Jurjen
A classic of the genre for a reason.
When I think about classic sci-fi stories, character work usually isn't on the forefront of my mind, though that's what Hyperion excels at most. Told in a way inspired, presumably, by the Canterbury Tales, a group of chosen pilgrims tell their story as to why they're on a pilgrimage to make a request of an unknowable creature, knowing it will likely mean their death. Dan Simmons did a really good job at giving each character telling their tale a distinct voice and motivation.
When I finished the Priest's tale, I thought it was some of the best scifi writing I've read, and then somehow the Scholar's tale was able to top it. Had every Tale been of that quality, Hyperion would probably be my favourite book of all time, though there were some weaker ones in there too (the Soldier's tale was my least fav). I will say that even the ones that didn't grip me early on usually had a much stronger second half.
The meta-narrative (the pilgrimage itself) was strong too, and I enjoyed seeing the characters interact with each other outside of their own stories. Overall, I think the structure of the book was just pulled off very well.
The setting was great too, definitely a lot of intriguing things going on. Excited to see how this two-parter (~~~) will wrap up, as b1 is definitely not much of a conclusion to things.
A classic of the genre for a reason.
When I think about classic sci-fi stories, character work usually isn't on the forefront of my mind, though that's what Hyperion excels at most. Told in a way inspired, presumably, by the Canterbury Tales, a group of chosen pilgrims tell their story as to why they're on a pilgrimage to make a request of an unknowable creature, knowing it will likely mean their death. Dan Simmons did a really good job at giving each character telling their tale a distinct voice and motivation.
When I finished the Priest's tale, I thought it was some of the best scifi writing I've read, and then somehow the Scholar's tale was able to top it. Had every Tale been of that quality, Hyperion would probably be my favourite book of all time, though there were some weaker ones in there too (the Soldier's tale was my least fav). I will say that even the ones that didn't grip me early on usually had a much stronger second half.
The meta-narrative (the pilgrimage itself) was strong too, and I enjoyed seeing the characters interact with each other outside of their own stories. Overall, I think the structure of the book was just pulled off very well.
The setting was great too, definitely a lot of intriguing things going on. Excited to see how this two-parter (~~~) will wrap up, as b1 is definitely not much of a conclusion to things.