I finally made it through the entire Hyperion Cantos. I adored the first two books, but unfortunately, this one fell short in numerous aspects. Spoilers follow:

It was extremely long. This book is 50% longer than any of the others in the series, and those books were already quite lengthy (averaging around 500 pages each). This one clocks in at 722 pages. Don't misunderstand me; I'm fine with reading an epic story if it requires a great length. However, vast portions of this novel simply didn't need to be there. Lengthy explanations of incomprehensible technobabble and science that is highly unlikely to ever exist bogged me down. Constant theological zen discussions that were either boring, made no sense, or led nowhere also held me back. The numerous repetitive sex scenes were completely unnecessary. Simmons truly got carried away and wasted a significant amount of my time.

The relationship between Raul (no, Dan, it doesn't rhyme with "tall") and Aenea is extremely creepy. A guy in his late 20s has a deep friendship with an 11-year-old whom he is tasked with protecting. They stay together and overcome several dangerous situations. Then, five years later, she is 16, and he notices that she has become attractive and developed breasts. She kisses him on the lips as he departs to find the spaceship, and he essentially spends every moment obsessing over her and longing to return and make out with her. Keep in mind that he is 33 at this point. Then, when he finds the ship and returns, he is still 33, but due to time dilation, she is now 21, soooo now it's not a crime for them to have sex!! Totally not creepy, right?? (Remember that Raul is still calling her "kiddo" throughout this entire time, probably even while having sex) So Simmons has them have sex again and again and again throughout the remainder of the book. And the descriptions of the sex scenes made my skin crawl. I rather enjoyed the few sex scenes in Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion; they were unique, interesting, and not written in a creepy manner. But the way Simmons constantly uses the phrase "make love" made me want to vomit. Oh, and how Raul compared cunnilingus to a cat lapping up milk was hilarious, although Simmons was somehow attempting to be sensual about it.

Does Simmons know no other way to convey someone's surprise than by saying that they "blinked"?

The Shrike has lost all of its menacing power and mystique. I was disappointed that I no longer cared about its origin.

I like how Simmons simply discards a bunch of the major revelations in Fall of Hyperion as just "yeah, they were lying." Thanks, I guess I wasted my time reading those books then...

Simmons' crazy right-wing beliefs began to surface near the end. Oooh, so now that the evil Christian empire has fallen and instant transportation is available for everyone, we will develop "capitalism-with-a-conscience???" I literally laughed out loud. And then Silenus made a comment to Raul saying, "what are you some fucking 20th-century welfare queen?" It's interesting that a 1000-year-old philosopher is a neo-con hack.

I really wish Simmons hadn't used the Asian imagery for that one planet. Okay, cool, have this be a Tibetan colony; I might have potentially enjoyed that. But he mixed in a bunch of other Asian cultures and just turned the planet into Asia Land. Like, what the hell are tatami mats doing in a Tibetan Buddhist temple? Oh, and he said "ryokan" is some sort of special ceiling when it is not. Ryokan are a specific type of traditional Japanese inn.

I hated how all the plot holes or inconsistencies that arose were simply brushed aside with Aenea saying, "I'll explain later" and then never explaining them most of the time. It was as if Simmons was hoping we would just forget about them. And I despise it when authors are like, "here is this big secret! But nope, you don't get to know it now! You have to keep reading. *500 pages later* Nope, you still don't get to know it yet! Keep reading!" It's so manipulative.

I think those are most of my major complaints. If Simmons had fixed at least most of those issues, I would have given this book 4 or maybe even 5 stars because some truly kickass, pants-shitting stuff does occur. And the conclusion would have been fairly satisfying if it wasn't for all the creepy sex stuff. It's a shame that this series has to end like this.

After four years spent on Old Earth, Raul Endymion recommences his voyage along the river Tethys, with the aim of locating the Consul's ship. Simultaneously, Aenea departs from Old Earth in pursuit of her destiny.

Besides the hunt for the One Who Teaches, the Pax initiates a Crusade to eradicate the Ouster threat once and for all. Will Aenea fulfill her destiny and bring an end to the Pax's reign forever?

I must confess that during the first half of this book, I was rather skeptical. It didn't possess the same captivating allure as the first two installments, and in fact, for at least half of it, I liked it less than Endymion. Then, Raul incurs the time debt, and suddenly, things truly accelerate. The plot begins to come together, and by the conclusion, it surpasses Endymion. Everything unfolds as it should, from Aenea to the cruciforms to farcasting.

Similar to the other books, there isn't a great deal of the plot that I can disclose without spoiling the story. Nevertheless, I will state that I relished the conclusion of the tale and adored learning more about the Ousters and their habitat. De Soya continues to develop into one of my favorite characters within the Cantos. Additionally, I was astounded to see Fehdman Kassad and Het Masteen once more. I had been hoping that Simmons would revisit the Templars, and he exceeded my expectations. In fact, were Brawne and Sol the only pilgrims who didn't make appearances?

Although I was bored for a part of the book and felt that it seemed padded, the second half more than compensates for it. I became a bit emotional when Aenea and Raul bid farewell to their friends. I anticipated the ending, yet I still liked it a great deal.

While it may not be as magnificent as the first two books of the Cantos, The Rise of Endymion is indeed a highly satisfactory conclusion to the saga.

The first part of the book - Mmm, interesting, interesting, I like it. Even more than Endymion.

The second part of the book - Damn it... Why? What did I do to have so much of Endymion in this part? I feel like ripping my balls off, attaching them to my beard and starting to role-play as an Indian, anything to make this time with this part pass faster.

The third part of the book - There is still a lot of him.. but it's a bit better... At least there weren't as many multi-page info dumps or religious monologues. But this ending... I already knew how it would end for a long time, unfortunately the winks here were probably too obvious, although I won't talk too much here and spoil the fun for anyone... But... My fucking god, Endymion at this moment is one of the most irritating, boring and stupid characters I have had contact with so far when it comes to reading a book from someone's perspective. Maybe if he didn't ask himself every few seconds what was happening, why... Guest during the reflection AT THE END OF THE BOOK, started to use his brain. The romance itself, apart from the fact that at one point it was on the verge of pedophilia, was horribly meh. I read it, I see how they love each other, but I completely didn't feel it, and this is quite important in this book.

Thank God that at least it fits into my bingo and I can forget about this torture that this book has caused me.

PS. If anyone will be reading this book, for every word "beloved" let them shoot a glass. At least, when there will be another alcohol record in the blood, we will know what caused this state of intoxication.

This proved to be a satisfying conclusion to the Endymion duology and the Hyperion Cantos series as a whole. The quality of the series remained consistent throughout, and Dan Simmons did a fantastic job of wrapping up all the ongoing story arcs and mysteries.

Much like the first Endymion book, this one mainly focused on telling the tale of Raul Endymion and his lover, the new Messiah, Aenea. They sought to expose the corruption of the Pax Church and fight against the corruption of the Void That Binds medium by the TechnoCore. As expected, we also had a few other POV scenes from characters such as Father De Soya, Grand Inquisitor Mustafa, and Kenzo Isozaki. Their stories helped to add depth to the world and to the story.

The strengths of the Hyperion Cantos series are the complexity of the plot, the depth of the well-imagined sci-fi universe, and the quality of Simmon's writing. However, if the series has a weakness, it is that sometimes Simmon's can get a bit too carried away by describing and fleshing out some of his creations, which can slow the pace of the story. My other slight criticism is that although there is a large cast of well-realized characters, none of them ever managed to fully resonate with me on an emotional level for any consistent period of time.

All in all, I enjoyed this final book in the Hyperion Cantos. I did not love every single development or revelation, but I was happy in a general sense with how things concluded and will happily read more of Dan Simmons' books in the future.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Audio Note: Victor Bevine is a steady performer, and again I had no reason to fault his narration.

DNF at 50%.

I'm not wasting anymore time on this book. It's truly a disappointment.

Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are regarded as classics, and they rightfully deserve that title. The stories were engaging, the characters were well-developed, and the world-building was outstanding.

However, Book 3 was just average. It didn't have the same sparkle and excitement as the first two books.

And now, Book 4 is sucking the life from me. The plot seems to be going nowhere, and the characters have lost their charm. I can't bring myself to continue reading.

I'm sad to have to give up on this series, but I have to admit that it's just not for me anymore. Maybe someone else will enjoy it more than I did.

The titular character in this book, Endymion, starts off as a rather one-dimensional figure, being hurt and clueless as his only initial qualities. However, the variety of planets described is far more captivating than in the previous book. The conflict between homogeneity/stability and diversity/growth/uncertainty finally comes into sharp focus, adding depth to the story.

This installment, "The Rise of Endymion," is much better than "Endymion," yet it is still overly long. Endymion's solo quest, following a familiar pattern of him being ignorant of his surroundings, getting seriously injured, and then being miraculously saved due to his connection with messiah Aenea, earns this book a 3-star rating instead of 4. His immature jealousy of parts of Aenea's past and the extremely bizarre use of a kidney stone as a plot element also made me consider giving it 2 stars.

Nevertheless, the conclusion and the Pacem politics were engaging enough to make me eager to read on. The variety of planets, including a gas giant and a mountain planet, is well-portrayed, and the Pacem politic chapters were more enjoyable than those narrated by Endymion. Aenea's teachings on the confrontation between homogeneity and stability versus diversity and uncertainty were also interesting.

Dan Simmons does a good job of addressing the elephant in the room, which is how the Hegemony and Pax worlds are just reflections of Old Earth, rather than something entirely new. He also predicts the internet of things quite accurately in this pre-2000s book. However, the take on diversity sometimes falls short, as seen with the names given to certain characters.
The overall writing is more action-packed and follows more interesting points of view than the previous installments. While the fascination with delta-Vs and methods of traveling can slow things down at times, the startree concept is fascinating, and the return of the catacombs under St Peter adds an interesting element. I even warmed up to Aenea and found some of the scenes involving her near the end of the book quite emotional.
In conclusion, "The Rise of Endymion" is a satisfying conclusion to the Hyperion Cantos series, with some flaws but also genuine emotions and interesting ideas. Aenea's words sum it up best: "No lifetime is long enough for those who want to create, Raoul, or for those who simply want to understand themselves and their lives. It’s perhaps the curse of being human, but also a blessing."

So, despite its imperfections, this book offers a thought-provoking and engaging reading experience.

Dan Simons, choose again.

This simple review holds a certain significance. It implies that perhaps Dan Simons made a choice that didn't quite meet the expectations or that there is a need for him to reevaluate and make a different decision.

Maybe the situation has changed, or new information has come to light that requires him to consider other options.

Choosing again can be a challenging but also an opportunity for growth and improvement. It allows Dan Simons to learn from his previous experience and make a more informed and better decision this time around.

Whether it's in his personal life or professional endeavors, the ability to choose again can often lead to a more favorable outcome.

So, Dan Simons, take this chance to reflect and choose wisely.

Two malevolent fractions, one firmly rooted in the earthly and physical realm while the other has its head in the faithful interstellar clouds and holds a big surprise. They form the foundation of the grand finale of a bombastic and unforgettable sci-fi masterpiece.

Simmons persists in the deconstruction of faith, accelerates the plot, and leaves the reader with profound questions such as: Is it humanity misusing a gift, or was the present always toxic, with its intention always negative and destructive? How many innuendos lurk within the Technocore? What was the plan and motivation of the time-manipulating future humans? How many allegories to past and present history are concealed? And so on.

In contrast to the Hyperion series, the slightly stronger emphasis on mythology and magic makes it more of a fantasy than pure science. However, whenever the two collide, the old adage that advanced enough technology is indistinguishable from magic holds true. There could even be a third path, the often underrepresented biopunk option, which could be put to greater use in hybrid works. This is because even the simple juxtaposition of seemingly fantastical magic and technology, especially nano-technology, makes incredible plot goals, character motivations, and suspense potential possible. A biotechnology-fueled Gaia fraction would be a great addition to behold.

Enjoy the finale of the series. Maybe give some of Simmons' old horror works a try, but steer clear of the new ones. Something dreadful seems to have occurred here if one, like me, puts stock in meta-rating scores.

Tropes reveal how literature is conceptualized and crafted, and which combination of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

I would without hesitation award 5 stars to this novel, just as I did for the previous three in this four-book series. I must add that, in my view, this novel truly offers a satisfying conclusion to the vast narrative that Dan Simmons established in the very first novel, Hyperion. Indeed, books one and two can be read, and the two Endymion novels can be skipped. However, goodness me, I'm extremely glad that I decided to read the two Endymion novels as well. In my opinion, the rewards for doing so are more than worth it. These novels are outstanding in every respect: the imagination, the concepts, the characters, the world-building, the excitement, the emotion, and so on and so forth. The books are so rich, thought-provoking, and poignant. I highly recommend these books. The Hyperion Cantos is completely different from anything else I've read, and I feel privileged to have had the pleasure of reading them.

I did not like this book. Simmons' approach in "Rise" was similar to what he did in "Fall of Hyperion". We spend an excessive amount of time on characters we don't really care about, like Cardinal Mustafa. In "Fall", it was Meina Gladstone and Keats.

"Rise" becomes too explanatory and lacks sufficient action. The fact that Aenea is an architect doesn't enhance the story. Are you prepared for chapters filled with descriptions of imaginary worlds that seem to serve no purpose other than to satisfy Simmons' world-building tendencies? Because that's precisely what you'll encounter.

Listen, if you want to engage me, the best strategy is not to burden the beginning of the book with Buddhistic death-worshiping philosophy. In fact, it might be better to omit the death-worship and the philosophy altogether. The main issue here is that Simmons seems to have decided to make the story all about love and the transience of everything. While that's fine in theory, conflating these two concepts to the point where the characters actively oppose effective immortality just because people are supposed to die isn't convincing.

If this were only a few pages of the book, it would be acceptable. But it becomes a problem when the central figure's primary mode of operation is leading discussion groups with her followers, all of whom seem to be religiously-inclined navel-gazers. Where are the atheists in this hyper-futuristic universe? Simmons spends hundreds of pages of exposition explaining his half-baked moral philosophy and poetry selection in excruciating detail by the end of the novel.

It's also a problem when he retcons the entire Hyperion series by stating that Martin Silenus didn't actually witness most of what happened, so Hyperion was just his "interpretation" of events. Examples that really frustrated me include: the Shrike is now a cute fuzzy protector of good humans, and the main characters no longer fear it; the Tree of Pain is just a Templar treeship on a mission of salvation, not one of impalement and torture; and Moneta/Rachel Weintrab didn't go into the distant future where humanity is at war with the Shrike, but into the near future where technology has actually regressed. Also, what are we supposed to make of the fact that in "Hyperion", Moneta uses the same phase shifting technology as Rhadamath Nemes does in "Endymion" and "Fall", but Aenea claims that phase shifting is an unconscionable abuse of the Void Which Binds? Let's not forget that Moneta's use of the phase shift is later in her personal chronology than "Endymion".

Furthermore, Simmons can't write sex scenes effectively. By the end, I was thoroughly sick of Raul constantly calling Aenea "my dear friend" and "kiddo" even though they were involved in a passionate relationship for the entire latter half of the novel. Don't waste your time reading this book.

The scene where Corporal Bassin Kee endures torture at the hands of the Grand Inquisitor, with a machine simulating "crushed testicles" and "hot wire behind the right eye" in the victim's brain, is a rather vivid approximation of the experience I had while reading this book. There sits Dan Simmons at his desk, his finger hovering over the computer keyboard. Instead of letters, each key represents a distinct literary torture: "moldy info dump forced down the throat", "insufferable protagonist buzzing on the face but impossible to swat", "new ideas generating excitement only to remove masks and reveal tired concepts from three books ago", and of course, "sex scenes that cause genitals to shrivel". If given the choice between rereading this garbage or being impaled on the Tree of Pain, I would eagerly give the Shrike a big bear hug and request his sharpest thorn.

Despite all the pain the book itself inflicted, it was ultimately my own mind that broke me. I have to live with the knowledge that my torturer was none other than Dan Simmons, the very same man who penned Hyperion, one of the top sci-fi novels of the past three decades and a personal favorite. Oh, the agony! How could an author who had created such a masterpiece produce something so excruciating to read? It's a mystery that haunts me still.

I'm not entirely certain how to rate this particular installment. When combined with the previous book in the series, it was one of the lengthiest, slowest, and least eventful reads I've ever had in my life.

If it weren't for the fact that I adored the first two books so very much, I would have happily abandoned it. Having said that, I've come to realize that the books in this series are the kind that increase in my estimation once I've completed reading them.

Some books I read are fast-paced and highly enjoyable, but when it comes time to think of things to discuss in a review a few weeks later, I discover that I've forgotten everything about them. (And yet, I somehow manage to expertly bluff my way through the review in order to garner those precious likes.)

However, after finishing these books (even the sluggish third one), I find myself thinking affectionately of the characters and the setting, and reflecting on the philosophical and literary themes that play such a significant role in this series.

A full review will be forthcoming....