The Fall of Hyperion (Unabridged‪)‬

After getting to the end of this book's predecessor, Hyperion, without the characters actually confronting the creature called the Shrike, (the whole reason for the story) I realized that the publisher was just trying to collect twice for one story. But after reading the sequel, The Fall of Hyperion, I was pleased that the story resolved. . . although I am still confused by a lot of elements in the plot. This book is interesting and I was always anxious to find out what happened next. Many parts of the story were very original, especially the mystery around the nature and purpose of the Shrike and the Time Toombs. However, the author is so often vague bringing up things that he doesn't explain, that I often felt confused. Although the endless references to dead poets (especially John Keats) had some value, it was too much. There was an endless stream of philosophising by the reincarnated poet characters which did not ring a bell for my brain, and seemed like nonsense intended to make the book seem "deep." The core story was interesting. It is an intricate book with a lot of interwoven elements. The book resolved most of the questions for the reader, but not all. I was entertained, but I won't read it again. It wasn't quite that good.

I really liked this book and the new characters. Instead of each pilgrim sharing their story from their point of view, this reads more like a conventional story, but still done in a way that highlights each characters story. You’ll come to really love some of the pilgrims and how their stories resolve. We meet the big players in this universe and they are worth it! You learn their motives and why they want to control the events that unfold in this story. The new characters mix well with your favorite pilgrims. You also learn more about the mysterious Shrike and the Technocore. They went to a one reader presentation instead of an ensemble of readers, which is VERY welcome. If you loved the first book, you’ll love this book.

This is like the book of Revelations read by an NPR announcer…