Alright, so I recently finished the book "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons. Let me just say... this book was a great read! I have now been to the Time Tombs and lived! So let me tell you how that was. This will be my first book review... so, work with me here while I stumble my way through organizing this post! I plan to keep this super brief. I like brief.
Concept: Alright, so for this book... just pretty much imagine the Canterbury Tales innnnnnnnnn spaceeeeeeeee. A group of pilgrims heading on the last pilgrimage to the planet Hyperion all share their tales about how they ended up where they are now -on the journey. Pretty neato. Structure: Simmons does a masterful job of weaving the plots together. There were many points in the book where I was just left thinking --Whoa. From a writers perspective, as you read through this book, it is a great lesson on structuring. You can see as you go, and especially at the end, how Simmon's knowingly placed each travelers story in an order which would give the reader the highest pay off. What I'm saying in other words is, There is a reason that Traveler A had their story told before Traveler B... and Simmon's did a great job in planning that out. Another thing I really enjoyed, is that each story pretty much was written in a different style. I hope that is the right way of catching what I mean. But each travelers story appeals to a different audience. Ex. One story is a mystery, while the other one is a romance with the old timey noir feel to it... Granted the whole story is sort of a mystery... but I hope you get what I mean. It is also really great to see the occasional reference to something we recognize from our culture today, since the story does take place in our "world". Final Thoughts: I give this book a solid 9/10. It really blew me away, I wasn't ready for the intensity that Simmon's brought. Woo. I learned so much from a writers aspect that I really think it helped my craft, while also being very enjoyable. Once the car left the station, I was in for a wild ride with an abundance of twists and turns. This book has become one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. I can't wait to get to the others in the series. 9/10 Want to learn a bit more about "Hyperion" click here! What to know what I'm reading next? Connect with me on Goodreads! (I'll also just tell you below...) Don't forget to follow me on Twitter... and drop a like on Facebook if you'd be so kind! Currently Reading:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
POSTING SCHEDULE
I will do my best to be posting new content every Wednesday. Tentatively dubbed "Workshop Wednesday" I will relatively unedited practice pieces I create to work on certain aspects of the writing craft. Bear in mind military service and training schedules are unpredictable and may be cause for the occasional late post. In the future I plan to have a set schedule for posting about other writing-related things, or topics in my interest field such as Table Top War Gaming and Video Games. Thank you for your support and feedback! AuthorMatthew Taylor was born February 13, 1991 in Simi Valley, California. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from California State University Channel Islands, where he served as treasurer and briefly President of one of the campus's two political clubs. While earning his degree he continued to write and hone his craft, eventually releasing an initial few short stories on Kindle. Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|