kayydotmurr's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that if I had been reding during the pre-kindle age where the next book was six hours and a trip to the store away rather than a few taps, I would have been very upset to finish it at an inconvenient time like during the middle of lunch, yet I wouldn't be able to slow myself down and stretch it out through the end of the day. That says something if you ask me! Luckily, that isn't the case and the next book was a tap tap tap away. Thank goodness for technology.
manuphoto's review against another edition
5.0
Well, that didn’t disappoint, 4.5 stars. Hyperion Cantos is one of the most breathtaking and riveting series I’ve read. It is quite complexe with many twists, turns, concepts and characters, but Simmons’ excellent writing makes it all understandable and enjoyable.
It is really great sci-fi, with many original and fascinating elements. It is not light reading for sure, but I highly recommend it.
It is really great sci-fi, with many original and fascinating elements. It is not light reading for sure, but I highly recommend it.
teariffic's review against another edition
4.0
Much better than the second book of the series. Less full of poetic nonsense and more fun adventure and world building, plus some cool parasites and time travel
lizardking_no1's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.75
drewsbookandteareviews's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
timdams's review against another edition
3.0
After reading the Canterbury Tales-like Hyperion and Horror/SpaceOpera/Mindfuck-like Fall of Hyperion, I eagerly started in Endymion. Although Endymion was a pleasant read, it comes nowhere near the quality and excitement in the previous two book. The hefty tome, 500+ pages, is no indication of the amount of stuff happening. In fact, after a thrilling start, almost half of the book is a pretty boring “trip” in which the main characters visit several worlds, from time to time including a confrontation with their “nemesis” who is hot on their heels. Whereas Tolkien’s moments of travel usual where fun to read, in here it was plain boring. Luckily, towards the end the book against picks up speed, making a good case to read the sequel (The rise of Endymion). .
So in conclusion: fun read, but a bit too big (in number of pages) for what you get in return, resulting in some very boring parts .
So in conclusion: fun read, but a bit too big (in number of pages) for what you get in return, resulting in some very boring parts .
tvil's review against another edition
4.0
Simmons continues to explore new forms of telling his Cantos; the first book was a kind of spoof on The Canterbury Tales, and the second book had the omniscient narrator as a main character. In this third volume, the narrator (whose omniscience is not explained yet, but an explanation is alluded to) is again the main character, with a framing story that alternates his flashbacks between his own and that of a person hunting them down.
This doesn't work as well as in the preceding book. It's exhilerating at first to witness both the hunter and the prey as they chase each other through the galaxy, but too often it drags on, with an exciting chapter about how the protagonists escape, followed by a slow chapter where we learn how the hunter investigates and finds clues to how they got away and where they went next – information the reader already knows. This dynamic is reversed just once, as I recall, where the heroes' fate is left unclear at the end of a chapter, until we learn the truth at the end of the next, from the opposite viewpoint.
The linearity of this story is less interesting than in the first and second entries, and the world feels a little more cramped, but the time skip is cool and makes room for some very interesting world building. I also appreciated that the fates of most characters from the last two books are left somewhat unclear, while their actions in the past still have consequences in this world.
This doesn't work as well as in the preceding book. It's exhilerating at first to witness both the hunter and the prey as they chase each other through the galaxy, but too often it drags on, with an exciting chapter about how the protagonists escape, followed by a slow chapter where we learn how the hunter investigates and finds clues to how they got away and where they went next – information the reader already knows. This dynamic is reversed just once, as I recall, where the heroes' fate is left unclear at the end of a chapter, until we learn the truth at the end of the next, from the opposite viewpoint.
The linearity of this story is less interesting than in the first and second entries, and the world feels a little more cramped, but the time skip is cool and makes room for some very interesting world building. I also appreciated that the fates of most characters from the last two books are left somewhat unclear, while their actions in the past still have consequences in this world.