Hyperion
1989 • 492 pages
Ratings283
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings283
Average rating4.2
A stunning tour de force filled with transcendent awe and wonder, Hyperion is a masterwork of science fiction that resonates with excitement and invention, the first volume in a remarkable epic by the multiple-award-winning author of The Hollow Man. On the world called Hyperion, beyond the reach of galactic law, waits a creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope—and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands. Praise for Dan Simmons and Hyperion “Dan Simmons has brilliantly conceptualized a future 700 years distant. In sheer scope and complexity it matches, and perhaps even surpasses, those of Isaac Asimov and James Blish.”—The Washington Post Book World “An unfailingly inventive narrative . . . generously conceived and stylistically sure-handed.”—The New York Times Book Review “Simmons’s own genius transforms space opera into a new kind of poetry.”—The Denver Post “An essential part of any science fiction collection.”—Booklist
Featured Series
4 primary books5 released booksHyperion Cantos is a 5-book series with 4 primary works first released in 1989 with contributions by Dan Simmons.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is less one sci-fi novel and more a collection of short stories as we get to know this Pilgrim Fellowship on their way to undermine the Hegemony. All stories are radically different but equally interesting. What a ballsy way to start a book with the Priest's tale! I was cast down an oubliette of horrors only to be yanked out of a funk by Kassad's warrior tale—very cool Edge of Tomorrow Live Die Repeat vibes. The Poet's Tale was a dirty-mouthed romp with a few laughs and a ton of time-trippy scenery. I welcomed Silenus sardonically chewing scenery for most of the book. Wientraub's tale was equal parts heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Then, Brawne Lamia's tale felt like a noir nod to Bladerunner. Merin and Siri's story was a little creepy, but I was a too enthralled with time debt details and couldn't look away. Still wondering why dolphins would miss sharks? All in all this was a fun read, but I'm kind of peeved the book ended before delivering the goods.
Un très grand livre de science-fiction, un de mes préférés dans ce genre, à tel point que je m'étonne de ne jamais avoir écrit de critique plus longue sur ce roman magnifique qui débute une série non moins magnifique.
I read this in the 90s, and still like it. I forgot, though, that I now have to read the sequel!
The world of Hyperion is about to be invaded, and the consul for the Human Hegemony is tasked take a ship to evacuate their inhabitants. During the trip, he is accompanied by other ten travelers, all going in a pilgrimage to meet the Shriek. This mysterious creature is said to grant a wish from one member of the group that seeks him, and kill the others.
From these passengers, one of them is believed to be working with the invading force, and the consul is tasked to find out the traitor.
The crew decide that to improve their chances of survival, they should each share their stories about why they are going to seek the Shriek. After all, unlike other pilgrimage groups, they were chosen by the Church of the Shriek.
This is the introduction of the book. The rest of it is the stories of each of the eleven passengers.
The first story is about a Christian priest, who has previously been to this world with an exiled fellow, and it is because of him that he is on a pilgrimage. His is a story about man trying to save his religion from extinction.
The second story is from a war veteran general, and his story starts in his youth at a training computer that simulates a medieval setting. His is a story about the first women he loved.
I stopped reading here. Both these themes does not interest me. Lost love and lost faith. But mainly I did not like the sub-stories in themselves. Not much going on but the perceived emotions of the characters in them.
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