The Hyperion Cantos

The Hyperion Cantos are the finest science fiction books I've ever had the privilege to read.  There are four book in the series.

• Hyperion
• The Fall of Hyperion
• Endymion
• The Rise of Endymion

The joy of the books lie in the wondrous, mysterious universe that Dan Simmons, the author, has created.  It feels internally consistent and logically constructed, and there's a rich density of novel ideas.

The biggest compliment I can give to the books is that for two years after I finished the series, I kept returning to books, re-reading passages that made shivers run down my spine.  The plot twists and turns throughout the books, with all the plot threads explained (to at least some degree) in the final book.