One of the characters in Endymion and Rise of Endymion can phase shift time, so, in a way, he already wrote about it. I'm still a little unclear if she creates some sort of dampening field where everyone slows down drastically (almost completely), or they move in real-time but she moves so incredibly fast, they just seem like they've stopped.
Either way, if you could do that, you'd have a lot more reading time on your hands.
11-25-2013 06:06 PM
WeDealInLead
The ending of Flashback... that was not cool Mr. Simmons. :cry:
Nearly at the half point mark of The Abominable. Things are picking up and we've moved on from discussing different kinds of climbing axes and ropes.
11-26-2013 12:33 AM
Jean
I see that Simmons is once again true to himself. But that's also what we love him for, right?
11-26-2013 05:58 AM
WeDealInLead
I should've said I was referring mostly to the "fake" ending, not the actual last chapter. You'll see what I mean if you read it.
As far as ranking it among his other works, I'd say it's somewhere at the lower end of the Golden Middle. Under The Children of the Night but definitely above Black Hills. There are twists and turns as per the usual Simmons recipe, but they're a little more obvious than usually, and the ending
Spoiler:
good ol' boys kicking Muslim ass
is the cheesiest yet. It's not as classy and emotional as The Crook Factory, not as intergalactically massive as Hyperion's, not as gut-wrenching as the one to Song of Kali.
Interesting take on a dystopian future, solid prose, cool gadgets, realistic main characters. 3/5.
11-26-2013 07:48 AM
jhanic
I was really disappointed in Flashback also. Definitely NOT one of Simmon's better works.
John
11-26-2013 09:16 AM
WeDealInLead
John, was it the politics or something else? I'm pretty close to Simmons in a lot of ways. I acknowledge the threat of extreme Islam and the politics of appeasement but this was just too harsh.
Politics aren't the reason I gave it 3/5 btw. There were parts I really liked (a screw up, junkie father getting his act together for his son) but overall, something just didn't click.
11-26-2013 09:47 AM
Dan
Maybe I need to reread it, but I loved Flashback. So far I only didn't care for Black Hills and was underwhelmed by Song of Kali.
11-26-2013 12:39 PM
jhanic
Quote:
Originally Posted by WeDealInLead
John, was it the politics or something else? I'm pretty close to Simmons in a lot of ways. I acknowledge the threat of extreme Islam and the politics of appeasement but this was just too harsh.
Politics aren't the reason I gave it 3/5 btw. There were parts I really liked (a screw up, junkie father getting his act together for his son) but overall, something just didn't click.
I'm also pretty close to Simmons as far as his politics go, but to me Flashback was just too extreme.
John
02-06-2014 09:50 AM
Bev Vincent
From his FB page yesterday: Last night I e-mailed off the final draft of my new novel THE FIFTH HEART to my literary agent, editor, and publisher. It was weird to go to sleep last night without writing the next morning's pages in my mind and weirder still to awaken today and not have that world -- Sherlock Holmes and Henry James together in America and at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair -- to go back into. It's been a long, serious, fun project.
02-06-2014 09:55 AM
jhanic
Given Simmons' gift for historical fiction, that one REALLY sounds interesting to me!
John
02-06-2014 10:20 AM
Heather19
Hmmm, that sounds interesting.
04-15-2014 09:04 PM
Aronstg
I may be in the minority but I actually loved Hyperion. I tend to like Fantasy/Sci-Fi a lot though. I thought it was extremely well written.
04-16-2014 03:38 AM
jhanic
I have to say that I didn't dislike the Hyperion series, just that I didn't like them as much as some of his other works.
John
04-16-2014 05:48 AM
Bev Vincent
I liked the Hyperion / Endymion series a lot. I wasn't as fond of Ilium / Odyssium.
04-16-2014 07:06 AM
frik
I love the Hyperion books and consider myself very luck to own a numbered and lettered SubPress set.
I haven't read the Endymion books yet, nor do I know if SubPress is planning a limited edition of each.
Anyone?
sk
04-16-2014 08:52 AM
WeDealInLead
They're sequels to Hyperion Cantos. You won't get the full story until you've read them.
I don't think the books are fantasy. Fantastical maybe (in a sense that PKD, Ellison, Gene Wolfe and even Tim Powers are), but when I think fantasy I think dragons, magicians, Gaiman, a guy with a cloak and sword on the cover. I think calling Hyperion simply S.F. is selling it short because it's so huge and multi-faceted but that's as close as you can get if you have to call it something. Like in bookstores, it's in the science fiction section.
I passed on Subterranean editions because a) they're just oversized trade editions with new artwork and signature page, b) original first printings are cheaper and c) original artwork is sooo much more epic and imaginative.
04-16-2014 09:30 AM
Dan
Quote:
Originally Posted by frik
I love the Hyperion books and consider myself very luck to own a numbered and lettered SubPress set.
I haven't read the Endymion books yet, nor do I know if SubPress is planning a limited edition of each.
Anyone?
sk
If you read Hyperion series, you will love Endymion series. I read all four in a row and loved them.
04-16-2014 12:48 PM
DoctorZaius
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan
Quote:
Originally Posted by frik
I love the Hyperion books and consider myself very luck to own a numbered and lettered SubPress set.
I haven't read the Endymion books yet, nor do I know if SubPress is planning a limited edition of each.
Anyone?
sk
If you read Hyperion series, you will love Endymion series. I read all four in a row and loved them.
You have to read the whole series (loved them!) - they really are four books in my mind. My understanding is that Bill at SubPress is most definitely doing all four books.
04-16-2014 01:45 PM
WeDealInLead
Here's something Simmons posted today on his forum in a response to someone: "The Hyperion/Endymion SF novels were one large tale told in four volumes."
04-18-2014 08:53 AM
DoctorZaius
Quote:
Originally Posted by WeDealInLead
Here's something Simmons posted today on his forum in a response to someone: "The Hyperion/Endymion SF novels were one large tale told in four volumes."
My point exactly. Despite the significant jump in time that sometimes occur, they really are one big volume.
06-12-2015 12:43 PM
fernandito
I have yet to read a Dan Simmons novel. Help me out with that
Based on recommendations, I'm eying Hyperion and The Terror. All suggestions are welcome though, and any minor comment on why you love that book so much is appreciated.
What are your 3 favorite Dan Simmons novels?
And go.
(will merge thread later)
06-12-2015 12:53 PM
mkb.redux
HYPERION
THE FALL OF HYPERION
THE RISE OF ENDYMION
ENDYMION is fine (and you'll need to read before you read RISE OF...), but RISE is the better book, as FALL would be better than HYPERION if you were looking at it from a purely narrative standpoint.
That said:
It will likely never be as good for you as it was for me, reading it for the first time back in 1989, because this is not that world anymore. You may prefer to start with something that you don't have to read in the context of everything that came after. There are only a few that manage that kind of staying power; I'd be stuck naming much from that era of science fiction other than NEUROMANCER.
06-12-2015 01:33 PM
Heather19
Summer of Night and The Terror. They're two of my favorite books.
06-12-2015 01:36 PM
biomieg
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heather19
Summer of Night and The Terror. They're two of my favorite books.