Is this book any good?

No.

>>8701403
false

>>8701384
yes, it's very good. this and fall of hyperion are some of my favorite science fiction. i rarely reread anything but had reread these 2 about 4-5 times, spanning late teenage years through middle adulthood

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30KB, 292x323px

>>8701403
See pic

>>8701416
Cool

>>8701384
one of the best sf novels out there, but still just sf

>>8701384
It's glorious. Anyone who says otherwise clearly lives in fear of the Shrike.

>>8701384
I quite like it. Prepare for some weird sort of sex scenes.

One of the sci-fi greats

>>8701384

Some chapters are very good, most are complete shit.

Pretty incoherent other wise, no fucking clue what's going on, book ends with a, "Stay tuned next week, space cadets, to find out what the flying fuck is even going on!" ending.

Never read the second book, didn't really give enough of a shit to.

>>8701384
OP don't listen to >>8702971 , Simmons does some marvelous worldbuilding and the slow revelation of details is a good thing IMO. If you're a lazy reader like out friend here >>8702971 and just want a cheap thriller then this is probably not for you.

>>8702935
>Prepare for some weird sort of sex scenes.
we talking weird, or are we talking _weird_?

>>8702941
>One of the sci-fi greats
>One of the best kinds of cancer

>>8702971
I agree with this lad,

There is no conclusion or real tying up of the knots despite Simmons yelling 'WAIT TILL YOU SEE WHAT THIS ALL LEADS UP TO' for the entire book.

The only short stories I can really recommend are the scholar's tale and the story with the priest.

If you love sf, go ahead and read it I guess, if you're more of a literature guy then steer clear.

>>8703553
>The only short stories I can really recommend are the scholar's tale and the story with the priest.
I agree with this. The other stories aren't very good at all.

I read about a book a week, and have since I was a little kid.

I like Simmon's horror work and just read the Hyperion Cantos on the weight of his other writing. I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, although I've read everything written by William Gibson and Neil Stephenson.

Hyperion is a must read for sci-fi fans, and is mostly OK if you're not; I liked the parallels to Canterbury Tales and the prose. I was interested enough to pick up the rest of the series at garage sales/used book store prices, but not moved enough to order hardbacks off the 'net on release.

Simmons is a very good writer, but if science fiction isn't to your taste, Song of Kali or Carrion Comfort might be better choices.