Reviews

The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

thereaderinthelodge's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

“I wish we had the technology to fight God on an equal basis. To beard him in his den. To fight back for all of the injustices heaped on humanity. To allow him to alter his smug arrogance or be blown to hell.”

“Goddamn fatherfucking asshole politician moral paraplegic dipshit drag-queen bitch!”

Remember that place in the book 'Hyperion'? Well, it falls! There's a whole book about it. And it also has a really cool cover!
Most people prefer the first book, but I think that this sequel is so much better. While it does lose the format that made the first book so unique, the story here makes good on what that book promised, and then some. Deeply poetic, and at points outright philosophical, easily the best book I read this year.

hvickers's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

thomas_g's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

zekelikeybooks's review against another edition

5.0

I mean come onnnn this is soo goood. Brilliant sequel. Where Simmons gets rid of the Canterbury tales pilgrim narrative structure he brings about some chill as fuck discussions about God and even more intriguing discussions about Abraham. Not to mention some great scenes of war-planning that were super helpful in my imagination when writing my Reagan/Qaddafi paper. This is probably closer to a 4 1/2 than a 5 because with the loss of the pilgrim structure it didn’t feel as masterful with the turn of every page. I am glad I didn’t see the twist coming because then I might have been pissed. I hope Sol is a major deal in Endymion. Love a good scholarly Jew.

adamfsu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

yvarg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A fulfilling sequel to the first novel.

boowot's review against another edition

3.0

I like the first book more. This book was a lot more political/religious/philosophical and was a chore reading through a lot of it which is why it took so long for me to finish it. The first book was a lot more fun hearing the characters stories.
Liked some parts though. Maybe i’ll read the next books in the future.

camsullivan's review against another edition

3.0

This novel was incredibly ambitious. It weaved elements of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and political dramas with themes of religion, the perils of technology, and more along with a heavy dose of Keats. For the most part, it worked though as the mythology got more complex I found myself having to reread to be sure I understood. I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as Hyperion which was much more character driven but I’m sticking with the series.

benchedforairbud's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

craigolas's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Such good world building! Felt a bit scattered at times because of the shear scope covered. A lot of the Keats references went over my head, I'm sure. Loved the AI and religious themes. Felt a bit lost with Kassad's storyline and ending. The prose was brilliant.

Overall a very satisfying ending to a great arc started in Hyperion.