Dan Simmons
Amazon Price: $7.99
List Price: $7.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Spectra
Amazon Marketplace: 111
new & used starting at $2.60
|
Buy at Amazon.com
|
Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( S ) -> Simmons, Dan -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( S ) -> Simmons, Dan -> Paperback
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( S ) -> Simmons, Dan -> General AAS
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 487
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
The Hyperion Cantos, vol. 1 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
"Hyperion" is the first part of the Hyperion Cantos, followed by "The Fall of Hyperion". It would be difficult and illogical to try to review these two books separately, because they are clearly two halves of a single story and should be read as such.
With "The Hyperion Cantos" Dan Simmons creates a layered and detailed civilization eight centuries in the future, one of the most stunning and multifaceted histories ever produced by an sf writer. The world of the Hegemony of Man -- a Web that spans the galaxy, connecting planets through 'farcasters' -- is at once incredibly advanced and reassuringly human. You can step through a farcaster portal and find yourself on a different planet, or access the datasphere via your own implanted comlog; at the same time, one of the story's protagonists plays Rachmaninoff on his piano, and drinks Scotch whisky. It is a futuristic world, but not one wholly out of touch with its own history.
To this world Simmons brings a story that is just as complex. There is an approaching war between the Hegemony and the Ousters, humans who have adapted to space travel and left the rest of us behind; there are artificial intelligences from the present and future plotting mankind's downfall; there are religious discussions and political machinations; there are the mysterius Time Tombs moving backwards through time, and the deadly Shrike whose image graces the cover; there are copious references to the life and works of John Keats. There is a lot going on in this book.
Simmons' greatest feat is in never overwhelming the reader with all this information and plot. The story focuses largely on half a dozen pilgrims on the planet Hyperion, whose mission will decide the fate of the galaxy. The characters are believable and compelling, and it is their own backstories which form the bulk of the first volume. By structuring his story in this way Simmons is able to summarize nearly every trend in science fiction at once: among our heroes is Fedmahn Kassad, a war hero whose story will appeal to fans of military sf; Brawne Lamia, a private detective whose backstory reaches into cyberpunk territory; Sol Weintraub, a scholar trying to find a cure for his reverse-aging daughter. The protagonist of the second volume is a "persona" of John Keats that has been recreated in a human body. Each of these characters tells a story that illuminates a different aspect of human experience: parenthood, love, death, faith, art, loyalty.
Simmons' style is unusual for science fiction, a genre which is generally unconcerned with stylistic flourishes and typically falls back on archetypes for its characters. Simmons thrives on details, and it is that approach which in part creates the incredible depth: his planets have names, civilizations, religions, and histories unique to themselves. Technology is everywhere, impossible to escape from, with a vocabulary all its own. The sex, violence, and death that permeates the novel is explicitly presented, perhaps moreso than most sf readers are used to.
It is a giant of a book, daunting and all-encompassing. It took me some time to work up the courage to read it, actually. It is a masterpiece of science fiction, perhaps one of the greatest novels to address humanity's future and our place in the universe; yet it is also a deeply personal book.
Editorial Review:
On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands. A stunning tour de force, this Hugo Award-winning novel is the first volume in a remarkable new science fiction epic by the author of The Hollow Man.
Changing genres as easily as others change clothes, bestselling author Dan Simmons has written horror, mystery, historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction. In this 
