A review by mdpenguin
Orphans of the Helix by Dan Simmons

emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

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

5.0

It was nice to read a story set in the Hyperion universe without massive conflict. This was much more like a Star Trek episode about first contact, which isn't surprising since it was born out of a pitch for a ST Voyager episode.  It's set far from the nexus of human/AI activity in the former Web worlds so it only gives a kind of glimpse of what life must be like there after the events of the Cantos, but it's enough to satiate a little curiosity. 

Spoiler

And finding out what became of Aenea and Raul's child was a delight.  I love the idea of him freecasting around the galaxy helping other cultures find new worlds to inhabit without their knowledge.

  It's a portrait of a future that I'd want to live in, and that makes me very happy after reading the second duology of the Cantos.