last month, I was given this book by my wife as a birthday present. It sounds interesting. But it just sits and stares at me and I keep putting it off. Anyone read this book, or anyother by Dan Simmons, as I have never heard of the author nor the Book.
I read it a few years ago so cant remember too much detail but I did have a hard time getting into it. The story and characters didn't grab me but I persisted because I loved another book he wrote - Hyperion. Hyperion is incredible and still, years later, scenes from it flash into my mind. The characters were vivid and the story itself was original, twisted and brutal in an intelligent way. After that read, Illium was disappointing. By the end I was enjoying it and maybe had I read it first I would have liked it more. I was expecting to be amazed, instead I had to work to get started but if I remember correctly about half way through it really picked up and twisted around.
The Hyperion Cantos is a Stunning Sci-Fi epic I have not read Ilium or its' sequel Olympos, but have read and heard that they are decent. Now to focus on Dan Simmons masterwork: The Hyperion Cantos. I have read all four books in that series, and without a doubt, the best sci-fi series I've read, (although I have only read a small sample of sci-fi series. tbh) And overall the best series I've ever read, no matter the genre. All four books are astounding tales that span both time and space and even our concepts of reality. Endymion was the weakest novel out of the bunch, but was by itself an amazing adventure that blew my mind. The other three books, Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, and The Rise of Endymion were breathtakingly complex and intricately woven stories that still have me thinking about them months after reading them. I'm planning on reading the entire series again soon, just to get more clarity on the overall story, and figure out some things that still are bugging me. If anyone is interested in a detailed, fast-paced, complex, and emotionally moving series, please do yourself a favor and check it out. The first book, Hyperion, is a sci-fi take on the narrative concept of a classic. The Canterbury Tales. It weaves six pilgrims stories into one complex plot. They make their pilgrimage on the eve of Armageddon brought about by an upcoming massive intergalactic war. They share their stories (that span several diff genres, reflecting each individual character's narrative style) with each other, hoping to find one common thread in their experiences, and that common thread is the basis for their fates and the fates of all humanity. I won't go into detail for any of the other books in the Cantos, because they are incredibly interdependent on one another. But together, form, one of the most epic things I have ever had the pleasure of reading. please read Hyperion and see what you think. And don't be thrown off by the end of the first novel. its' plot is continued and even more characters and plot lines are added for more depth and complexity directly following the end of the first book. It may be a daunting read at first. It certainly was for me. But don't be deterred. As soon as I finished one of the pilgrims tales (a novella in its own right, content wise and stylistically), I was completely blown away and enthralled. In fact, all six pilgrims stories are remarkable in their own light, but several are really powerful, in fact I cried for the first time as a result of reading a novel from one of their tales. amazing, please read it. whooo that got a bit long winded, especially for my first post here on these fine forums. sorry, but I have a real attachment to these books. one that will probably expand as I reread the series a few times.
