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176th out of 203 books
—
110 voters
The Hollow Man
by
Dan Simmons
Jeremy Bremen has a secret.All his life he's been cursed with the ability to read minds.He knows the secret thoughts, fears, and desires of others as if they were his own.For years, his wife, Gail, has served as a shield between Jeremy and the burden of this terrible knowledge.But Gail is dying, her mind
ebbing slowly away, leaving him vulnerable to the chaotic flood of tho...more
ebbing slowly away, leaving him vulnerable to the chaotic flood of tho...more
Paperback, 342 pages
Published
September 1st 1993
by Bantam Spectra
(first published 1992)
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If you love extremely well-written, thoughtful, literary science fiction, you must read Dan Simmon's "The Hollow Man". Besides being a talented wordsmith, Simmons also knows how to tell a great story. This book is one of those hard-to-put-down novels, as you never quite know where Simmons will take you, and the places he takes you are never anywhere you could even imagine. "The Hollow Man" is the story of Jeremy Bremen, a man with powerful psychic abilities. He has lived happily for forty-odd ye...more
For me, Dan Simmons is a safe bet. He's such a good writer that, even if I'm not on board with the plot and characters, the writing itself is strong enough to keep me reading to the end.
This particular novel is one that is extremely well-written, filled with haunting images and scenarios that stayed with me for hours, but has a weak concept. Simmons doesn't seem to know whether to make this book horror or science fiction, so it ends up straddling the line between the two genres and not serving...more
This particular novel is one that is extremely well-written, filled with haunting images and scenarios that stayed with me for hours, but has a weak concept. Simmons doesn't seem to know whether to make this book horror or science fiction, so it ends up straddling the line between the two genres and not serving...more
One of the most beautifully written books on the subject of love and existence. Simmons grasp of the numbing aspects of American life is profound and haunting as the protagonist, Jeremy Bremen, embarks on an East to West Odyssean voyage. But rather than running toward the object of desire, Bremen is running away from it in an attempt to destroy his memories.
The journey is framed by Bremen's work, also on memory, that involves pure math, quantum math, and eventually evolves into research in chao...more
The journey is framed by Bremen's work, also on memory, that involves pure math, quantum math, and eventually evolves into research in chao...more
This is a Dan Simmons I had missed, and have been looking for for a while. It's got the very best blurb by Steven King on the back jacket, calling "The Hollow Man" an "un-put downable book" - as indeed it is. Simmons ventures far into the extremely difficult aspects of chaos theory and its attendant math. This was written in 1992, and this fact alone makes most of the computer references obsolete - still, descriptions and mathematical formulae continue to hold their locked doors. This is all a f...more
This is an immensely dark novel... for anyone willing to brave supremely shocking fiction it is a gold mine, the horrible juxtaposed with sensual, beautiful commentary on the commensurate nature of love as complete surrender. The pain, fear, and apathy flooding Jeremy Bremen's mind is tangible and stirring, almost unbearable at times; I also felt there is a depth of intention here by Simmons that would take many readings to understand. This book is worth the time if you're willing to go the dist...more
I just finished reading Dan Simmon's The Hollow Man. I know, it's 17 years after it first came out, but I feel compelled to recommend this book to anyone who has a soul (or a holographic wavefront).
This book tells the story of the telepath and math professor, Jeremy Bremen, as he copes the death of his wife, Gail (the only other telepath he has ever met). His journey of grief and loss sends him across a suffering and depraved American landscape. There are many twists and turns, and there may be...more
This book tells the story of the telepath and math professor, Jeremy Bremen, as he copes the death of his wife, Gail (the only other telepath he has ever met). His journey of grief and loss sends him across a suffering and depraved American landscape. There are many twists and turns, and there may be...more
Perhaps the best love story about the pain of telepathy, mass murders, crack addiction, and the mathematics of consciousness that I have ever read.
I finished reading The Hollow Man in mid February. Whenever I read a book by Simmons I wonder why I don’t do it more often. He never fails to please. I’m not sure exactly why I liked this book, but I did. I don’t think it was quite as good as The Terror (which I thought was wonderful). But something about The Hollow Man grabbed me and drew me into the story.
The novel is the story of Jeremy Bremen, a mathematician and a telepath. And, although we don’t know it when the book opens, he’s soon to be...more
The novel is the story of Jeremy Bremen, a mathematician and a telepath. And, although we don’t know it when the book opens, he’s soon to be...more
A nightmare descent through madness. Another 5 stars for Dan Simmons who is one of my favourite authors. This man has such a diverse body of work and everything I have read from him has been of a very high quality: the man knows how to write.
The use of telepathy as a main basis for a novel is nothing new, but what Simmons does here is inherently different from anything I have come across before. After Bremen loses his wife and telepathic mindshield - She also has the telepathic ability and is a...more
The use of telepathy as a main basis for a novel is nothing new, but what Simmons does here is inherently different from anything I have come across before. After Bremen loses his wife and telepathic mindshield - She also has the telepathic ability and is a...more
Je ne m’étendrai pas sur l’absurdité du titre qui ne veut rien dire (décision arbitraire de l’éditeur et non de la traductrice d’après ce que j’ai compris). Ce n’est ni la première fois ni la dernière que des titres se voulant racoleurs passent à coté du sens profond qui leur a été donné au départ. Il faut croire que « L’homme nu » c’est plus accrocheur que « L’homme creux » …
Bref, nous voilà avec un roman d’une grande originalité, qui n’a d’égal que la profondeur du propos. Que sont que la cons...more
Bref, nous voilà avec un roman d’une grande originalité, qui n’a d’égal que la profondeur du propos. Que sont que la cons...more
Let me begin by saying that for the most part, I LOVE Dan Simmons. I was very excited when this book arrived and dug right in. That's when my disappointment hit... I couldn't wait for this book to end. Within the first 3rd of the book I caught myself skimming, throughout the rest of the book I struggled with the fact that I was not enjoying the story and had to force myself to read.
This was a book that should have been about telepathy and mind reading, should have been a very exciting read, and...more
This was a book that should have been about telepathy and mind reading, should have been a very exciting read, and...more
Симънс поднася красива любовна драма с фантастични щрихи
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...
Дан Симънс е сред най-любимите ми автори и в последните години прекарах прекрасни часове сред “Хипериониадата”, “Илион и Олимп”, “Лешояди” и “Песента на Кали”. Логично е да искам да се добера до всичко издавано на български, както и ако няма изгледи за превод – и на английски. “Кухият човек” е една много различна от горните книги, много по-съзерцателна, обърната навътре, много по-меланхолична.
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...
Дан Симънс е сред най-любимите ми автори и в последните години прекарах прекрасни часове сред “Хипериониадата”, “Илион и Олимп”, “Лешояди” и “Песента на Кали”. Логично е да искам да се добера до всичко издавано на български, както и ако няма изгледи за превод – и на английски. “Кухият човек” е една много различна от горните книги, много по-съзерцателна, обърната навътре, много по-меланхолична.
Da una poesia di Thomas Stearns Eliot Dan Simmons imbastisce un romanzo su telepatia, io e mente, meccanica quantistica e fronti d'onda che collassano.
Del resto è la sua cifra coniugare la letteratura del passato con le frontiere della ricerca (fanta)scientifica.
Pregevole il disegno e notevoli alcune idee.
Peccato che il tutto si perda nelle scelte narrative della parte centrale del romanzo, in cui si ha la sensazione di assistere a una messinscena priva di costrutto.
Del resto è la sua cifra coniugare la letteratura del passato con le frontiere della ricerca (fanta)scientifica.
Pregevole il disegno e notevoli alcune idee.
Peccato che il tutto si perda nelle scelte narrative della parte centrale del romanzo, in cui si ha la sensazione di assistere a una messinscena priva di costrutto.
An easy, quick read, but not one that really stuck with me. Combines horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Through much of the book, it seemed to be a series of scenes that didn’t really add up or connect, but the author did manage to pull everything — well, almost everything — together nicely at the end. I was disappointed in the very last page, which tacked on a poorly described/explained happy ending to an otherwise gruesome, but expected, finale.
Sometimes brilliant, often irritating, in sum, disconnected, this novel can't decide what it wants to be: soft SF (the travails of a telepath in a non-telepathic world), hard SF (an attempt to explain life, the universe, and everything through standing wavefronts, chaos theory, and higher mathematics), horror (about a serial-killer woman rancher who has dentures with razor blade teeth and a cold storage room full of her victims' bodies), a tragic love story (by way of Erich Segal). At the level...more
This is a fascinating story about a man named Jeremy Bremen who can read minds. His wife has been able to help him keep this a secret and keep all of these other thoughts and feelings from making him crazy, but she is dying and losing her mind in the process. Now he's vulnerable to the chaotic thoughts around him. Jeremy observes an act of brutality that sends him on a long journey. Fast-paced and interesting.
Love Dan Simmons (The Terror, Black Hills); saw this at a book sale and took a chance for a buck--why not? Don't bother. Interesting premise based on telepathy, but the science was way too murky for me (although with all the cites and references the author provides, maybe there's something to it). Or, maybe.......he made them up? Nah, couldn't be. Well, anyway, some melodrama, but overall not memorable.
Great book until the ending, in my opinion. People said that about the last book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, but I thought the ending was the best part of that book. In this case, I suppose I can see where the author thought it was the actual path the characters would have taken, but it didn't work for me. Up until then I really enjoyed the book, though.
Jeremy and Gail can hear the thoughts of others, and telepathically communicate with one another. When Gail dies, Jeremy's mind is overwhelmed with others' thoughts, leading to a wild ride from swamps to theme parks to casinos to a mad cannibal. As strange as this sounds, the book also toys with the physics of alternate universes. I enjoyed this frenetic romp.
Another of my Dad's books from the stolen stack. This is one of those books that while reading is difficult in story and sometimes in concept, but it all comes together in the end. All little scientific, a little science fiction, a little love story and a little suspension of disbelief all make up the novel and it was worth it in the end. I think I'm still mulling it over a little bit.
This is an almost subliminal love story; the love of Jeremy for his wife is marvelously subtle, yet deep. The book is almost devoid of any gushy lovey-dovey scenes, but the scenes between the man and wife are powerfully woven into the story. Another good one from the author of "Hyperion."
This book is unusually pessimistic for Simmons, but still a great read. Although fatalism of this book is uncharacteristic, his analysis of human mind, motives and life force are still present in a coherent and interesting philosophical viewpoint. I recommend it to anyone!
Mar 03, 2012
Ted
added it
Imaginative and compelling page turner. Gory and shocking at times. The depiction of autism showed the author's ignorance -- although much more is known now than when the book was written. Some plot twists and characters were cliched, others were inspired. B+
Loved it's use of higher math and quantum physics as major elements of the plot, without losing them to a pop mindset. Overall loved the story, dark as it was, but found the ending way too tidy and upbeat, sadly, which is why I ended up giving it three rather than four stars.
I was absolutely riveted while reading this book. I read it in a day. That said, the conclusion was super disappointing and the overly graphic sex and violence were why I gave this book three instead of five stars.
Une superbe histoire d'amour, où la possibilité (réelle ou pure fantaisie) qu'aurait l'homme d'influer sur la nature même de l'univers mène à une finale qui ne cesse de nous interroger.
Dan does it again. From my viewpoint this offered up a weird alternative to Buddhism. Mr. Simmons always manages to draw together many disparate subjects into an inter-genre riveting story.
Ehhhhhhhhh. This book had way too much math theory (I guess, I wasn't really trying to follow it at all). While I am always interested in telekinesis, this just wasn't cutting it for me. Not recommended.
Mr. Simmons's works are usually full of horrific occurrences, and this one is no exception, but the gentle core of the characters in this one were what made me like this one. In this book he has his main character, a telepathic man, find a woman who is just like him, only to lose her to cancer. His times with her are reviewed in flashbacks, but in realtime he's caught up in some kind of crime b.s. It's a bit of a confusing book (being that it does have a mathematical equation for human thought s...more
A telepath has only one shield between himself and the clamoring world -- his wife, and she's dying.
A great read. Highly recommended.
A great read. Highly recommended.
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Dan Simmons was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1948, and grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction,...more
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“And above it all the butterfly affect. The sure knowledge that the entire life of a human being is like a single day in that human's life: unplannable, unpredictable, governed by the hidden tides of chaotic factors and buffered by butterfly wings...”
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Jan 18, 2010 04:47am