Almost ten years ago, every time I came across a copy of Summer of Night, I wondered about the book and wanted to read it. It intrigued me a lot. Then, one day, I finally purchased it and started. The truth is that the first 100 pages were slow, but the book was good. And after page 200/250, I just couldn't drop it and read it all in that same day. Then I read Carrion Confort, which I liked a lot, but I think it has 100 pages more than it should. And then I read Hyperion saga... it's a really wonderful piece, and it was really nice to see that an author I labeled for horror, could write also a great piece of Sci Fi. But it was after Phases of Gravity (one of my favorite books by the author) it has my full admiration. From that moment on I read almost all his books in spanish (I still have to read The Hollow Man) and I'm currently enjoying Flashback, after reading two of his last masterpieces: The terror and Drood (which is my favorite so far). Dan is, in my opinion, one of the best living authors.
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Wow quite a review Ari. I can't wait to read some of his work.
There's quite a bit of controversy about Flashback on another forum I lurk. People aren't too excited about his right wing views.
I don't understand that expression
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I haven't read the book yet nor am I making those comments. Words racism and xenophobia are being thrown around. People still praise him but that stuff doesn't seem to sit well with some readers.
The phrase is an American political expression. The "right wing" is typically thought of as the conservative republican side whereas the "left wing" is the liberal democratic side. I could go on but I don't which to offend anyone or let my own politics seep into my post. Hopefully you get the general idea of the expression from this vague description.
I've read Flashback (in the ARC) and found myself a bit turned off by the political views espoused therein. If you've ever looked at the forums on his site, you'll see that his views are the same. Now, I hold myself to be "center right", but the extremes contained in the book didn't appeal to me whatsoever. I had planned on buying the trade edition when it came out, but I've changed my mind. Not one of Simmons' better works, in my opinion.
John
I have to say that though I like Dan very much as an author, I find him a bit of a curmudgeon on his message board. And his politics are definitely somewhat odds with my own beliefs. That was one of the things that turned me off Tom Clancy's books.
They became distracted by other interests and took their eye off the ball. I knew them peripherally as they were from the same town as I am and used the same printer/binder and graphics people I did. I think they did a good job with their books and I referenced their quality/design level when I pitched Second Coming and Sword In The Darkness limiteds to SK.
Does anyone have the 411 on when Hyperion series by dark harvest is supposed to be released??
I gotta check his msg board. I'm always saying to myself I gotta do it, but then spend that time in another thing.I have to say that though I like Dan very much as an author, I find him a bit of a curmudgeon on his message board. And his politics are definitely somewhat odds with my own beliefs. That was one of the things that turned me off Tom Clancy's books.
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Ari,
The first 100 pages of Summer Of Night reminds me of 'Salem's Lot: a very slow build up as we get to know the characters and town and then both books take off. SON was just re-released with a new intro from Dan and that alone is worth the price of admission. If you want to read an excellent coda to SON visit Dan's website and read his two part short story Watching The Presidential Debates in Elm Haven. It can be found by clicking on his June message and then "past messages" Read the October and Novemeber 2008 messages from Dan for the story.
BM
Last edited by Ben Mears; 12-02-2012 at 09:18 AM.
I'm checking that right now! Thanks!
By the way, I didn't know about that new release. Gotta pick up a copy!
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LW Currey has the following four items on sale this month:
241. Simmons, Dan. ENTROPY'S BED AT MIDNIGHT.
Northridge, California: Lord John Press, 1990. Octavo, cloth-backed boards. First edition. (#109032)
More Details Price: $350.00
save 50%$175.00
242. Simmons, Dan. THE FALL OF HYPERION.
New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland: Doubleday, [1989]. Octavo, printed blue wrappers. Advance copy (uncorrected proof) of the first edition. (#108910)
More Details Price: $75.00
save 50%$37.50
243. Simmons, Dan. PHASES OF GRAVITY.
Toronto, New York, London, Sydney, Auckland: Bantam Books, [1989]. Octavo, printed salmon wrappers. Advance copy (uncorrected proof) of the first edition. (#108914)
More Details Price: $75.00
save 50%$37.50
244. Simmons, Dan. PRAYERS TO BROKEN STONES: A COLLECTION .
Arlington Hts., Illinois: Dark Harvest, 1990. Octavo, cloth. First edition. (#108835)
More Details Price: $75.00
save 50%$37.50
Dan Simmons proofs on eBay:
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=%22....c0.m270.l1313
John
By the way, thanks Jerome for the explanation.
I'm still in page 300. Had to leave the book for a couple of weeks. I'll probably pick it up again in 2 weeks.
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Subterranean have announced a signed limited of Hyperion:
http://subterraneanpress.com/index.p...y-dan-simmons/
Announcing the Signed Limited Edition of HYPERION by Dan Simmons
We’re pleased to announce the signed limited edition of Dan Simmons’s classic space opera, Hyperion. Fans will be thrilled to know that we plan limited editions for the subsequent three novels in the Hyperion Cantos, as well.
Our edition of Hyperion will be an oversize volume, printed on 80# Finch, with a dust jacket and full-color endsheets by John Picacio.
***
First published in 1989, Dan Simmons’s Hugo Award-winning Hyperion is one of the undisputed classics of modern science fiction. The opening movement of a hugely ambitious multi-volume epic, it is both a masterpiece of pure storytelling and a visionary meditation on the future development of the human race.
The narrative takes place some seven hundred years from now, at a time when humanity has left Old Earth behind and has begun to colonize the worlds between the stars. At a critical moment, with interstellar war about to begin, seven travelers are summoned to a pilgrimage on a distant planet called Hyperion, where ancient mysteries are taking on a new and sudden urgency. At the heart of these mysteries are the Time Tombs, enigmatic artifacts that appear to be traveling backward in time, and the savage, barbed creature known as the Shrike.
Included among these seven pilgrims are a soldier, a poet, a scholar, a priest, and a private detective. As they make their way toward their destination, they tell each other stories, transforming the novel into a far-future version of The Canterbury Tales. These varied, highly personal tales form the heart of this extraordinary book. Individually, they offer highly developed examples of narrative art. Collectively, they set the stage for the wonders, terrors, and revelations to come. The result is a remarkable—and durable—accomplishment that remains fresh and exciting more than two decades after its initial appearance. Hyperion, together with its successors, does what only the finest imaginative literature can do: It creates and populates a complex, extravagantly detailed universe more vivid, vital, and consistently enthralling than our own everyday world. Popular fiction just doesn’t get better than this.
Limited: 474 signed numbered hardcover copies: $125
Lettered: 26 signed leatherbound copies housed in a custom traycase: $300
Just ordered the numbered edition.
Think I'll leave the lettered for now.
Or rather, forever.
sk
I really enjoy Simmon's works, but could never embrace the whole Hyperion series. Perhaps I am missing something.
Is not an easy saga, but it's an awesome story.
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