The Fall of Hyperion: A Novel (Hyperion Cantos, 2)

At least, I chanced upon it accidentally, unlike clarke/verne/adams et al who (rightfully) have a prominent presence in the canon and are typically on everyone's to read list. This book is deceptively easy to read, and in some places almost has the pace of a pulp fiction novel. However, the sheer imagination, technological foresightedness and the incredibly deep and nuanced character development of this work is mind boggling. The last pages are its weakest, but it still is a gripping read overall. I read the SF masterworks edition, and the introduction, while insightful, can be a spoiler, therefore, best read after you finish the book.

I actually enjoyed The Fall of Hyperion more than Hyperion. It takes the world and ideas from the first book and builds on them in a way that feels grander and more complete. The story ties together beautifully, with a mix of politics, philosophy, and emotion that makes it really memorable. It’s rare for a sequel to deepen everything that came before, but this one really does.

There is a distinct change in wrting style as compared to the first book, it is a nice read and touches upon multiple themes.

It'll keep you gripped, stimulating your imagination as you skim through, ingesting and regurgitating while throughly enjoying what you read!

Best science fiction series ever written !! Right up there with the likes of Asimov and Herbert!! Why isn't this a movie yet??

Hyperion and fall of hyperion are amazing books. After reading the first book I was feeling very happy about the future described in that book. But on reading the second book I realized the importance of maintaining the same hunger for knowledge and wisdom and not just delegating these works to the AI s which we will discover for sure.more than science fiction this book is like a prophecy and wake up call for us. I only hope elon musk's words"AI will be the last invention mankind will invent" shouldn't come true.

Most would have bought this eager to see where the brilliant book 1 leads to. Book 1 uses the Canterbury Tales format to tell in-depth stories of each of the pilgrims. Because of the vignette-like format, the story type and the tone, were wonderfully varied - from war, to parent’s loss. Most would enter Book 2 with anticipation, after Book 1 set the stage. And that’s where it falls apart - the ideas are confusing and Dan repeatedly tied himself up in dead ends and needs deux ex machina to rescue him. For instance, there is no explanation on what are the constraints on Shrike, it just comes and goes whenever the ‘big bad’ needs to be summoned; no constraints on time travel - some people can go forward and back, others can’t; Rachel’s story is miraculously rectified - there are just too many of these non-sequiters that pop up in the book. Then there is story of the Keats - no one knows how it/he communicates in dreams. The long drawn out death scene in Rome is cloying, boring, and completely tangential - it was merely the author navel gazing and milking a maudlin set piece for ‘emotions’. And I’m not writing about Keats’ poetry that so many of the other reviewers have talked of - obscure and irrelevant.

One of the best fiction book to read