The SF Novels of Dan Simmons

Last updated August 21, 1998

Back in 1989, Dan Simmons, previously known for his horror fiction, published an astounding work of science fiction. It was titled Hyperion. Hyperion was justly awarded the Hugo as the finest science fiction novel published that year and Simmons added to his fame by publishing a sequel called The Fall of Hyperion less than a year later. Together these two books placed Simmons in the top rank of modern science fiction writers, along with such talents as David Brin, Greg Bear, and Kim Stanley Robinson.

However, Dan Simmons abandoned the field of science fiction and returned to his first genre of horror fiction. I don't read horror fiction and so I can not comment on the quality of his work in this field. What I do know is that as a science fiction writer, he had rare skill and imagination. I was personally saddened to see him leave behind the field and wander off into Stephan King territory.

Suddenly, in late 1995, a new science fiction book by Mr. Simmons appeared. Yet another sequel to Hyperion called Endymion. Two years later the 4th and supposedly final book in the Hyperion series was published. The paperback version was released in August 1998 and I'm here to report on the series as a whole.

Hyperion

As I mentioned earlier, Hyperion won the Hugo and was widely considered the best science fiction novel of the year. At the time, people made the obvious comparison between Hyperion and Cantebury Tales. Like Chaucer, Simmons had a story in which a group of people were traveling together to a destination, a holy place (of a sort). Each traveler has a story to tell and so the novel is made up of six different stories. Unlike Chaucer, Simmons sets his stories inside a world that is quite a ways into a possible future. Simmons future is a strange and wonderful place. Unlike most science fiction, Simmons places machine intelligence at the very heart of the story.

For those who care, Greg Benford was one of the first science fiction writers to really think about a possible future where the primary conflict was between machine life and biological life (see especially Across the Sea of Stars). Simmons takes some of Benford's ideas and puts a very metaphysical spin on them. The central question in the first two books (Hyperion & Hyperion Rising) is: given vast amounts of power, can one create god? And, who, or what, will create it?

Something else in the story is especially worth commenting on. The story of Sol Weintraub was deeply, profoundly moving for me. The whole concept of objects or people moving backwards through time is so mind blowing that Simmons deserves high praise for even attempting to this phenomenon. However, he put a human dimension on this concept that was just heart breaking.

There is no question that Simmons has a taste for rather horrible things, his interest in the horror genre is quite obvious. Within the context of his science fiction story, I don't mind the horror elements and I actually appreciate the unique elements that he brings to his plots.

The Fall of Hyperion

This book really is a direct continuation of the first book. It is a bit different because it moves away from the multiple stories format, and instead adopts a far more conventional narrative structure. I regard the book as having equal value to the first book. In some respects I like it better, because (what I though was) the full depth of his plot is revealed in the book.

The climax to the book is truly remarkable and could not have been guessed at. All in all, a most amazing pair of books.

Endymion

So, nearly six years pass and finally a new book appears. Endymion (a very odd title indeed) is more like The Fall of Hyperion than it is like the first novel. Basically there are only two plot lines that move forward, roughly in parallel, all the way to the end of the book. In an odd twist, the previous two books are considered works of poetry in the time period of Endymion. They are called the Cantos and are frequently referred to by various characters, sometimes with disdain, other times as major works of historical truth. Given that the new book is set some 260 years in the future, this is quite plausible, though it does seem odd. One benefit this offers Simmons is that he can treat the first two books as flawed or incomplete visions on what happened. On several issues the Endymion books put a very different spin on some elements in the first two books.

A major change to the series is that, much like the Terminator in T2, this time the horrible Shrike is a force for good while a new character is roped in to play the bad guy (or gal in this case).

In general I liked the book. It is not as profound a work as Hyperion. Some of the character motivations seem suspect, especially at the end. And I have a serious problem with the described ecology on the ice world. The relation between the arctic wraiths and the human population just doesn't hold up to even limited thought. The arctic wraiths feed on humans, the humans feed on the wraiths. I'm sorry, but this is not a plausible ecology, there must be other energy inputs. And how did this evolve? What did the wraiths eat before humans arrived on the planet? Why would humans even attempt to terraform a planet which was so cold? I admit, the setting is impressive, a world with a frozen atmosphere, but the underlying logic of the situation just doesn't hold up. Also, this book is without question just part one of a multi-part work. As such, some significant events are merely hinted at in the book, and never brought to conclusion or explained. All in all, a good book, and it is good to see Simmons return to the field which he had left for so long.

The Rise of Endymion

Published 9/1997. This book is significantly different from the books that came before. In fact I would say Simmons, back in 1994 had very little idea that he would write some of the things that he ended up writting in this book. He even contradicts a few elements in the previous book (Endymion).

So, is it good? I think it is very good, better than Endymion and worthy of standing next to Hyperion. At its core this book is a plea in favor of mortality. I'd guess that death is a fairly serious issue for Simmons, it certainly informs all of his works. One might not think that death needs a friend, but Simmons argues for it in any event. In short his argument is that without death, life has no beauty. Life needs growth and change, and most of this growth and change can only be accomplished by the old giving way to young. Since I have yet to experience the evils of immortality I'm not convinced by Simmon's philosophy. But he makes a good case.

What's it like? This time the story is told 95% from Raul Endymion's perspective. We basically follow Raul from where we left him at the end of Endymion, to the end of the series. I have a problem with Raul in that he is far too willing to accept Aenea's directions without question. Considering the fact that Aenea is very much a Christ-like figure, you can buy into following her suggestions some of the time. But not once does Raul put his foot down and do the smart thing against her wishes. Basically Raul is a good soldier, never questioning his orders. This does not make a very satisfying character in my opinion. Heavens, even Peter disobeyed Jesus's commands on a few occasions.

Does the book explain everything? Considering that the first three books left unanswered questions in nearly every chapter, the answer is still yes, Simmons does answer nearly all the questions. He does this by including a great deal of flat-out explanation from Aenea. Also there are a few scenes told from other perspectives that explain the remaining motivations of major characters.

I especially enjoyed Raul's journey to the gas giant planet. Really impressive description. I'm all set to go visit Jupiter and see if his imagination is justified.

Problems? Yes, I have some problems with the book. The main problem is at the heart of the last two books: what power does Aenea have? Here is an area where I suspect Simmons himself was uncertain. Certainly her abilities come and go. At times Aenea has to rely on a star ship for transport, at other times she can move through space (and time?) at will. Obviously a person with infinite power is not a person at all but a god. Aenea is sometimes a god and sometimes not and no explanation is given by her, or demanded of her by Raul, as to what is the extent of her power.

SPOILER ALERT - The following reveals a key plot point at the end of the book -

Another problem I have is with Aenea's martyrdom. Basically the question is why? Once she has set up the forces that will destroy the evil Pax and drastically hurt the Core, she goes to the capital of the Pax and willingly allows herself to be tortured to death. The identification of Aenea as Christ is rather inescapable at this point. My question is why? There was no reason why Aenea would have to do this. Her virus/philosophy was going to win in any event, the Core admitted as such. No doubt her martyrdom speeded things up but really, what was the point? I think Simmons himself was internally divided on this point, the ending of Endymion suggests that this was not the ending he had planned.

A lesser issue for me was the Shrike. It is transformed from a force of evil in the first two books to a force for good in the last two books. The reason for this transformation is hinted at but not explained.

The Series as a Whole

Simmons writes about our galaxy 1000 in the future given faster than light speed travel, and computers that have continued to increase in speed and power at rates similar to the last 50 years. Like all science fiction writers, he is really writing about today, the world has become tied together, the Internet has joined millions of computers together, medicine and genetic engineering have made cloning real and some people think that immortality (or very long life) may be only 50 years away. The real dangers we face now are technology without love (the Core), peace without freedom (the Pax), law without compassion. Without question Simmons is at the spiritual end of science fiction. Given the fact that the most modern of the great world religions is nearly 1400 years old, I think it is high time that we reconsider the spiritual ideals that have dominated human thought for the last 1000 years. For me, the Hyperion series is a major element in this debate.

Other Simmons Books

• The Hollow Man. Frankly, I hated this book. I really, really hated this book. I disliked almost everything about the book, the plot, the characters, the setting, almost everything. I did finish the book but compared to Hyperion, this was a major disappointment. If this book is representative of Simmons horror fiction, I don't want to read any of it.

While I suspect there are some web sites devoted to Dan Simmons, I haven't done the research to find them (yet). If you know of any please let me know.

Next author: Simon Green