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A review by mghoshlisbin
Endymion by Dan Simmons
adventurous
dark
4.5
Each segment of the Hyperion Cantos has been quite incredible. I think, however, that I am sometimes perplexed by the stylistic changes which have taken place with each progressive installment. The first book, Hyperion, is fashioned after Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales , and has an episodic structure--each pilgrim's tale told with the tonality of old classics, while still retaining the epic themes of a fantastical space odyssey. It creates a magical effect. The second novel, Fall of Hyperion, takes on a more normative structure, with limited omniscient POVs that have dimension through the manipulation of dream perspective and time alteration. It still retains the somewhat dettached tonality of classic lit, though it is slightly more accessible than the first novel. Endymion, by contrast, almost feels as though it is written by a different author.
The novel is composed, primarily, of only two perspectives: Raul Endymion, the guardian, lover, carer of Aenea the messiah and daughter of Brawne Lamia, and Captain Father Frederico de Soya. There are celebrity one-shots from Aenea herself and Nemes (of whom I won't mention anything more about). Raul retains the rights to first person, de Soya in third person, with a newly implemented intimacy of emotion and retelling. The style is WAY more accessible, in my opinion, and is more fast-paced than the previous novels. I am more perplexed by this change than anything else, I almost just feel neutral about it. I don't feel negatively about this shift simply because the quality of the writing, story-telling, and themes have remained consistent (though I do think Hyperion covered the most themes more intricately; poetry and philosophy take something of a backseat here).
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
In the novel, the vagabond troupe consisting of Raul Endymion, Aenea, A. Bettik the android, and the Shrike itself, embark on a journey across the River Tethys in order to seek the person who will teach Aenea the necessary skills for her future as a messiah. The Pax, the reformed Christian Church who have proselytized many of the existing worlds through the persuasive power of reformed cruciforms (those horrific parasites from Hyperion that turned the Bikura into sexless, emotionless zombies in the first book--yeah) which can resurrect the dead. Aenea realizes that the Pax Church has been taken over by the TechnoCore, which are seeking to control humanity through the cruciforms, and have sent Father de Soya to capture and kill Aenea, as she is predicted to save humankind.
The story is incredibly complex, continuing to play intricate games with time and religion. Though this novel is clearly critical of Christianity, the portrayal of Father de Soya and Father Glaucus create a more nuanced vision of Christianity. Both de Soya and Glaucus are kind, independent thinkers who have a loyalty to a Church that brought goodness to them. They, at a smaller level, are innocent of the criticisms that Simmons directs toward Christianity. The overarching metaphor is powerful, that people manipulated by a parasite, whether that be greed or a TechnoCore cruciform, have the power to utilize religion to horrific ends. We have seen this in the real world and we see it at an interstellar level in Dan Simmons Endymion.
As per time, I have mixed feelings about Aenea and Raul. They are destined for great love in the future, and she is a manipulator of time, a traveler. Raul knows her through most stages of her life and is only in love with her when she is older. But I do find the dynamic strange. There is nothing untoward in the novel, but the premise is...hmm.
All in all, I ripped through it still. The saga continues and Simmons has me here for the ride. I am excited to read the final book in the series!
The novel is composed, primarily, of only two perspectives: Raul Endymion, the guardian, lover, carer of Aenea the messiah and daughter of Brawne Lamia, and Captain Father Frederico de Soya. There are celebrity one-shots from Aenea herself and Nemes (of whom I won't mention anything more about). Raul retains the rights to first person, de Soya in third person, with a newly implemented intimacy of emotion and retelling. The style is WAY more accessible, in my opinion, and is more fast-paced than the previous novels. I am more perplexed by this change than anything else, I almost just feel neutral about it. I don't feel negatively about this shift simply because the quality of the writing, story-telling, and themes have remained consistent (though I do think Hyperion covered the most themes more intricately; poetry and philosophy take something of a backseat here).
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
In the novel, the vagabond troupe consisting of Raul Endymion, Aenea, A. Bettik the android, and the Shrike itself, embark on a journey across the River Tethys in order to seek the person who will teach Aenea the necessary skills for her future as a messiah. The Pax, the reformed Christian Church who have proselytized many of the existing worlds through the persuasive power of reformed cruciforms (those horrific parasites from Hyperion that turned the Bikura into sexless, emotionless zombies in the first book--yeah) which can resurrect the dead. Aenea realizes that the Pax Church has been taken over by the TechnoCore, which are seeking to control humanity through the cruciforms, and have sent Father de Soya to capture and kill Aenea, as she is predicted to save humankind.
The story is incredibly complex, continuing to play intricate games with time and religion. Though this novel is clearly critical of Christianity, the portrayal of Father de Soya and Father Glaucus create a more nuanced vision of Christianity. Both de Soya and Glaucus are kind, independent thinkers who have a loyalty to a Church that brought goodness to them. They, at a smaller level, are innocent of the criticisms that Simmons directs toward Christianity. The overarching metaphor is powerful, that people manipulated by a parasite, whether that be greed or a TechnoCore cruciform, have the power to utilize religion to horrific ends. We have seen this in the real world and we see it at an interstellar level in Dan Simmons Endymion.
As per time, I have mixed feelings about Aenea and Raul. They are destined for great love in the future, and she is a manipulator of time, a traveler. Raul knows her through most stages of her life and is only in love with her when she is older. But I do find the dynamic strange. There is nothing untoward in the novel, but the premise is...hmm.
All in all, I ripped through it still. The saga continues and Simmons has me here for the ride. I am excited to read the final book in the series!