As a final genocidal Crusade threatens to enslave humanity forever, a new messiah has come of age. Aenea and Raul undertake a final spectacular mission to discover the underlying meaning of the universe itself.
What I liked
✅ interesting sci-fi technology
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✅ some satisfying conclusions to mysteries set up in the first book
What I didn't like
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✖ Raul is a terrible, un-compelling choice for the protagonist, he witnesses the events with little control, influence or power over the plot of other characters actions; all the exciting moments happen while he is away; Aenea should have been the protagonist
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✖ person who has foreknowledge of the future won't tell characters about their destiny "because of reasons" excuse
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✖ unconvincing, flat female characters
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✖ sex scenes which cause the reader to cringe and shrivel up
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✖ a cringy, mechanical, unconvincing and borderline-pedophilic relationship straight from the pages of Twilight; without a real connection, vulnerability or emotions, Simmons tries to convince us that they love each other because of GREAT SEX
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✖ "love is the driving force of the universe" cliché; Jesus (and other historical and religious figures) are actually a part of the "love is a driving force of the universe cliché" cliché
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✖ information dumps; self-indulgent, unnecessary and excessive worldbuilding that add nothing to the plot (see: the 10 page description of the mountains of Tian’Shan)
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✖ insufferably grandiose, an engorged wordcount which could have been cut back
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✖ unnecessary scenes shoved in, told by unnecessary additional character perspectives
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✖ too much philosophising and forced religion
Rating
2/5 🌟
Genre: Sci-fi
Verdict: I will forever have to live with the knowledge that Dan Simmons, the same writer of Hyperion, also wrote this mess. Was he the Shrike all along, and we, the reader, are stuck on the tree of pain which is The Rise of Endymion?