Reading Dan Simmons means starting from the basis of reading quality. And although this is considered one of his weaker novels, the bar is still extremely high.

It is a novel that combines good moments of terror with hard science fiction, seasoned with mixtures of police thriller and a love story that, in reality, permeates everything. The result is correct, based on a good premise of telepathy.

I have read some reviews that protest against the complex scientific theme that Simmons presents, which surprises me and I blame more the reader's laziness for thinking about the theorem than for looking for its flaws. Don't they consider Ringworld or Solaris complex and yet worthy works?

It is true that there is some point that limps, like the Deus Ex Machina of everything that happens in the plane scene (telepathy doesn't go that far).

So read it without fear, it will make you have a pleasant time.

The article is well-written for the most part.

The author has presented the ideas clearly and coherently in the beginning and middle sections.

However, as it approaches the end, it becomes a little incomprehensible.

The language seems to get a bit convoluted, and the train of thought is not as straightforward as it was earlier.

It might be beneficial for the author to review and simplify the final part to ensure that the overall message is effectively communicated to the readers.

This could involve rephrasing some of the complex sentences, clarifying the connections between ideas, or providing additional examples or explanations.

By doing so, the article would be more engaging and easier to understand from start to finish.

This book is truly an extraordinary journey. It's like Homer's Odyssey, yet with a telepathic twist. I've听闻 that Dan Simmons writes a significant amount of science fiction and horror, and you can sense that in this book as he weaves the story of Jeremy Breman. Jeremy has the remarkable ability to read minds. Once his wife succumbs to cancer, he embarks on a journey to nowhere, consumed by his grief.

The book takes us to many unexpected places. What struck me was the raw honesty with which it deals with a man in pain after losing his partner. For most of the book, we are on a journey through hell with Jeremy. For some, this book might be overwhelming, considering the child molestation and mass murder by a killer with metal fang dentures. However, it's within these horror elements that the book is most enjoyable. These sequences are both exciting and terrifying, making your heart race, especially the part about the metal fangs.

Where the book can be more challenging to follow is in its mathematical passages when Jeremy, in flashbacks, is explaining the mind, its shields, and the simulations it creates. Simmons does a decent job of making this understandable for those of us who are not math whizzes, but at times it can still be a bit of a slog to read.

The book does contain the somewhat tired cliché of a mentally handicapped individual having the most powerful mind of them all. However, I'll cut Simmons some slack as this book was released in the early 90s when that trope wasn't as overused in books and movies as it is nowadays. Besides that, it's a thrilling book that explores grief, the power of the mind, and the darkness of human nature. It's well worth a read.

This book gives the distinct impression of being written with the sole intention of winning a Hugo Award. Fortunately, it didn't achieve that feat. It has all the telltale signs - a grand scientific theory, a dreamy, drifting writing style characteristic of the new age of sci-fi, and so on. However, the problem with creating work that is blatantly aimed at winning awards is that it often results in a subpar book.

The lead character seems to lack mental depth, and the wife's role appears to be mainly to explain things to... The first half of the book is not only excruciatingly smug but also incredibly dull. When attempting to imitate a style that doesn't come easily, like that of the new age of sci-fi, the end result feels artificial. One can sense Simmons' inclination to revert to a straightforward narrative, only to force himself back into an existential mode.

Overall, this book fails to live up to expectations and serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of writing for the sake of awards rather than for the love of the craft.

Dan Simmons has crafted a highly ambitious novel that succeeds with many of the ships it sets sail.

The story plays on multiple strings simultaneously, attempting to balance between several different plotlines. This works well, but some of the more abstract passages become a bit too long and frequent for my taste.

A part of the narrative turns into a form of road movie, which adds some action to the book but feels a bit indifferent in the end when the more abstract/philosophical part takes over. However, this is also where Simmons' language functions best, I think, and becomes very vivid with a high tempo, reminding me of Khalis Sang.

There is a fair amount of mathematics in the book, and the mathematical philosophy, I must say, goes a bit over my head. It's possible that I would have liked the book better if I were more knowledgeable in that part of the subject matter. I do think the meaning shines through, but for me it never becomes more than filler.

It's a fine novel, with some beautiful messages (told through often very grim media), that manages to fulfill some of its many ambitions.

I don't have much interest in Simmons when he delves into the sci-fi genre. However, I have a great passion for his horror works, especially those in the historical horror category. Titles like The Terror and The Abominable are truly captivating.

These historical horror novels manage to blend elements of the past with spine-chilling horror, creating a unique and engaging reading experience. The detailed historical settings add an extra layer of authenticity and atmosphere to the stories.

On the other hand, his Hyperion books didn't quite resonate with me. But that's just my personal opinion, and others may have a different take on them.

Overall, while Simmons may not always hit the mark for me in every genre, his historical horror works are definitely worth checking out for fans of the horror genre.

There are several of Dan Simmons’ books that I truly love; however, others, not so much. In fact, some I don't like at all. This particular book falls squarely into the second category.

A book that is ostensibly about telepathy, in many ways, would have been a far better book without this element. Because, rather than truly focusing on the concept of telepathy, Jeremy Brennen embarks on one adventure after another. Many of these adventures seem so coincidental that I often found myself thinking, “what a coincidence.” Moreover, his telepathy proves to be of little to no use throughout these escapades. One wonders if he has lost the knack of reading people after so many years of having his late wife, who was also telepathic, as a buffer. Or perhaps there is something else entirely going on. Unfortunately, we never actually find out the answer to this question.

On top of being psychic, Brennen is also a genius. Time and time again, we are given short lessons in physics just so we can witness just how much of a genius he truly is. Brennen almost seems to revel in his intellect, which does him little good in the grand scheme of things. This is because he is positively clueless when it comes to dealing with other people. As a result, the book becomes truly boring in certain parts.

Either way, it is extremely hard to care whether Brennen manages to survive all of his trials and tribulations. Which, as it turns out, doesn't matter at all. This is because “the mystery at the heart of mortality” seems to render the matter moot. At the same time, this mystery only seems to apply to him and his wife, further adding to the overall sense of detachment and disinterest that the reader feels towards the story.

For me, Dan Simmons is always a reliable choice. He is such an outstanding writer that even if I'm not completely engaged with the plot and characters, the sheer quality of his writing is sufficient to keep me hooked until the very end.

This particular novel is indeed extremely well-written. It is filled with haunting images and scenarios that linger in my mind for hours on end. However, it suffers from a weak concept. Simmons appears to be undecided as to whether this book should be classified as horror or science fiction. As a result, it ends up awkwardly straddling the line between the two genres and fails to do justice to either one. Given that this book was the sophomore effort between "Song of Kali", which was creepily atmospheric, and "Hyperion", it is evident that Simmons had not yet settled on his favorite genre. (And when we look at his most recent works - "Drood", "The Terror" and "The Black Hills" - it seems that his favored genre has turned out to be historical fiction horror. How interesting!)

Ignore the rating of this book. It is hands down 5 stars.

I can't help but assume it's because Simmons delves into some truly esoteric mathematics and cosmology that most people struggle to understand. This book is a masterpiece, encompassing brilliance, beauty, sadness, triumph, and profound thought-provocation.

I was completely fascinated, inspired, touched, aroused, horrified, and intellectually confounded. I laughed out loud and shed tears. This book is simply amazing.

Dan Simmons is a genius. The main character is a mathematician, and Simmons seemingly dedicated himself to studying high-level math just to pen this book. It took only one book for me to determine that Dan Simmons is my favorite author. And after reading this, the second of his books that I've had the pleasure of experiencing, I feel even more strongly that he holds the top spot as my favorite author.

If you aren't into math or quantum mechanics, you might feel a little lost. However, I suggest doing some research on the quantum eraser experiment; its implications are truly profound.

Personally, I think the explanation is that our universe is a physics simulation, and particle-wave duality is a sort of occlusion culling technique used to render the universe more efficiently on whatever computer is running it in the parent simulation.

Read this book and prepare to have your mind blown.

I truly enjoyed Dan Simmons' Hyperion series.

However, I did take note of his rather unique creativity when it came to depicting pain and suffering. He seemed to dish out elements like dark, cold, water, and hypergravity with a certain amount of glee.

This trait is also present in this work, as seen through the travails of his main character. Being a telepath, one would think the character should be able to avoid trouble more easily. But no, he has to face some truly harrowing experiences.

In fact, he even has to endure literal castration before being murdered, at the hands of a sexual partner equipped with razor-edged dental implants.

Nevertheless, as a brain scientist, I found the combination of neuroscience and cosmology in the story to be quite interesting and well-developed.

Although, I must admit that the ending was both far-fetched and ultimately, a bit glib. It didn't quite live up to the promise of the rest of the story.

Overall, it was an engaging read with both its strengths and weaknesses.

It was a rather lackluster book on the whole. Simmons made an attempt to blend sci-fi, horror, drama, and thriller elements all together. However, the end result was far from what was expected. It didn't really fit neatly into any of those genres. There were some nice bits and pieces here and there, especially in the last 30 pages or so. But unfortunately, the horror parts fell flat and failed to really send shivers down the spine. The alternating chapters between the present-time thriller and the past-time drama ended up confusing me more than adding any real depth or substance to the story-telling.

Moreover, whenever one decides to involve children in a horror story, there better be a really good reason for doing so. This book, unfortunately, didn't have any such valid excuse. It just seemed like a random and perhaps ill-conceived choice that didn't really contribute to the overall quality or coherence of the narrative.

I've read a whole bunch of Dan Simmons' works. There's the Hyperion/Endymion series, Carrion Comfort, and Summer of Night. You don't often hear much about this particular book, but it truly blew me away.

The premise of this book is really cool as it involves math and science, specifically quantum physics. It's clear that the author has done a great deal of research in this area.

While I wouldn't exactly call this a romance, there is a rather decent romantic sub-plot revolving around the protagonist and his wife. As a married man myself, I really appreciate fictional married-couple romance. The typical fictional romance that ends with the characters making that commitment and "they lived happily ever after" just doesn't offer much for me to truly relate to.

There is also a reasonable amount of action in the book, which keeps the story moving along at a good pace.

However, the ending is a little disturbing. I definitely wouldn't hand this book to someone I knew to be unstable as it might have an adverse effect on them.