Storyline: 4/5 
 Characters: 3/5 
 Writing Style: 3/5 
 World: 5/5 
 This was a pleasure to read. It was action-packed, puzzling, and satisfying; the pages flew by without a dull chapter. Simmons did an excellent job shifting between the eight or so main characters: though I liked some (and their storylines) better than others, each contributed to the story in an interesting and positive way. The pacing was perfect, save perhaps the convoluted and meandering resolution. I was a little skeptical of the mishmash of themes: Greek religion, Christianity, 18th century literature, poetry, time travel, horror, cyberpunk, and space opera. In the end, however, it worked. 
 This was not a book with a single "linchpin" but several or perhaps dozens. I'm not certain that Simmons was consistent or made sense with all of them. I think, in some ways, it is more satisfying not to peek into the gaps, incongruities, or plotholes. Simmons made it easy to suspend disbelief, and I was (while reading) generally able to do so. 
 This was not a good sequel but rather an excellent second half to what should have originally been published as a single book. I carry a small grievance against the publisher and Simmons for segmenting the first two Hyperion novels this way. Had they been presented together as a single novel, I would rank it among the stand-alone science fiction masterpieces. As it is, it gets thrown into a the entirely different category of science fiction series. 
 Also, I can't resist showcasing Simmons's descriptive writing style. Love it or hate it, here is a sample: From where I sat half a table away, I could feel the impact of the FORCE chiefs gazes like one of the one-hundred-million-joule laser blasts used to ignite deuterium-tritium spheres in one of the ancient inertial confinement fusion reactors. 
 Some notes and questions that linger. I was able to set them aside while I enjoyed the reading, but now I apply some criticism: (view spoiler)[ Once we know that most of what happened in the first book (as well as about half of the second book) was orchestrated by the TechnoCore, I can no longer make sense of the decision to select all of the pilgrims they did. Why, would Het Masteen be sent? The AI didn't need the tree-ship or, apparently, the Templars. In fact, the erg was actually dangerous to have near the Shrike. Also Martin Silenus's contribution seems to be entirely incidental. It appears, in the end, that he had no special link with the Shrike nor did his presence on the pilgrimage serve any party's ends. And doesn't Hoyt's presence and story to the travelers simply make it more likely that the AI's plans will be made known? None of the AI factions, the Ousters, nor the Hegemony had any good reason to send these characters on the pilgrimage. The Stables would have had reason to send Kassad, but why would the other factions have allowed it? Lamia's, Weintraub's and the Consul's roles do make more sense, but Simmons's characterization of the TechnoCore as highly predictive and manipulative leaves something to be desired if more than half the characters were merely distractors. 
 The introduction of the human god is bizarre, poorly explained, and leaves tons of questions unanswered. The answer appears to have something to do with "love," but the idea is thrown in in the closing section of the book and makes no connection with anything written in the previous 900 pages. I fear it was thrown in to justify the fiendish anatomy of the Shrike and the horrific idea of the tree of thorns. I also don't see how or why the human god would have taken form through the flatline or how/why it would consider transmission through it some sort of sacrilege or waste. (hide spoiler)]