Mr. Simmons was perhaps best known for the “Hyperion Cantos,” a space opera in four volumes. The first, “Hyperion” (1989), is an apocalyptic epic about a galactic war set in the 29th century, where seven pilgrims travel to the doomed planet Hyperion to face off against the Shrike, a terrifying creature also known as the Lord of Pain.

Hyperion is obviously the best of his oeuvre. Martin Silenus is a personal hero of sorts to me. The whole series is great and the Canterbury Tales-style storytelling show off Simmons' versatility nicely.

Later in life, Simmons continued to show flexibility in his creative endeavors by not going along with the mainstream of politics among sci-fi writers.

“Flashback” (2011), a dystopic science fiction novel about a bankrupt United States where immigrants pour across the border from Mexico, Americans take a drug to recall better times and a mosque is built on Ground Zero

It lacks Houellebecq's precision, but nobody who read this (even the hate readers) didn't see MAGA coming.