The Rise of Endymion

The Rise of Endymion was a great conclusion to the Hyperion Cantos. Action packed adventure with multiple POVs that provide unique context and perspective on the events occurring in the galaxy.

Loved how the original pilgrims in the first Hyperion Cantos entry still had a presence in the continuation of this story.

RoE had moments of expansive space battles, national treasure type crypt discoveries, robot AI hand to hand fights, and mysteries upon mysteries spread throughout the whole Cantos where you actually get answers to questions from all the books.

Great series that I recommend to anyone who even slightly enjoys the sci-fi genre.

“Choose again”

Great storytelling, as in the previous books. However, I was not very thrilled by the biblical, messianic part. I felt as if it was a big dilution of the rich story built before. The whole Jesus-like story didn't feel like it was bringing anything new. I was really counting on something touching more on sentient life, role of art, or other, much more nuanced topics which seemed to play the major role in the previous books.

This is the 4th and final book of the Hyperion Cantos series. I definitely enjoyed it more than Endymion as a lot of unexplained things from Endymion are explained in this final book of the cantos and I have very little if any critiques.

The book follows our 2 main character, Anea and Raul (Endymion) as they return from old earth which had been taken away and hidden in another galaxy by the “lions tigers and bears”

Raul tells his story from his shroedengers prison in orbit around a empty world. This is his prison for 13 or so months. He is in complete isolation in a small orbital box which is set to release poison in his air if the right quantum particle is detected. Telling his story is the only way he can remain sane.

Anea has basically been set up as Jesus Christ figure with Endymion as her diciple/lover.

Anea is tasked with basically redeeming mankind by introducing death and mortality and destroying the Catholic church and the pax control over humanity. She is a fusion of the AI ultimate intellegence aka god and humanity and the carrier of a genetic nano virus that is contained in her blood. This nano virus seeks out and destroys the cruciform which acts as a tool of ressurection and growing the techno cores control over humanity via the church.

Essentially this book is a time travelling jesus preaching the gospel gaining diciples. Allegorical in nature and a kind of twisted dark anit-christ type alternate version. This one bringing death instead of life and rather than the cross or cruciform being a symbol of faith the destruction and rejection of it being the symbol of faith.

The sacrement of the wine mixed with her literal blood to bring about this viral change in her followers and eventual self sacrifice by the authorities of the day but they ultimatley fail to stop the spread of Anea's message.

All throughout her mission she speaks of the void which binds powered by the force of love. Love being that powerful force which gives us the means to thrive in the one life we have.

I loved the anti-christ-christ sort of a dark christ story telling that can almost be viewed as a scathing rebuke of the religious ideology and mind set. Almost to suggest that rejection of religion is what brings love, compassion and care for all.

Overall I loved this book!! The angle from which it tells this clearly relious story is really intriguing read and capture my imagination at least! 5 stars for me easily.

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.

A haunting end to an epic series, unrivalled in any genre.

A very satisfactory read, an amazing closing to an amazing story. I truly enjoyed this book from the first to the last page. I am also very glad about the ending that really explains pretty much everything that needed to be explained.

All my complaints I might have had about unexplained parts at the end of the second book, they are all explained in these two books.

Highly recommended, a must read if you read the first two books. And if not, read the first two books before reading this one. Obviously.

Good Lord! This has to be one of the best conclusions to a set of books I have ever read.
Each builds on the last expanding the story telling and universe.
After finishing it became aparent that like Orson Scott Card he needed to build a whole set of books to tell the message of this one.

Flailing his way through
not exactly up to speed
one day it will click.

Le point final d'une oeuvre magnifique, avec ce quatrième volume de la saga Hyperion / Endymion. Un très grand souvenir.

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.

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.

I'm all choked up and emotional at finishing this series. This last book is also probably my favorite. Simmons' skill seems to grow with every chapter, and his world-creation is about the most perfect I've ever read. I have no idea how one person can imagine so many worlds and then capture them all in such a small space. Particularly, the sky city of T'ien Shan captivated me and gave me a very physical sense of vertigo.

Thematically, this book and Endymion before it align almost perfectly with my current ideas about religion, spirituality, and all the positive and negative aspects of both. I hadn't been Aenea's biggest fan before, but the character reveals made in this book made everything about the entire Cantos much more understandable. I will say, I did call where Aenea would be during her 2 year absence and A. Bettik's role, but calling those made me feel like I was being rewarded for paying attention and not like the writer was being sloppy.

My only disappointment is I would've liked a bit more Shrike. The reveals about it were interesting enough and the knockdown fight with the Nemes (about a billion times more terrifying than the Shrike) were great, but man the Shrike is a great creature and I rather want more of it.

Overall brilliant series that I'm very happy fell in my lap via Sword and Laser.

This is one of those series of books that draws you in hard and right with the narration, story, intriguing and characters. The author did a superb job investing time and energy and emotion and life into the whole story. Easily one of the best fictions I've ever read.