THE RISE OF ENDYMION (Hyperion Cantos #4) by Dan Simmons ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Original review written February 11, 2018)

Easily one of the best science fiction series I’ve read, with great ideas on established themes and solid writing. There were definitely small parts here and there that maybe didn’t make it a perfect book, but it never felt like work to get through. I’d say Hyperion was the best, and Endymion second. Although there’s a lot of complex ideas inside, all the intricate story lines come together eventually, and all except a tiny few at the end are unpredictable.

I loved the way the first book is written with the stories of each character. I think that was my favorite part of the whole set. But I also felt the closest to Raul and A. Bettik from the last two after going through their journey.

This just seemed on another level compared to other books in the genre. It pulls from and includes a lot of literary and artistic sources, so maybe that’s why. Basically, just a really well crafted series.