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itheory's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A bit dull to be honest. Feels pseudo-intellectual, but I didn't feel a need to dig into some of the ideas to work out how much was arm waving and how much serious intellectual engagement. I'm glad to have a decent conclusion after the first book, as I feel no need to read any more of the series, even though a bunch of threads remain and some characters haven't seemed to have had a point to them yet.
ommorsaphine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leighperrett's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
silviuh864's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jbkep's review
3.0
Seemed to drag on a little more than the first one but I liked the ending alright.
paranoidmarvin's review
4.0
This is so unlike Hyperion, and yet so similar! What I mean is that the anthology like structure from the first book is gone, but the characters remain. And as usual, the prose is, for the lack of a better word, poetic! Everything is so fluent and beautifully written by Simmons. It's just amazing.
From the perspective of story though, it is a bit unsatisfactory. The first book also ended in a bit of a weird cliffhanger, but at least we got six different stories. The Fall again ends kinda abruptly, with few resolutions and lots of unanswered questions. Onto the Endymion!
From the perspective of story though, it is a bit unsatisfactory. The first book also ended in a bit of a weird cliffhanger, but at least we got six different stories. The Fall again ends kinda abruptly, with few resolutions and lots of unanswered questions. Onto the Endymion!
sachet's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
yevolem's review
5.0
As with the first book, The Fall of Hyperion was narrated through a frame story. This time it's told through dreams, though considering how accurate they seem to be, it may as well be the same as telling each other stories. The dream sequences follow the pilgrims of the first book and they were more horror oriented than I expected. They even joke about horror movie tropes. There's a lot of humor, which I enjoyed considerably more this time. The space opera scenes of the frame story were the highlight of the book for me and reminded me that I need to read more space opera that I enjoy, but that seems difficult for me to find. There were spaceship battles, governmental politics, diplomacy, and so many differing societies on so many planets.
I was surprised by how many different ideas were included. Many of the ideas could each be the focus of their own novel. This abundance of ideas meant that there wasn't much development for most of them. Simmons presented an amazingly accurate depiction of smartphone addiction and technological dependence. The Hegemony had gone far beyond globalism and their interdependence astonished me. The story and character reactions crossed into melodrama and hysteria a few times, but the extremely online are often like that. My favorite concept continued to be the elimination of distance through portals. I may have an unreasonable like for portals, but it's not something that I actively seek out, because I don't for almost anything.
There were several questionable narrative choices and little that can hold up under scrutiny, but sometimes that's irrelevant. What matters most to me is how much I enjoy something, whatever it may be. It's not the only consideration, though it is the primary one. This was an utter delight to read and I enjoyed it as much as the first. The first book had higher highs and lower lows while this one provided a smoother reading experience that was almost uniformly pleasant. There were so many passages that I considered including here. Not the poetry though, I didn't really care for it. Also, the descriptions of the female body and the sex scenes were quite something again.
The ending and epilogue took an unexpected turn in that it explained what truly mattered most in the universe, provided the final answer to a religious question, and made a few political statements. There also was a scene that seemed out of place and I assume was for comedic relief and may have been a reference that I can only guess at. Simmons almost had too much fun with the ending and epilogue. I don't know whether that's what he usually does or not. The final lines were nearly identical to those of the first book, but somehow I found that I didn't mind at all this time. I know the remaining two books aren't supposed to be anywhere as enjoyable, but I'm cautiously optimistic anyway.
I was surprised by how many different ideas were included. Many of the ideas could each be the focus of their own novel. This abundance of ideas meant that there wasn't much development for most of them. Simmons presented an amazingly accurate depiction of smartphone addiction and technological dependence. The Hegemony had gone far beyond globalism and their interdependence astonished me. The story and character reactions crossed into melodrama and hysteria a few times, but the extremely online are often like that. My favorite concept continued to be the elimination of distance through portals. I may have an unreasonable like for portals, but it's not something that I actively seek out, because I don't for almost anything.
There were several questionable narrative choices and little that can hold up under scrutiny, but sometimes that's irrelevant. What matters most to me is how much I enjoy something, whatever it may be. It's not the only consideration, though it is the primary one. This was an utter delight to read and I enjoyed it as much as the first. The first book had higher highs and lower lows while this one provided a smoother reading experience that was almost uniformly pleasant. There were so many passages that I considered including here. Not the poetry though, I didn't really care for it. Also, the descriptions of the female body and the sex scenes were quite something again.
The ending and epilogue took an unexpected turn in that it explained what truly mattered most in the universe, provided the final answer to a religious question, and made a few political statements. There also was a scene that seemed out of place and I assume was for comedic relief and may have been a reference that I can only guess at. Simmons almost had too much fun with the ending and epilogue. I don't know whether that's what he usually does or not. The final lines were nearly identical to those of the first book, but somehow I found that I didn't mind at all this time. I know the remaining two books aren't supposed to be anywhere as enjoyable, but I'm cautiously optimistic anyway.
brendan240's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0