DUNE or HYPERION - Which is the Best Series?

[@WordsinTime]

Are you Team Dune or Team Hyperion?

[@tasosalexiadis7748]

Even with all the flaws in Fall of Hyperion (it needed more work before being released) I am team Hyperion.

[@aleksandrlukin565]

Both

[@ldp4250]

Hyperion

[@Lukas-zd9wn]

Team Hyperion. But I love Dune as well. My all time favorite series are: 1. Hyperion Cantos (those books are bigger then life, the same goes for Ilium/Olympos) 2. Asimoverse (the Foundation/robots/empire) 3. Heinlein-verse (Moon is a harsh mistress and novels connected to it) 4. Dune

[@kostiskorozis]

Love both, but if I have to pick it's Hyperion. The world building and the big scenes make it for me, especially in Fall of Hyperion.

[@jerryB75]

Team Hyperion. Love both, but Hyperion is superior all four books

[@WordsinTime]

@@jerryB75 I’m glad you enjoyed all four!

[@colin1818]

I love both, but I'm absolutely team Hyperion. Not only do I think the first book in the Hyperion series is superior to Dune's first, but when we get the sequels it's just no contest.

[@WordsinTime]

@@colin1818 I am the mascot for Team Fall

[@clash5j]

I can’t overcome the sentimentality/nostalgia I have for Dune. It’s the first science fiction I ever read! Objectively I feel Hyperion is better but the “feels” for Dune are too strong to not pick it

[@WordsinTime]

That’s understandable!

[@sourorange]

i loved hyperion and fall of hyperion might be my favorite book ever. still need to get to dune and endymion but so far i’m team hyperion

[@WordsinTime]

@@sourorange I’m glad you also enjoyed The Fall of Hyperion!

[@neves69]

Thank you so much for this video, it was great. Cheers from Portugal.

[@WordsinTime]

@@neves69 Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🇵🇹

[@Kim_Miller]

Team Hyperion. I've started Dune three times and not finished. The weird names (dyslexic readers prefer characters named Bob or Mike) the politicking for it's own sake, and those weird women with their 'hand in the box' gadget, all combined to send me elsewhere. I've read Hyperion and Fall and enjoyed them much more. However, I found the setup of Hyperion clumsy and it took quite some time for the story to overcome that feeling. One of my strongest impressions of the Hyperion duo is how it is echoed by Ruocchio in Sun Eater. His references to classic literature is one aspect of this. And it became very obvious when I got to Ummon's koans and use of the word 'Kwatz' and it immediately took me to Gibson mentoring Hadrian in Sun Eater. I realise it's foundation in is traditional Buddhism but the mirroring is too neat.

[@WordsinTime]

@@Kim_Miller Yes, I agree that Ruocchio has been influenced by Simmons!

[@BookishChas]

Great video Jonathan! I’m team Dune, but Hyperion is my second favorite sci-fi of all time following behind it. I’ll be reading Rise of Endymion in November.

[@WordsinTime]

@@BookishChas Nice! Hope you like it!

[@aleksandrlukin565]

Love when booktubers compare and blah blah about stuff I’ve read and still contemplate the meaning and other things. So geeky! Fun vid!

[@WordsinTime]

@@aleksandrlukin565 Haha we love a deep dive

[@jonahthejedai4973]

Team both. Love having both. Glorious life. Much good.

[@WordsinTime]

@@jonahthejedai4973 Haha we are spoiled

[@ChrisJohnson-pr9jq]

Dune for me 🤘 Although loved Hyperion cantos, good match-up. I enjoyed Hyperion a lot more when reading the omnibus editions, just seemed like one long 2 book story.

[@WordsinTime]

@@ChrisJohnson-pr9jq Yes, I think the two duologies work best when read together rather than four separate books.

[@ChrisJohnson-pr9jq]

@WordsinTime definitely flows better 🤘 I read Dune when I was about 11, and Hyperion much later, so Dune has plus 2 points for the nostalgia factor alone 😁 for me.

[@fleabynight]

Team Hyperion. Just! The four books stay solid with no real weaknesses. Also the desire to re-read the hyperion cantos is off the rictor. If it was the first book in the series, against each other I would have to say Dune. But still only just!!!

[@WordsinTime]

@@fleabynight That’s fair!

[@lurchEbean]

I always say Dune is the better book, but Hyperion is the better series.

[@WordsinTime]

@@lurchEbean Very fair!

[@marjoriedonnett5467]

I'm Team Dune (Dune is my favorite book of all time). I've read all the Dune books (and his son's) and also all four of the Hyperion books (I just love Dan Simmons), but Dune wins for me. I love the world-building in Dune - I feel that I know all the characters like they are really part of my life - the Bene Gesserit, the Mentats, the Guild Navigators, the Fremen - these groups live and thrive on my "other planets."

[@WordsinTime]

I can certainly understand wanting to spend a lot of time in the world of Dune!

[@cherylmccutchan1282]

Since I have only read the first 4 books of the Dune series, I must be team Dune. But my initial read of Dune was about 40 years ago so it will be interesting to complete the series again and read the Hyperion Cantos.

[@WordsinTime]

@@cherylmccutchan1282 Yes, I think it will be interesting on a re-read!

[@cherylmccutchan1282]

@@WordsinTime 💯

[@pepe_sasia]

Both are really good, inventive, long, and uneven in the sense that some parts are mind blowing, exciting and forever memorable, while some parts are just ok. I don't think I prefer one over the other (I've stopped after the first 2 books in both cases though).

[@WordsinTime]

@@pepe_sasia That’s a fair assessment!

[@jenniferstrong6529]

Team Hyperion t Book 2 the fall of Hyperion Great book

[@WordsinTime]

@@jenniferstrong6529 I’m glad you enjoyed it too!

[@General_reader]

Team Dune!

[@WordsinTime]

@@General_reader 🫡

[@indokenmore]

I’m gonna cowardly sit on the fence!😅😅 I first read Dune in my early 20s, and it immediately became my all time favourite book. I read Hyperion in my late 30s, and technically, it did take Dune’s place! … BUT here’s the kicker, honestly, in my early 20s, I don’t think I was fully ready for Hyperion. After becoming a father, for example, I connected with Hyperion’s “The Scholar’s Tale” so much it literally broke my heart. And I just loved all the “hard sci-fi” after having built a career more connected to the sciences. For me, Hyperion actually takes the cake… BUT… at the time I read Dune in my young adulthood, it blew my mind in a way that probably can’t be replicated.

[@WordsinTime]

@@indokenmore Haha that’s cool that both of them were such an important part of your reading history!

[@elfujo6595]

Dune as a series by a country mile. The first book in Hyperion is the best science fiction book I have ever read. I just wish I never continued the series after that...

[@WordsinTime]

@@elfujo6595 I like the sequels but I know not everyone does!

[@ubxs113]

This is the correct take

[@AnimeReference]

Yea I was surprised by the scores for the sequels, and other posters saying that Hyperion as a series is better. Book one was amazing, book two merely good.

[@Gothenburg1]

thanks for the video. I had hard time finishing the main Dune's book for neing to main caracter focused while Im enjoyer the Dune prophecy HBO serie for putting the clan's first like in a GOT way. I loved the first Hyperion book for the parallel with believing and how it shapes our whole vision of univers but Im experiencing hard time to finish the second one, I hope to finish it soon

[@WordsinTime]

@@Gothenburg1 You’re welcome! I’m glad you’re enjoying the Dune Prophecy series. I liked the recent movies but haven’t watched the series yet.

[@VeraSakhniuk]

Team Hyperion!

[@WordsinTime]

@@VeraSakhniuk Glad to have you aboard! 🫡

[@benjaminliar]

Team Hyperion! Though I would put the first Dune over any single Hyperion book. I'm also one of those weirdos who like Endymion over Hyperion. I know I'm wrong.

[@WordsinTime]

@@benjaminliar Haha I liked Endymion too!

[@fleabynight]

Yes Endymion is a bloody good book

[@bartsbookspace]

Team Hyperion, though I have not completed either series. Great analysis Johnathan.

[@WordsinTime]

@@bartsbookspace Thanks Bart! 🫡

[@RedFuryBooks]

Team Hyperion! The Hyperion Cantos is my favorite work of science fiction, but the first Dune novel is my #2. I do often wonder, though, if Frank had finished the series how my reception of the last two books (which I also was not very high on) might change. Fun video!

[@WordsinTime]

@@RedFuryBooks I’m skeptical that book 7 would have changed my opinion on books 5 and 6 but it’s an interesting thought!

[@timbiddulph]

I loved the first four Dune books, so now I'm going to have to read Hyperion and let you know.

[@WordsinTime]

Hope you enjoy them!

[@abdullahisayuti6698]

Easily Hyperion for me. Well I've only read the first duology tho but the fall of Hyperion is the best book of the 3 I've read (Dune, Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion)

[@WordsinTime]

@@abdullahisayuti6698 Glad to meet another Fall fan!

[@abdullahisayuti6698]

@@WordsinTime It's the well payed off promise to what Hyperion was so this was an easy choice for me tbh.

[@jerryB75]

@@abdullahisayuti6698 I don’t get the people who think you can stop after Hyperion. It’s a cliffhanger ending that was never meant to be. Simmons wrote Hyperion duology as one book, but the publisher had him split it because it was too long.

[@abdullahisayuti6698]

@jerryB75 Yeah I def do not understand it either. Maybe those people prefer such an open ending or something but def would've felt cheated if Hyperion was the only book and Fall was never there to payoff the setups for it.

[@alfbaguley5936]

Endymion shouldn't be sniffed at. It's great.

[@toinenosoite3173]

This is incredly easy. Best book: Hyperion. Well, Dune is also a relly good book! And that is it. Almost everthng that comes after the first books in both series is more or less middling.

[@WordsinTime]

@@toinenosoite3173 Fair enough. I liked some of the sequels but I can see why people think the originals are the best.

[@toinenosoite3173]

@@WordsinTime That is also totally true, as I liked the second book of Hyperion, but more or less hated the second duology. As reagards Dune, I did like God Emperor as a book, not as a continuation of the series though.

[@hardt92]

Hyperion FTW!

[@WordsinTime]

@@hardt92 💪

[@rammelbroadcasting]

Boy, it's not even close. I have to go with Dune. I think I gave Hyperion like a 9 or a 10 but Fall of hyperion was a clear step down, and then I was so disappointed in the Endemion books they almost ruined the whole cantos for me. No shade to anyone who likes them, of course, but I was genuinely upset when I finished them.

[@WordsinTime]

@@rammelbroadcasting That’s okay. They are different from Hyperion so they won’t work for everyone.

[@Halfogre]

A very controversial take! Hyperion over DOON. This may crash the internet.

[@WordsinTime]

@@Halfogre Down goes Dyoon!

[@jason666king]

Hyperion Cantos.

[@WordsinTime]

@@jason666king 🫡

[@ajaxdavis]

Team Hyperion! I got the Endymion books on my shelf tbr soon

[@WordsinTime]

@@ajaxdavis Nice! Hope you enjoy!

[@mcrawford992]

Never read dune or seen the movies and only read hyperion and the fall of hyperion, but they were so good, especially the fall of hyperion.

[@WordsinTime]

@@mcrawford992 I’m glad you also enjoyed Fall!

[@nightsazrael]

Apples and oranges, I love both series. But I actually love the last two Dune books the most. By the way, I will be becoming your Patron on the third. 😻😻😻😻😻😻

[@WordsinTime]

@@nightsazrael I’m glad you enjoyed those! And thanks for the support! Welcome!

[@roberthieber1]

Only read Dune and the first two Hyperion books. I’m team Hyperion though. Dune i think is way overrated and wasn’t really an enjoyable read imo. Hyperion actually made me get misty eyed, so bonus points there.

[@WordsinTime]

@@roberthieber1 I also found Hyperion to be pretty emotional impactful!

[@Lily_James]

Yay for Hyperion! I didn’t enjoy Dune much so dnf’ed the series. Currently about 80 pages into the Rise of Endymion and I really hope it picks up and moves past the church politics. Loved all the previous Hyperion/Endymion books.

[@WordsinTime]

The Rise of Endymion is a bit slow, but I liked the ending.

[@gatorduarte]

what would happen if you put the main character from dune in the Hyperion universe and if you put the main character from Hperion in the Dune universe?

[@WordsinTime]

@@gatorduarte Interesting question! Paul’s prescience would be helpful on the pilgrimage to the time tombs. I’m not sure if they’re the main character but the Shrike in the Dune universe would be intriguing.

[@CrAsHBon]

Team Hyperion

[@WordsinTime]

Welcome to the team!

[@chillguy9971]

I've fallen asleep each of the 4 times I've attempted picking dune up, literally no joke

[@WordsinTime]

@@chillguy9971 It’s a bit dry. Pun intended.

[@buddyb4343]

Neither! Not that they are terrible books/series; I just think both authors wrote better books. FH - The White Plague, DS - Ilium.

[@WordsinTime]

@@buddyb4343 Interesting! I like Ilium but just a little less than Hyperion.

[@This_is_me_2024]

Hyperion. Far more poetic in its scfi, especially the tree of pain. Dune is epic, but has no likable characters.

[@WordsinTime]

The Tree of Pain is haunting!

[@mboyle16]

I'm currently reading hyperion. I think I will have to read dune after and bounce back and forth.

[@WordsinTime]

@@mboyle16 Hope you enjoy!

[@toddblanchard7765]

Team Hyperion. However, read entire Dune series in the 80's and the Hyperion novels in the 2000's so cognitive dissonance may play a role here.

[@WordsinTime]

@@toddblanchard7765 That makes sense!

[@curtjarrell9710]

I still have The Hyperion Cantos on my TBR. 2025 is in my sights.

[@WordsinTime]

@@curtjarrell9710 Hope you enjoy it!

[@fleabynight]

Will not disappoint

[@cindywingetbooks]

I have to be Team Dune as I have not yet read any of the Hyperion books 😬. I adore Dune though, but mostly just the first two books, not necessarily the series as a whole.

[@WordsinTime]

@@cindywingetbooks I will reserve a spot for you on Team Hyperion if you wish to transfer! 😅

[@cindywingetbooks]

@WordsinTime ha ha! Thanks! I appreciate it!

[@EricMcLuen]

Have read all of Dune but only up to Fall. Hyperion was decent but Fall was an incredible let down. Make a new name changes and half the book has the exact same plot and beats as the later Dune books.

[@WordsinTime]

@@EricMcLuen Interesting. I didn’t feel that way, but I know it didn’t work for everyone.

[@klipkultur3680]

My review of this video: 10/10.

[@WordsinTime]

@@klipkultur3680 Haha I appreciate it!

[@jinchoung]

absolutely. dune is incredible for its day but there's a lot to be desired in terms of immersion and character. also - space nuns vs. space whores? come on....

[@WordsinTime]

@@jinchoung Books 5 and 6 were a bit strange haha

[@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd]

Jonathan you make me feel so small you have read both the entire Dune series and the entire Hyperion one while I have yet to read a single book. So can I really call myself a true sci-if fan? Maybe not. Unlike you I’ve always liked reading in different genres not just sf though it may be my favorite. Which means even though I’ve got at least thirty years on you your depth of knowledge is still much greater than my own. anyway one of the most impressive booktubers I follow praised Hyperion to the skies cause his degree is in Romantic Literature and he loved the Keating stuff so maybe I’ll get a nice new shiny edition of Hyperion and just read the first few pages to see how it goes. Wish me luck! Be well.⚛️❤

[@WordsinTime]

@@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd You are definitely a true sci-fi fan! There’s not a checklist that you have to complete, you just have to enjoy sci-fi haha. I hope you like Hyperion if you try it!

[@plantwateringcitizen8787]

I'm team Walk Of Shame, Dune is still in my to-read list! 🤦‍♂

[@WordsinTime]

@@plantwateringcitizen8787 Haha that’s okay! Hope you enjoy!

[@jasongrundy1717]

Forgot Hyperion even existed. I only remember it bored me and I ended up skipping parts which I normally never do.

[@WordsinTime]

@@jasongrundy1717 The first book is split up into different subgenres so I can see why some people would like different parts more or less than others.

[@tubbiestbeef4222]

Stop. You cannot make me choose.

[@colin1818]

There can be only one

[@WordsinTime]

@@tubbiestbeef4222 Haha it’s a (much lower stakes) Sophie’s choice

[@wesbeuning1733]

Hyperion

[@WordsinTime]

@@wesbeuning1733 Glad you like it!

[@jonathangurkin5296]

Hyperion by far

[@WordsinTime]

@@jonathangurkin5296 A fellow Jonathan and a fellow Hyperion fan 🫡

[@anarwally]

Dune is the better series IMO. Better written, clearer in character motivations, better overall story.

[@WordsinTime]

@@anarwally Glad you liked it!

[@ThriceGreatHermes-c6p]

Lensmen.

[@WordsinTime]

@@ThriceGreatHermes-c6p I haven’t read that series but I have read some of his short stories.

[@ThriceGreatHermes-c6p]

@WordsinTime Lensmen is the grandfather of space opera predating most other genre defining works. It does more to inflcunce space based sci-fi than Lord of the Rings does fantasy.

[@DGH-q3b]

40K. End of line.

[@WordsinTime]

@@DGH-q3b ⚔️

[@kid5Media]

Neither of them are the pinnacle of SF. That said, at least the all four of the books were readable. Read about two chapters of the third Dune book and quit in disgust.

[@WordsinTime]

@@kid5Media Oh no, haha

[@fconstraints]

Team Hyperion. Too easy.

[@WordsinTime]

@@fconstraints 🫡

[@SuperPlastered]

Hyperion. I don’t understand why people love Dune so much as it’s pretty much just politics and bitching. Hyperion is a much better series…not to mention the Shrike. There is nothing like that in Dune.

[@WordsinTime]

@@SuperPlastered The Shrike is awesome!

[@jonathan.palfrey]

My name is also Jonathan, and I dislike both of them!

[@WordsinTime]

@@jonathan.palfrey Uh oh, it’s a civil war amongst the Jonathans haha

[@jonathan.palfrey]

@@WordsinTime 🙂 I suppose I dislike Dune less than I dislike Hyperion. I have managed to read Dune more than once-separated by decades, though.