Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
Simmons probably only gets mentioned in one reply because The Hyperion Cantos aren't really space opera by the usual definitions.
They are brilliant and multi-layered works. The first book in particular is a literary tour de force, with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales retold as SF. They are also a bit like the proverbial onion: as you read farther, layers are peeled back, and you discover things are not as you were led to think they were.
I was introduced to the series shortly after the publication of the first by a friend who was writer and editor, and thought _Hyperion_ was one of those big books full of ideas that come along periodically and help redefine SF. I thought he was quite right.
I recommended them to a friend, who bought the first in PB. Unfortunately, it was long enough that Bantam had split the first book into two PB volumes, but didn't mention the first book was part one of two. He was so annoyed when he came to the cliff-hanger at the end of book one that he refused to read anything else of Simmons'. My protests that it wasn't the author's fault if the publisher was stupid were to no avail.
I'd call the series one you should read if you're at all serious about SF. It's a bit atypical for Simmons, however - most of his output is normally classed as Horror.
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Dennis
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I'm going to have to give the
Hyperion sequence a try.
I notice that Baen have two sequels to
The Witches of Karres. One by Flint and Freer.
The Sorceress of Karres and the other
The Wizard of Karres which includes Mercedes Lackey as a contributing author.
I would love to read a Karres sequel so I am interested to know how they stand up to comparison with the classic by Schmitz. Both are quite reasonably priced.