Hyperion Discussion

[Xdyj]

Discuss Hyperion here. How would you compare it with The Canterbury Tales?

[Jonathan , Reader of the fantastic]

I haven't read The Canterbury Tales but I like the aspect of Hyperion that is compared to them. On the whole though it was the technology which drove this story for me and I found it rather average.

[Stuart]

It has been years since I read Hyperion, and I've only heard The Canterbury Tales read aloud. But in broad strokes both tell the story of a pilgrimage to somewhere of people who didn't already know each other. Travellers on the road meeting up for a journey to a destination in common. The narrative then shifts focus between the parties as each persons "back story" is told about how they came to be on the pilgrimage. This is an over-simplification - but that is basically the high level view of what I felt the two works had in common.

[Duane]

I like that it follows the format and uses that format to reveal new facets of the characters from each other's perspectives. While I love The Canterbury Tales, it's a slow and difficult read. Despite being long and complex, Hyperion is a fast-paced and enjoyable read. The complexity never weighs it down but just makes it more interesting.

Duane Simolke

[Xdyj]

How do you feel about the author's treatment of real-life as well as fictional religions in this book?

[Adam]

I had mixed feelings about this book. The poetry was a little over the top and the negative connotation associated with humanity's expansion to new worlds and planets was a little off-putting. I read the plot summaries of the sequels (The Fall of Hyperion) etc, and it just seemed overly complex.

[Joshua]

It's been several years since I read the first two books. Loved them. But I've been procrastinating on reading the Endymion stories for some reason. Any feedback on those books?

[Baelor]

Joshua wrote: "It's been several years since I read the first two books. Loved them. But I've been procrastinating on reading the Endymion stories for some reason. Any feedback on those books?"

I enjoyed them, but did not like them as much as the first two. They are set several hundred years later, so although they are set in the same universe and there are many connections, they are separate (think the Star Wars EU or the Asimov books, but a bit more closely linked). They are about the same length. I suppose that I enjoyed the style of Hyperion and the surrealism present in the first two, in addition to Simmons' unusually literary approach to science-fiction. These are IMO less present in the second two books. The focus is squarely on the protagonist and his relationship with the character Aenea. The first two books had a wider focus. And while I thought the first two books introduced or dealt with interesting scientific and moral ideas, this is less the case in the second two books (there are some interesting ideas, but not as many, and some of the scientific ones are inexcusable nonsense).

This is spoiler-free. Let me know if you want more info.