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mice_are_nice's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Sexual content, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Drug use, Ableism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Child death
powellki's review
Boring as fuck, language is old and I can tell it was published the same year I was born. Chapters are ridiculously long, to the point it should be noted it's basically 7 short stories with only a semi-locked in plot for the rest of the book. Hard pass on the Jesus allegory of the first story where the Jesuit Priest keeps calling a group of people "small re***ds" and comparing them to children. Only made it slightly into story 2 when the sex scene was just so laughable that I couldn't continue. There was no way the position being described could be performed if the two people are in the stated positions (or unless the female was a.) an illusion, b.) a contortionist, or c.) just dislocating her arm to perform said acts). -10/10 do not recommend. Don't see why it's considered a "pillar of Sci-Fi."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Ableism, Body shaming, War, Sexual content, Self harm, Murder, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Body horror, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide, Slavery, Medical trauma, and Medical content
whatthesquids's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I found the whole book satisfying to read, but the ENDING! Very cathartic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Dementia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Alcoholism
benji_dw's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Hyperion is a classic my friends and family evoke. So I read it. It hasn’t aged gracefully and frankly modern sci-fi’s sensibilities lead to better fiction.
The book is broken up to tell the stories of seven people on a journey to the ‘time tombs’. Of the seven there is only one woman, and that attitude to gender pervades the entire narrative.
It is interesting and different. I thought of totally new things. Full points for novelty.
I am docking points because when it was good it was good (albeit problematic), but when it was bad, it was actually unforgivable. I didn’t find the manic pixie dream girl list quest or self insert sad-boi poet whining compelling at all. The racist language around Indigenous people is extremely gross.
Maybe this book was good for its time. But modern sci fi is better.
The book is broken up to tell the stories of seven people on a journey to the ‘time tombs’. Of the seven there is only one woman, and that attitude to gender pervades the entire narrative.
It is interesting and different. I thought of totally new things. Full points for novelty.
I am docking points because when it was good it was good (albeit problematic), but when it was bad, it was actually unforgivable. I didn’t find the manic pixie dream girl list quest or self insert sad-boi poet whining compelling at all. The racist language around Indigenous people is extremely gross.
Maybe this book was good for its time. But modern sci fi is better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Violence, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Colonisation
giant_manta_ray's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ambitious and imaginative world building, thought provoking ideas, and eschatological theme abound. It feels...dated...fairly often, you may find yourself rolling your eyes or cringing at the way things like gender and race and disability get portrayed. This was the main thing bringing the score down for me, and I could bring it down lower on this basis just for how distracting it felt. Last 2 stories were my least favorite, so it petered out at the end for me. It's hard to recommend, but also hard to pass on since the core mystery and the way it unravels over the course of these stories is just so strange and captivating. Reading this, I often wished for something else like it that didn't feel so icky. To that extent it's an inspiring work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Torture, Ableism, and Sexual content
klon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Body horror, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Ableism
cynthetic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, War, Torture, and Sexual content
manatad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's hard for me to say much except that I was surprisingly enraptured by this novel. I wish I could have taken the time to read it more slowly and savor it, but I had borrowed it off Libby and needed to finish it within the span of three weeks.
Hyperion was very different from the other books I have read so far this year. The main plot taking place within the present timeline of the novel takes more of a secondary role compared to the backstories of each of the seven main characters, whose personal vignettes make up the bulk of the novel. Each of these embedded narratives is written in a different style and tone, each one as distinct as the character it is associated with. Gradually, the mysteries of the main characters' motivations, the interstellar society they come from, and the dark entity awaiting their arrival on the planet Hyperion, are revealed to us readers before the narrative cuts off abruptly at the end of the book, making it necessary to read the sequel if one wishes to see the story to its conclusion.
I wasn't as bothered by the ending as my previous statement may imply because I found the entire book to be thoroughly enjoyable on its own. I think that the prose of the novel, particularly during the "Hyperion Cantos" section, feels consistently inspired, and I appreciate the numerous references to modernist poetry and classical epics. Dan Simmons explains just enough about the science and mechanics of his fictional universe to leave me feeling intrigued and not bored or very stupid. (I'm not even going to pretend I know enough about physics to tell the difference between what's real and what's speculative in these older science fiction novels.) And best of all, his descriptions of the various planets visited throughout the book, from their unique flora and fauna to the color of their skies, inspired so much wonder in me.
This is definitely a book that I think would benefit from a second reading by me at some point in the future. I'd like to spend more time thinking over what the strongest and weakest aspects of the story are, and to notice if there was anything I missed or glazed over on my brisk first read. Overall, I thought it was a refreshing novel, but I'm not sure precisely what kind of person I would recommend it to. I think there may be a glint of true literary merit to be seen here, but I couldn't recommend this book to anyone who isn't a true sci fi/space opera lover.
Hyperion was very different from the other books I have read so far this year. The main plot taking place within the present timeline of the novel takes more of a secondary role compared to the backstories of each of the seven main characters, whose personal vignettes make up the bulk of the novel. Each of these embedded narratives is written in a different style and tone, each one as distinct as the character it is associated with. Gradually, the mysteries of the main characters' motivations, the interstellar society they come from, and the dark entity awaiting their arrival on the planet Hyperion, are revealed to us readers before the narrative cuts off abruptly at the end of the book, making it necessary to read the sequel if one wishes to see the story to its conclusion.
I wasn't as bothered by the ending as my previous statement may imply because I found the entire book to be thoroughly enjoyable on its own. I think that the prose of the novel, particularly during the "Hyperion Cantos" section, feels consistently inspired, and I appreciate the numerous references to modernist poetry and classical epics. Dan Simmons explains just enough about the science and mechanics of his fictional universe to leave me feeling intrigued and not bored or very stupid. (I'm not even going to pretend I know enough about physics to tell the difference between what's real and what's speculative in these older science fiction novels.) And best of all, his descriptions of the various planets visited throughout the book, from their unique flora and fauna to the color of their skies, inspired so much wonder in me.
This is definitely a book that I think would benefit from a second reading by me at some point in the future. I'd like to spend more time thinking over what the strongest and weakest aspects of the story are, and to notice if there was anything I missed or glazed over on my brisk first read. Overall, I thought it was a refreshing novel, but I'm not sure precisely what kind of person I would recommend it to. I think there may be a glint of true literary merit to be seen here, but I couldn't recommend this book to anyone who isn't a true sci fi/space opera lover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: War, Alcohol, Body horror, and Cursing
Minor: Torture, Death, Drug use, and Medical content
missdanielle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Violence
sgrunwald96's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Enjoyable and a cool classic scifi but a little slow and I was frustrated with the lack of conclusion at the end. World/universe building and creativity was definitely great though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Death, War, Blood, Gore, and Violence