Endymion (Hyperion)

Once again, like Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, I am writing a joint review for Endymion and The Rise of Endymion as the two books comprise the totality of one story (I have seen some complain about this, but put the two books together and decide if you want to hold that while reading it!). With Endymion and The Rise of Endymion, Dan Simmons has written a brilliant adventure tale that brings to conclusion the story begun in Hyperion. These two books are more than just another chapter in the universe; they are the next evolution in the story of humans, TechnoCore (AIs) and Lions and Tigers and Bears. Where Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion is a methodical, multi-viewpoint story of how humanity and the Hegemony had arrived at the point of being slaves to the TechnoCore, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion is an adventurous story about the savior of humanity from outside forces and itself. Nearly 300 years after The Fall, the Catholic Church has risen from obscurity to control the Pax, the new empire of humanity that has slowly widened its grip on the former worlds of the Hegemony as well as waged war against the Ousters. Like the Hegemony, the Pax and church have made a deal with the devil (the TechnoCore), but secretly as most people think the TechnoCore destroyed or in hiding after The Fall. The cruciform has become the sacrament of immortality as administered by the church and is now the defining difference between the believes and followers of the church and Pax and the rest of humanity. This church, like its last incarnation in the previous Dark Ages (for the time after The Fall was a new Dark Age), this church has the same instruments of control such as the Holy Inquisition and the reward of your immortal soul. Enter Raul Endymion, a non-christian hunting guide on Hyperion. After killing an off-world hunter, who is a dignitary of the Pax, for killing his dog and nearly killing him, Endymion is sentenced to death by firing squad. But, Raul has a guardian angel that secretly saves him from his fate: Martin Silenus. In exchange for his life, Silenus enlists Endymion to rescue and then protect Aenea, the daughter of Brawne Lamia, who will be exiting the Time Tombs in a few days as a 12 year old. But, this task will not be easy, as the Church and Pax - whose Pope is Lenar Hoyt - know she is coming and they consider her an enemy of the state. Enter Father Captain De Soya, who is charged with the capture of Aenea at the Time Tombs. With the help of a Magic Carpet, thus begins the adventures of Raul Endymion, his charge Aenea - the One Who Teaches - and their traveling companion, the Android Bettik as they travel from world to world via the thought dead farcasters of the River Tethys in search of Earth, the answers to humanity's future, and the destruction of the Pax and TechnoCore; All while being pursued by Father Captain De Soya and an even larger threat directly from the TechnoCore itself. Along the way, they will discover new friends, new

"Hyperion" cycle is a quartet divided in two halves that shares the same universe. "Endymion" starts the second part. Three hundred years had elapsed since the end of "The Fall of Hyperion" and new forces are playing the game. Some characters of the first half, as A. Bettik, Martin Silenus and The Shrike reappear here. The Catholic Church with her new resurrection "sacrament" is expanding everywhere. The "farcasters" are not working and space travel takes a toll in the form of time debt. Simmons gives a new turn of the screw to his story: the new main character is an anti-hero. He is not very brave or smart; he is loyal and devoted to Aenea. Usually M. Endymion just goes ahead pressed by the events that pop up and strives to stay alive and protect Aenea. He is just an ordinary man subjected to extraordinary events. The Pax forces leaded by Father Captain de Soya launch an all-out persecution thru the universe and this is its chronicle. Simmons uses a subtle humor and winks the reader to enter the game. At the same time, in another level of the story, more complex issues are touched as predestination versus free will; religion and faith; ethical and unethical choices. Before reading this book is advisable to read "Hyperion" and "The Fall of Hyperion", to fully understand what's going on. But you will not regret doing so, you'll get in touch with one of the best sci-fi sagas written in the `90s. Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Wow! This is one of the most engaging novels I've ever read. Simmons is a master storyteller. Endymion is one of those rare books, which manage to create a truly believable futuristic world, regardless of how "alien" the technology and setting might appear. It's a world you have to tear yourself away from. If you enjoyed the Hyperion books, then I really think you will like this. Simmons weaves another complex and highly original plot involving the three travelers, the Pax Church, the TechnoCore and the mysterious entities inhabiting the outer reaches of the megasphere. He reveals information slowly throughout the book and by the end you really have more questions than answers, so if you're anything like me you'll definitely want to read the final part (Rise of Endymion) of this wonderful saga as soon as possible to find out what's going on. By the way, some people find this book less action-filled than the two first, which is partly true. The novel is slightly slower than its predecessors, but in my opinion there is more than enough going on, and, as stated above, the story is a real page-turner.

Yes, I know people will disagree with me. They will unfailingly say that the first book (HYPERION) was the best. However, I enjoyed reading this, the third installment in the series, more than the first two books. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it got away from a lot of the poetry that was so heavily emphasized in the earlier installments. Second, there's a lot more action in this book than in the first two. Don't get me wrong...I'm not in it purely for the action. I enjoy strong, vivid characters and interesting worlds as much as the next person. However, the action just adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.The elements that drive the plot in this book were totally unexpected. I wasn't expecting the jump in time and I never would have predicted what has happened to the human race in that span of time. However, it makes for VERY interesting reading. All the intrigue and mystery left me unable to put the book down. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.As with the first two books, Simmons again has created beautifully intriguing characters. Some new and some old, but all of them are interesting to get to know. I think this is the strongest part of Simmons' writing. All of his characters are three dimensional; they have strengths, weaknesses, desires, and fears. They are HUMAN.I have enjoyed this series immensely. It's characters, the world building, the tech, and the story all came together to provide me with hours of involved reading. I can't wait to finish the final installment, RISE OF ENDYMION.

I'm somewhat surprised by some of the reviews for the Hyperion series, especially the latter two, Endymion and Rise of Endymion. I agree that Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are the /slightly/ stronger of the four, but again they are the foundational works which support the rest of the series, which branches off into a more ornate, but steadfast, structure. Looking at the structure of the Hyperion saga as a whole, both as science fiction and as literary fiction, few stories come close to matching the width and depth of Simmon's conceptualization of the future.Sci-fi ornamentation aside, much of the saga's strength lies in it's most literary qualities. The plot is epic and the characters are depthful and realistic, but Simmons raises the bar a notch above the average space opera's best, weaving a rich tapestry of allusion and parallelism that would challenge literary fiction's finest offerings. Hyperion itself, as many have surmised, takes on the patterns of Canterbury Tales as its own, with its tales spanning the genres from mystery and suspense to classic military sf. This multi-genre approach is an unusual vehicle for introducing an entire science-fiction universe, and duly appreciated by those sick of tired and stilted exposition.The Fall of Hyperion rightly gathers source from Keats' unfinished epic and the greatest tragedies of our time. By the close of this installment, Simmons' Mythos of the Hegemony, the Shrike, and the Hyperion pilgrims stands on its own in the form of Martin Silenus' Cantos, an accomplishment that, some say, Simmons should have stopped at. Yet mysteries and holes have been purposefully left unanswered and unfilled. Good marketing, certainly, but one must appreciate the difficulty of keeping this sort of complexity tight and controlled.Endymion is the perfect example of this. Simmons balances the story's elements to near perfection by developing and adding onto the Hyperion Mythos while answering some mysteries and making others more mysterious. Plot-wise, Endymion's fast-paced chase is a timeless theme (all Scharzenegger jokes aside), and Simmons does not waste it by relying wholly on the cliches that have led highbrows to dismiss action-based stories as inferior. Rather, the chase becomes a framework for Simmons to explore the mysteries and difficulties of faith and reason that he first introduced in Hyperion with the priest's tale.The Rise of Endymion is an exceptional way to cap off this saga (and unsurprisingly, there is always room for a sequel). This final installment shares many thematic elements with Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (and who can't resist imagining Martin Silenus as a caustic Jubal Harshaw?) The questions of religion, faith, and messiah-hood are presented fairly and with an objectivity that is refreshing in an industry and a culture where it is popular to portray such topics with a negative, mocking slant. (Honestly, name an Arthur C. Clarke