficción ¡LÉANLA!

Lo único que puedo escribir en este momento es hagstwagqystshjwh, así que en cuanto logre recuperarme de esta maravilla que acabo de leer, intentaré escribir algo coherente.

Nutshell: how-to manual that recommends radical luddite social restructuring in order to defeat slave uprising.

Abandons chaucerian structure of first installment and instead alternates between first-person and third person bits. Opening places narration at center of setting (barf) by popping first person narrator adjacent to president. This centralizing of narration is raised to an affirmative law of science fiction here, via repeated quotation of Yeats, and through the proclamation that “right now we have an obligation to be where things are happening” (327).

Love that Simmons catches one of the stupidities of modern science fiction: “Even the spate of recent war [films] showed great fleets battling it out at distances two ground soldiers would find claustrophobic, ships ramming and firing and burning like Greek triremes packed into the straits of Artemisium” (73), which nicely captures how Star Wars and Star Trek are just Napoleonic warfare with rayguns. It’s not like we see a well-described alternative in this story, though when stellar distances regarding combat are noted, it’s usually presented in terms of AU, so the distinction is implicit.

We are given a neo-Marinetti, who avers that “warfare is on the threshold of becoming an art form” (105).

Not sure what the big deal about the Shrike has been the whole time. The resolution of that strand is fairly silly. Conceptually, it’s annoying: apparently it’s part of a far future contest between humans and AIs sent back in time to find something for the human end of the conflict. It’s all very nebulous and juvenile.

As though I weren’t annoyed enough by the ruling class protagonist, when that protagonist receives perspectival chapters, they are coy, such as when “All she had to do to save a hundred billion lives was return to the Senate floor, reveal three decades of deception and duplicity” (153), but without informing the reader what the deception and duplicity happen to be. This is simply unpardonable faux suspense. Why use the rhetorical sleight of popping the narration on the president of the galaxy, and then give ersatz access? It’s just not effective.

Amusing moment when lyrical computer machine explains the entire macroplot, noting that “we constructed your civilization carefully so that like hamsters in a cage like Buddhist prayer wheels each time you turn your little wheels of thought our purposes are served” (282), which is just taking Douglas Adams and playing him straight (Earth-as-computer was destroyed both times, NB).

Still a very cool setting overall, packed with plenty of more crap about poet Keats. Am pleased to have my hypothesis confirmed that AIs as part of story will produce an AI rebellion.

Recommended for those rich in resurrection insurance, readers who desire a cleansing fire when the forest has been stunted and allowed to grow diseased by overplanning, and people who scribble graffiti on outhouse walls.

Outstanding. Full review soon. 4.5/5

Freedom and empathy for everyone, people!!!

This is an amazing book that perfectly wraps up everything since the very beginning of the first book. I enjoyed every page of it. What's more important, all those drawbacks I've mentioned in my review of "Hyperion" are non-existent in "The fall of Hyperion", and I've said that "Hyperion" is a very good book despite those drawbacks. So... You should read this duology, you must! It's a perfect blend of sci-fi and a sort of suspense/detective, full of engaging topics like morale, ethics, religion, freedom, evolution, artificial intelligence, etc. The ideas are really great and inspiring and what is even more important, they are really well expressed and constructed despite, well, being grandiose. There's a few unexpected, but well executed plot twists, and a couple more that couldn't be classified as "unexpected", but that do not make them worse, trust me, I'm an engineer. (No, actually I'm not but I couldn't hold myself from writing it, lol).

Very interesting and complete characters makes it easy to root for them and resonate them and feel lots of empathy towards them, and that is very, very important. Feeling empathy, I mean. Read this book and you'll know WHY empathy is a backbone of the universe as we know it.

I would gladly mention something, anything that I did not like in this book, but I'm unable to do so, because I liked everything about this book, as cliche and cheesy it might sound.

I'm rating this book a very solid and well deserved 5* and the fact that I'm doing this even though this book is, more or less/sort of pro "god", you might call it, and I'm really, REALLY not fond of religions and gods and higher powers, speaks for itself.

I recommend this book/series for everyone. It's not that hard sci-fi that would alienate people who dislike or normally don't read science fiction, and at the same time a very interesting premise and cool execution would grab the attention of "nerds" and "normals" alike.

Ok, so I got a little distracted, but it's finished. Quality writing and interesting story but it just wasn't compelling enough to get excited about reading it. I'll need to think about this one for a while, but I couldn't appreciate Dan Simmons' apparent goal to provide a literary, somewhat mythological experience in a decent SF wrapper. My Hyperion Cantos journey ends here for now.

A bloody fantastic continuation of the Cantos by Mr. Simmons.

So the Time Tombs are about to open, the process cannot be stopped/reversed, and now we get to see what’s in them or what they are causing. We’re also finally getting some answers (like what/who the Shrike is)!

But before that, we get some much needed background info like what the Ousters are (I was right, they are human to some degree) and how the farcaster portals are created/managed. Thus, you have 3 factions in this universe: the Hegemony (humans), Ousters (genetically altered humans who broke away from the Hegemony before the destruction of Earth) and the TechnoCore (AIs). While there was some kind of peace until now, conflict has been brewing for a while and it all comes to a head now.
Hyperion is an „outback“ planet, meaning it has no forecaster portal and is only sparsely settled.
As we know, Lamia was in a partnership with an AI modeled after John Keats’ consciousness. This AI was killed. In this second book, another AI with that persona has either been created and he (Joseph Severn) dreams of the pilgrims and their progress on Hyperion. For some reason, he reports these dreams to the leader of the Hegemony.
Then the war REALLY gets going. As it turns out (confirming one of my theories), the Ousters aren’t actually the problem and not really attacking the Hegemony worlds - the TechnoCore is. And that led to the confirmation of another of my theories: this is all about the prevention of a future catastrophe. You know, timey-wimey stuff. Though it is far more complex and there is no handwavium here. Instead, the author thought everything through and there isn’t a dust speck out of place or superfluous here.
Every single pilgrim serves a purpose, was needed for the right outcome, and don’t get me started on the mystery of the Shrike or the diabolical plan of the now dominant AI faction!

I was very impressed with how the story changed from book 1 to book 2 - not just how the story is told, but also the various bends and developments. I definitely liked the environmentalist message, but also the warning of the surrender of privacy or personal rights/space in favor of interconnectedness. Considering how long ago this book was written (pre-social-media-era) and what has come to pass in real life since then, this is indeed creepily groundbreaking and visionary.
I might not fully agree with the author’s pessimism (as shown through the Shrike Cult), but he does have a point if you look at humanity.

God(s), political machinations, the influence on information, dependence, manipulation, timey-wimey stuff, lots of violence and bloodshed, really cool fighting scenes … but also mindbending tech and interesting interactions between the pilgrims. The story is very dense and rich and was made even more amazing thanks to the author’s fast-paced writing style which kept me on the edge of my seat, sometimes even yelling at characters. *lol*
And I cried. Yep. Not many books manage to make me cry but this one did. Even when Het Masteen died although I knew of his fanatism and how stupid his / the Templars’ plan / conviction had been. But I also whooped and felt a lot of Schadenfreude at the demise of others. In short: I had the feelz. ;)

The book’s ideas and depth are seriously mind-blowing. But also full of scientifically accurate physics (as far as we know). And I agree with many who say that the two books should actually be one, are actually one and should therefore be read together. One doesn’t really mean much without the other.

I’m more than aware that this review will never manage to do the duology justice. So just know this: I’m in love with Simmons’ work and might even rank it over that of Frank Herbert! Also, I might or might not have sent an e-mail to the Folio Society and might or might not have begged(!) them to do a special edition of these two books.

The epic space opera continues in great fashion. This picks up right where the first novel left off, but it expands the scope in an intense and immersive way. Our time is spent now between the various pilgrims as well as the political machinations happening in the capital, and by adding this political thriller aspect Simmons just manages to make the genre-mashing scope of this story even bigger.

Everything you love about the first novel is repeated here, with great writing that is dense and thoughtful, with an even greater emphasis on poetics, both in theme and style. There are heavier philosophical ideas explored here, and as these combine with highly evolved AI and time travel there are certainly some sections that definitely force the reader to tune in and pay attention. Even as the story grows it never feels like it gets away from Simmons, and it flows across worlds and modes of existence and through characters in a seamless and inviting way. The characters from the first novel become more interesting as they continue on their journeys, and at the same time we are introduced to a host of new characters who are equally compelling and fun. The story-telling device that Simmons uses to link the political story in the capital to the pilgrims’ journeys is genius and feels like it genuinely adds to the story instead of just being a convenient literary device.

I really appreciated the individual journeys, and the role that poetry, or art and aesthetics, plays in all of them. It isn’t always so literally discussed, but there is a sentimentality to each of the character’s journeys, an exploration of how each engages in ideas of beauty or honor or sacrifice as a way of ordering the universe and recognizing or simulating the divine. Simmons could have just been loosely inspired by Keats’s poems, borrowed their titles, and left it at that. Instead, he took grabs on Keats with both hands and brings him into the story, adding a poetic sensibility to this sci-fi epic that just makes it feel different, warmer and more personal, more embracing, than any sci-fi epic has any need to be. It serves as this wonderful connecting thread that adds this coherence or continuity across the expansive scope of this story.

I felt the ending was earned, and even though some of it was pretty clearly telegraphed early on it was still remarkably satisfying. This is an incredibly fitting complement to the first novel. Simmons is able to take what could have been unwieldy and shape it into this heartfelt, expansive epic that encourages exploration of faith, divinity, pride, family, honor, sacrifice, destiny, family, devotion, and colonialism/expansionism. In addition, it asks fundamental questions about over-reliance on technology and asks you to try and divine the line when dependence on technology stops being a benefit to the growth and expansion of humanity but instead a shackle. It manages to tackle these ideas and more with wonderful writing, dense and engaging world-building, and characters that you care about.