Endymion

Dan Simmons

Bantam Books. $22.95
(paper $5.99)

This sequel to Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion is the story of Brawne Lamia's daughter; also, some further antics of Martin Silenus, the Consul's ship, Lenar Hoyt in his 9th incarnation as Pope Julius, and, of course, the Shrike. Or, if you have not read Dan Simmons' earlier books, Endymion tells the adventures of Raul and young Aenea, relentlessly pursued across far-flung worlds by a Church which sees Aenea as a threat.

Endymion can boast sympathetic and intelligently crafted characters; even deSoya, cast in the role of villain, is enticingly likeable, and if Aenea seems too mature for her 12 years, at least Simmons has not made the mistake of having her be unrealistically childish. Simmons does have some problem with consistency, mostly insignificant, if careless, points which do not interfere with the otherwise strong plot.

Hyperion won a Hugo for Best Novel in 1990 and The Fall of Hyperion was nominated for the same a year later. With this background, Endymion, too, will probably at least be nominated. But Endymion is that rare part of a series which stands perfectly well on its own, needing neither the history that came before nor the hinted-at sequel yet to come. All the same, we can hope Simmons doesn't take too long to tell us "what happens next."

 

Also by Dan Simmons:

Hyperion. Bantam Books, 1989
The Fall of Hyperion. Bantam Books, 1990
Endymion. Bantam Books, 1995
The Rise of Endymion. Bantam Books, 1997

 

This review copyright 1996 by Wendy Morris
Information last updated March 22, 1998

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