The Rise of Endymion

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Length: 29 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

In the stunning continuation of the epic adventure begun in Hyperion, Simmons returns us to a far future resplendent with drama and invention. On the world of Hyperion, the mysterious Time Tombs are opening. And the secrets they contain mean that nothing - nothing anywhere in the universe - will ever be the same.

©1997 Dan Simmons (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Great book series

Slow book with emphasis in detail... however its worth it.

At the beggining its kind of slow... but when you go deep into the story you want to know what would be the outcome.

Life-changing

This story is more than just a story. There are truths woven in... beautiful with a depth that astounded me

good but not great

for the first time in this series, I was ahead of the plot. I knew what was going to happen long before it did. the story is good but not at well formed as the other 3 books. where I'm the other books chapters flip back and forth between characters, events, times. This book pretty much drops that (except when it's convenient) and sticks with a single straight forward narrative. Characters you have come to know and love or hate get brushed aside only to have them show up again way later in the book with only a few sentences to explain where they were or what they were doing. And more often then not, when this happens, I found myself wishing I was reading their story. Mostly because it sounded more interesting then what I was currently reading about. Entire chapters are spent on florid descriptions of a single non-plot related event. It's character building but I don't need the 2 main characters built anymore. I have been reading about them the entire book. MASSIVE galactic changes take place in this book, but unlike all the other book, you only get to hear about them in passing. No one is there to witness it or take part in it. There are plenty of characters who Could have told about it. But no. several times we essentially get a bullet pointed list of things we absolutely need to know so they will understand the next plot point that happens.
on the up side. the author does fairly cleanly rap up all the plot threads from all the books. Things actually make sense in the end. and that counts for a lot. like I said earlier. the plot it good. It honestly just feels rushed. Like he had enough material outlined for 2 books but just didn't have to heart to write them both. So he crammed it all in this one.

Awesome

I liked it very much. I admit there were some slow moments, but it was really worth it. The narration was also good. I recommend it.

These four books, best science fiction series ever

I read this series in hardback several times. Dan Simmons is one of my favorite writers. Usually the first book or two in a series is pretty good and then the quality fades when the writer drags something on way too long. These books get better as they go. The audio version is amazing. I will listen to this over and over.

Great Series but struggled to finish

Would you listen to The Rise of Endymion again? Why?

No, I wouldn't listen again. Although Mr. Simmons does an incredible job on describing the scenes, I felt that I was struggling to finish this last book. His continuous re-stating of things over and over again, and sometimes just going overboard with the descriptions was a problem this time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Raul has to be the favorite, but he was the focus of the book.

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine – was your favorite?

Mr. Bevine does an excellent job with all the characters, no single character was better.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My reaction was to that of 'Description ad nauseam' and not so much as the book.

Any additional comments?

I wonder how many times he uses the word Schrödinger?

Simmons' epic continues

What did you love best about The Rise of Endymion?

This is a glorious sequel to the Hyperion books bringing satisfying closure and depth to the series. I'd recommend these as literature as much as good sf reading. Bravo.

What other book might you compare The Rise of Endymion to and why?

"Through the Looking Glass" Alice's adventures not only continue but rise to a new level. So here the characters who are gone return in the memories and deeds of their descendents.

Have you listened to any of Victor Bevine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to his work on the Hyperion books. He continues to be excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and no. The plot drove me on...but then, I really didn't want it to end. Like coming to "The Return of the King" when I read Tolkien, I felt melancholy about losing friends--and actually a whole world.

Any additional comments?

If you like well written literature, read it. If you like thoughtful sf, then read it.

One of the best SCiFi book series ever written,

Final book of Cantos Books. Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise od Endymion. Victor Bevine is a MASTER reading this also MASTERPIECE of book. I wich I could tell the Author this.. but he already knows he wrote the Milestone in Science Fiction.

Ingenious!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Rarely is such an over-intellectualized book, with all the fashionable gender ideology, so well written, but this one is. True, the old archetype of messiah rarely fails, but here it is developed absolutely beautifully. This book made my short list right by with Dune, Foundation, Stranger in a Strange Land and few other masterpieces of sf.

What other book might you compare The Rise of Endymion to and why?

Dune, because of the archetype of messiah.

Stunning

One of the beat sci-books I've read. Dan Simmons is a literary genius. Everything that was disappointing in Endymion is redeemed in this book. The characters are well developed, the writing is beautiful and the story is absolutely mind-blowing. Well ahead of it's time. Hard to wrap your head around some of the concepts he brings into this narrative. Simply a fantastic read. 5/5