“In the end–when all else is dust–loyalty to those we love is all we can carry with us to the grave. Faith–true faith–was trusting in that love.”
Three_Froggy_Problem on
It seems like this guy was kind of a right wing asshole, but The Terror is one of my favorite books ever.
Troelski on
Great writer who broke his brain when Obama became President. RIP.
b3ar17 on
“Fuck.”
– Martin Silenus
BrockMiddlebrook on
Wrote books, got rich, was a prick, died. Sci fi story old as time.
Existing_Set2100 on
A generally fine writer and an odious, bigoted asshole.
Can’t say I feel any great sympathy here.
He also went out of his way to express his bigotry, not unlike Orson Scott Card, including writing one of the most hateful speculative short stories I’ve ever read. They weren’t just private views he held that randomly came out.
And unlike even someone like Frank Miller, Simmons never even pretended to apologize or show any remorse.
MicahCastle on
Damn, RIP to one of the greats.
UKS1977 on
This man tricked me into thinking Hyperion was one book and done. I enjoyed it but swore never to read another. Today, I think’ll break that pledge in his memory.
HyperionCantos on
Rest in peace Dan Simmons
nerdcredred on
Great author, real sack of crap human being.
Dandelo31 on
I definitely did not agree with his politics, but Drood and The Terror are some of my favorite historical fiction books ever.
InvisibleAstronomer on
His books may have been good, but The Terror annoyed me bc every single female character ends up nude at some point
makemeking706 on
Hyperion might be the greatest sci-fi book ever written. Too bad about the author.
Indoflaven on
Damn… reading Hyperion for the first time right now.
StarsofSobek on
Rest peacefully, you will be missed.
southrocks2023 on
Great writer great imagination …will be missed.
diferentigual on
Oh man 😔
tookmeyearstowrite on
Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion were great
Endymion and Rise of Endymion were good/okay but kinda meh and icky at parts
Gemini_zyx on
Came to say it seemed sad until I read the comments. Its a real shame that people can be bigots.
I liked Hyperion and The Terror though.
DiogenesLaertys on
So many things copied the ideas in Hyperion (though Hyperion itself copied things too). Too bad the author was a prick.
computer_d on
Well I had no idea what he was like. I love Hyperion and Endymion… Was re-reading it in fact.
Sad to hear he was an asshole.
LouDiamond on
Carrion Comfort was genuinely scary
reilmb on
I used to get Twilight Zone magazine and he won the short horror fiction contest in it with a story of a possessed/haunted teddy bear. It was fantastic, I started with all his horror books , Carrion Comfort , Song of Kali all great stuff.
sgtbb4 on
Carrion Comfort is the best horror novel of all time. I understand maybe you disagreed with his politics, but that shouldn’t taint his writing.
Loimographia on
Loved the TV adaptation of The Terror but couldn’t get past the descriptions of women in the novel and put it down after 30 pages. As a medievalist I’ve always been tempted by Hyperion but put off by my experience with The Terror. Maybe now that he’s dead I’ll feel better about reading them and at least not putting money in his pocket by doing so.
Or maybe I’ll stick to M.R. James for my medievalist and bibliophile impulses.
scd on
The Hyperion books were so significant to me when I was younger, but when I read his execrable “time traveler” blog post/short story, I hopped off his fan train as fast as I could. A talented writer but a deeply misguided, racist Islamophobe. I mourn what he could have been more than what he was.
Thesorus on
ahhhh shucks …
The Terror was terrific.
quantax on
A truly great writer, RIP.
It was sad to see how 9/11 shattered his world view, and when he reassembled the pieces, he fell into a classic reactionary mindset.
We see the tension in his work vs his world view, they’re fundamentally at odds. Very similar but not as extreme as Orson Card.
A good reminder about separating the art from the artist, sometimes you wonder if they’ve actually read what they’ve written.
29 Comments
“In the end–when all else is dust–loyalty to those we love is all we can carry with us to the grave. Faith–true faith–was trusting in that love.”
It seems like this guy was kind of a right wing asshole, but The Terror is one of my favorite books ever.
Great writer who broke his brain when Obama became President. RIP.
“Fuck.”
– Martin Silenus
Wrote books, got rich, was a prick, died. Sci fi story old as time.
A generally fine writer and an odious, bigoted asshole.
Can’t say I feel any great sympathy here.
He also went out of his way to express his bigotry, not unlike Orson Scott Card, including writing one of the most hateful speculative short stories I’ve ever read. They weren’t just private views he held that randomly came out.
And unlike even someone like Frank Miller, Simmons never even pretended to apologize or show any remorse.
Damn, RIP to one of the greats.
This man tricked me into thinking Hyperion was one book and done. I enjoyed it but swore never to read another. Today, I think’ll break that pledge in his memory.
Rest in peace Dan Simmons
Great author, real sack of crap human being.
I definitely did not agree with his politics, but Drood and The Terror are some of my favorite historical fiction books ever.
His books may have been good, but The Terror annoyed me bc every single female character ends up nude at some point
Hyperion might be the greatest sci-fi book ever written. Too bad about the author.
Damn… reading Hyperion for the first time right now.
Rest peacefully, you will be missed.
Great writer great imagination …will be missed.
Oh man 😔
Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion were great
Endymion and Rise of Endymion were good/okay but kinda meh and icky at parts
Came to say it seemed sad until I read the comments. Its a real shame that people can be bigots.
I liked Hyperion and The Terror though.
So many things copied the ideas in Hyperion (though Hyperion itself copied things too). Too bad the author was a prick.
Well I had no idea what he was like. I love Hyperion and Endymion… Was re-reading it in fact.
Sad to hear he was an asshole.
Carrion Comfort was genuinely scary
I used to get Twilight Zone magazine and he won the short horror fiction contest in it with a story of a possessed/haunted teddy bear. It was fantastic, I started with all his horror books , Carrion Comfort , Song of Kali all great stuff.
Carrion Comfort is the best horror novel of all time. I understand maybe you disagreed with his politics, but that shouldn’t taint his writing.
Loved the TV adaptation of The Terror but couldn’t get past the descriptions of women in the novel and put it down after 30 pages. As a medievalist I’ve always been tempted by Hyperion but put off by my experience with The Terror. Maybe now that he’s dead I’ll feel better about reading them and at least not putting money in his pocket by doing so.
Or maybe I’ll stick to M.R. James for my medievalist and bibliophile impulses.
The Hyperion books were so significant to me when I was younger, but when I read his execrable “time traveler” blog post/short story, I hopped off his fan train as fast as I could. A talented writer but a deeply misguided, racist Islamophobe. I mourn what he could have been more than what he was.
ahhhh shucks …
The Terror was terrific.
A truly great writer, RIP.
It was sad to see how 9/11 shattered his world view, and when he reassembled the pieces, he fell into a classic reactionary mindset.
We see the tension in his work vs his world view, they’re fundamentally at odds. Very similar but not as extreme as Orson Card.
A good reminder about separating the art from the artist, sometimes you wonder if they’ve actually read what they’ve written.
Hope he is not on a thorny tree.