So, the sequel to The Fall of Hyperion opens up with the words: "You are reading this for the wrong reason." And you know what? Chances are, this is completely true. You reading this to gain insights into the mysteries the first two books left open? Well, aside from some "that was artistic license" and "he lied", there is not much in the way of clarification. Aenea, if that is her real name, is apparently important for some reason. And the androids? remember how they left in the first book to accomplish something important to them? Forget it, it seems as if Simmons has.

Overall, starting out, this is a straight chase-action adventure. Our heroes, pursued by the Catholics, are almost caught sooo many times, but escape through a combination of luck and "wit", leaving the pursuing forces to shake their fists in the air, yelling "Next time, Aenea! Next time!"

Towards the end, at around page 350, Simmons does start to bring it back to the series and does start to bring back some of the plot elements that made Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion science fiction classics. Ultimately, I will read the next and final book, hoping this trend continues.

Guess I'm still reading it for the wrong reasons.