RISE OF ENDYMION
by Dan Simmons
Bantam Spectra, 1998 709 pgs. $6.50 (pb)
Sometimes, if you're lucky, you save the best for last.
I delayed reading the final book of the Hyperion saga until it came out in
paperback. The reason: I didn't want the story to end. And what a story it was
-- the first pair of novels raised than more questions than were answered as we
traveled through time and space with some amazing, memorable characters.
The wild, planet-hopping, adventure ride of the third book, ENDYMION, raised
additonal questions. They get answered in grand fashion by Simmons's wonderful
turn of theme, character and plot in the conclusive final novel.
A key element in RISE OF ENDYMION is a unique solution to the question: What is
love? More specifically, what is the nature of love? Through her selfless love
to life of all kinds, the character Aenea shows the Hyperion universe how to
walk the path to the next level of existence by losing their dependence on
false immortality. The finale of the Hyperion saga is a gratifying end to a
classic of the science fiction field. --Don Kinney
Reviewer's note: There is one more Hyperion novella yet to appear. It will be
published in the TOR volume SCIENCE FICTION LEGENDS due out in 1999.
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