Book Review: Endymion (Hyperion Cantos, #3) by Dan Simmons
Cover art illustrated by Gary Ruddell
Endymion by Dan Simmons
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: Hyperion Cantons (Book #3 of 4)
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Pages: 578 pages (Kindle Edition)
Word Count: 198,000 Words
Published: 1st January 1996 by Spectra
I am conflicted. There were some great moments and incredible world-building in Endymion, but this penultimate installment of the Hyperion Cantos is not up to the high standards of the first two Hyperion books.
“The shortest route to courage is absolute ignorance.”
Endymion is the third book in Dan Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos classic sci-fi series. I absolutely loved reading Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion. If you have been following my reviews, then you will know that I consider them both some of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written. Because of this, maybe it is not too fair to compare Endymion to these two books. But even though it is a different kind of book compared to the Hyperion books, Endymion is still a form of a sequel as the story takes place almost 300 years after The Fall of Hyperion, and the characters and events from the first two books became the iron bone of Endymion. Thankfully.
“The universe is indifferent to our fates. This was the crushing burden that the character took with him as he struggled through the surf toward survival or extinction. The universe just does not give a shit.”
The story in Endymion follows the story of Raul Endymion as he is sent on a quest to retrieve Aenea from the Sphinx before the Church troops reach her. This turns out to be the beginning of their journey instead. With help from a blue-skinned android named A. Bettik, Raul, and Aenea travel the river Tethys while being pursued by Father Captain Frederico DeSoya, an influential warrior-priest, and his troops. After the exciting initial rescue mission, the entire book Endymion revolves around The Hunted and The Hunter storyline. And on paper, The Hunted vs The Hunter storyline should work incredibly well. And I’ll be lying if I say there weren’t anything exciting or intense throughout the entire novel. But admittedly, this occurred mostly during the beginning and ending portion of Endymion. The middle-part was admittedly a struggle for me to go through. It all stems from my lack of investment in the new set of characters.
“So many important things pass quickly without being understood at the time. So many powerful moments are buried beneath the absurd.”
Let’s quickly lay down some context first. Hyperion can be categorized as a set of connecting novellas that depict the details of each main character who embarks to Hyperion. Each one of these POV chapters has its own strengths. They were insanely well-written. The Scholar’s Tale remains one of my favorite tales to this day. After this strong background and character development, The Fall of Hyperion proceeds to gradually conclude their storyline while including another unforgettable character, Gladstone. Yes, The Fall of Hyperion and Hyperion are an inseparable entity, and I will die on this hill. Endymion, however, did not fully succeed in capturing this compelling narrative in Raul’s. In fact, excluding the climax scene, the best part of Endymion was the appearance and callback to the characters from the first two books. I enjoyed reading the aftermath of the characters from the first two books more than Raul Endymion’s story. Aenea and Bettik were quite interesting, but overall, none of the new characters managed to reach the height of what Simmons has achieved in the Hyperion books, as far as character writing goes.
Picture: Endymion by Gary Ruddell
There isn’t much else to say. This is rare for me when I write a review on a relatively big book like Endymion. As I mentioned. Endymion is not without its merit. It was great seeing some of the characters from the Hyperion books again. The intricate world-building and description, especially on River Tethys, were absolutely beautiful. The narrative has some gorgeous vistas. The usage of the cruciform gets even more terrifying. And of course, a certain iconic creature’s appearance in the series never fails to compel the narrative. Only some important questions remain. Can The Rise of Endymion, the fourth and final book in the series, tie everything that has been established and built since the first book together? Or would the last two books of this series end up being simply a disappointment? Even worse, what if the last two books ended up retconing/ruining the greatness of the first two Hyperion books? I am worried that what I predict will happen between Raul and Aenea as well. I guess we’ll find out the answer to all these questions. Eventually.
“I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.”
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