Jew does not care for Hyperion for typically Jewy reasons

Hyperion is really good but the way that Dan Simmons writes about women’s bodies and s*x, and Jews and Muslims makes me really uncomfortable

I won’t lie and say that there any sorts or straight s*x scenes that I love but I have no problem when they’re written well and actually move the story, but the way that he speaks in gratuitous detail about things like the wetness between Moneta’s legsin the Soldier’s tale or how in the Consul’s story he marks the passing of time and Siri’s age by the condition of her breasts, eg they’re still firm and girlish and has filled out in ways that were only suggested when she was a teenager when she’s 27 or how her nipples had grown darker and rougher at 37 and the way that he adds sexual elements that are completely superfluous, like describing how a character ran his hands down his girlfriend’s back and grabbed her behind before pulling her close instead just saying “I was scared so I pulled her close to me” is really strange. It makes me uncomfortable, like the author is so fixated on women’s’ bodies that he just can’t help himself when it comes to talking about them, or about men interacting sexually with them. I have no problem with s*x when it’s necessary for the plot, such as in the Soldier’s story (of course he chose to make s*x, specifically straight s*x, necessary for the plot, but I digress), but I feel like “we made love” would have sufficed, as opposed to details about what hands and mouths were doing, even if he did feel compelled to add those details I think that it would made me less uncomfortable if he gave her some agency in the act, instead of making it all about what was being done to her body.

Also, this is just a vibe, but — as a Jew — the way that he talks about Jews and seems somewhat fixated on Judaism, Israel, Zionism, Palestine and Islam in a setting where none of that is necessary because it’s the far future and Earth literally doesn’t exist felt anti-Semitic in that weird philosemitic ultra Zionist way that is particular to American conservatives.

Anyhow I really love the books otherwise, just wish I didn’t have to hear so much about T&A and that his imaginary future didn’t include Palestinians committing a nuclear jihad some time in the past and still living in refugee camps, on Mars, even though Earth doesn’t exist; and Jews living on a planet called New Hebron (not Jerusalem, Hebron, a city in the occupied West Bank which is the centre of settler extremism) and keeping the sabbath even though they live on a planet with a different sun and orbit than Earth so the concept of Shabbat means nothing.

TL;DR: Gussy and Israel worship makes him

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