The Hollow Man by dan simmons

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

3.3 overall - Dan Simmons is an outstanding writer. I have only read two of his novels thus far, yet I am confident in making that assertion. His talent for communicating the complex details of his stories is truly remarkable.

In The Hollow Man, however, that very ability somewhat detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book.

The concepts introduced throughout the plot are extremely fascinating and captivating; telepathy and shared telepathy, alternate branches of reality, the consequences of death, how death can be influenced, and many more. It's truly mind-boggling stuff. Much of it works well, but Simmons is overly preoccupied with explicating the "why" of all these things. Page after page is dedicated to mathematical explanations, countless theorems, and the names of both famous and obscure mathematicians and physicists. At times, it's truly excessive and impossible to keep track of everything. But, hey, you might pick up some knowledge along the way.

All in all, the essence of the story is still very well executed. The excessive jargon can be intimidating, but it's not entirely incomprehensible. The central love story shines through, making this a book that's worth persevering with until the end.

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Ssabin14

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I found this to be a truly engaging book to peruse. However, upon its completion, it left me with a profound sense of "What? Wait a minute...".

Thematically, it bears a resemblance to King's The Dead Zone. Nevertheless, it incorporates a substantial amount of speculation regarding quantum mechanics and mathematics. These elements, unfortunately, seem to clash rather harshly with the intense love story and the overwhelming hopelessness of loss that permeate the narrative.

Additionally, there is the entire aspect of criminal philosophy. More so than in any of his other works, I have observed that the majority of those providing reviews either have a strong affinity for this book or utterly detest it. I had an enjoyable experience reading it once, but I highly doubt that I will return to it for a second time.

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Exiled_Potato

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I really liked this book. It is the first one I have read by this author and it definitely didn't go unnoticed by me.

The story and the setting are excellent. I really liked the main character and the ending it had at the end. Only on some occasions I didn't feel comfortable with the mathematical references and concepts that were applied. They were not impossible to understand but they were a bit heavy for the reading.

It is a short book that can be read quite quickly. It contains a somewhat melancholy story when you manage to put yourself in the shoes of the character. A book that you won't forget so easily.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with a unique setting and an interesting main character. Even though the mathematical references might be a bit of a challenge for some readers, they don't detract from the overall quality of the book.

I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

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LAOG

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

What can I say?

I literally devoured this book in four days. It is truly a keeper for me. I will surely reread it someday.

Dan Simmons is really good at taking true science and transforming it into a beautiful story filled with numerous emotions. You will encounter love, horror (some pages are just extremely difficult to read, I swear!), passion beyond imagination, and despair.

This book really needs to be more widely known among other readers and Dan Simmons fans like me! It's a hidden gem that deserves more recognition. The way Simmons weaves together the scientific elements with the emotional narrative is truly masterful. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, and you can't help but be drawn into the world he has created.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story that combines science, emotion, and a touch of the supernatural. You won't be disappointed!

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Abhijeet__

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This work is somewhat of an outlier within Simmons' body of work, at least as far as what I have read. It is the first book that truly places a relationship at the forefront, with an interesting SF twist of mindtouch or telepathy.

Just like in "Children of the Night", Simmons delves a little too deeply into the jargon of his 'holographic wavefront' theory. By the latter part of the book, it sometimes gives the impression that he is simply flaunting the complex research he has conducted. However, he is aiming for something greater here. I'm just not entirely convinced that he achieves it.

CW: I believe that his repeated use of the word "retarded" was inappropriate even back in 1993. It really undermines the humanity of a character that he is attempting to make us pity rather than empathize with. This usage detracts from the overall impact and believability of the story.

Perhaps if he had chosen more sensitive and appropriate language, the character's plight could have been more effectively portrayed and the reader's connection to the story could have been stronger.

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the_pillows

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I started it at the beginning of the year and so far I have finished it more out of pride in not leaving it unfinished than out of the pleasure of continuing to read it.

It's quite a pity for me because I had high expectations based on the concept that seemed very attractive to me in the synopsis due to how little it has been explored in science fiction. However, it ended up being soporific for me due to the way it was carried out in this book.

Definitely, it wasn't for me.

I had thought that this story would offer something new and exciting in the realm of science fiction. But as I delved deeper into the book, I found myself losing interest. The pacing was slow, and the plot didn't develop in a way that kept me engaged.

Perhaps if the author had approached the subject matter differently or had added more elements of excitement and mystery, I might have had a different opinion. But as it stands, this book just didn't click with me.

Nevertheless, I'm glad that I gave it a try, as it's always interesting to explore different works within a genre. Maybe someone else will find this book to be a captivating and thought-provoking read. But for me, it was a bit of a disappointment.

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mangareader123

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I’m severely confused.

I received this book as a gift last year and it has remained untouched until now. I didn't have much knowledge about Dan Simmons, and I've always been a bit hesitant to explore new authors in genres that I don't frequently read. However, when I finally made the decision to take it off my shelf and give it a try, I wasn't even certain if I would be able to finish the book.

Well, I did finish it. Just now. I have read every single page of it. And I don't regret it. I'm just left feeling confused.

The story is... something. That's the main reason why I only gave this book 3 stars. It was interesting, that's for sure, but did it make sense? Not really.

Simmons's writing is truly amazing. Kudos to him for that. Maybe that's why I couldn't put the book down. He's really great, and if I'm in the mood, I might look into some of his other works.

Overall, The Hollow Man is not a bad book. It's just a bit weird.

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TungstenOre

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This one's a real mixed bag. It's kind of a unique amalgam of SF, horror, and thriller elements.

Jeremy Bremen is a telepath, and he's married to another telepath. She's the only other confirmed telepath in the book. However, there's also a psychotic mass murderer with a ferocious mind-shield and an apparent psychic ability. We can only infer this, though. There's also a deaf, blind, and "retarded" child. I know, it's a bit of a cliche. But this child has an even more ferocious mind-shield and an evident ability to create realities within his head because he's been cut off from external stimuli.

The book has a lot of plausible-sounding mathematical hand-waving to rationalize telepathy. It also has an interesting take on particle-wave theory and the role of the observer in creating reality. There are some really exciting set-pieces too. For example, our hero's encounter with the psychopath, which includes a climactic battle in a meat locker filled with both bovine and human carcasses. And the psychopath sports a razor-sharp dental insert for chomping on her targets.

Despite the book's evident interest in patterns, math, and probability, there are a few too many coincidences. These are perhaps intended to justify Bremen's improbable sequence of experiences. There are also bits that seem to meander, like Bremen's attack on a pedophile. The book also has evident literary pretensions, as signaled by its title. But in my opinion, it doesn't quite succeed in realizing them. I did enjoy it, but for me, it didn't quite gel into a coherent whole.

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The Hollow Man

dan simmons

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