The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion
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Hyperion
Group Reads 2014
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October Group Read: Hyperion
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Jo
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rated it 4 stars
Sep 30, 2014 09:07AM
This thread is for discussion of October 2014's group read Hyperion. If you've read it already or plan to read it this month feel free to discuss here.
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I've been meaning to read this for ages and I finally started it today. I'm trying to work out if it's going to be a big epic saga in the style of Dune or something completely different. All I can say so far is it opens well and has got me intrigued.
Jo wrote: "I've been meaning to read this for ages and I finally started it today. I'm trying to work out if it's going to be a big epic saga in the style of Dune or something completely different. All I can ..."I would say that it is not like Dune. It's quite literary, following the format of the Canterbury Tales in that a group of travelers each tell their stories, except that it takes place in the far future. The style of the telling varies with the teller, e.g. the detective's story has kind of a noir feel, etc. Maybe some people read only Hyperion, but the second book in the pairing, The Fall of Hyperion is as good or better. The second pair of books, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion take place a generation later and are also quite worthwhile. Only the first book has the Canterbury format.
Buck wrote: "It's quite literary, following the format of the Canterbury Tales in that a group of travelers each tell their stories,"It is true the styles of the stories are quite different. The first two (the priest and the colonel) I really enjoyed. I'm part way through the poet but less enthralled at the moment. The Shrike seems quite terrifying though.
I kept seeing the poet as Jeff Goldblum
Buck wrote: "I kept seeing the poet as Jeff Goldblum"I have thought of Jeff Goldblum all the way through the book now :)
I thought it was quite unusual starting a series of books via what is effectively a series of short stories, particulary one which was the beginning of a "SF universe". The ending was nicely ambiguous I wasn't sure if the second book would pick up from the end or not but i've since read that it was originally written as one book but split in two due to size. Clearly i'm going to have to read the second part now.
i enjoyed the Priests backstory the most.
Pickle wrote: "i enjoyed the Priests backstory the most."I liked the priest's story too. The cruciforms are an important element in the Endymion books. I liked Weintraub's story, whose daughter was aging backwards. The reason for his pilgrimage to see the Shrike was obvious. I didn't really understand why the rest of them were risking their lives on this pilgrimage from which few return. All of their stories, I think, lay the background for things later in the series.
I liked the priest's story too. The cruciforms are an important element in the Endymion books. I liked Weintraub's story, whose daughter..."It's true it isn't always clear why the characters were taking the pilgrimage. The consul's story at the end was a bit of a strange one-slightly dragged out for me, not totally sure it was in keeping with the rest but I guess I should judge when I read the second book.
In my local library in Belgium they only have a few shelves of books in English and virtually no sci-fi at all but for some reason they have Endymion. Not sure why this one as it's mid-series but at least if I like book 2 I can easily continue!
Jo wrote: "In my local library in Belgium they only have a few shelves of books in English and virtually no sci-fi at all but for some reason they have Endymion. Not sure why this one as it's mid-series but at least if I like book 2 I can easily continue! "All of these books are well written and make a grand epic story. I think I enjoyed Endymion the most. It is an adventure story of relentless pursuit and narrow escape.
Obviously, the story itself is just incredible and fun but I think my favorite part is how Simmons, in each of the individual tales themselves, chooses to adopt the voice of a different sci-fi sub genre. Horror sci-fi, military sci-fi, sci-fi noir. And when he flips into Gibsonian cyber-punk it's almost more Gibson than Bill himself! So good.
The Hyperion tetralogy is the only Simmons I've read. He is obviously an astute and skilled author.
Hyperion is brilliant. Funny people here should compare it to Dune - I bought Hyperion after asking a book shop assistant what I should read that would compare to Dune. The two books are different in many ways, of course, but they are comparable IMHO in their vast vision and successful portrayal of a brilliantly detailed universe.
Zeynep wrote: "Hyperion is brilliant. Funny people here should compare it to Dune - I bought Hyperion after asking a book shop assistant what I should read that would compare to Dune. The two books are differen..."
I totally agree with you, i'm a big fan of Dune but I don't think there are lots of great epic sci-fi novels. Hyperion did impress me in this respect and i'm looking forward to reading the second part.
