[gacca]

I just read this outstanding book and I would like to ask if someone has read his other books and what are your thoughts on them. Are they as good as Hyperion, are they worth a read?

Regardind Hyperion, I just wanted to say that it is a fantastic book. I've read a lot and it is among the best books I have read. It really is a shame that scifi and fantasy is considered piece of **** in so-called "intelectual" circles because I honestly think that this book ranks among the masterpecies of world literature. Really, the ideas are so deep and so moving. To my mind what makes this book so good is that it's really about the concept of time. And only in the scifi genre author can play with this concept and really make readers think about it. Wow, the book is full of fantastic ideas. And I liked the ending so much that I don't really know if i want to read the sequel:)

[Yobmod]

Hyperion is popular around here, and has been discussed in the book club here (http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5184). The discusion is still open, so feel free to add to it.

Hyperion has a sequel, Fall of Hyperion (which i assume you know about).

There are another 2 books in the same universe (Endyminion ans Rise of Endyminion).

Also a new duo (Ilium and Olympus) set in a different universe, that are supposed to be very good.

Most of his ther stuff i've read is SF horror or supernatural horror. They are good, but might not be to you're taste.

Carrion Comfort is SF horror (about Psychic vampires and nazi's).
Song of Kali is fantasy horror (Journilist in Calcutta investigates a death cult).
The Hollow Man is SF horror (Telepathic man's wife dies, and he goes a bit mad).

A search will show other threads on Simmons other books too.

[Eperitos]

I think its funny that you are bemoaning pompous readers and then go ahead and spell intellectual wrong (just pulling your leg ;) , welcome to the forum :) ).

I too have recently finished Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion and thought they were great, as good as any mainstream literature out there.

[ArthurFrayn]

It really is a shame that scifi and fantasy is considered piece of **** in so-called "intelectual" circles because I honestly think that this book ranks among the masterpecies of world literature.
This really is kind of a non starter considering that Simmons is often given as an example of literary SF. His books are highly regarded. I like 'em too. :D

[Nevyn]

Me three!!! :D

[Yobmod]

Fooouuuur!

[Andrew J]

Ok, some points:
--I fifth or whatever it, Simmons is great, a sort of modern day, SF...well, I want to say Joyce, but they don't sound similar--maybe Proust? ;)
--for non-SF, his Summer of Night is one of my favorites just in how well he balances Literary techniques (showing people as characters, the world seems like an actual slice of time, "exploring" that period, good prose) and horror (chills and neat ideas--I really love the description of the school in the first chapter, and as a high schooler reading it over the summer, it was the PERFECT book for me).
--Endymion and Rise of Endymion are not nearly as good as Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, but pick them up if you can get them cheap as they can be good once you understand: a) its not more of the same or quite as epic feeling, b) there's some faults later in Simmon's theology stuff that sounds a bit "stonerish," and c) its dense.
--Haven't read it yet, but "Worlds Enough and Time" is a collection of short SF stories and novellas, including a novella set in the Hyperion universe that I've heard is good
--Illium and Olympos, or, as I've heard them termed, "The Homeric Duology," are also great--though Olympos has a few weak parts (the literal Deus Ex Machina that explains away everything made me angry, because Simmons handled the mysterious stuff in Hyperion far better with only vague stated explanations and tons of subtext for the reader to piece together.)

[ArthurFrayn]

For me, Rise of the Endymion was long winded,but also the most intellectually compelling of all four books. It was a book I was suprised he decided to end the saga with, and the one I most admire his writing for.
But, my personal favorite, was Fall of the Hyperion. It had a feeling of the epic fall of an emormous galactic civilization, that I don't think I've ever experienced with any book. It just seemed like a huge, huge story.
And I mean that in a good way. Mind blowing.

[Shunryu]

I read the Hyperion series, and then read Illium. I found that Hyperion was the best, and the rest while good, were not as good. I thought in particular that Olympos was very weak. It was disjointed, and generally self indulgent. This trend was started in Illium, but was not as apparent. Just my humble opinion.

[Evil Agent]

I have to say the same, Hyperion was awesome! I will always fondly remember picking it out of the library, purely based on the 'cool cover', never having heard of it before. Man, was that a good random pick.

I thought Fall of Hyperion was even better because the resolution of the story was mind blowing. The next two, Endymion and Rise of Endymion, weren't quite as good, but were very close and definitely worth reading as well, if you enjoy the first two.