Those who appreciate writers with a knack for crossing prescriptive genres have likely familiarized themselves with one of the pioneers of the art. Dan Simmons’ Song of Kali won the 1986 World Fantasy Award, though readers of this stellar work of literature may find it totally devoid of elements typical to the genre.
What originally appealed to me about Simmons’ novels-there are many, ranging from his Hyperion series, later installments of which could fairly be called Space Opera, to his delightfully brutal Joe Kurtz crime-thrillers-was his knack for accumulating an impressive array of detailed knowledge on seemingly any given subject matter. He is, in fact, so skilled at this, readers will find it impossible to determine where the facts in his work end and the fiction begins. Avid readers of science fiction will find themselves giddy with delight over the literary conversations held by two artificial beings in his Ilium and Olympos. I personally remember a number of suspicious looks in a local coffee house when I came across them and said, rather loudly, “That is cool!”
His strongest work, Phases of Gravity, follows an aging astronaut in his search for meaning on Earth after the golden era of the space program. Again, as in Song of Kali, the work is strictly literary. No elements of science fiction are present in their technical definitions. Though we no longer assign the grandiose phrase ‘Great American Novel,’ this humble author was struck cold by the still unshakeable feeling of angst upon finishing this work. I will say no more on the subject, save: less really is more. Buy a copy and devour the book to see what I mean. This contrasts sharply with later works of his such as Hollow Man, where Simmons goes so far as to demonstrate mathematical formulas meant to represent human consciousness. Where he takes the work from there is more than worth the read. But the detailed science, mathematics, history, and knowledge of arms and weaponry serve as no detriment to the works in which he shows off knowledge. In these cases, more is more.