Hyperion by Dan Simmons (the whole cantos, all books).
The finale in the last book really touched my heart and let me think about love and how much to value the time you have with each other.
--- no spoilers ---
I never thought to find this in a science fiction space opera - I was shocked.
The idea in the book I am talking about is crazy and I cannot fathom how one would feel if something like this really happened. It is wonderful and sad at the same time.
That said and totally apart from it, the whole thing is a masterpiece. You have to read all books of the canon, even if the first book with the unique stories seems strange - I could not put it down though. Apart from that it also has great storytelling, wonderful language, crazy ideas (a house with rooms on different... no spoiler :) and more.
Just re-read the entire cantos after 10 years. Totally agree, it's one of my favorite epics and the ending was extremely touching.
If you haven't I recommend Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. It's a completely different kind of book, but it's a really good horror thriller that shows his range.
Thank you for the recommendation, will look into it.
Do you know of any epics close to Hyperion? I have been searching for a long time and have not found anything on par with it.
Dune (often named) and The Expanse were not meant for me and have been ruined for me by the movies/TV shows. The old Asimov stories are... old.
I read many larger volumes such as the Commonwealth Saga, Three Body Problem etc. but nothing caught the way Hyperion did for me.
Funnily, from the many books and series I read, the ones I remember most fondly were on the other end of the spectrum of Hyperion: Bobiverse and The Murderbot Diaries - both short, much less beautiful language and more on the funny side but original and thought provoking.
The finale in the last book really touched my heart and let me think about love and how much to value the time you have with each other.
--- no spoilers ---
I never thought to find this in a science fiction space opera - I was shocked.
The idea in the book I am talking about is crazy and I cannot fathom how one would feel if something like this really happened. It is wonderful and sad at the same time.
That said and totally apart from it, the whole thing is a masterpiece. You have to read all books of the canon, even if the first book with the unique stories seems strange - I could not put it down though. Apart from that it also has great storytelling, wonderful language, crazy ideas (a house with rooms on different... no spoiler :) and more.