Classic on Skyeler C. S. McQueen

Book Review:The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 20:52:49 -0700

The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

My curiosity could not be sated, I had to immediately start The Fall of Hyperion after finishing Hyperion. Dan Simmons is a master at creating mysteries that I must unravel. We end Hyperion on the brink of war: the Hegemony vs the Ousters. The fates of our pilgrims are unknown: Will the Time Tombs finally open? Will Rachel live? What will happen to Father Hoyt’s two cruciforms? Who is Moneta? Will Johnny escape from his loop in Brawne’s mind? Where is the Core? Why did they replicate Old Earth?

Book Review: Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Sat, 30 May 2026 20:30:55 -0700

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Hyperion… the book that has been staring at me from my book shelf every day…. the name of one of my favorite coffee shops in Ann Arbor (you’re still number 1, Dozer)… I have finally read you!

Ever since I saw the cover in the downtown A2 coffee shop, I had been casually interested in reading Hyperion. It’s a classic scifi book, adorned with a cover of sunset colors that depicts an evocative armored man and great ship sailing a grass sea. Yet… my reading list is long! My reading time is more limited, now that I’m fully employed (booo but also… thanks for not laying me off). It never happened. Then! Sam & I, the modern-day hunter gatherers that we are, discovered a copy of Hyperion (the exact same edition I had gazed upon in A2) and its sequel at the Foster City Friend of the Library book shop. For the price of $2, we acquired our prizes and placed them front & center on our crowded bookshelf. And there it sat.

Book Review: The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

Fri, 01 May 2026 19:20:17 -0700

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

It has been years since I picked up an Agatha Christie mystery. The last time was in my sophomore year of high school, when we read And Then There Were None (or rather the older and more offensively-titled edition). I have sated my desire for whodunits with cozy mystery novels of varying quality and David Suchet’s Hercule Poirot series. In a recent downtrodden and lonely mood, I’ve been watching a Poirot every night, to stave off the horrors. This led to my streaming service of choice recommending me the 1981 film Seven Dials Mystery. A friend from work had recently told me it was his favorite Agatha Christie novel (yes, in classic data scientist fashion I did an ad-hoc survey of whether all of my coworkers were familiar with Christie and Poirot). When in Utah, my littlest sister in law, father in law, and started the 2026 Netflix Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials series. I was immediately struck by the difference between the two adaptions and thought: I better read the book.