What I am Reading (#2)
Disclaimer: These blog posts are intended as brief conversations concerning what I am reading. Creativity is not only the production of creative works, but also their consumption. I believe it is important to think about other's works, and see how they might inspire or influence mine. These posts are also not intended as book reviews. Fact of the matter is, if I do not like a book I am reading, I won't take the time to discuss it. Lastly, I do not care how long something has been out in the world, I will not include any spoilers, in the event someone also wants to read these books.
Enjoy!
Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons (1990, Doubleday)
Alas, I finished Hyperion, Dan Simmons first entry into his quadrilogy the Hyperion Cantos. As I mentioned before in the previous WIAR post, I love the way Simmons writes and paints his worlds that brings me right into them. I can feel every feeling, can see every scenic vista, and the stories he weaves, while all seemingly different, spin an overarching narrative that makes me want more.
So, imagine my disenchantment when, during the very moment when the climax was to begin, the book just…ends. It was there, then poof the story was gone. Like removing the ending of a song, that final notes rings in your head, but not in your ears. This creates a dissonance that becomes terribly hard to overcome.
An experiment …
(sing out loud) Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the…
There you feel that? You can’t stand it can you. My guess is that you either finished it yourself, or it is eating you up inside. This was my feeling.
I decided that with such a letdown, I needed to dive into something else. I began reading poetry from Keats, tales of Sherlock Holmes, shorts stories from Phillip K. Dick, even the new adventures of the Green Lantern.
But deep inside, there was a nagging that I could not escape. What happened on that planet called Hyperion? Where are the characters now? Well it turns out, much to my consternation for not just checking in the first place, that his next book, is a direct continuation of the first book. Thus, I purchased The Fall of Hyperion as fast as I could.
While the first book is a series of interconnected stories woven into a single tapestry, the second is a bit more linear, yet still written in an incredibly unique way. I won’t spoil how, even though it is revealed early in the book, but the surprise of how it “works” is still best discovered on one’s own.
I am excited to read on and to see what lies ahead.
Writing Update
Revisions have been slow, either from being busy, creative exhaustion, or having a difficult time changing something I put so much effort into. The problem is that it is nowhere ready for prime time.
Speaking of time, that may end up being the solution; distance makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. Stepping away, letting it breathe, and coming back a bit fresher in the new year. In the meantime, I have a few more short stories in my head I wouldn’t mind getting down on paper, also finishing the Snowman Saga, which has been haunting me every time I sit down to write. I shouldn’t put too much pressure on myself; these things take time.
For instance, J.R.R Tolkien took 12 years to complete his well-known fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings, and he was still teaching full time.
I hear that one is pretty popular. Not saying my work could hold a candle to his, but it is good to know that writing is long hard work, and not just for me.
Stay tuned for more updates!