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Hyperion Cantos #0.5
Prayers to Broken Stones
A woman returns from the dead with disastrous results for the family who loves her....
An old-fashioned barbershop is the site of a medieval ritual of bloody terror....
During a post-apocalyptic Christmas celebration, a messenger from the South brings tidings of great horror....
From a ghostly Civil War battlefield to a combat theme park in Vietnam, from the omnipotent brain of an autistic boy to a shocking story of psychic vampires, journey into a world of fear and mystery, a chilling twilight zone of the mind.
An old-fashioned barbershop is the site of a medieval ritual of bloody terror....
During a post-apocalyptic Christmas celebration, a messenger from the South brings tidings of great horror....
From a ghostly Civil War battlefield to a combat theme park in Vietnam, from the omnipotent brain of an autistic boy to a shocking story of psychic vampires, journey into a world of fear and mystery, a chilling twilight zone of the mind.
403 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Dan Simmons
316 books12.4k followersDan Simmons grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
September 22, 2020
This is a collection of thirteen early stories of Simmons with a nice introduction by Harlan Ellison. There's a nice balance of horror and science fiction, including a Hyperion story, the original version of what grew into his classic novel Carrion Comfort, and Metastasis along with the screenplay he wrote adapting it. Simmons later became so famous for his novels that his short fiction tended to be forgotten, which is a real shame; he is a master of the form. The stories originally appeared in the 1980s, but haven't aged at all except for the characters forgot their phones. Very good stuff!
October 20, 2018
Prayers to Broken Stones was my first foray into the short fiction of Dan Simmons, and it did not disappoint! This eclectic collection is consistent in quality — Simmons’s prose never lets up, and his Devil-like ability to totally overtake his reader is on display.
These stories span the decade of the 1980s, when Simmons was first starting out and not yet quite a household name. Among the pieces included are his first published work, “The River Styx Runs Upstream” and “The Death of the Centaur,” a story that was written exclusively for this collection.
Most of these stories fall squarely into the horror category, but a couple do have sci-fi leanings, and “Remembering Siri” (a story that takes place in the Hyperion universe, apparently) is full-on science fiction. At first that made me side-eye a bit, but the gorgeousness of the writing won me over. The plot . . . meh, not my thing.
This is a fun and near-perfect read for the Halloween season. If you’re looking for a skillful and varied collection of stories from a master writer, look no further.
Story ratings:
1. The River Styx Runs Upstream - 5*
2. Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams - 5*
3. Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - 5*
4. Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle - 4*
5. Remembering Siri - 3*
6. Metastasis - 5*
7. The Offering - (Is a screenplay, I skipped this)
8. E-Ticket to ‘Namland - 3*
9. Iverson’s Pits - 5*
10. Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites - 5*
11. The Death of the Centaur - 5*
12. Two Minutes and Forty-Five Seconds - 5*
13. Carrion Comfort (Short story later worked into the novel of the same name, I also skipped this as I have not read the novel.)
These stories span the decade of the 1980s, when Simmons was first starting out and not yet quite a household name. Among the pieces included are his first published work, “The River Styx Runs Upstream” and “The Death of the Centaur,” a story that was written exclusively for this collection.
Most of these stories fall squarely into the horror category, but a couple do have sci-fi leanings, and “Remembering Siri” (a story that takes place in the Hyperion universe, apparently) is full-on science fiction. At first that made me side-eye a bit, but the gorgeousness of the writing won me over. The plot . . . meh, not my thing.
This is a fun and near-perfect read for the Halloween season. If you’re looking for a skillful and varied collection of stories from a master writer, look no further.
Story ratings:
1. The River Styx Runs Upstream - 5*
2. Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams - 5*
3. Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - 5*
4. Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle - 4*
5. Remembering Siri - 3*
6. Metastasis - 5*
7. The Offering - (Is a screenplay, I skipped this)
8. E-Ticket to ‘Namland - 3*
9. Iverson’s Pits - 5*
10. Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites - 5*
11. The Death of the Centaur - 5*
12. Two Minutes and Forty-Five Seconds - 5*
13. Carrion Comfort (Short story later worked into the novel of the same name, I also skipped this as I have not read the novel.)
May 23, 2024
*** 3.6 STARS ***
1. Remembering Siri - 4.2*
2. Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - 4.1*
3. Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams - 3*
4. E-Ticket to 'Namland - 3*
5. Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites - 2.9*
6. The Death of the Centaur - 2.8*
7. The River Styx Runs Upstream - 2.8*
8. Metastasis - 2.6*
9. Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle - 2*
10. Iverson's Pits - 2*
11. Two Minutes Forty-five Seconds - 1.5*
The only new story that I liked was Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell. This short story was great. The dialogue was fantastic and the short story format (which I'm not really a fan of) was used perfectly.
I didn't read Remembering Siri, as I re-read Hyperion recently, so my memory is still fresh on that one. I also didn't read Carrion Comfort (short story), because I read Carrion Comfort (novel) in 2018. I definitely plan on re-reading the novel at some point, since it's one of all-time favourite books, so I found reading the short story - which makes up chapter 1 and a bit of 3, pointless.
1. Remembering Siri - 4.2*
2. Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - 4.1*
3. Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams - 3*
4. E-Ticket to 'Namland - 3*
5. Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites - 2.9*
6. The Death of the Centaur - 2.8*
7. The River Styx Runs Upstream - 2.8*
8. Metastasis - 2.6*
9. Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle - 2*
10. Iverson's Pits - 2*
11. Two Minutes Forty-five Seconds - 1.5*
The only new story that I liked was Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell. This short story was great. The dialogue was fantastic and the short story format (which I'm not really a fan of) was used perfectly.
I didn't read Remembering Siri, as I re-read Hyperion recently, so my memory is still fresh on that one. I also didn't read Carrion Comfort (short story), because I read Carrion Comfort (novel) in 2018. I definitely plan on re-reading the novel at some point, since it's one of all-time favourite books, so I found reading the short story - which makes up chapter 1 and a bit of 3, pointless.
February 3, 2012
"Prayers to Broken Stones" is a collection of thirteen early short works by Dan Simmons, who is the best writer working in any genre (in my humble opinion, at least). Several of the short stories in this collection were the seeds for his longer works. Characters in the short stories "Remembering Siri" and "Death of the Centaur" would play larger roles in his Hyperion series. "Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams" is clearly an early version of "The Hollow Man". The short story "Carrion Comfort" would later appear in the novel of the same name. There are some great stories in here, ranging from hard sci-fi to horror and everything in between. Some of the notables: "The River Styx Runs Upstream", Simmons' first-ever published story is a creepy but superb sci-fi zombie tale of a family dealing with the loss, or rather NOT dealing with the loss of a wife and mother; "E-Ticket to 'Namland", in which the entire country of Vietnam has become an "amusement" park for veterans and their families to "relive" the excitement of the war; "Metastasis", which reveals the true nature and cause of cancer; and "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites", which explains why so many communities have a barber shop that no one ever seems to frequent. Occasionally, one will run across a story that is merely mediocre, but keep in mind that Simmons wrote most of these early in his career, and even in his mediocrity one catches glimpses of his genius. This is a must-have for Simmons fans.
June 24, 2011
Oh, Danny boy... what a pleasure it is to meet you again. After all the Hyperion and Fall and Endymion and Ilium and so forth, how fun it is to go back and get a glimpse of where it all began.
For those unfamiliar with Simmons, "Prayers..." gives you an excellent introduction to the youthful art and skill of a developing master. For those who've read his major works, "Prayers..." allows you to peek at where it all began. It's here in "The Death of the Centaur" where we first meet Raul, the namesake of the main character in the Hyperion series... And it's also here where we see an early example of Simmons exploring the moral implications of FTL (faster than light) travel, which becomes such an important consideration in SF, in the romantic relationship between two unlikely souls in the nostalgic "Remembering Siri".
While I tend more toward the SF end of things, it was interesting to see some of Simmon's early "horror." "Iverson's Pits" was superbly written piece - I found myself stunned (really!) at Simmon's poetic tallent in this story in the beautifully written prose. It was also fun to hear Simmons comment on the origins of the different stories. He gives a brief introduction before each.
In the end, "Prayers..." is a rewarding read, especially for those wanting to see what he was doing before he hit it really big.
For those unfamiliar with Simmons, "Prayers..." gives you an excellent introduction to the youthful art and skill of a developing master. For those who've read his major works, "Prayers..." allows you to peek at where it all began. It's here in "The Death of the Centaur" where we first meet Raul, the namesake of the main character in the Hyperion series... And it's also here where we see an early example of Simmons exploring the moral implications of FTL (faster than light) travel, which becomes such an important consideration in SF, in the romantic relationship between two unlikely souls in the nostalgic "Remembering Siri".
While I tend more toward the SF end of things, it was interesting to see some of Simmon's early "horror." "Iverson's Pits" was superbly written piece - I found myself stunned (really!) at Simmon's poetic tallent in this story in the beautifully written prose. It was also fun to hear Simmons comment on the origins of the different stories. He gives a brief introduction before each.
In the end, "Prayers..." is a rewarding read, especially for those wanting to see what he was doing before he hit it really big.
January 15, 2012
Prayers to Broken Stones is a collection of the early short stories by Dan Simmons. I remember being knocked out by his novel Hyperion when I read it in the early 90s. My best friend sent me this collection of short stories shortly thereafter and I somehow managed never to get around to reading it. All I can do is shake my finger at my younger self and say, "You missed something. Should have read it sooner."
Wow. I don't remember making the connection to Harlan Ellison when I read Hyperion, but if anyone comes close to writing like Ellison, it's Simmons. (And, interestingly enough, the introduction is written by Ellison and he claims to have discovered Simmons.) He has that same ability to move effortlessly between genres...a little horror here, a little science fiction there, a little bit of the dark thriller...and all of it making deft and accurate comments on the human condition. And this is his early stuff--the "I'm just getting into my writing groove" stuff. Makes me want to run out and buy the most recent thing he's written just to see if he kept it up and made it better.
This book has it all--from pyschic vampires who get their jollies (and "feedings") from making other people kill to a story of Resurrectionists who can bring your mom or dad or son or lover or whoever back from the dead. But is that really a good thing? There are stories built on the battle of Gettysburg and the loss of the Challenger shuttle. And stories cutting the televangelists down to size. There's even a story explaining why there seems to be so much more cancer nowadays....and stories that hold the seeds that would grow into Hyperion.
The man can write. He can take you back in time to a Civil War battlefield or whisk you away to planet you've never heard of--and you absolutely believe that you're there. He may have just started in these stories, but he's miles ahead of other first-time writers
Wow. I don't remember making the connection to Harlan Ellison when I read Hyperion, but if anyone comes close to writing like Ellison, it's Simmons. (And, interestingly enough, the introduction is written by Ellison and he claims to have discovered Simmons.) He has that same ability to move effortlessly between genres...a little horror here, a little science fiction there, a little bit of the dark thriller...and all of it making deft and accurate comments on the human condition. And this is his early stuff--the "I'm just getting into my writing groove" stuff. Makes me want to run out and buy the most recent thing he's written just to see if he kept it up and made it better.
This book has it all--from pyschic vampires who get their jollies (and "feedings") from making other people kill to a story of Resurrectionists who can bring your mom or dad or son or lover or whoever back from the dead. But is that really a good thing? There are stories built on the battle of Gettysburg and the loss of the Challenger shuttle. And stories cutting the televangelists down to size. There's even a story explaining why there seems to be so much more cancer nowadays....and stories that hold the seeds that would grow into Hyperion.
The man can write. He can take you back in time to a Civil War battlefield or whisk you away to planet you've never heard of--and you absolutely believe that you're there. He may have just started in these stories, but he's miles ahead of other first-time writers
June 12, 2013
Great read. Simmons has a more novel-as-short-story approach. There is a lot of movement and coloration where others prefer scene-based and quick motion narrative.
"The River Styx Flows Upstream" and "Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle" and also "Iverson's Pits" are my favorites. Simmons is probably the greatest storyteller of the last 50 years. I believe he will be remembered as the greatest writer of the century.
I would like to note here though that NONE of these short stories would be published in todays faux-artistic world of short story publishing. These stories take patience and require the reader to move through scenes as one might observe them in real-time, all with a perfect balance of strangeness and true to character voice. Magazine editors currently (I'm hoping it's a fad) are almost exclusively interested in "idea stories" or what I call "What if" stories. There is no room anymore for philosophical subtext, clever description or even a puzzling split metaphor. Everything has to be understood by the common idiot. Everything has to be plain as day and to hell with double meanings or even single meanings, they'll be lost on the modern reader. It's sad that writers are almost forbidden to learn from or mimic the great writers. To do so is a direct path to rejection. Rather, there better not be any loopholes in your story about lawnmowers that come alive at night to feed on rascally garden gnomes. Never mind that you can't write worth a shit, and you couldn't spot a plu-perfect verb if it latched on to your only descended testicle.
Oh my, another one of my rants. Oh well.
It was a good book.
"The River Styx Flows Upstream" and "Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle" and also "Iverson's Pits" are my favorites. Simmons is probably the greatest storyteller of the last 50 years. I believe he will be remembered as the greatest writer of the century.
I would like to note here though that NONE of these short stories would be published in todays faux-artistic world of short story publishing. These stories take patience and require the reader to move through scenes as one might observe them in real-time, all with a perfect balance of strangeness and true to character voice. Magazine editors currently (I'm hoping it's a fad) are almost exclusively interested in "idea stories" or what I call "What if" stories. There is no room anymore for philosophical subtext, clever description or even a puzzling split metaphor. Everything has to be understood by the common idiot. Everything has to be plain as day and to hell with double meanings or even single meanings, they'll be lost on the modern reader. It's sad that writers are almost forbidden to learn from or mimic the great writers. To do so is a direct path to rejection. Rather, there better not be any loopholes in your story about lawnmowers that come alive at night to feed on rascally garden gnomes. Never mind that you can't write worth a shit, and you couldn't spot a plu-perfect verb if it latched on to your only descended testicle.
Oh my, another one of my rants. Oh well.
It was a good book.
Want to read
October 2, 2017This hardcover is copy 7 of 550 signed numbered produced and is signed by Simmons and Ron & Val Lindahn on the limitation page.
February 21, 2018
Ce récit épique qui s'étale sur une année scolaire, met en jeu plusieurs personnages un néo-chat, un sorcier et un centaure, Raul, qui tentent de rejoindre un portail entre les mondes. Ils sont pourchassées par une foule de mages qui cherchent à mettre la main sur un artefact. le conte mêle SF et fantasy, et séduit les enfants avec ses combats, ses actes d'héroïsme, sa générosité, son sens de la responsabilité, ses sacrifices, sa grandeur... Il est évident que Raul, le centaure - à rapprocher de Raul Endymion - aura un impact crucial sur ces aventures.
Le procédé utilisé par Dan Simmons permet de découvrir une Amérique profonde, approximativement dans les années 70, si différente de nos fantasmes européens. D'ailleurs le portrait de cette communauté bucolique me rappelle fortement la population décrite par King dans Salem, même si le format choisi ici n'offre pas la même profondeur et analyse. le texte de Dans Simmons est sympathique et ne révolutionne pas franchement le genre, mais l'intérêt n'est pas là. Il s'agit surtout d'une première ébauche d'Hypérion et des récits partagés par les pèlerins, notamment celui du Consul (Siri). D'ailleurs, nous y retrouvons de nombreux éléments.
Le procédé utilisé par Dan Simmons permet de découvrir une Amérique profonde, approximativement dans les années 70, si différente de nos fantasmes européens. D'ailleurs le portrait de cette communauté bucolique me rappelle fortement la population décrite par King dans Salem, même si le format choisi ici n'offre pas la même profondeur et analyse. le texte de Dans Simmons est sympathique et ne révolutionne pas franchement le genre, mais l'intérêt n'est pas là. Il s'agit surtout d'une première ébauche d'Hypérion et des récits partagés par les pèlerins, notamment celui du Consul (Siri). D'ailleurs, nous y retrouvons de nombreux éléments.
August 23, 2012
Note: This review originally written and posted to Amazon 8/11/2006; please do not judge based upon my current format.
Prayers to Broken Stones review: Dan Simmons weaves a web of words into a dream-like trance in this collection of short stories
This book is a collection of short stories by Dan Simmons (Song of Kali, Hyperion) with a foreward by Harlan Ellison. Each story has a unique voice (although all the science fiction stories seem to take place in the same universe) and they are gem-like in their brightness - characterization, description, voice, all is exquisite, bringing you into these little worlds and opening your eyes to sometimes strange and twisted landscapes.
My only complaints are copy-editing nitpicks - for instance, if something needs oil, it creaks, it doesn't creek. When someone agrees with a statement given, particularly during a toast, they say "Hear, hear!" not "Here, here!" Those sorts of things. Also, the plural of bus is buses!!! "Busses" is "kisses." I kid you not - look it up and make fun forever more in the future when you see signs at drive-throughs and restaurants that say "busses welcome."
But that aside, this collection of short stories is amazing. I read it much more slowly than is my wont, as it must be supped and savored like a fine wine - not guzzled like a brew. Enjoy it!
Prayers to Broken Stones review: Dan Simmons weaves a web of words into a dream-like trance in this collection of short stories
This book is a collection of short stories by Dan Simmons (Song of Kali, Hyperion) with a foreward by Harlan Ellison. Each story has a unique voice (although all the science fiction stories seem to take place in the same universe) and they are gem-like in their brightness - characterization, description, voice, all is exquisite, bringing you into these little worlds and opening your eyes to sometimes strange and twisted landscapes.
My only complaints are copy-editing nitpicks - for instance, if something needs oil, it creaks, it doesn't creek. When someone agrees with a statement given, particularly during a toast, they say "Hear, hear!" not "Here, here!" Those sorts of things. Also, the plural of bus is buses!!! "Busses" is "kisses." I kid you not - look it up and make fun forever more in the future when you see signs at drive-throughs and restaurants that say "busses welcome."
But that aside, this collection of short stories is amazing. I read it much more slowly than is my wont, as it must be supped and savored like a fine wine - not guzzled like a brew. Enjoy it!
March 13, 2016
Es un poco incomprensible que con la relativa popularidad de la obra larga de Simmons, y dada su habilidad en el terreno más corto, no se haya traducido ninguno de sus libros de relatos. Ésta pasa por ser, probablemente, su colección más representativa: además de contener algunas de sus obras más conocidas, muestra su versatilidad como autor de terror, horror y ciencia ficción y su consumado talento para tratar historias en un variado registro (intimista, humorístico...). Quizás no contiene ninguna obra maestra, pero el nivel medio es notable. Hasta que alguna editorial se decida a traducirla, si el inglés no es una barrera, merece la pena el esfuerzo; buscar la media docena de relatos que están traducidos puede salir un poco caro.
April 12, 2012
Today's readers know Dan Simmons as the writer of some of the most exquisitely crafted and chilling horror novels. But this book contains his shorter works, many of which are free from the touch-marks of commercial success. They are fiercely blue-glow in their sheer ability to stun the reader with characterisation, plot, formal and yet utterly brutal prose, and unrelenting narratives. After trying to read the stories at one sitting, I had almost started gasping for breath. Slowly, I managed to spread my reading over a long period, and got to absorb the superlative, and yet haunting stories. If you love stories, then go no further. Recommended.
February 8, 2021
3,5. "La Mort du Centaure" est une nouvelle prenant place dans l'univers D'Hypérion, que Dan Simmons aurait écrite lorsqu'il était encore professeur à la fac. Cette nouvelle et plusieurs autres textes ont permis à l'auteur d'établir l'univers dans lequel il voulait que prenne place les aventures contées dans le premier diptyque des Cantos d'Hypérion : "Hypérion" et "La Chute D'Hypérion".
Cette nouvelle a donc été publié en France après ces deux premiers tomes, et je vous conseille de la lire à la suite de ceux-ci. En soi cela peut-être une introduction à la saga, mais les éléments présentés ne sont compréhensibles et interprétables que si l'on a lu le premier diptyque avant.
Dans cette courte nouvelle (37 pages), un professeur raconte à ses élèves, chaque midi, une histoire qu'il a inventé de toutes pièces. Cette histoire prend évidemment part dans l'univers d'Hypérion, se déroulant sur cette même planète, et va nous être également contée en tant que lecteur.
En moins de 40 pages, l'auteur a réussi à aborder des thèmes très intéressants (comme l'abandon) et à me faire voyager dans un univers que j'adore. Mais même si j'ai bien apprécié le voyage, j'avoue ne pas avoir adorer cette nouvelle.
Je pense que Dan Simmons est un auteur qui a besoin de prendre son temps, qui dure mieux dans la longueur que dans le format court. Même si on retrouve sa plume dense et riche ici, j'ai plutôt eu l'impression de lire un récit "tranche de vie" (l'expression n'est pas la bonne, mais en gros c'est ça), que bouclé de A à Z.
Particulièrement dans la fiction qui se déroule sur Hypérion, et qui est raconté aux élèves par le professeur : seuls les éléments caractéristiques de l'univers nous rattachent aux tomes précédents, mais à part ça le dépaysement est complet. Soit ce récit servait à intégrer de nouveaux personnages pour la suite, et dans ce cas là c'est brillamment réussi, soit c'est juste une nouvelle "annexe" dont l'histoire tient toute seule, et dans ce cas là il reste assez peu de matière.
Donc au final, je pense que cette nouvelle est assez anecdotique et peut ne pas être lue avant de découvrir la suite des "Cantos d'Hypérion". J'ai tout de même passé un très bon moment (comme à chaque fois avec Dan Simmons), et je n'ai qu'une hâte : foncer sur Endymion.
Pour ce qui est du magazine dans lequel la nouvelle a été publiée (Galaxies Science-fiction n°2, publié en automne 1996), je vous le conseille fortement. Il y a également un dossier sur Dan Simmons, incluant une interview de l'auteur (courte mais intéressante) et une analyse des deux premiers tomes D'Hypérion. On y trouve également 3 nouvelles que je me réserve pour plus tard, d'auteurs de sf qui ne me disaient pas grand-chose tel Mike Resnick, Francis Valéry et Lucius Shepard & Robert Frazier. Un magazine à avoir si vous êtes fan de l'auteur, où si vous voulez le découvrir un peu plus.
Cette nouvelle a donc été publié en France après ces deux premiers tomes, et je vous conseille de la lire à la suite de ceux-ci. En soi cela peut-être une introduction à la saga, mais les éléments présentés ne sont compréhensibles et interprétables que si l'on a lu le premier diptyque avant.
Dans cette courte nouvelle (37 pages), un professeur raconte à ses élèves, chaque midi, une histoire qu'il a inventé de toutes pièces. Cette histoire prend évidemment part dans l'univers d'Hypérion, se déroulant sur cette même planète, et va nous être également contée en tant que lecteur.
En moins de 40 pages, l'auteur a réussi à aborder des thèmes très intéressants (comme l'abandon) et à me faire voyager dans un univers que j'adore. Mais même si j'ai bien apprécié le voyage, j'avoue ne pas avoir adorer cette nouvelle.
Je pense que Dan Simmons est un auteur qui a besoin de prendre son temps, qui dure mieux dans la longueur que dans le format court. Même si on retrouve sa plume dense et riche ici, j'ai plutôt eu l'impression de lire un récit "tranche de vie" (l'expression n'est pas la bonne, mais en gros c'est ça), que bouclé de A à Z.
Particulièrement dans la fiction qui se déroule sur Hypérion, et qui est raconté aux élèves par le professeur : seuls les éléments caractéristiques de l'univers nous rattachent aux tomes précédents, mais à part ça le dépaysement est complet. Soit ce récit servait à intégrer de nouveaux personnages pour la suite, et dans ce cas là c'est brillamment réussi, soit c'est juste une nouvelle "annexe" dont l'histoire tient toute seule, et dans ce cas là il reste assez peu de matière.
Donc au final, je pense que cette nouvelle est assez anecdotique et peut ne pas être lue avant de découvrir la suite des "Cantos d'Hypérion". J'ai tout de même passé un très bon moment (comme à chaque fois avec Dan Simmons), et je n'ai qu'une hâte : foncer sur Endymion.
Pour ce qui est du magazine dans lequel la nouvelle a été publiée (Galaxies Science-fiction n°2, publié en automne 1996), je vous le conseille fortement. Il y a également un dossier sur Dan Simmons, incluant une interview de l'auteur (courte mais intéressante) et une analyse des deux premiers tomes D'Hypérion. On y trouve également 3 nouvelles que je me réserve pour plus tard, d'auteurs de sf qui ne me disaient pas grand-chose tel Mike Resnick, Francis Valéry et Lucius Shepard & Robert Frazier. Un magazine à avoir si vous êtes fan de l'auteur, où si vous voulez le découvrir un peu plus.
June 16, 2024
2.5 Stars
Not really feeling this at all finished 4 of the short stories and don't really feel compelled to push through. I don't feel like this aged well, and couldn't see many of the younger generations enjoying this. It's evident Simmons has the writing chops I'm just not sure if I like the plot or message behind the story most of the time
Not really feeling this at all finished 4 of the short stories and don't really feel compelled to push through. I don't feel like this aged well, and couldn't see many of the younger generations enjoying this. It's evident Simmons has the writing chops I'm just not sure if I like the plot or message behind the story most of the time
January 23, 2018
Some of his best stuff. Particularly loved the cancer monsters story, but all were great.
April 25, 2008
After reading several of Simmons horror novels I was extremely impressed with his writing style. I promptly ordered everything I could get my hands on that had his name attached to it. I'll admit that at first I had no idea this was going to be a short story collection, but I'm usually a fan of short stories so I was eager to dig in.
The actual collection of short stories only comprises about ¾ of the book as most of the short stories have an intro written by Simmons (some are quite lengthy). Also, if you have already read most of his novels, these short stories are the basis for many of his novels, so you may find that you have already read most of this book. These stories are a mixture of Horror and SF (though not together) and one Fantasy thrown in for good measure.
I love Simmons as a horror writer, but had not read any of his SF. The horror stories were fairly good, though I have to admit that as much as I love Simmons, his skill apparently does not manifest itself fully in the short story realm. Most of the stories felt like snippets out of a larger story. Like those reading books you have back in 5th grade that have just a chapter or so from a much larger work. The SF stories were difficult for me to keep my attention on, my brain just isn't set up to digest SF as a genera.
On the whole, this was a decent enough book, though I really don't believe I would recommend it to someone who wasn't already a Simmons fan. I intend to stick with his novels in the future.
The actual collection of short stories only comprises about ¾ of the book as most of the short stories have an intro written by Simmons (some are quite lengthy). Also, if you have already read most of his novels, these short stories are the basis for many of his novels, so you may find that you have already read most of this book. These stories are a mixture of Horror and SF (though not together) and one Fantasy thrown in for good measure.
I love Simmons as a horror writer, but had not read any of his SF. The horror stories were fairly good, though I have to admit that as much as I love Simmons, his skill apparently does not manifest itself fully in the short story realm. Most of the stories felt like snippets out of a larger story. Like those reading books you have back in 5th grade that have just a chapter or so from a much larger work. The SF stories were difficult for me to keep my attention on, my brain just isn't set up to digest SF as a genera.
On the whole, this was a decent enough book, though I really don't believe I would recommend it to someone who wasn't already a Simmons fan. I intend to stick with his novels in the future.
August 24, 2015
This is a collection of short stories by my favorite author. I love his sci-fi, and even enjoyed his novel Carrion Comfort, though I would generally shy away from horror. The stories in this book are mostly horror, or if they're sci-fi, tend to have a bit of a thriller type morose edge to them. Though his writing is still superb, and the intros are interesting, I must say that I much prefer his novels. This is because Simmons is the undisputed king of the backstory. He writes up the most unimaginably complex web, and ties it all up with a pretty little bow at the end. Short stories just don't have time for that. Also, his novels tend to end at least somewhat happily, but not necessarily so for his shorts. I guess I'm a sucker for a happy ending, but none-the-less, I have to acknowledge these stories (even or perhaps especially the darkest ones) to be well written and enjoyable to read. Remembering Siri is my favorite. Glimpses or hints of the Hyperion universe are also quite fun in a couple of the stories.
March 12, 2021
This is a great collection. I've always loved Dan Simmons and it's great to see here work featuring familiar stories (Hyperion, Carrion Comfort) The writing is crisp and fast-paced and doesn't suffer any exposition snugs.
I understand the need to introduce every story and give a little context/background for it, but I skipped all of those, I never read introductions, when I do it's only if I'm confused by something in the body of work that I refer to it as an appendix. Great book though. Great collection.
I understand the need to introduce every story and give a little context/background for it, but I skipped all of those, I never read introductions, when I do it's only if I'm confused by something in the body of work that I refer to it as an appendix. Great book though. Great collection.
May 13, 2009
Because Dan Simmons writes across genres, deciding which Simmons to recommend to a neophyte can be a challenge. Perhaps Prayers to Broken Stones might be a good choice. It's a collection of short stories, beginning with his first published work, and is a good example of how Simmons handles language and mood. Lovedeath, a later collection of novellas, might also be an excellent choice for a starting point.
March 8, 2015
Väärt kogumik Simmonsi lühijutte; mõned on kahvatumad, aga enamik on head. Peamiselt õuduslood, aga on ka muid žanre, sh. kõigi lemmik Hyperioni-jutt "Remembering Siri", mis ilmuski esimesena eraldiseisva loona ja mille ümber hiljem ülejäänud raamat kirjutati.
November 16, 2007
From horror to scifi to crime, this guy writes great stuff. This was my first Simmons book, after which I have bought (but not read) most of his other books. Carrion Comfort was my favorite story.
June 6, 2016
Some 2/5's some 5/5's but I liked the fact that they were flipping between sci fi & horror.Hopefully will have a copy of Hyperion to delve into soon.
September 2, 2018
Prayers to broken stones:
The River Styx Runs Upstream
4 🌟
I thought it was River Lethe. You can bring your dead back to life! I can imagine this happening in the future: crapitalism takes advantage of people's grief and longing for their dead loved ones.
Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams
3 🌟
What would your inner universe be like if you were blind, deaf and mute? The only senses giving you input would be smell and touch. A telepath (yeah, right) working with children with disabilities lowers his mindblock and finds a way into Robby's mind.
Vanni Fuchi is Alive and Well in Hell
4 🌟
Extremely enjoyable story about televangelists' empires and the demon from the eighth circle of hell who takes on one of them.
Vexed to a nightmare by a Rocking Cradle
2 🌟
It's Nuclear spring and a televangelist makes his way to former Bantam books headquarters in New York City, by canoe, bringing his satellite dish and generator. Apparently, the address has him a little crazed.
Remembering Siri
4 🌟
Siri is not the one from apple
apple is the one from Siri
This story was part of the Hyperion cantos, which I have already read. It's about a little island-world called Maui Covenant, where dolphins are called Sea Folk, and the traveling islands are alive. Of course there are crapitalists in the future, and they want to take over this beautiful little world to exploit it. The Separatists have other plans.
Metastasis
5 🌟
This story is about a guy who can see cancer vampires. Everyone he loves is getting sick with cancer, and dying from it. He accidentally happens on the cause of it, after suffering a concussion. What is cancer, and why is there so much of it now? One of my sisters (a beloved one, not the other one) died of cancer, and she was only 46 years old. They won't put you down, like your sick pet, although in California we actually have the euthanasia law, but my sister lived in Texas. I believe that"they" have a cure for cancer, but it's more profitable to make money off sick people. There's a huge profit to be made from everybody being sick, and that's why there is Roundup in kid's cereal. Why do they feed people dead animals who are so sick, they're barely alive before they're slaughtered (murdered)?
Simmons wife died of cancer, but I don't know if she had it when he wrote this story. She might have, but not known it yet.
The Death of a Centaur
5 🌟
This is a story about a good teacher and the difference he made to a classroom of fourth graders in a Missouri backwater. It's also a story-within-a-story about a Centaur, a neocat(?) And a talking gorilla. It's a pilot story for the Hyperion cantos, as far as I can tell.
You know why good teachers are so few and far between, right? Just start your education to be a teacher and see all the obstacles (financial and academic) in your way, and if you manage to finish the 6year minimum education required, then try to get a job. If you're lucky enough to be the type who can easily survive and successfully get through interviews, and actually get hired, now you have to survive being laid off at the end of the school year, and do this one more time, now you have tenure. Oh, I forgot to mention, for all the years of paying tuition and student loans, they don't gaf, you're going to make really low wages, and be looked down on by other professionals, you will be a victim of back-stabbing from your coworkers, favoritism from administration and generally political bullshit up the ying-yang. Hm, wonder why so many give up? Poor students.
Two Minutes Forty-five Seconds
4 🌟
Do you remember the Challenger shuttle? Everyone should remember there was a teacher on-board. Two minutes and forty-five seconds was how much air was used up in the air masks that dropped down for the shuttle members, after they were recovered from the ocean floor. This story is about an executive from the space agency, who decided that the five VPs, including himself, who gave the go-ahead for the Challenger despite some last-minute problems thatshowed up, should get some justice.
The River Styx Runs Upstream
4 🌟
I thought it was River Lethe. You can bring your dead back to life! I can imagine this happening in the future: crapitalism takes advantage of people's grief and longing for their dead loved ones.
Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams
3 🌟
What would your inner universe be like if you were blind, deaf and mute? The only senses giving you input would be smell and touch. A telepath (yeah, right) working with children with disabilities lowers his mindblock and finds a way into Robby's mind.
Vanni Fuchi is Alive and Well in Hell
4 🌟
Extremely enjoyable story about televangelists' empires and the demon from the eighth circle of hell who takes on one of them.
Vexed to a nightmare by a Rocking Cradle
2 🌟
It's Nuclear spring and a televangelist makes his way to former Bantam books headquarters in New York City, by canoe, bringing his satellite dish and generator. Apparently, the address has him a little crazed.
Remembering Siri
4 🌟
Siri is not the one from apple
apple is the one from Siri
This story was part of the Hyperion cantos, which I have already read. It's about a little island-world called Maui Covenant, where dolphins are called Sea Folk, and the traveling islands are alive. Of course there are crapitalists in the future, and they want to take over this beautiful little world to exploit it. The Separatists have other plans.
Metastasis
5 🌟
This story is about a guy who can see cancer vampires. Everyone he loves is getting sick with cancer, and dying from it. He accidentally happens on the cause of it, after suffering a concussion. What is cancer, and why is there so much of it now? One of my sisters (a beloved one, not the other one) died of cancer, and she was only 46 years old. They won't put you down, like your sick pet, although in California we actually have the euthanasia law, but my sister lived in Texas. I believe that"they" have a cure for cancer, but it's more profitable to make money off sick people. There's a huge profit to be made from everybody being sick, and that's why there is Roundup in kid's cereal. Why do they feed people dead animals who are so sick, they're barely alive before they're slaughtered (murdered)?
Simmons wife died of cancer, but I don't know if she had it when he wrote this story. She might have, but not known it yet.
The Death of a Centaur
5 🌟
This is a story about a good teacher and the difference he made to a classroom of fourth graders in a Missouri backwater. It's also a story-within-a-story about a Centaur, a neocat(?) And a talking gorilla. It's a pilot story for the Hyperion cantos, as far as I can tell.
You know why good teachers are so few and far between, right? Just start your education to be a teacher and see all the obstacles (financial and academic) in your way, and if you manage to finish the 6year minimum education required, then try to get a job. If you're lucky enough to be the type who can easily survive and successfully get through interviews, and actually get hired, now you have to survive being laid off at the end of the school year, and do this one more time, now you have tenure. Oh, I forgot to mention, for all the years of paying tuition and student loans, they don't gaf, you're going to make really low wages, and be looked down on by other professionals, you will be a victim of back-stabbing from your coworkers, favoritism from administration and generally political bullshit up the ying-yang. Hm, wonder why so many give up? Poor students.
Two Minutes Forty-five Seconds
4 🌟
Do you remember the Challenger shuttle? Everyone should remember there was a teacher on-board. Two minutes and forty-five seconds was how much air was used up in the air masks that dropped down for the shuttle members, after they were recovered from the ocean floor. This story is about an executive from the space agency, who decided that the five VPs, including himself, who gave the go-ahead for the Challenger despite some last-minute problems thatshowed up, should get some justice.
February 4, 2024
For those who have read Dan Simmons before, this collection contains his usual grab bag of genres as well as his innate attention to detail. Which is to say the stories are very good if occasionally unnecessarily long.
Having read his Lovedeath novella collection I had hoped for the same grand impact in this one and was somewhat let down. While the tales are generally very good and his genre mastery on display, some of the tales feel wanting and only two I felt showing Simmons at his best.
Carrion Comfort, the tale that he would later expand into his HWA best novel winner shows the characters in a minimized aspect but with the callousness of power in full display. Having loved the novel I was very satisfied with a revisiting to the psychic vampires.
Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites is a fun, scary story about the origins of all those scary old man barbers of our youth….
The other tales contain the prose and evocation of feeling the Simmons is truly a master at. There are stories of grief, loss, triumph, indifference, love and hope. You’ll leave emotionally wrung-out but happy to have taken the trips.
Having read his Lovedeath novella collection I had hoped for the same grand impact in this one and was somewhat let down. While the tales are generally very good and his genre mastery on display, some of the tales feel wanting and only two I felt showing Simmons at his best.
Carrion Comfort, the tale that he would later expand into his HWA best novel winner shows the characters in a minimized aspect but with the callousness of power in full display. Having loved the novel I was very satisfied with a revisiting to the psychic vampires.
Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites is a fun, scary story about the origins of all those scary old man barbers of our youth….
The other tales contain the prose and evocation of feeling the Simmons is truly a master at. There are stories of grief, loss, triumph, indifference, love and hope. You’ll leave emotionally wrung-out but happy to have taken the trips.
May 20, 2023
This is a tremendously interesting but not entirely successful collection of Dan Simmons's early short stories. The best stories are probably "The Death of the Centaur" and "E-Ticket to Nam-Land," which both represent the imaginative heights that Simmons would consummate in his later novels (many of which are legitimately great). We also have the early germs of HYPERION and CARRION COMFORT (two of Simmons's masterpieces) in their early short story form. (And he hasn't changed that much!) The first two stories don't quite have that muscular prose style. And Simmons is a terrible screenwriter. But in terms of watching the development of someone who would eventually transform into one of our greatest cross-genre writers (before sadly turning into a xenophobic right-wing nut job), this is a wonderful volume to have in your collection -- even with the typically impetuous (though amusing) arrogance of Harlan Ellison in the introduction.
March 14, 2022
Simmons is a sharp and skillful writer, and most of these stories (even the stupid ones) pulled me in easily. He writes deeply chilling horror, imaginative sci-fi, but he's at his best when writing about quiet, sad childhoods, like The Death of the Centaur, Iverson's Pits, and the unequalled River Styx Runs Upstream. It can't be easy to have your very first story end up being your most brilliant work, but kudos to Simmons for keeping up and continually trying something new.
October 26, 2022
Definitely don't think this should be listed as "Hyperion Cantos 0.5" but there's some interesting early stories that were formative to Simmons's later works. Many of the stories in this collection were later expanded into novels or screenplays.
The Ellison introduction (and Simmons rebuttal) also made great reading, although I don't find the seminal "first story" particularly notable. Most interesting was how "Death of a Centaur" intersects with the Hyperionverse.
Only recommended for diehards, with the exception of the last 2 stories.
The Ellison introduction (and Simmons rebuttal) also made great reading, although I don't find the seminal "first story" particularly notable. Most interesting was how "Death of a Centaur" intersects with the Hyperionverse.
Only recommended for diehards, with the exception of the last 2 stories.
January 15, 2024
Logging only the short story 'The River Styx runs upstream'
"Mother was not home from the hospital. She was home from the grave."
This was the first time in a long time that a short story genuinely frightened me. This one moment, depicting a nightmare, came back to haunt me later that night. Which only underlines how well this is written.
Well done, Dan. I'm looking forward to delving into 'Hyperion'.
"I didn't understand most of what he read, but the words felt good and I loved the sounds of words he said were Greek."
"Mother was not home from the hospital. She was home from the grave."
This was the first time in a long time that a short story genuinely frightened me. This one moment, depicting a nightmare, came back to haunt me later that night. Which only underlines how well this is written.
Well done, Dan. I'm looking forward to delving into 'Hyperion'.
"I didn't understand most of what he read, but the words felt good and I loved the sounds of words he said were Greek."
July 7, 2018
Very Imaginative
A few of these short stories have gone on to become books. I liked all but one of the tales in this collection. I won't say which because I don't want to issue spoilers. But I like stories that have an ending. When the story builds drama and just leaves the reader there, that's just wrong.
Other than that, I mostly enjoyed this collection and have no qualms about recommending this book. Have fun.
A few of these short stories have gone on to become books. I liked all but one of the tales in this collection. I won't say which because I don't want to issue spoilers. But I like stories that have an ending. When the story builds drama and just leaves the reader there, that's just wrong.
Other than that, I mostly enjoyed this collection and have no qualms about recommending this book. Have fun.
August 16, 2019
This early collection of short stories was a pleasant surprise as there are numerous stories that in someways are connected to his later novels. I have loved some of Dan Simmons' books (Hyperion Cantos series, Season of Horrors series & Carrion Comfort). What a treat to find two stories connected to the Hyperion universe and the original Carrion Comfort story. This is must for all Dan Simmons Fans. This collection also demonstrates Dan Simmons ability to write stories across many genres.
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