Review Summaries

• Widely regarded as a modern classic of science fiction. Praised for its imaginative scope, literary references, and character-driven novellas spanning multiple genres. Some readers note the cliffhanger ending requires reading the sequel for full resolution.

• Appreciated as an epic space opera with remarkable depth, though noted for dense world-building and invented terminology that requires considerable engagement from readers.

Reviews

• Good read

  Good quality and story. Took really long to arrive though with no tracking information. But it arrived so no complaints

• 英語も解かり易いです。

  SF表現が少し難しいですが、英語自体はやさしいです。翻訳ではなくて原文で読んで欲しい本です。内容は物語にかかわる、登場人物のそれぞれの話があって、それぞれが独立した物語として読めます。どの話をとっても、とても面白いです。SFの収穫と言えるでしょう。おすすめです。

• Great story

  The Hyperion Cantos has been one of the best series I've read. The universe the author created is one that's a pleasure to get into. The first two books are great. The later two books not as good as the first two, as the author uses pages after pages to describe something that could have been done within a page. I found myself skipping pages, even a full chapter, because of this issue of the author.

• one of the most impressive books I’ve ever read

  There are some books you read and think, “I could write this”. This boom is not one of them. The sheer scale of imagination just astounded me. Each of the pilgrim’s stories could have been the basis for an amazing standalone work of science fiction.

• このSFは、すごすぎる

  この小説は、超大作の序盤ですが、スベオペ、サイバーパンク、ホラー、ミリタリー、ラブロマンスなど、SFの要素が濃厚に凝縮されていて、これ一冊でお腹がいっぱいです(*≧∀≦*) 邦訳で何回も読みましたが、英語の勉強？もかねて、原作を読破するつもりです。

• Science Literature

  It's hard to really compare this book to other SF books I've read, because this is a very complex and well-written book. I suppose that in a way, I didn't realize the potential of this genre until I read this book and I think most readers will feel the same way. While I like Card, Wolf, and Hienlein, they do not have the depth that Simmons does. His worlds are not only complex but are ever-changing. This book starts slow and is really six short stories wrapped in a quest plot (hence the Canterbury Tales likeness), but though this may seem a clumsy structure, once you start reading, you'll find this very rewarding. Each story is tied into the plot (which goes on into the next book) and casts light on other characters' stories and the main plot. If you like SF and a good read, read it!

• excruciatingly boring and pedantic

  It starts out well, but by the end of the 2nd story is like “just k’ll me now.” I can’t believe this is a respected work of SyFy! Omg

• 異境を旅しているという感覚

  「Hyperion」と「The Fall of Hyperion」はふたつでひとつの物語です。例えて言えば、映画「七人の侍」の前半（侍探し）と後半（野武士との戦い）と言えるでしょうか。 ＃「Hyperion」と「The Fall of Hyperion」では、トーンがまったく違います。 小説としての出来は「Hyperion」のほうが断然よく、休憩後の「The Fall of Hyperion」は多少出来が落ちます。とは言っても、「The Fall of Hyperion」も傑作と言っていい作品です。（特に、政治をあつかった小説としては出色の出来だとおもいます） 「Hyperion」は起承転結の「起」にあたります。それもこれほど素晴らしい「起」はないと言う「起」です。 「Hyperion」では、七人の侍ならぬ七人の訳ありの巡礼たち（Pilgrims）がハイペリオンをめざすところから始まり、巡礼たちが旅の途中に彼ら自身の物語を語っていくと言う、六つの小説内小説が手紙形式などさまざまなスタイルで書かれてあって、ある種実験小説の趣もあります。六つの小説内小説では、ジョセフ・コンラッドの「闇の奥」をおもわせる第一話の「神父の物語」と親子の愛情を切々と語った第四話の「学者の物語」が出色の出来です。 この作品は映画「七人の侍」での大きな見所だった、前半の侍探しのエピソードを思い起こさせました。ただし、「七人の侍」とはまったく別のベクトルから光をあていて、流石ダン・シモンズとおもいました。 さて、 巡礼たちの物語もよいのですが、その背景に流れる旅の描写がまた素晴らしい。異国を、異境を旅しているという感覚を肌で感じさせてくれます。

• Mix of sci-fi and fantasy!

  Very enjoyable read and no issues with the print.

• Gripping SciFi

  Dan Simmons has the ability to send vivid images to your imagination, and make them come alive. The story itself, composed of intertwining plots, unravels as each one of the protagonists offers his or her own version of events. This is the first book of the Hyperion Cantos. If you like it, be sure to check out The Fall of Hyperion, which brings the first part of Dan Simmons' Hyperion History to a close. There are two follow up novels, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion, which are a continuation of the narrative arch initiated with Hyperion. These books are all full of intertextuality and are laced with (English) literary, historical and philosophical references (apart from the one Simmons invents). If you like reflexive Sci-Fi you will fall in love with the Hyperion Cantos.

• Un grand classique de la science fiction

  Premier volume des Cantos d'Hypérion, ce livre est pour moi un de mes grands classiques de la SF. C'est un incontournable.

• Excelente.

  Vale cada centavo, excelentes condiciones.

• A cracking sci-fi read

  I enjoyed the first book in the series a lot, but my main criticism of it was that while I the pilgrim's stories were all well written there wasn't much revelation in the core mystery of the story. I'm pleased to say that that mystery is revealed in this second book. I didn't agree with some of the direction, but it was at least thought provoking and didn't cop out in the same way as similar stories have - yes I'm looking at you Nights Dawn Trilogy! :-) This is a much busier read than the first book with quite a lot to follow. Luckily each thread has its own texture so it's quite easy to slip from one to the other. It also handles the time travel aspect quite well, which is something that usually puts me off a story but is used to good effect here. While there are many individual threads the story loosely groups into two - the first being the personal stories of the pilgrims. As with the first book these are the strongest aspect to the story. There is great drama here and great sadness, so much so that at one point I renamed the book to a litany of suffering. The different characters blend together well in these threads and each cast a different focus on what it means to be human. I noticed a different quality to the writing here as well, the author deals with personal circumstance and tragedy in a fluid manner that really speaks to the emotion of the events. The father and the daughter with Merlin's disease really stands out as an example of this. Less strong is the grand overview thread, or the space opera aspect if you prefer.While this has some nice ideas, it just doesn't come across as well as the individual tales of the pilgrims. What does work is how it draws the different threads together and comes together for a cohesive conclusion. I love stories that make you think and science-fiction is a goldmine for that type of stories and here we have a wide range of different philosophies and concepts that give pause for thought. As I mentioned earlier I didn't agree with some of the direction, but that's just personal taste, in the end I enjoyed where the patterns took me. In summary this is an excellent read and a stronger more rounded book than the first and I've already bought the next in the series to see where it takes me.

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