this might just be my favourite book in the series?

deviating from the sci-fi / horror genre fusion of the first two instalments in the hyperion cantos, ‘endymion’ is a fun adventure story that is primarily an exploration of this universe. our new hero, raul endymion, is tasked with an almost impossible quest of finding and protecting aenea, the future messiah. it involves toppling corrupt religious empires, time-bending aliens, and a tonne of other fun sci-fi things

the general consensus on goodreads is that ‘endymion’ doesn’t live up to the first two books within this series - i both agree and disagree. i don’t think that ‘endymion’ is as well-written as the first two books, but it is certainly the most enjoyable book in this series. where ‘hyperion’ is arguably simmons’ magnum opus, a complex piece that explores a range of artistic, theological, philosophical topics, ‘endymion’ is just a tonne of fun. it’s meta, it’s funny, it’s almost a love story?? it’s just a good time. that’s not to say it’s lacking in discussions - this instalment expands on the themes introduced at the start of this series - from religious fanaticism, to critiques on empire and colonisation, as well as an emphasis on the importance and value of art and culture within society

furthermore, i loved how diverse this book is. as endymion and aenea traverse the universe, we meet a range of peoples from indigenous to muslim planets. i love that this book actually represents humanity, and not just the western portion of the world

i do think the first half was better than the second (pace could’ve been better, there were a lot of moments that dragged for me), and i feel very uncomfortable about the romance introduced in here. it’s questionable, to say the least. but i’m still excited to see how everything unravels in the final book!!

overall, yes the first two books have more to offer, but this one was much more enjoyable to read, in my opinion