I think it would be difficult to read � Hyperion� , like it and not want to read � The Fall of Hyperion too. There were two themes in the second book that made me think the kind of ideas that gnaw away at me. First was the � Core.� While the book must have been written in the late 80� s for me � The Core� symbolized a science fiction version of the internet as an evil collective unconscious. I have a problem with this. My views were shaped by the first astronauts who dreaded being in the black void of space. But that isn� t what they reported feeling. They felt the vacuum was welcoming and teeming with warmth. Buddhism teaches that joy, not evil -- lies in the moments between dreading the future and regretting the past. There comes a time in the book where the Core disconnects from humans and the effects are madness and chaos. I wonder if that is what would happen if technology suddenly became impossible.[return][return]The other compelling theme was an anti-aging therapy called � Paulsen� s treatments� . Of course we are bombarded by what celebrities are doing in attempts to fool Mother Nature. In the book I like how Simmons unflatteringly described the characters who partook of such treatments.[return][return]There is a terrible monster in � The Fall of Hyperion� called the � Shrike.� It reminded me of the � Stobor� in Heinlein� s � Tunnel in the Sky� . I guess science fiction books always need and have a terrible monster?[return][return]When I first picked up � Hyperion� , it felt too familiar � like Mary Doria Russell� s � The Sparrow� . In the � Sparrow� Russell explores Jewish mysticism. I would say on first glance that with the two Hyperion books, Simmons is simply angry at the Old Testament God.