[Wilshire]

What a great book. Really, really enjoyed it. If you are at all a fan of sci-fi and haven't read this, you should put this near the top of your "to read" list. A great story in its own right, each one of the pilligrim's stories could be its own stand alone novella, and the book is filled with allusions to other sci-fi "classics" (Dune, Neuromancer, 1984, maybe even Speaker For the Dead but thats a stretch).

Never before has a book made me laugh at loud like this one, but there were also parts that had me tearing up. This books has such a wide range of writing styles and emotion that someone with more (or any) literary schooling should be talking about it, not some poor schmuck like me.

This book has certainly made it onto my list of best books I've ever read.

[Madness]

Lol, The Fall of Hyperion, ASAP.

Those two are basically one complete narrative.

[Wilshire]

Yeah the ending forces you to get the next one.

[Royce]

I am up for some sci-fi soon,but I am having a hard time deciding which one....
I am thinking either Enders game or Hyperion.Last sci-fi I read was "the expanse" by James S A Corey,and that was a thrilling ride

[Wilshire]

Both good. It seems to me that Hyperion is a 2 book commitment, and you won't get the full effect of Ender's game is you dont read the sequel Speaker For the Dead. Ender's is probably a quicker read and has more action in it, while Hyperion is different.... more intellectual maybe? Just depends on your mood I guess. If you want something faster paced go with Ender's.

[Madness]

I still have yet to read Abbadon's Gate, Royce, but I motored through the first two. I liked them.

[Royce]

The first book was great,but the other two didn`t quite hold up imo.
Have you read anything by Daniel Abraham? He is one of the two guys who wrote "the expanse".
I read the "long price quartet" awhile ago,and thought it was ok but rather slow and honestly quite boring.

[Madness]

No - I even remember finding that out and thinking back on all the times I'd looked over Daniel Abraham on the shelves. I haven't read any of his jackets since but I remember having zero desire to read his Fantasy.

[Wilshire]

I think I'll stop reading Endymion for now. It doesn't seem to have the same magic as the the first two, though it is still a good book.

There are a couple quotes in the beginning about memories/long lives that made me think of Nonmen, I'll have to go back and grab them before I put the books away (for now).

[Wilshire]

Ok I was too lazy to get something else to read so I finished Endymion and am now about 2/5's of the way through The Rise of Endymion.

I stand by what I said earlier about Endymion, its not nearly as groundbreaking or imaginative as Hyperion/The Fall. Its more your standard Space Opera. The book starts off slow, but after about half way it picks up and becomes far more interesting.

The first 1/3 of The Rise of Endymion is also rather slow, but its picking up again so hopefully it ends well. There is a reason why the church prefers their prophets dead.

[Borque]

I love Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. The other two books get progressively worse - I thought they were ok, others' opinions seem to vary between "ok" and "worthless crap". On a 1-5 scale I'd rate the four books at 5 / 4,5 / 3,5 / 3 or so.

One tangential word of warning though - if you loved the Hyperion books, you might feel a need to read Ilium and Olympos by the same author (but not set in the same universe). Do not do this. Ilium sets up things very interestingly, and has a lot of promise, but then the utter crap that is Olympos basically turns the whole duology to a steaming pile of feces.

[Wilshire]

I just finished book 4. I liked it better than 3 at least. Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion were far and away the best 2. I loved the Ousters, and would probably read a book just about them. I was actually hoping that Endymion/Rise of Endymion where going to be about them. I'm not sure why Simmons went the way he did with the series, as I thought that there was plenty in the first two books to write a whole series without adding in the whole thing with the church.

[Davias]

I have read Hyperion + Fall of Hyperion and I like them. I'm not to involved in sci-fi settings, but I like Dan Simmons writing and style. The story about the time-graves and the shrike was a cool mystery and it kept me reading. But despite the enjoyable reading experience with both books I feel no real urge to read the other books in the cycle.

Regarding Dan Abraham + 1 Royce, it was a interesting setting and magic system, but the story was quite mediocre and I didn't like one character in the 4 books, except the Andat seedless and this one mercenary captain.
The main characters were too shiny and shallow in my opinion, although their actions and thinkings were written quite well by Abraham. I don't know how to say it, but the characters are somhow boring.

[Royce]

Regarding Dan Abraham + 1 Royce, it was a interesting setting and magic system, but the story was quite mediocre and I didn't like one character in the 4 books, except the Andat seedless and this one mercenary captain.
The main characters were too shiny and shallow in my opinion, although their actions and thinkings were written quite well by Abraham. I don't know how to say it, but the characters are somhow boring.

I agree. His ongoing series "the dagger and the coin quintet" is so far(reading book 2 at the moment) much more entertaining. I have not read that much "medieval fantasy" before, so I love that kind of setting. If you have though, this might be mediocre. He has gone the GRRM school, and that shows as well.

[sologdin]

abraham is nifty insofar as it's platonist forms made manifest.  what happens when the form of the dead walks the earth?  probably sits at the same demographic fantasy table as RSB, too.