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Just my two cents, but if I were to make a sci-fi novel list of length 1, the only entry would be Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It's the Canterbury Tales in space, b
by omni 12y ago
Just my two cents, but if I were to make a sci-fi novel list of length 1, the only entry would be Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It's the Canterbury Tales in space, but the thing they're pilgrimaging towards is a nightmarish god of death.
http://www.amazon.com/Hyperion-Cantos-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553283685 http://www.amazon.com/Hyperion-Cantos-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553283...
- gooseyard 12y agoanother hyperion devotee here. my favorite since reading the hyperion and olympos books was Anathem by N. Stephenson, if you haven't read that one I bet you'll like it too!
- grimman 12y agoPuts an entirely new spin on Catholics in space. :) I'll go ahead and second your recommendation. A thoroughly enjoyable read with several really great concepts.
- _deh 12y agoAgree entirely, an excellent read. Fiercely imaginative blend of sci-fi, religion, time travel, horror, Keats & Chaucer.
- wlesieutre 12y agoHyperion and Chasm City (2nd book of Revelation Space) are two of my favorite books I've read in the last few years. The whole Revelation Space series is fantastic. It's written by a former ESA astronomer, so it definitely falls more toward the "hard sci-fi" side of the spectrum than Hyperion. It takes a few scientific liberties, but all of them are significant to the setting. Interstellar human civilizations without FTL are a pretty cool place for a story.
- nicholassmith 12y agoI read Hyperion when I was a teen, it informed my choice of online nick the moment I finished it. It's a truly fantastic book, the entire cantos is worth reading.
- terrence_giggy 12y agoHyperion and the follow-up The Fall of Hyperion are great novels. I was however disappointed with the 3rd and 4th novels in the series - Endymion and Rise of Endymion. It seemed to me that the characters went through too many near-death experiences back-to-back. The reason I mention the Endymion series because of its version of space travel. The resurrection crush combined with incredible acceleration and deceleration (which kills the occupants every trip) was an interesting (fictional) concept.
- maxerickson 12y agoresurrection creche for anybody Googling.
- geuis 12y agoAgreed. It was nice to wrap up the series but the last two were nowhere near as good as the first 2. I finally broke down after many years and am working through the Ilium series by Simmons. Its not what I was expecting, in a good way. I'm halfway through the 2nd book and it's safe to say in book 1 you aren't told much, but rather get to piece the world together as various characters experience it. Not too bad so far.
- wyager 12y agoContrary opinion here: I thought the Hyperion Cantos was pretty mediocre. It was full of too much mysticism and hogwash, and even minus those things, wasn't a particularly interesting or thought-provoking story.
- pavel_lishin 12y agoI never read the entire thing - I read Hyperion, slogged through the stories of the travelers, and then the book ended. If someone is going to recommend just one book, it's kind of a bum deal recommending one that is just a build-up for the sequel.
- harshreality 12y agoCan you give 2 or 3 examples of story elements that bothered you the most? Do you have a similar opinion about Fire Upon the Deep? Is there any soft sci-fi, particularly far-future, that you like?
- wyager 12y agoI guess I was mostly put off by all the mysticism. You know, the stuff with crosses and crucifixion and ancient religious orders and super spooky all-powerful enemies. It wasn't mentally engaging. I didn't find myself asking "what if" like I usually do with sci-fi. I loved Fire Upon The Deep! Why did you choose to compare that to Hyperion? I don't see many similarities.