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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
If there is a novel that could make someone fall in love with and/ or enjoy Science Fiction, this is the novel. My friend Alex gave Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, along with a couple of other books, to our house for Christmas. When I asked him which ones I should read he specifically said these and boy was he right! I was so excited finishing this one up, while I was purchasing a guidebook for my sister I picked up the third book in the Hyperion Cantos (four books) and will definitely read all of them.
This review WILL NOT contain spoilers, but no promises for the rest of the Cantos. The way I read, I read an entire series as one story and sometimes blend things together not knowing what comes from which particular installment, but the first one is always easiest to keep spoiler free. What was most exciting about this novel and what kept me so interested was Simmons’ intelligence and writing ability!
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
This review WILL NOT contain spoilers, but no promises for the rest of the Cantos. The way I read, I read an entire series as one story and sometimes blend things together not knowing what comes from which particular installment, but the first one is always easiest to keep spoiler free. What was most exciting about this novel and what kept me so interested was Simmons’ intelligence and writing ability!
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
I was so happy that this got chosen for my Hugo/Nebula winners bookclub, since I've had a physical copy of this for ages, and just couldn't find the motivation to read it on my own. (And actually, I ended up reading this on my Kindle, as this paperback had such tiny text that I couldn't fathom reading it.) It was...well, not entirely my cup of tea, but not bad. It's basically a scifi take on the Canterbury Tales, so a bunch of pilgrims are traveling to the world of Hyperion, each telling his or her story. In that sense, it reads more like a set of interconnected novellas than a novel, though there is an overarching storyline as well.
The stories were hit or miss for me. The first featured Catholics in space, with an anthropological bent and a bit of a horror twist, and was one of my favorites. The second was military scifi with some weird sex stuff, and wasn't my cup of tea. (I was honestly pretty bored, which is not the effect that space battles should have.) The third was an artist's tale of coming of age, and was my least favorite, mostly because I hated that character. The fourth was about the parents of a woman who catches a strange disease that causes her to age backward, and was good. The fifth was about a private investigator who falls in love with the AI incarnation of John Keats, and was odd, but also enjoyable for me. And the final was a huge spoiler, so I'll say nothing more. ;)
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this, but never really found myself too drawn in. The characters, even when I liked them, just weren't my favorites, and I felt kind of disconnected from the whole Shrike thing. I have also admittedly been having concentration issues, so there's that. I do intend to read the second book because the first two books of the series really compose one complete story, but not sure if I'll go beyond that. We'll see, I guess.
The stories were hit or miss for me. The first featured Catholics in space, with an anthropological bent and a bit of a horror twist, and was one of my favorites. The second was military scifi with some weird sex stuff, and wasn't my cup of tea. (I was honestly pretty bored, which is not the effect that space battles should have.) The third was an artist's tale of coming of age, and was my least favorite, mostly because I hated that character. The fourth was about the parents of a woman who catches a strange disease that causes her to age backward, and was good. The fifth was about a private investigator who falls in love with the AI incarnation of John Keats, and was odd, but also enjoyable for me. And the final was a huge spoiler, so I'll say nothing more. ;)
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this, but never really found myself too drawn in. The characters, even when I liked them, just weren't my favorites, and I felt kind of disconnected from the whole Shrike thing. I have also admittedly been having concentration issues, so there's that. I do intend to read the second book because the first two books of the series really compose one complete story, but not sure if I'll go beyond that. We'll see, I guess.
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An interesting future world. Told from the point of view of the characters. Each character gets a chapter. I wish I had purchased The Fall of Hyperion at the same time, as the end of this book doesn't give much closure.
Que manera de empezar los Cantos, la historia de cada uno de los peregrinos tranquilamente podría ser un libro por sí mismo, pero cada una es una pieza que se va uniendo en un rompecabezas espectacular.
Que pedazo de libro por favor, sigo con el siguiente con mucha emoción.
Que pedazo de libro por favor, sigo con el siguiente con mucha emoción.
REALLY hard to get into. Actually pretty good when you do a couple stories in.
So I started reading this one for my IRL book club and it’s one which has been on my radar for years as it’s hailed by so many as a ‘classic’. I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype and why this author is so beloved, and I think it was a good one to discuss as a group.
There is a lot to unpick in a book like this as it reads more like a collection of short stories within one book. We follow a few characters who are all on their way to Hyperion for different reasons, and they are each narrating their journey in life up to this point to the others travelling with them, to show just why they’re en route to Hyperion. It means that you get a chance to see a lot of different writing styles and voices, but it also means that the story as a whole is a little choppy and you may find that some stories work a lot better than others for you.
Personally the first tale is a very gore-filled one and references religions a lot too. It was vastly different from some others so I will say that if the first tale puts you off then maybe continue anyway as it’s not all like that and actually that’s the most graphic of the tales.
One big mystery in this book is the Shrike which is the big bad of the story. It’s a mysterious force or being which seems to have impacted all our characters and we start to see how when we read their tales.
Overall my favourite story was the one about ageing backwards as this seems the most unique and weird of them all. I probably could have read a book just on this particular idea and would have really enjoyed it.
In the end I think it’s clear that this author knows how to write good short fiction, but for me the overarching tale didn’t come off as well as I wanted. I know there’s more in the series but I don’t feel a strong desire to continue at the moment with it, 3*s from me.
There is a lot to unpick in a book like this as it reads more like a collection of short stories within one book. We follow a few characters who are all on their way to Hyperion for different reasons, and they are each narrating their journey in life up to this point to the others travelling with them, to show just why they’re en route to Hyperion. It means that you get a chance to see a lot of different writing styles and voices, but it also means that the story as a whole is a little choppy and you may find that some stories work a lot better than others for you.
Personally the first tale is a very gore-filled one and references religions a lot too. It was vastly different from some others so I will say that if the first tale puts you off then maybe continue anyway as it’s not all like that and actually that’s the most graphic of the tales.
One big mystery in this book is the Shrike which is the big bad of the story. It’s a mysterious force or being which seems to have impacted all our characters and we start to see how when we read their tales.
Overall my favourite story was the one about ageing backwards as this seems the most unique and weird of them all. I probably could have read a book just on this particular idea and would have really enjoyed it.
In the end I think it’s clear that this author knows how to write good short fiction, but for me the overarching tale didn’t come off as well as I wanted. I know there’s more in the series but I don’t feel a strong desire to continue at the moment with it, 3*s from me.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
Even with the cliffhanger at the end I feel like this book weirdly works as a standalone story. I say that even though I definitely, with out a doubt will be returning to this story in the sequels.