The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons

The time of reckoning has arrived. As a final genocidal Crusade threatens to enslave humanity forever, a new messiah has come of age. She is Aenea and she has undergone a strange apprenticeship to those known as the Others. Now her protector, Raul Endymion, one-time shepherd and convicted murderer, must help her deliver her startling message to her growing army of disciples. But first they must embark on a final spectacular mission to discover the underlying meaning of the universe itself. They have been followed on their journey by the mysterious Shrike - monster, angel, killing machine - who is about to reveal the long-held secret of its origin and purpose. And on the planet of Hyperion, where the story first began, the final revelation will be delivered - an apocalyptic message that unlocks the secrets of existence and the fate of humankind in the galaxy.

As last books in a series go, this was the most rewarding ending I've ever read. Topics introduced at the beginning of book 4 are handled. Topics that other authors might spend entire chapters on are only touched on briefly, and left for the reader to expand on.

This is quite an epic, sci-fi story. It's got space battles, aliens, action, alien worlds, monsters, tons of characters, romance, mythology, and even a little cyberpunk. The amount of detail was quite overwhelming at times. Dan Simmons really outdid himself on world-building. I also really enjoyed the mythology of the entire series, including the two Hyperions books. Raul is an entertaining character and makes a fine narrator for this and the previous book. He's a hero but not too perfect. Brave when he needed to be and his battle with Nemes was the highpoint of the book for me.

I was also enthralled with the mythology of this series. The mystery of the time tombs, the Shrike, and the cruciform. As the last book in the series, Simmons resolved a lot of these secrets nicely. The idea of a future where the Catholic Church takes over the galaxy was intriguing.

Now the not-so-good stuff. The Aenea character because once you've set up a character as a messiah, how does she live up to that? Unfortunately, it causes her to lose her personality. She went from being a fun and bright kid to an adult that all the other characters worship or want to kill. Also, there is the problem that a lot of things were resolved simply by having the all-knowing Aenea tell herfollwers, and the reader, the secret to the mysteries that had been set up. Not the most exciting way to reveal.

Then there's the problem of her and Aenea as lovers. This was set up long ago as something that was “destiny” because she knew her future and Raul's future as a child. So when it finally happens, it's not that exciting, nor can I convince myself that the characters have any real attraction there. I hate destiny. It's also difficult because he knew her as a child and it's a little gross that they would end up in bed. Like having sex with someone you once babysat. Not to mention that she's his messiah and his lover;it's a complicated relationship.

Despite these less-than-satisfying elements, I did enjoy this book and this series very much. The resolution to the conflict with the Pax was surprising, convincing, and satisfying. Aenea lived up to her purpose. I was also happy to see Raul was not going to end up left out in the cold. He was a good man and deserved some happiness.