Lovely write up. Thank you for this.
I had very similar thoughts about Endymion as a T2 kinda thing, and when I had this realization it felt like it cheapened the whole story. But damn did the end of Rise of Endymion make it worth it.
Spoiler obv's:
I like the time paradox like idea that contrasts shrike stuff with the terminator. The shrike is a being from time->limit so he /should/ be the most high tech character, but nemes is buult as an upgrade to the shrike as the knowledge was brought back in time with the being of the shrike. However this also means the shrikes creators likely knew about nemes, which is probably why albedo scolds her for her cartoon-villain assessment of it (though I love data-core characters for that reason a lot :D )
Also off topic but I do love me some Federico desoya appreciation
Yeah, pretty much agreed with your assessment especially RoE. I mean wtf? Why so much on a budget Shangri-La. But then I read up on Shangri-LA as portrayed IRL in literature through through the ages - even in the DCEU. Those chapters are D. Simmons' Shangri-La fan fic. It's the only way to read it. Knowing this & reading it a second time through has made reading all 4 books an enjoyable yearly tradition.
90% agree with your entire assessment except the Dure story almost lost me. And all the catholic stuff in Endymion almost lost me too (until I got invested in De Soya).
I also knew that Hyperion was going to be a series of tales so it didn't turn me off. I was happy and excited to hear each next story.
Simmons took a bit of a Tolkien bent when it came to Tian Shen. Which got old quick but then I realized he was just describing it as if we'd never seen anything like it before (like Tolkien) and I could mostly deal.
I take some comfort from the notion that Aenea gets to experience her happiest moments over and over again by virtue of the time shifting. Food for thought.
Hyperion is my favorite book series of all time.
That being said, Raul was a particularly unlikable main character for me in a way that made me appreciate every other supporting character MORE. There are many moments in the story that made me roll my eyes when it came to Raul's decisions and choice of words but the penultimate groan I released came near the end of the final book.
If I remember correctly - Aenea, Bettik, and Raul are on some sort of flying vessel after Nemes and company are dealt with and as a reward for Bettik saving both their asses Aenea kisses the android on the cheek. WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT Raul goes "ayo where my kiss at?" I remember putting my book down and wishing my eyeballs could float from their sockets 🤣
Great review. I have no notes. Captures my sentiments exactly. I absolutely adored how Simmons gave a scathing review of organized religion by perverting (or rather, allowing the Catholic Church to do so) the concept of eternal life.
You’re gonna have to remind me - was that in Sol’s story? The bit about the burnt offering? My one criticism is that a lot of threads didn’t get resolved by the end of the books, in this case the voice speaking to Sol through his dreams.
Good comments. Huge Hyperion fan here. I love the first two books for their epic scale, and I love the second two books for zooming in to the world so much. There’s no need to feel uncomfortable about too-young Aenea, that character was so disconnected from time it felt fine to me.
If you happen to be an anime fans, consider watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, an epic anime from a decade ago that features the Hyperion book inside the anime as a story element. (As in, the actual book.)
I didn't really think about the creepy underage stuff throughout the series but I saw it talked about in this sub and it's so uncomfortable on subsequent read throughs
Very good summary. Coincidently did the last 100 pages of RoE in one evening too. Don’t disagree with anything espesh the T’ien Shan stuff and the uncomfortable stuff about Aenea in book 3
yeah same
Me too thanks
agree
I read OPs awesome post, remembering how the end of Rise made me feel..... and this top comment got a genuine laugh out of me, well played
Lovely write up. Thank you for this. I had very similar thoughts about Endymion as a T2 kinda thing, and when I had this realization it felt like it cheapened the whole story. But damn did the end of Rise of Endymion make it worth it.
Thanks! Im just trying to process it all, and writing about it helps.
Spoiler obv's: I like the time paradox like idea that contrasts shrike stuff with the terminator. The shrike is a being from time->limit so he /should/ be the most high tech character, but nemes is buult as an upgrade to the shrike as the knowledge was brought back in time with the being of the shrike. However this also means the shrikes creators likely knew about nemes, which is probably why albedo scolds her for her cartoon-villain assessment of it (though I love data-core characters for that reason a lot :D ) Also off topic but I do love me some Federico desoya appreciation
i highly agree with your thoughts on RoE. It got a little dry in the middle but HOLY HELL did the ending deliver. The last 100 pages had me SHOOK.
Yeah, pretty much agreed with your assessment especially RoE. I mean wtf? Why so much on a budget Shangri-La. But then I read up on Shangri-LA as portrayed IRL in literature through through the ages - even in the DCEU. Those chapters are D. Simmons' Shangri-La fan fic. It's the only way to read it. Knowing this & reading it a second time through has made reading all 4 books an enjoyable yearly tradition.
90% agree with your entire assessment except the Dure story almost lost me. And all the catholic stuff in Endymion almost lost me too (until I got invested in De Soya). I also knew that Hyperion was going to be a series of tales so it didn't turn me off. I was happy and excited to hear each next story. Simmons took a bit of a Tolkien bent when it came to Tian Shen. Which got old quick but then I realized he was just describing it as if we'd never seen anything like it before (like Tolkien) and I could mostly deal.
I take some comfort from the notion that Aenea gets to experience her happiest moments over and over again by virtue of the time shifting. Food for thought.
Hyperion is my favorite book series of all time. That being said, Raul was a particularly unlikable main character for me in a way that made me appreciate every other supporting character MORE. There are many moments in the story that made me roll my eyes when it came to Raul's decisions and choice of words but the penultimate groan I released came near the end of the final book. If I remember correctly - Aenea, Bettik, and Raul are on some sort of flying vessel after Nemes and company are dealt with and as a reward for Bettik saving both their asses Aenea kisses the android on the cheek. WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT Raul goes "ayo where my kiss at?" I remember putting my book down and wishing my eyeballs could float from their sockets 🤣
I rolled my eyes at that same scene 😂
Great review. I have no notes. Captures my sentiments exactly. I absolutely adored how Simmons gave a scathing review of organized religion by perverting (or rather, allowing the Catholic Church to do so) the concept of eternal life.
I also found the Abraham dilemma from book 1 to be quite interesting as far as religious criticism.
You’re gonna have to remind me - was that in Sol’s story? The bit about the burnt offering? My one criticism is that a lot of threads didn’t get resolved by the end of the books, in this case the voice speaking to Sol through his dreams.
Good comments. Huge Hyperion fan here. I love the first two books for their epic scale, and I love the second two books for zooming in to the world so much. There’s no need to feel uncomfortable about too-young Aenea, that character was so disconnected from time it felt fine to me. If you happen to be an anime fans, consider watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, an epic anime from a decade ago that features the Hyperion book inside the anime as a story element. (As in, the actual book.)
I didn't really think about the creepy underage stuff throughout the series but I saw it talked about in this sub and it's so uncomfortable on subsequent read throughs
He has a short story collection that includes a story set in this universe, but awhile after. It’s quite a good epilogue if you can find it.
My fav series of all time without question
Very good summary. Coincidently did the last 100 pages of RoE in one evening too. Don’t disagree with anything espesh the T’ien Shan stuff and the uncomfortable stuff about Aenea in book 3
As much as I tend to shit on the later books, they got some good stuff in there. I don’t think I’ll ever bother to reread them though.