The only novel, I´ve read so far, I would compare to Stephen King´s It, it´s one of the most amazing and underrated of Simmons´ works, just as CarrionThe only novel, I´ve read so far, I would compare to Stephen King´s It, it´s one of the most amazing and underrated of Simmons´ works, just as Carrion comfort. And I don´t get why.
There are very few authors out there who have this amazing characterization ability, this magic gift of making exposition and less action seem so suspenseful and entertaining by just opening questions the reader wants to get answered. One is into that thing and can´t get out, it´s amazing, everything feels so perfect without a second of losing interest. How does he do it? I don´t know, dissecting Simmons doesn´t work, it´s even worse than with King, because Simmons can meta science fantasy world build too, as seen in Hyperion and Endymion, some of the best sci-fi, inspired by classic literary motives, ever written.
I don´t know if he read King´s It before, if it´s a kind of homage, or if it was created without that, I guess that Simmons did at least read It and probably thought: Hold my pencil. Such cool characters, creepy, disturbing, detailed scenes that stay in mind, the big unknown Lovecraftian meta cosmic horror evil, the stupid and greedy adults, a grain of faith and reminiscence about becoming a writer, the manifestations of the monsters, the introspective descriptions of the protagonists, it´s just freaking unbelievable.
Regarding such a style, there is just King, John Irving, Robbins, and some others I might take time to think about if they are worth being mentioned with authors that don´t produce very good, but similar and replaceable genre fiction, and have mastered the ultimate level of fusing plot and character to a hell ride of unknown dimensions. Might help too that Simmons, and now it gets creepy, was a teacher just as King before he had his breakthrough. Can it be a coincidence?
Did I mention that King said that he is envious because Simmons writes like a god? Read him, at least the one´s I´ve consumed in ecstatic days beamed as far away from reality as possible by this amazing, ingenious, unique überwriter, playing with many different genres and not closely getting the recognition he deserves. So please, change that, read him, spread his 9 unbelievable works I´ve read so far and can fully give my worthless and dubious, personal, relatively incest, hopefully, and cellar dungeon free, probably, Austrian reader quality seal.
Mind penetrating psi vampires haunt humankind in the same year Simmons´ ingenious sci-fi fantasy milestone Hyperion was published and revolutionize thMind penetrating psi vampires haunt humankind in the same year Simmons´ ingenious sci-fi fantasy milestone Hyperion was published and revolutionize the horror genre in the same way.
King said that Simmons writes like a God and that he is a bit envious and what could exceed this quote? There is a handful of authors who unite the lucky combination of hard, lifelong perfecting their writing and talent and Simmons is in a league I find just some are coming close to. There may be authors just playing in one league that are as good or, regarding the worldbuilding but not characterization, better, but nobody writes works of such quality in different genres. Sci-Fi is totally my thing and I could name very few names of the same greatness as Hyperion, the same for horror and this one.
It´s especially how it immediately blows one away, how it never gets boring for just a second, how it´s complexity is never confusing, the characters´ motivations logical, everything slowly escalating to amazing plot points,… And most of his novels are bricks, often with more than just 2 or 3 perspectives, time- and plotlines.
There is often so less action, few cliffhangers, nothing one is used to in modern writing to pimp, accelerate, and distract from characterization, plotting, and logical flaws and errors, Simmons is using pure characterization and a complex, interwoven net of protagonists and antagonists to lead the long novel to a culmination of epic proportion.
It´s a shame that I am too lazy to investigate which classic elements and tales inspired Simmons in and to his works, because his epic sci-fi novels are both filled with innuendos and connotations to famous ancient works or interpretations of these. Reader of the classics, mythologies, and history might find goldmines I am blind to see because of a lack of special knowledge.
One of the cases where I absolutely don´t understand why people don´t like it. In other cases, there are elements that make it completely understandable that one can´t deal with too sciency, too charactery, too world buildy, too whatever elements, but this has everything, it´s the beginning of the career of one of the most talented and underrated writers of the 20th century. So amazingly many pictures of this and Simmons´ other horror novel, Summer of night, that feels like a reinterpretation of Stephen Kings´ It, stay in mind, always a sure sign that the quality of the stuff is so high that it permanently blows ones´mind away and leaves one, wasted, but very happy, afterward.
Watch in awe while the last, currently, written science fantasy epos of one of the most fascinating authors of our time comes to an end.
In the second Watch in awe while the last, currently, written science fantasy epos of one of the most fascinating authors of our time comes to an end.
In the second part of the series, the world is more and more escalating, fractions getting mad, gods being sad, Mars getting hot, poor protagonists stumbling around between mighty entities, and the big aha moment towards the end gives a satisfying conclusion.
In contrast to the Hyperion series, the a bit stronger focus on mythology and magic makes if more fantasy than science, although whenever the two clash, the old saying that advanced enough technology is indistinguishable from magic is true. There would be even a third way, the often underrepresented biopunk option, that could see much more use in hybrid works, because already simple seemingly fantasy magic vs technology, especially nano, makes incredible plot goals, characters´ motivations, suspense potential, possible, and biotechnological fueled Gaia fraction would be great extra to see.
I wish Simmons would have continued writing big science fantasy series, maybe even with a bit of horror, instead of starting to just keep writing standalone novels, often with close to no real fantastic elements as far as I see from the reviews and descriptions, just some magic and stuff. The real irony is that most of his newer novels seem to be even that bad that I won´t ever read them and that readers first confronted with whatever happened to one of the greatest authors will never touch his groundbreaking Hyperion and Ilium series, which is a true shame.
Nobody knows what might have happened here, I don´t know examples of authors who downed their rating in such a way, especially not in that order and timeline and never when they´ve once been so good. Bad first works are ok, everybody has to learn, but getting weaker and seemingly even below average?! Maybe the lonely writing in the cabin in the woods in the mountains concept has had some substantial change or something, I really can´t grasp it.
And that´s such a sad development, so please, go with the classic and forget the rest of his work, do as if it doesn´t exist.
Time to pimp ones´ mythological session with some sci-fi elements.
Some people don´t see this one as the same ingenious work as Hyperion and Endymion Time to pimp ones´ mythological session with some sci-fi elements.
Some people don´t see this one as the same ingenious work as Hyperion and Endymion and I don´t get why. It´s not that über, true, but it´s still some of the best a science fantasy hybrid reader can wish for. There is, for instance, and as far as I know, nothing of the same quality and perfection that combines mythology with sci-fi, fantasy with space opera style fractions, and in general dares to dance at many genre weddings.
Retelling classic tales, Simmons uses very different technological levels of fractions, old evil, decadence, some grain of quantum, and the splendid characterization to describe one a bit different Trojan war. Although the certainty that much or most of human history isn´t just ancient fake news written by the winners isn´t that big.
Gods playing with tiny, unimportant immortals is always such a fun, especially when a big surprise about the background of this free time, or full time, entertainment is unveiled. Now one could go different philosophical sci-fi routes for why aliens, gods, future humans via time travel, AIs simulating the universe, etc. should do this, because of boredom, for research, ancestor simulations, as a show, because they are mentally sick and that´s what future psychiatric therapies are like, simulating for getting sane again.
Apropos, philosophy, there is again so much extra easter egg goodie fun hidden by the highly bibliophile author, that especially classic and mythology prone readers might find their Elysium, or whatever version of heaven they prefer, maybe even nasty hellish versions of it, with it, everyone´s personal choice, I don´t judge.
The reason why this might not be seen as as groundbreaking as Hyperion is that it´s more fantasy and thereby, of course, not that complex, interwoven, and big as the space opera fantasy hybrid Hyperion was. Still, a fascinating work with extra seductiveness for history nerds.
Want a free cruciform? Won´t hurt that long. Bodily.
It´s so realistic that humans would use a groundbreaking, new biotechnological option to (view spWant a free cruciform? Won´t hurt that long. Bodily.
It´s so realistic that humans would use a groundbreaking, new biotechnological option to (view spoiler)[establish a new reign of faith fueled torture and terror state that makes the empire look weak in contrast, because they at least didn´t want your immortal soul and forced you to get indoctrination body horror parasites (hide spoiler)] I am absolutely sure that this is going to happen, that people will be manipulated without their knowledge by (view spoiler)[ secretly infecting them with an indoctrination virus or placing a flesh eating, extremely disgusting monster parasite on their body in a holy mass while they are chanting (hide spoiler)] That´s how we roll, besides, next, or maybe even before use in medicine, immortality for instance, or bio nanotech hybrids, the most stupid and dangerous use will be prioritized.
One may have guessed it already, Simmons owns any faith, religions, sect, or whatever may still come and shows how it happened, happens, and will happen in the future if belief and naivety of humans are used to gain power with false promises of immortality. It´s the only time he is masterfully dissing the once most destructive sick mental construct, before economy entered the stage and Chuck Norrised priests into oblivion while saying "Hold my holy consumerism texts, PR, advertising, and marketing, while I am proselyting the last one of your proponents behind that altar."
There are some antagonists that make Terminator look like a little kid, they could eat dozens of these primitive, stone age time travel killing machines for breakfast, just as the mentioned economy eats galactic politics and faith. One should definitively consider taking notes and, or, marking highlights, and especially continuing the thoughts, offered by this amazing series, to expand and fuse them with the knowledge collected by reading other sci-fi to get the full, immersive pleasure.
Some don´t like this novel that much and I don´t get why, it has everything, and criticizing Simmons for being too wordy would be the same as doing it with King, just very weird.
Two evil fractions, one down to Earth and the physical world with the head in the faithful interstellar clouds and the big surprise one, are the basisTwo evil fractions, one down to Earth and the physical world with the head in the faithful interstellar clouds and the big surprise one, are the basis of the finale of a bombastic, unforgettable sci-fi wonderwork.
Simmons continues the deconstruction of faith, accelerates the plot, and leaves one afterward with the big questions of how much one didn´t get:
Is it humankind misusing a gift or was the present always poisonous, its intent always negative and destructive? How many innuendos are hidden in the Technocore? What was the plan and motivation of the time manipulating future humans? How many allegories to past and present history are hidden? Etc.
In contrast to the Hyperion series, the a bit stronger focus on mythology and magic makes if more fantasy than science, although whenever the two clash, the old saying that advanced enough technology is indistinguishable from magic is true. There would be even a third way, the often underrepresented biopunk option, that could see much more use in hybrid works, because already simple seemingly fantasy magic vs technology, especially nano, makes incredible plot goals, characters´ motivations, suspense potential, possible, and biotechnological fueled Gaia fraction would be a great extra to see.
Enjoy the finale of the series, maybe try some of Simmons old horror works, but avoid the new ones, because something terrible seems to have happened here if one, just as me, believes in meta rating scores.
The series is developing more towards space opera and cosmic conflict range after the first part had played with different humanities, ethics, AI, andThe series is developing more towards space opera and cosmic conflict range after the first part had played with different humanities, ethics, AI, and many other topics.
A bit away from the characters, towards the meta big sci-fi is notorious for, the story shows how a strong female protagonist and another one, not sure about spoilering, are wandering through the settings of an epic conflict with vast consequences in the third and fourth part.
Time travel and thereby manipulation of human civilization by higher entities is as credible and thrilling as the personal lives of the characters and I guess that that´s what makes Simmons´works so unique and amazing, because he is an author who can handle and masterfully write both. It could, ironically, also be, that that´s the reason why readers, that aren´t used to behemoths of books that switch narrative styles and focus from plot to character and back, can´t handle the style. There is already a very sharp line between the plot, worldbuilding, infodump, hard sci-fi fraction, and the ones focused on characters, interactions, dialogues, and that there is both and Simmons plays with many elements in most of his works, doesn´t really help.
Next to the galactic conflicts and wars, different fractions within humankind, the perfect fusion of plot and characters to offer both epic scale and worldbuilders´ hottest dreams and deep, emotional connection to the characters, the Shrike is one of the ultimate, best ever imagined überbeings. Ever!
Maybe it´s because it´s a bit reserved because it´s a (view spoiler)[time manipulating and traveling, reality changing, close to almighty war AI manifested in physical form send/sent/will be sent back from the future (hide spoiler)] and that´s just how they roll, because it´s integrated into bombastic scenes and an ingenious, always credible Chekhov McGuffin combinations, and its appearances are always well prepared and thereby authentic. Creating Lovecraftian terror just with places, descriptions of the monster, and the emotions it and it´s Time tombs awake in the characters, is a sign of a Flying spaghetti monster given talent.
Shriking the way towards one of the best epic, old mythology, and literature inspired, mindblowing, amazingly ingeniously written space operas.
The diShriking the way towards one of the best epic, old mythology, and literature inspired, mindblowing, amazingly ingeniously written space operas.
The difference between the first two Hyperion parts and the third and fourth Endymion parts of the series is that the first duo is more oriented on classic mythology and literature motives transformed into a sci-fi settings, while the sequel goes full frontal space opera with anything a sci-fi readers´ hearth could wish for.
Tricky not to spoiler, because there are different characters, each one telling her/his own story that often has to do with past events that will influence the future of their mission, but let's say that Simmons does exposition like a boss, especially recognizable if one remembers elements of Hyperion when reading Endymion.
I would name, the classic, Simmons in a line with Irving, Bradbury, Sanderson, and King, because of the very rare style and his narrative competence and talent that lets the reader never lose interest and thereby connection to the world for just one second.
Important to know, if one isn´t such a sci-fi prone reader, one should just read the first 2 parts of the series that are mainly character focused and classic retelling mode with more epic space opera towards the end, much philosophy, and indirect criticism and stuff, while Endymion is more going towards combining the master storyteller characterization with longer, epic sci-fi moments, more detailed worldbuilding, and the meta with fractions, subtexts, history of the world and a big, unexpected revelation towards the end.
I would call this series, and Simmons, some of the best a reader can imagine and wish for, one of the greatest both worldbuilding and characterization with many underlying, deeper topics, and a prime example what the visionary power of one talented, literature loving human can create. A timeless milestone, something that should make him immediately be named in one row with the big three, Asimov, Clarke, and Lem. Sorry, Heinlein and Dick, you never achieved to reach their level. Read, at least the first 2 parts if you still aren´t into sci-fi, epic, unforgettable moments are waiting for you.
Mario the lone bookwolf
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