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Lo compré sin saber nada de él, porque me gustó Hyperion. Son de géneros completamente distintos, y me gustó igualmente.
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Being a heavy reader, I checked out his other books and discovered a very rare writer indeed: able to span genres quite ably, thank you very much. An amazing writer -- someone who can span the world-scale horror dimensions of Carrion Comfort to the Hyperion series to the comic-Darwin-Award-relief of Darwin's Blade. I was and am amazed. Even the books that I had great difficulty with in starting, like The Crook Factory -- a historically accurate fictional tale about Hemingway -- I have come to have a deep and abiding love for (I will never forget Hemingway character's explanation of effective writing).
So this book is about his writer's insights and process. If you aspire to write full-time but haven't achieved that, are delighted by the ability of Dan Simmons' works to take you on journeys and are curious as to how he goes about it... and, lastly, won't get bankrupted by the price, buy this book. If the price makes you gasp, buy more blank paper, study his published works and keep writing.
The book is *very* short and expensively priced but, trust me, you'll reread it. The foreward alone is captivating -- I had to reread it several times at the get-go. This is an intimite view into the writer's mind.
Peter Orullian
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While I obviously enjoyed the book thoroughly (more on that in a moment), I must comment o on some areas I didn't particularly enjoy: (1) The Consul's story is not at all believable, nor does it lay the groundwork necessary for the plot turn. (2) The final scene, with the characters linking arms and singing tunes from "The Wizard of Oz" is unpleasant and unworthy of the rest of the book. (3) Simmons' frequent references to twentieth-century events and persons taxes the reader as well; for the obvious care and planning that went into this work it is disappointing that Simmons couldn't do better. (4) Finally, Simmons makes an unforgivable error in his use of the word "penultimate" as a synonym for "the most." How this could have slipped past his editor is beyond my comprehension, but the fault lies with Simmons for making the mistake in the first place. Perhaps this is an inside joke or Simmons did it on purpose to win a bet?
All that said I'm still able to say that Hyperion is the best science fiction novel I've read in years. It compares favorably to the works of the masters - Heinlein, Bradbury, Ellison - in its scope, its artistry and its ability to deliver visceral impact to the reader. This work, like much of theirs, transcends its genre and belongs in the library of anyone who enjoys good fiction and great writing.
I had a friend, an educated and very well read woman, who once asked me for recommendations in the science fiction genre. I regret losing contact with her for many reasons, and now I have another: I wish I could have recommended this book to her.
I was amazed. The book is made up of six novella length stories told by character on a pilgrimage to the deadly Shrike. Like the Canterburry Tales, each character takes a turn telling his or her tale, and believe me, any one of these tales would be worth the price of the book all on its own. I won't go into any description of the tales because I don't want to spoil your enjoyment, but I can say that they are written in a variety of modes and styles that portray Dan Simmons's superb talents.
Even more amazing, every tale is interconnected to the larger frame story: the pilgrimage. Each tale holds a vital clue to the pilgrims' future meeting with the Shrike.
For careful readers, Hyperion holds references to major literary works of our world, including Pounds Cantos and Shakespeare (and I already mentioned Chaucer). This is a book that was not only worthy of the Hugo, but should have been considered for "literary" awards as well.
One note of caution to those expecting a pat ending: the pilgrimage does not end in this book. You'll have to continue to Fall of Hyperion, as I'm going to do immediately. Simmons's work is so awe inspiring, so exquisite, that I'm both excited and intimidated to have him reading my own work this summer.
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If your used to King's horror stories this one isn't. It is a real thriller that belongs on the shelf with authors such as Robin Cook and Dean Koontz.
For all of you folks who immediately turn a book away when you see the name Stephen King thinking it's just another blood and guts horror novel. Think again, this one isn't.
I read this book in one evening. It will grip you from the very beginning and won't let go until that last word on that last page has been read.
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Summer of Night follows a group of friends through the horror that was the summer of 1960 in the small, rural community of Elm Haven, Illinois. Simmons paints a vivid, lifelike portrayal of young boys growing up in a small community and he exhibits his gift for excellent characterization.
I've always found it difficult to be truly surprised or scared by anything I read - sure, some things are unsettling or creepy but rarely am I actually startled. Summer of Night scared me to death in parts.
Sure, it could be said that this is a run of the mill horror novel, similar to King's many coming of age novels from the same genre. But Simmons is such an excellent writer, he makes the entire thing an experience not to be missed.
In addition to loving the characters, the story is a slam-bang horror yarn that keeps you intrigued from start to finish, and has some of the most suspenseful scenes in all of horror fiction (the coal bin in the cellar, just to name one...and, of course, THE RENDERING TRUCK...a character all on its own!)
I recommend this book to every horror fan I know, with a guarantee that you won't be disappointed.
And Dan Simmons, if you are reading this, PLEASE WRITE ANOTHER HORROR NOVEL!!!
HARD FREEZE, Dan Simmons's second book about this tough, relentless anti-hero Joe Kurtz, is hardboiled, gritty, and full of dead bodies. How many were there? I never managed to keep count but the total kept rising, Kurtz carrying out a few too many of his own executions for me to be comfortable, and the bad guy spurred onward by the cheesiest motivation imaginable to justify his horrible treatment of teenage girls. The dialogue also left a lot to be desired; no Elmore Leonard here. Still, the story is fast paced with just a hint of heartless romance, characters who thankfully remain true to their type, and a justice for the bad guy terrible enough to satisfy even Joe Kurtz.
If you like tough and bloody hardboiled tales about cruelty and violence, ex-cons and crooked cops, and outside-the-law heros who never give up fighting for their own, HARD FREEZE is sure to satisfy.
HARD FREEZE opens in the middle of a brutal Buffalo winter with Kurtz evading three hit men of questionable grey matter (Kurtz knew them in Attica as "The Three Stooges"). As it turns out, Steve "Little Skag" Farino, a returning character from HARD CASE, has decided that Kurtz must go but is too cheap to hire a quality hitter. Thus, The Three Stooges. After learning, through dubious means, of the latest plot against his life, Kurtz finds himself in a relatively no-win situation: cops on one side just waiting to send him back to the joint and the mob on the other side with renewed interest in seeing him become fish food. At this point, Simmons introduces the reader to Angelina Farino Ferrara, Little Skag's older sister and the initial protagonist. Through "certain" interrogation techniques, Kurtz learns that another Buffalo crime family, the Gozangas, was responsible for Samantha's murder. This is all Kurtz needs to know to become the one-man wrecking crew that he is however, the storyline doesn't stop here.
Simmons decides to make Kurtz's life a little more [interesting] by throwing two more, somewhat exacerbating, circumstances at our hero. Kurtz's teenage daughter, a daughter who has no clue of Joe Kurtz's existence, has been left in the custodianship of the sterotypical sleazy stepfather. Without causing upheaval in his daughter's life, Kurtz decides to play her invisible angel by keeping tabs on the stepfather...quite close tabs.
The second situation and one that plays a major role in the plot of this book is a new client Kurtz is reluctant to take on. An older black man, John Wellington Frears, a concert violinist, was referred to Kurtz by his longtime heroin addict friend/informant, Pruno. It seems that Frears daughter was raped and murdered some twenty years ago. The official story was that, after murdering Frears' daughter, the murderer commited the classic familial murder/suicide, but Frears swears to Kurtz that he saw the man at the Buffalo airport very recently. Although Kurtz is ostensibly unilaterally-minded in his quest for revenge against the Gonzaga Family, Kurtz takes on Frears' case and begins the hunt for the ghost Frears seeks. As the story plays out, it becomes abundantly clear that Frears' nemesis is also Kurtz's nemesis and a monster of much greater proportions than Kurtz could ever imagine.
It is quite obvious that Simmons' plot is multidimensional. However, he is able to keep the plot in reasonably decent order and places emphasis on the multipile storylines in a well-sorted manner thus keeping the reader involved in each subplot. Additionally, Simmons pays the proper level of attention to each subplot thereby creating the perfectly-wound web providing the basis for bringing the the storylines together in the end.
Of minor concern and my only issue with HARD FREEZE, the ending seemed somewhat abrupt, almost as though Simmons "needed" to finish the book ASAP. While not materially denigrating to the story as a whole, it was somewhat obvious and a bit detracting from an otherwise wonderful hardnosed, hardboiled crime noir bonanza.
Well worth the purchase price and the read.
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The collection's best story is also its opener. Looking For Kelly Dahl is a ghost story in which a man is confronted by one of his old students. After a suicide attempt, the narrator awakens in an empty world where the only two inhabitants are himself and Kelly Dahl, a disturbed young woman who wants something out of him. What that is, however, isn't clear until the last pages of the story. Affecting, touching and often terrifying, Looking For Kelly Dahl is an amazing story that fully displays Simmons at his very best.
I also really enjoyed the stories The Ninth Av and On K2 with Kanakaredes. In the first story, history repeats itslef with the earth's distant Jewish descendents are faced with yet a new period of assimilation and darkness. In the second story, three men who are set on climbing to the top of K2 are forced by the government to bring an alien ambassador along for the ride. Both stories are widly original and thought-provoking.
Fans of Simmon's amazingly popular Hyperion series will be happy with the story Orphans of the Helix, which takes place in the Hyperion universe. Although a little slow moving, the story pushes just the right buttons. And the final climax is just perfect.
The only story that truly disappointed me is the closing piece, called The End Of Gravity. Well, it's not really a story, but really a film scriptment. And that's exactly how it reads: like an outline. I'm not a big fan of present-tense narratives, like this story makes the use of. And I can't say that the story itself provoked the same feelings the other four stories in this collections unearthed in me.
All in all, Worlds Enough and Time displays Dan Simmons at his very best. These stories, although all falling in the sci-fi genre, should please fans of the genre but also the people who do not particularly like science fiction. Because these stories are very litteray. If you read between the lines, you'll always find more than is displayed on the page. And that is what makes an author stand above all others.
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Some sections of the book are slow (I found the myriad battles with the Shrike tedious) the majority of the tale is fast moving, incredibly rich and believable, and astounding in its plot and details. This book and its predecessor are simply two of the finest works of literature in any genre, and are utterly entertaining.
I've handed copies of the "Hyperion" books over to probably 20 friends over the last 8-9 years, and had never had any of them returned to me. I don't care ... these books are *that* good.
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The Rise of Endymion is a grand exclamation point to the series. Tying up all the loose themes lying around from the first three books, Simmons paints a startling picture of a time in the not too distant future with beautiful word pictures and flowing dialogue. I recommend this series to everyone and they brush it off as "sci-fi". This isn't sci-fi, this is fiction at its' finest.
Being an English Major in college I particularily love the way Simmons ties in other works in literature to this series: Keats' poetry, The Canterbury Tales, The Bible, the dime store detective novel, etc.
My friends all said they were left wanting more, but I disagree. Simmons ends where it should've ended with one of the most bittersweet endings ever. Recommend this book to everyone.
By the way, did anyone notice how this novel and Endymion tied in with Phases of Gravity, or am I crazy?
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However, Endymion, while remaining a good read, is woefully unprepared to carry on the brilliant example illustrated in Simmon's previous explorations. Endymion is simple,almost lazy storytelling with characters that are perilously close to being boreing. Great story telling is propelled forward by great characters. Great characters are complex, flawed beings raging with adversity and duality. The only character who comes close to being interesting is Father Captain De Soya, everyone else in the book remains flat with the possible exception of the old, dying poet. The story itself seems to have problems as well, mainly that it's too long considering its simple subject matter. Simmons' meandering prose is tiresome at times and could have used a more disciplined hand in the editing process. Endymion could have been a much tighter story with the trimming away of at least seventy-five pages.
Dispite my criticism of Endymion it still remains entertaining. It's just that Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion went beyond mere entertainment. Of course I still remain a fan of Simmons' work and eagerly await his next Hyperion installment.
It is almost 300 years after the Fall, the Earth no longer exists (or does it?). The only thing that stands between the control of this universe in Chaos by the military arm of the catholic church, the Pax, is an 11 year old girl named Aenea and Raul Endymion, who has been chosen to protect this future Messiah.
As they attempt to elude the church, the blue android A. Bettik along to help, we are immersed in a world of the future which becomes as real and plausible as our own. Using the farcaster portals to escape Father DeSoya, who has misgivings about his assignment, Simmons gives us excitement at breakneck speed. Like all of Simmon's work Endymion is engaging and thought provoking.
Simmons has woven all the best elements of Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion into one of the most breathtaking adventures ever written. Raul Endymion and the young Aenea will connect amidst the mystery of the future with doom for all mankind looming like storm clouds on the horizon.
This is a book to get lost in every time you pick it up. It is also a book to be read slowly and savored.If you only read one book in this genre I would reccomend this one. You will enjoy this book whether you are a science fiction reader or not. It is adventure on a grand scale and you must have this one for your library.