Hyperion

I don't remember when I first read Hyperion but I know I loved it. It must have been before I started keeping really accurate records on Goodreads so possibly between college and starting a library job; maybe between 2008-2012? It only matters because I think I've changed as a reader since the first time I read it. I remember loving it in all of its wackiness. Previously, I had it listed at 5 stars but after this re-read, I'm bumping it down to four stars. I still really love parts of the book and think they are absolutely brilliant but to me, other parts don't hold it. Could it be that I just didn't notice them the first time I read it or was I so enthralled with the storytelling that any discomfort was easily ignored? It's hard to say.

The parts that don't hold up for me are the things that I assume stem from Dan Simmons' right-wing politics - and I think he's gotten worse over time! The man has never created a female character without commenting on her breasts every time she is present in the text. His characters are pretty overwhelmingly white, the culture he draws upon from “Old Earth” is mostly Western-focused, and it's weird that everyone is apparently straight? In the future?! With evolved humans and AI and other things? That seems unlikely but perhaps that's just me.

Even though I'm sure no one cares about my second read of a science fiction book from 1989, I want to talk about it because it is a pretty influential book and the fact that when it's good it's SO GOOD and when it's bad . . . it's bad. It's so interesting and infuriating!

I'm going to talk pilgrim by pilgrim because that's how I think of the book and clearly Simmons' intention. Spoilers abound, so beware....

The Priest's Tale: “The Man who Cried God” - 5/5 stars. For me, this is the best part of the book! This is the story that hooks you, that pulls you into this wild, gory, and fucked up story, and gives you a high that keep you chasing the rest of the novel. I think Simmons does something interesting with the concepts of salvation and eternal life and turns them into horror, which makes a lot of sense from some points of view. Father Dure's eventual crucifixion on the tesla tree in an attempt to die sets up a looming tone for the rest of the book, with the characters and reading anticipating eventual suffering and crucifixion on the Shrike's Tree of Pain.

The Soldier's Tale: “The War Lovers” - 3/5 stars. I like this one and I like Kassad's character arc from soldier to anti-war activist. I really like the idea of the lovers meeting through time and war but I wish Mystery/Moneta was a real character. Truly, you'd think by Simmons' description she was simply boobs and a nice ass. It's so frustrating. I will also say that reading about a Palestinian survivor and badass in a time of genocide against Palestinians made me tear up.

The Poet's Tale: “Hyperion Cantos” - 4/5 stars. Martin Silenus is my least favorite character in the book because he's just so odious and annoying and self important. But I really like how his story touches the trials and tribulations of artistic inspiration, writing, and honestly just being a human.

The Scholar's Tale: “The River Lethe's Taste Is Bitter” - 5/5 stars. The Weintraub family's story is so tragic. I think the renewing of and commentary on the story of Abraham and Isaac is interesting and well done. The pain that Sol and Sarai go through as they watch Rachel forget and grow younger is truly heartbreaking . . . but I wish that Simmons hadn't been like, “Oh and Sarai died off page WHOOPS.” Come on! Rude.

The Detective's Tale: “The Long Good-Bye” - 4/5 stars. Brawne Lamia - a clumsy call back to Keats' fiance Fanny Brawne, in my opinion - gets less objectification than the other female characters, but it's still there. She is allowed to be strong and smart, as well as beautiful. This section is really great because it does do a lot of expansion on the worldbuilding of the TechnoCore and the AIs and how they are influencing Hegemony politics. Brawne and Johnny's love story wouldn't make sense without the Keats/Fanny Brawne connection so I wish it was a little more fleshed out.

The Consul's Tale: “Remembering Siri” - 2/5 stars. This one I struggle with. I find the jumping back and forth in time a bit hard to follow and feel weirded out about Merin and Siri's “romance” starting when she is 15 - Simmons talks SO MUCH about how she's barely sixteen! GROSS! - and he is 19 (?). I do like the Romeo and Juliet references within the fight between Siri's cousin and Merin's friend as well as the anti-colonialist and environmentalist message, I just think it just muddled in the narrative.

Overall, the stronger parts outweigh the weaker parts. I'm glad I re-read it and am excited to read The Fall of Hyperion. I never read Endymion and the Rise of Endymion because I heard they weren't great but maybe I will this go around.