Dan Simmons' Endymion - A Wild Water Ride Across The Universe

Today I finished Dan Simmons' brilliant third book of his Hyperion Cantos: Endymion. I devoured this probably even more eagerly than the previous two books. So, why not summarize a few thoughts about the book while they're still fresh?

The group travelling the River Tethys nearing the final confrontation on God's Grove.

Endymion, as third book in the series, continues the story of Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion in a loose way: The story takes place nearly three centuries after The Fall. 'The Fall' is understood in this new world as the end of the Hegemony of Man, FORCE, the TechnoCore and its Farcaster network in the final battle against the space-mutant-barbarians called the Ousters (remember, they were not the real enemies) - the cumulation of events that lead to the climax in The Fall of Hyperion.

Endymion, like Frank Herbert's God Emperor of Dune, introduces the reader to a second, connected series in the Hyperion universe. The world is familiar, yet changed. Endymion, in the previous two books just briefly mentioned as a large city on Hyperion, is here actually the name of the hero protagonist through whose eyes much of the story is told. Raul Endymion is a young man from Hyperion who is saved from execution by an old (very old thanks to the Poulsen Treatments) acquaintance - the poet/ drinker Martin Silenus. He, the android A. Bettik (who played a minor role in the first book) and The Consul's ship (formerly known as A.I./cybrid Joseph Severn) are sent on a mission to save the prophet child of Brawne Lamia, one of the previous cycle's pilgrims, from the clutches of the Pax - the Catholic Church, previously a forgotten religious cult, now ruling the galaxy from their vatican world of Pacem.

Throw in the mysterious killing machine The Shrike making surprise appearances and you have the ingredients for a great journey-novel. The journey follows the River Tethys - until The Fall a gift from the TechnoCore to the Hegemony, a river connected by farcaster technology over a plentitude of worlds. With Anea's evolving abilities as The One Who Teaches the unlikely band is able to traverse through the inactive farcaster portals - and face terrifying challenges that they can only master together.

The group trapped on the ice world of Sol Draconis Septem.

By this Simmons further elaborates the universe he created in the first two books, now seen under new circumstances and sometimes cut off from galactic civilization. His imaginary power leads to vivid impressions, believability and empathization with the characters, be they friends or foes. And speaking of foes, nothing here is as it seems.

As with Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion I found Endymion to be an excellent read. Released in 1995 - which was twenty years ago canyoubelieveit, I don't want to compare it to its predecessors as the third book in the series is for me just that - another brilliant iteration in the author's magnum opus. I will start reading the final entry in the series, The Rise of Endymion, tonight and hope for a conclusion of the ambitious story and answers to questions that Endymion left open.