Whaaaat?!!

This was my reaction to the reveal of Moneta's identity. I guess when you have both time and space continuum at your disposal, you can create all kinds of crazy twists. I am at awe how Simmons can step across genre boundaries and dazzle in multiple literary planes. I have known him as a master horror storyteller, and now he is up there with Herbert and Asimov in the field of mind-blowing sci-fi. Hyperion and its sequel are more like two parts of one book, so I would definitely recommend reading them both in quick succession to appreciate the entire story in all its glory.

The first part is structured similarly to The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. There is a group of pilgrims on a journey to mysterious planet of Hyperion to meet the fabled entity called The Shrike. Each character tells a story of their past that has led them to this journey, therefore revealing more of the novel's universe and history. The majority of the second book is told from the perspective of cybrid John Keats - a clone of the famous poet equipped with an AI intellect, - and his dreams of the pilgrims. As you might already guess, Hyperion Cantos is full of literary allusions and direct references. Among many others I noted Shakespeare, The Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chaplin, and Greek mythology. How fun is that?

The novels themselves are incredibly multi-layered and imaginative. There are conspiracies, prophecies, the man vs machine arguement, philosophical discussions of theology and identity, the looming end of humanity, ecological footprints and colonialism, death and rebirth, and of course poetry. Is it weird that my favourite character is Ummon, who speaks mostly in koans?

По праву одна из лучших НФ-книг (и вселенных) современности. Шесть казалось бы не связанных историй, произошедших в мире, о котором ничего не известно. Но это лишь начало. Действия 4-х книг растянуты на нескоколько сотен лет и стоит прочесть все чтобы получить полную картинку.

Поверьте, это того стоит.

Из 6 предысторий персонажей интересно было слушать полторы. Очень интересный и сложный мир, где кажется есть всё, но автор описывает его часто невозможно уныло. Дам шанс второй книге, где надеюсь начнётся развитие завязки, которая фоном ползла на фоне историй героев.

One of the most memorable stories is the one about Sol Weintraub and his daughter. Other characters are also very interestingly done, complementing each other.