Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

Sorry a bit late, but welcome to this month's sci fi and fantasy read!

I plan on joining for Hyperion. Who all is reading and when is everyone starting?

I will deffo be reading, but have a couple of other books to finish first, so anticipate starting in around 7-10 days time...

Darren wrote: "I will deffo be reading, but have a couple of other books to finish first, so anticipate starting in around 7-10 days time..."

Same here.

Waiting for the interlibrary loan system to come up with a copy for me.

Dennis wrote: "Waiting for the interlibrary loan system to come up with a copy for me."

And here it is! "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times with no libraries."

Dennis wrote: "Dennis wrote: "Waiting for the interlibrary loan system to come up with a copy for me."

And here it is! "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through tim..."

Definitely!

I have started but am still at the very beginning -- I have the audiobook, which is not always the best format or sci fi, I find. So far, I am a bit confused but liking it.

Reading this kind of science fiction book reminds me of the way I learned to read adult-level books when I was a child. You start out getting a feel for the language, noting the characters and the unfamiliar terms, and keeping a lookout for the moment when each becomes clear and you proudly add it not only to your vocabulary but to your sense of how the world works. Only in this case, the world isn't the one you live in. It's Hyperion.

For some readers, doing all this work may seem like a burden best left in childhood, while for others, it may be a return to the joys of an earlier time.

Dennis wrote: "Reading this kind of science fiction book reminds me of the way I learned to read adult-level books when I was a child. You start out getting a feel for the language, noting the characters and the ..."

You are getting me excited to start reading! I'll start by weekend at the latest, then be able to join in discussions.

I am liking this so far (at about halfway through), though some scenes have been hard to take.

I think that to me, it is similar to working on a jigsaw puzzle when you don't know what the image is -- each story adds a piece to the overall picture but some aspects are still tantalizingly unclear!

By the way, if you're wondering what the name of the planet Hyperion and the city Keats might mean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperio....

I have heard lots of literary references but one of the downsides of audiobooks is the difficulty in marking or noting places (at least for me).

I can't imagine where this series is headed, but it's sure to be a wild ride! In this book, you get six different pilgrims telling the stories of how they got to be on the journey to Hyperion, and what they intend to do once they get there...and to tell his or her own story, each one has to tell the story of someone who's not there to speak for themselves: a lover, a daughter, a mentor. That's quite the literary coup.

Add in complicated interstellar political conspiracies, ruminations on time, love. meaning, and God, and some wicked humor and you've got an overfull book.

Here's my worry, in the apt form of an English riddle poem:

As I was going to Saint Ives,
I crossed the path of seven wives.
Every wife had seven sacks,
Every sack had seven cats,
Every cat had seven kittens,
Kittens, cats, sacks, wives,
How many were going to Saint Ives?

The solution to the riddle is: one. Only the person telling the riddle was going to Saint Ives. Everyone else was going a different way. He or she just happened to cross their path.

Is Dan Simmons going to Saint Ives while all his characters are going somewhere else? If I get caught up in them, will I be disappointed when the riddles of this series are revealed?

right! I've finally cleared a slot for this one and will be starting it tomorrow!

I finished the other day and now I am on the waiting list at the library for the next book. So obviously I liked it but I did find the ending annoying in (view spoiler)[the fact it doesn't actually resolve anything! If that is still true after I finish the second book I will be downgrading my rating. (hide spoiler)]

I have started, but not got very far, as I'm a bit bemused to find that this is not so much a novel as an excuse for several short stories
it seems very well written though, and I expect I will read it all (and enjoy it) but it might take me a while longer, as it is quite easy to put down once you finish each sub-story...

I liked the book well enough that I'm closing in on the end of the SEQUEL. It's far less structured, however, and my credulity is beginning to wear thin.

I read the 3rd of the 6 sub-stories recently (the one with the poet) and was not overly impressed - the first 2 had been pretty good, but if I don't like the 4th one I might have to shelve this and start My Family And Other Animals!

Darren wrote: "I read the 3rd of the 6 sub-stories recently (the one with the poet) and was not overly impressed - the first 2 had been pretty good, but if I don't like the 4th one I might have to shelve this and..."

While I didn't much like the character of the poet, I think his story is important as it bridges our world with that of the novel. But my favorite of the Tales is the one by the scholar which I think comes right after the poet's.

ok, so I read the 4th story and found it the worst yet (view spoiler)[with the woman who grows younger back to a girl then baby (hide spoiler)], in fact I skim-read most of it after I realised that it was going to take the course that it did - it had a mildly interesting idea which could've sustained a much shorter short story, but 60 pages was unnecessary - this was also what I felt about the 3rd story which was the entire life story of a poet who er... (view spoiler)[published some successful poetry and then dried up and then got re-inspired (hide spoiler)].
the first story of the missionary was good - it had mystery and horror; the second of the general had plenty of action to hold the attention, but I am now seriously doubting I can be bothered with the 5th and 6th...

Late to the game here but I finished Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. enjoyed them both immensely. Intelligently written, clever story, and I found the scholar's tale to be heartbreaking.
Relating to Kassad's full story in Fall of Hyperion, however, I got a bit lost. Didn't have time to read it so I picked up the audio book and didn't connect the dots on him - I think I dozed. Anyone want to help me out?
Spoiler for both Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion follows, so read at your own risk!
(view spoiler)[ In Fall of Hyperion, Kassad goes to the future and his greeted by the future of humanity (Ousters) and an army of Shrikes. But what happened at that point? I 'woke up' and Kassad was dead. No great battle, no slaying the Shrike? What the heck? (hide spoiler)]
Anyone want to help me fill in the gaps?

I am still waiting on my library hold for The Fall of Hyperion so I can't help you -- hopefully soon it will become available!