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Dec 16, 2009TheWhiteAfrican rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of the best sci-fi books in recent years. Greatly influenced by the Canterbury Tales and the poetry of John Keats (there's even a cyborg clone of Keats featured later!). The story is centered around seven pilgrims, each who tells his own story and thus the book is in a sense a collection of shorter works, all brilliant, under a larger framework. The writing is easy to read, yet absorbing. Simmons' characterization is exact and his description of the many wondrous things in his universe are gorgeous. However, you will have to read the slightly disappointing sequel (fall of hyperion) to find out how the story ends, and if you're still on a Simmons-high by that point, you can check out the next two books in the saga, Rise of Endymion and Endymion.