Hyperion Cantos - Questions.

[Mkilbride]

So, I've just finished the third book, starting on the Fourth. I was aware going in that the quality was going to drop starting with the third, and it did, but they are still very readable.

But I have SO many questions - sure, I haven't finished the fourth, but some really bother me.

Why does Hoyt have Dure's Cruciform in the third? That was removed int he second book.

IN the second book, what the hell was that part with Lamia where she saw a door and heard a woman scream - and she ran away, then bolders fell on her - what was that? Is it explained in the Fourth book? Don't spoil it, but tell me if it is.

Confused about what Gladstones plans were. She talked about how Billions would die - this was before her plan to destroy the Farcasters and stop the TechnoCore. She talked about that when she took her stroll through the worlds.

Also, the thing with Sol & Rachel, and Khassad bugs the shit out of me. I don't understand what happened. Khassad traveled the future, beat the Shrike or something? Died fighting it, and was sent back in time with the Shrike? Also, there better be a huge explanation about the damn Shrike in the fourth book. Because, at the end of the second, I was content with it, besides Khassad's odd story...also he mentioned thousands of them, which is freaking nuts. But with the third book, he opened up a can of worms and now the Shrike is a huge confusing mystery again.

I also do not understand the obsession with Keats. Also, the "Refused this Godhood twice" line from Uhmmon confuses me. Is he talking about the original Keats? That wouldn't make sense...but it also doesn't make sense of he means "Johnny", it also doesn't really make sense in relation to the current Keats cybrid who becomes the Ships AI. At no point where either of them faced with the choice of becoming the Human UI or whatever. I thought the whole talking in Koans or whatever was a really dumb thing to do.

Basically, explain everything about the first three books without spoiling the fourth. These questions are bugging me!

 

[kandiliotis]

Haven't read it in a while but I'll give it a go without spoiling the fourth book.

• in the first book Hoyt found Dure's dead remains on the tesla tree and put the cruciform on himself. Now when either dies they take turns in resurrection Only Hoyt has Dure murdered each time.
• When Lamia hears a scream, is eventually explained.
• All I remember is Gladstone wanted to destroy the technocore. She sacrificed the collapse of the Hegemony to destroy them. In Endymion, the PAX replace the hegemony and the Technocore survive, although there are three factions amongst them. Stable, Volitiles and Ultimates.
• The Sol & Rachel, and Khassad confused the shit out of me too. I guess in Endymion the author had to weave them back into the story somehow.
• The fourth (Rise) goes someway to finally explain the Shrike. I actually enjoyed that part. But at times I wondered if even Simmons actually had a clue.
• Simmons is just fascinated with John Keats, that's all.
• Koans is used because human are too dumb to understand anything.
• Keats role is explained in the fourth.

Good luck with it.
I enjoyed the Cantos. Its a favourite, so happy to help out any one reading it.

 

[Mkilbride]

So I finished the fourth.

The scream by Lamia was never explained, at least, if it was, I missed it.

But yeah, the Sol & Rachel and all that stuff just ended up dumb.

The Shrike was never explained in a good way, it was made so confusing, it lost the cool factor.

Overall I liked it, but I felt like...the last two books shouldn't have been made.