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The Rise of Endymion
The epic space opera concludes
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The Rise of Endymion
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By Dan Simmons
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Bantam Books
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$23.95/$32.95 Canada
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Hardcover, August 1997
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ISBN 0-553-10652-X
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Review by L.R.C. Munro
 he Rise of Endymion is the fourth and final book in Dan Simmons' Hyperion saga, and it picks up where Endymion left off. Reluctant hero Raul Endymion, still mysteriously imprisoned in an orbiting prison, is writing the memoir of his life with the young proto-messiah, Aenea.
The previous reminiscence ended with the Pax thwarted and Raul, Aenea and A. Bettik heading to the duplicate Earth. Raul takes up the thread some four years later, beginning with the ninth death of Pope Julius, formerly known as Father Lenar Hoyt. Overseeing the pope's difficult resurrection is the powerful Cardinal Lourdusamy, who is also dealing with another serious matter--the long-delayed capture of the Church's most dangerous enemy, Aenea. Making an uneasy alliance with Councilor Albedo, the inscrutable representative of the AI-driven TechnoCore, Lourdusamy comes up with a plan to draw out and capture Aenea and bring her under Pax control, along with the troublesome Ousters, with whom the Pax are still at war.
In the meantime, Aenea--now 16 and grown into a brilliant young architect and spiritual leader under the tutelage of the cybrid Frank Lloyd Wright--clearly has a plan of her own. Aenea is still in contact with the "lions and tigers and bears," the enigmatic power that controls the Shrike and that frightens both the Pax and the TechnoCore. Through this mystic connection she learns of the Pax's new plans and, gathering her companions around her, she sets off on the long journey to face her enemies at last.
To his dismay, Raul is not invited along but is sent off on his own mission, which Aenea tells him is vitally important. As Raul struggles to complete his mission and meet up with Aenea, the Pax and the TechnoCore put their plan into action, starting a chain of events that could lead to ultimate doom, not only for Aenea and Raul, but for every sentient being in the Hegemony universe.
Politics, religion and the power of love
Readers long frustrated by the cliffhanger nature of Simmons' Hyperion books will be pleased to know that Rise of Endymion provides a definite ending to the series--resolving plot lines, explaining mysteries and tying up all remaining loose ends.
As usual, the quality of the writing is very high. The characters are fully rendered; the plotting--from the political machinations of the Pax to the uneven course of Raul and Aenea's relationship--is intricate, and there is plenty of Simmons' trademark meaty action--from space battles to interstellar kayaking, and almost everything in-between. As epic space opera, Rise doesn't disappoint.
But the Hyperion series has always had another, more academic side. Underlying the action is Simmons' exploration of humanism, romanticism and the consequences of mixing political power and religion. This philosophical musing has been integrated with mixed success in the previous books, but in Rise of Endymion, Simmons goes one step further and makes the philosophy explicit through Aenea's sermon-like chats. These long, expository passages are full of intriguing ideas, but they are also, unfortunately, dull reading.
There are two other problems with the book that make it a less satisfying read than its predecessors. First, unlike the conceptual ground-breaking of the previous books, Rise seems weighted with familiar takes on familiar ideas--from classic plot elements like the reluctant young messiah and the hypocritical churchmen to the distinctly Terminator-like tech of Rhadamanth Nemes. The other problem is difficult to articulate, but it seemed as if unraveling all of the mysteries of the previous books, particularly the nature of the Shrike, has robbed the story of some of its grandeur.
Ultimately, then, Rise gives closure to a complex and exciting series, but if the conclusion is meant to take readers to the next level, then that level is not as high as might have been hoped.
Complaints aside, this is a series I've enjoyed and will definitely read again. -- LRC
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Finity's End
An orphan unwillingly returns to his mother's spaceship...
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Finity's End
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By C.J. Cherryh
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Warner Aspect
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$22.00/$27.95 Canada
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Hardcover, August 1997
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ISBN: 0-446-57072-1
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Review by Clinton Lawrence
 letcher Neihart has grown up in a succession of foster homes on Pell Station. His mother, Francesca, was left behind by their Family's merchant ship, Finity's End, during the war, and she died of a drug overdose when Fletcher was five. Since then, his fate has been tied up in Pell's courts, who refused to allow his return to the ship during the war, and by the Pell government, which has been trying unsuccessfully to bill the ship for Fletcher's living expenses. Fletcher, meanwhile, has grown up an angry juvenile, befriended only by a pair of downers (stone-age natives from the planet Pell Station orbits). At 17, he believes he has finally found his social niche in a training program for a career studying the downers on the planet's surface.
To the ship, however, retrieving their lost son is a very high priority. As part of a political negotiation between Captain James Robert Neihart and stationmaster Elene Quen, Pell Station agrees to forgive most of the bill and return Fletcher. It's the last thing Fletcher wants, however, and when he gets word of what is happening, he flees into the planet's wilderness, hoping the ship will have to leave during the delay. The ship waits, however, and Fletcher is taken to Pell when found. On board the ship, he finds himself sharing a bunk with an apparent 12-year-old named Jeremy. Unfortunately, Fletcher's station upbringing and unhappiness prevent him from fitting in, while Finity's Edge travels along a strategic route, on a diplomatic mission to tie up the last loose ends of the war and finally establish real peace between the Alliance, Earth and Union.
A character study with an interesting backdrop...
In Finity's End, C.J. Cherryh returns to the universe of some of her most successful novels, including the Hugo Award-winning Downbelow Station. And while many of the background elements, particularly Captain James Robert Neihart's political quest, are important, the focus is on Fletcher's transformation and reluctant assimilation into the crew, and about the social and familial responsibilities in Cherryh's universe. Cherryh handles this character study quite realistically. Fletcher has few real choices in his life, but is obviously a very intelligent, talented individual. His personal history of orphanage, bad foster homes and delinquency have created a bitter, but not helpless, person. However, he's a person who assumes the worst of almost everyone. Cherryh proceeds through the exploration of his transformation logically, creating a character readers care about in spite of his relentlessly bad attitude.
The backdrop of political intrigue creates an effective cultural context for Fletcher's story, and it's both interesting and fun in its own right. There are shifts of power and objectives that turn enemies from the war into allies sharing common strategic interests, and everyone is trying to track down Earth's renegade former Fleet, now the main obstacle to lasting peace. Cherryh sets the atmosphere for the maneuverings and negotiations nicely, effectively showing the contrasting values of the different sides. The resolution at the end seems to come overly abruptly, but it makes sense given the preceding events.
Finity's End doesn't rank among Cherryh's best books, but it's an enjoyable return to an interesting universe. I used to read a lot of Cherryh's work. Lately, I haven't read as much, and this was a nice return to her universe. -- Clint
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