We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later. Titles in Order Sort by: Latest to First First to Latest. The magnificent conclusion to one of the greatest science fiction sagas of our time The time of reckoning has arrived. As a final genocidal Crusade threatens to enslave humanity forever, a new messiah has come of age. She is Aenea and she has undergone a strange apprenticeship to those known as the Others. Now her protector, Raul Endymion, one-time shepherd and convicted murderer, must help her deliver her startling message to her growing army of disciples.

But first they must embark on a final spectacular mission to discover the underlying meaning of the universe itself. They have been followed on their journey by the mysterious Shrike—monster, angel, killing machine—who is about to reveal the long-held secret of its origin and purpose. And on the planet of Hyperion, where the story first began, the final revelation will be delivered—an apocalyptic message that unlocks the secrets of existence and the fate of humankind in the galaxy.

The multiple-award-winning science fiction master returns to the universe that is his greatest triumph—the world of Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion —with a novel even more magnificent than its predecessors. It took me a while to get into the story; Brawne Lamia isn't my favorite character. But it took off after a while, and the ending was satisfying, if not a little confusing. Well, that came out of nowhere. But in a good way! Unfamiliar terms made me nervous Time debt?

View all 23 comments. Posted at Heradas Review This is another one of those classics of SF literature that I have somehow missed reading over the years. Thankfully, I finally got there, and Hyperion was not what I expected, in the best way possible. Obviously, coming into the novel my expectations were high, and I knew the m Posted at Heradas Review This is another one of those classics of SF literature that I have somehow missed reading over the years. Obviously, coming into the novel my expectations were high, and I knew the most basic gist of the plot: What I got was partly what I anticipated, but in a very left-field form, which was such a refreshing subversion of my what I thought I was getting myself into.

It delivered on what I thought it was, but in a way I never imagined, and it was fantastic. Instead of straight-forward narrative momentum, Hyperion is almost entirely the backstories of these pilgrims. Each story genuinely adds to the forward narrative, by going backward. This is equally both. Each tale feels like a slightly different genre married to science fiction, and the interstitial sections weave them together tightly.

Only one of them fell slightly flat for me. Hyperion has that indescribable, almost lovecraftian terror, dread and brooding present throughout, and one tale in particular left me unbearably heartbroken. I was torn whether or not to dig straight into The Fall of Hyperion after finishing this, but ultimately I decided not to just yet. View all 15 comments. Deep in the shady sadness of a vale Far sunken from the healthy breath of morn. Imagine a universe where the Earth has been destroyed and humanity is spread out across hundreds of planets.

Combine the artful poetry of John Keats with a science fiction retelling of the Canterbury Tales. Add tons of references to the myths and legends of the three Abrahamic religions, and what you have is Hyperion. A masterpiece of literature. Seven pilgrims come together aboard the treeship Yggdrasil to Deep in the shady sadness of a vale Far sunken from the healthy breath of morn.

Seven pilgrims come together aboard the treeship Yggdrasil to make a journey to the remote planet Hyperion, outside the authority and jurisdiction of the Hegemony of Man. Each and every one of them has been specifically chosen by the Church of Final Atonement to undertake a pilgrimage to the enigmatic creature known only as the Shrike. And each and every one of them has been chosen because of a personal connection with the planet itself. Thus begins a quest to uncover the lost secrets hidden within the Valley of the Time Tombs, a place from which no pilgrim has ever come back alive.

This book deserves to be hailed alongside the greatest works of science fiction. The most fascinating part of the book is definitely the mystery of the Time Tombs themselves, huge structures that supposedly move backwards through time, originating in a distant future. Thus the book explores the concept of time itself, and the unforeseen consequences the effects of the Tombs have had and will have on the pilgrims' lives and the universe as a whole. Hyperion is more a collection of short stories with an overarching frame story than an actual novel.

That structure is part of what makes the book so much of a joy to read. Every chapter has one of the pilgrims tell his or her tale to the others in order to share information that will be vital for their survival and the success of their mission. And each tale brings the group closer to the Valley of the Time Tombs, where the Shrike is waiting for them. All of them with a with a story to tell and a part to play.

Still singing loudly, not looking back, matching stride for stride, they descended into the valley. View all 26 comments. Mar 22, Megan Baxter rated it it was amazing. These stories are, individually, mind-blowingly good - in concert, they are little short of breathtaking. This is science fiction at its very best, and its avoidance of simple answers satisfies me deeply. I can't wait to read the next book. The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here. In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook.

View all 22 comments. On the eve of interstellar war between the Hegemony of Man and the barbarian Ousters over the fate of Hyperion, seven pilgrims embark on a journey to the Time Tombs and their mysterious protector, The Shrike, a three meter tall, four-armed monster covered with blades. One pilgrim will have his wish granted and the others will be impaled on the Shrike's Tree of Pain. Only one or more of the pilgrims isn't what he appears to be I first read Hyperion almost seven years ago as part of the The Hype On the eve of interstellar war between the Hegemony of Man and the barbarian Ousters over the fate of Hyperion, seven pilgrims embark on a journey to the Time Tombs and their mysterious protector, The Shrike, a three meter tall, four-armed monster covered with blades.

I first read Hyperion almost seven years ago as part of the The Hyperion Omnibus: When I found the ebook on the cheap, I decided it was time for a reread. Hyperion is an epic tale that's hard to quantify. Borrowing its structure from the Canterbury tales, Hyperion is a literary sf tour de force, encompassing much of what I love about reading in the first place.

There are literary references, far away places with strange sounding names, three dimensional characters, and a universe that is anything but black and white. There is also artificial intelligence, faster than light travel, robots, lasers, and many other spectacular sf concoctions. As I said before, Hyperion is really a multitude of tales in one. Seven people have been selected to go on what is possibly the final Shrike pilgrimage.

Along the way, they tell their stories, stories which run the gamut of genre tales. There's romance, humor, action, adventure, sex, and violence, everything I love about genre fiction. Simmons really flexes his writing chops in this, from Martin Silenus' verbose tale of being a writer to Brawne Lamia's Raymond Chandler homage. World-building is often intrusive and wielded like a club but Simmons' world-building is more like a massage, doled out in bite-sized chunks during each of the characters' tales.

While the world-building is staggeringly interesting, it's the characters that really fuel this fire. A repentent soldier, a conflicted diplomat, an old man with a child aging in reverse, the captain of a treeship, a burden-carrying priest, a detective in love with a poet, and a poet in love with the past.

Hyperion Cantos Series

There isn't enough space to write down everything I loved about this book. The only gripe I have is that it ends abruptly once the Consul's tale is told and the real ending is in the second volume, The Fall of Hyperion. I originally read this way back in and it was one of those wonderful books that eclipsed many of the books before it.


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On the second read, it still is. Five out of five stars. View all 19 comments. Jan 28, Jonathan rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I'm frankly terrified to review Dan Simmons' masterpiece Hyperion. It is too good and too big for me to do this right. I thought I would mirror both Chaucer's and Simmons' use of the frame story in my review: The Pilgrimage is the perfect literary tool for bringing together a bunch of characters who appear to have little in common but soon all share the same goal.

Simmons does a masterful job at telling each story in different styles. The feel is unique each time. The structure of Hyperion offers something for everyone, even readers unfamiliar with sci-fi. Horror fans will be drawn to the legend of the Shrike, and the Priest's story, while perhaps the slowest to develop, reminded me of Stephen King. There's plenty to love for space opera junkies, and there's mystery, intrigue and deceit.

There's also the exploration of the depth of a parent's love for their child.


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    • Oh and people get sliced and diced, nah huh. I'm not at home in a sci-fi or fantasy book unless I'm confused for at least the first few pages, if not longer. The opening scene confronts us with new words "time-debt"? Read in retrospect, we feel very comfortable in this scene which is one I particularly like. That's good, and means we've integrated ourselves into Simmon's freaky world. Although the overarching story is definitely odd, by the end of it you've bought what Simmons is selling; at full price.

    It's just odd enough for you to be curious, and there's just enough information revealed to encourage you to fly through the pages. Strange can be good, and in Hyperion, it's incredible. Story Within a Story 1: I was delighted to learn that its his? The Shrike reminds me of Darth Vader on a few levels. It's Vader, like the Shrike, that dictates how the story progresses. The actions of all of the other characters are only in reaction to the Shrike. The protagonist in Hyperion is the Shrike; and it never says a word.

    However, I wouldn't classify it as an anti-hero because it certainly doesn't elicit any sympathy or other positive feelings. Actually, the opening lyrics to that song make a great pilgrimage tune for the Consul et al.: The physical description of the Shrike is cool to mull over: It's metallic, but it's also organic. Don't forget the ruby red eyes. Come, come, commala Lord of Pain, come, commala. Story Within a Story 2: I have to admit that in a potty humour kind of way, I liked Martin's somewhat limited yet colourful vocabulary during his brain-damaged period. Simmon's homage to George Carlin was pretty funny and reminded me of a scene in Iain M.

    Bank's Use of Weapons when a cab driver who uses a voice box to speak gets the crap kicked out of him and the voice box keeps saying things like "thank you", "where would you like to go" and "I'd like another please". Through Martin we get a glimpse of what happened to Old Earth. It was a creative method of exposition and obviated the need to have a character suddenly give a misplaced history lesson.

    Martin gives Simmons an excuse to answer the reader's natural curiosity. Story Within a Story 3: Dan Simmons has proven that he can not only tackle tech and space opera with aplomb, but that he can also create vivid characters with whom we no doubt identify. I'm a new father and I found Sol's story to be extremely moving.

    Plus the freaking Shrike reaching for me in the dark would turn my shorts brown. Sol deserved the cover spot on my edition of The Fall of Hyperion. Story Within a Story 4: If this was real, people like Britney Spears would have enough money for two such houses AND be stupid enough to actually own two. Simmons does something with tech that I think a lot of authors fail to take advantage of: In the opening scene of Hyperion, we're aboard the Consul's ship with his piano. At some point in the story we're told that private ownership of space vessels is extremely rare.

    I found this fact odd until we were introduced to farcasters and their relatively ubiquitous use. Who the hell would own an expensive space ship when you can go to a multitude of planets in your PJs? I also liked that with power comes increased access to farcaster technology. The fact that the President has a private farcaster makes sense.

    Story Within a Story 5: The scene with Kassad and the Shrike was a very interesting concept of time as a weapon. That cool fight was also a nice little exemplar of how nobody has a chance against the Lord of Pain Story Within a Story 6: Reading journal entries is always an interesting way of being exposed to facts because there is a suddenness to each revelation. Things happen while the journal's author is not jotting down his thoughts.

    It rocketed him to the top of my favourite authors list and cemented him as one of my must-reads for years to come. I've since checked out his online writing course and have gained even more appreciation for the structure of Hyperion, the exposition and the prose.

    View all 29 comments. I loved this sci fi classic, Hyperion and want to read the rest of the series now - especially with the massive cliffhanger at the end! A sort of Canterbury Tales in space, Simmons takes us years in the future with a human race that fled the ineluctable implosion of planet earth in two groups - the Hegemony and the rebellious Ousters. There are, if memory serves, about 25 or was it ? The story revolves around seven pilgrims headed to a world not connected to the WorldWeb this being a network of human habitations connected by networks and AI intelligence of the TechnoCore.

    There is a ton of speculative ideas that were very far-reaching for a book written in including the aforementioned WorldWeb think of the World Wide Web that was conceptualized in and opened to the public in ! The Hegemony has become somewhat authoritarian amd paranoid following the incredible rise of intelligence in the AI systems and the menace of the Ousters who are now completely comfortable living in deep space and have developed sophisticated weapons that threaten Hegemony worlds. On Hyperion, the destination of the pilgrims, there is mysterious murderous creature called the Shrike who lives near the Time Tombs which are now off limits to the imminent danger.

    Each of the pilgrims has a specific and important link to Hyperion and to the Shrike and each tells their story during the long voyage. Needless to say, there is a LOT of material here and telling you more would inevitably lead to spoilers so suffice it to say that there is no question that Hyperion belongs in the upper echelon of science fiction novels and its vision of the future is at the same time quite terrifying and incredibly fascinating. Looking forward to the next installment!

    Since, read and reviewed here on GR! Sep 23, Apatt rated it it was amazing Shelves: Hyperion is generally regarded as a science fiction classic, it tends to be included in most "Best SF Novels of All-Time" lists. I first read it when it was first published in paperback, at the time I had no idea I was reading a book that is destined to become a classic in the genre. When I began to participate in online sf books discussion groups not so long ago primarily PrintSF these days I noticed how often Hyperion is mentioned, usually reverent tones. A reread is then in order because I Hyperion is generally regarded as a science fiction classic, it tends to be included in most "Best SF Novels of All-Time" lists.

    Hyperion Cantos - Wikipedia

    A reread is then in order because I have entirely forgotten what is so good about it, besides I have not read the subsequent books in the Hyperion Cantos. Anybody who is familiar with the works on Dan Simmons will know how versatile he is. Simmons has published books in several genres including, sf, fantasy, horror, crime, and non-fiction. I can not say that he excels in all of them because I have only read his sf and horror novels but it would not surprise me if he does.

    Hyperion is beautifully structured and skillfully built up from gradually introducing the reader to the universe of the book to taking the readers through the adventures of the seven protagonists. It is one of those rare books that is highly readable from start to finish, yet its accessibility belies its complexity. The novel is comprised of brilliant six distinct novella length stories wrapped within a frame story a la The Canterbury Tales. This book encompasses several different styles or sf sub-genres including space opera, hard sf, soft sf, military sf, cyberpunk, horror, and even literary fiction, each story even manage to encompass multiple subgenres.

    The different parts combine into a cohesive excellent volume, Simmons' wonderful versatility is amply showcased by the different narrative voice and tone he adopts for each part. My favorite is Part 5, The Detective's Tale: The difference in narrative voice is particularly noticeable here, Brawne Lamia is the only female protagonist but kicks more asses than all the males put together yet still comes across as feminine. It is a sort of The Long Goodbye in reverse with the woman as the private eye. Part 4, The Scholar's Tale: All the parts are great, though, these two are just my personal highlights.

    An earlier story even reminds me of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness before things take a left turn into Twilight Zone-ish weirdness. Characterization is certainly a strong point of this book, all the characters are complex and believable, moments of humor and irony are discreetly slipped in to prevent the book from becoming leaden. The prose style, as mentioned previously, changes in accordance with the setting and character, as a whole the book is beautifully written.

    I also love that the book ends on a surprisingly cheerful musical note though not quite a song and dance number which is also something of a cliffhanger, and our "heroes" are far from safe. If you count yourself an sf fan you need to read this. If you just want to read a damn good book this is also for you.

    View all 10 comments. The fiction of Dan Simmons reminds me of a sporty and high maintenance dog, a dalmatian or Weimaraner perhaps, the type of athletic breed who walks its owners as opposed to the other way around. Like a canine with stamina to spare, the author's science fiction epic Hyperion , winner of the Hugo Award, may be the best fit for those who enjoy hours of exercise and mental stimulation in their personal time, a beast as opposed to a buddy.

    Intensely literary, highly imaginative, mostly capable of The fiction of Dan Simmons reminds me of a sporty and high maintenance dog, a dalmatian or Weimaraner perhaps, the type of athletic breed who walks its owners as opposed to the other way around. Intensely literary, highly imaginative, mostly capable of being understood without a B. Set in the 28th century, Earth has been destroyed several hundred years ago when an artificial black hole ultimately gobbled up the planet in what is commonly known as the Big Mistake.

    The Hegemony of Man has hopped across the stars through "farcasters," portals which bend space and allow instantaneous travel to certain points. The Hegemony's infrastructure is known as the "WorldWeb" and uses military strength to subdue and incorporate new worlds into the network for commercial purposes. Beyond the WorldWeb are the Ousters, interstellar barbarians who live free, as well as the TechnoCore, a race of AI who operate mankind's technology and may have their own agenda. Both the Ousters and the TechnoCore are obsessed with the backwater world of Hyperion, colonized by a patron of the arts who dreamed of establishing a new Renaissance there.

    Hyperion features mysterious structures known as the Time Tombs, which are surrounded by an anti-entropic field which may have been built in the future. They are used as a gateway by an entity known as the Shrike.

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    Composed of metallic blades and known to slice, dice and impale its victims on its thorns, the Shrike has spawned a cult which often sends a prime number of pilgrims to the Time Tombs. Legend holds that one pilgrim will be spared slaughter and granted a wish. On the eve of interstellar war with the Ousters, the Shrike Church requests the compliance of seven individuals--six men and one woman chosen by the TechnoCore--to participate in a pilgrimage to the Time Tombs in hopes of averting war.

    These individuals are a priest, a soldier, a poet, a scholar, a detective, a diplomat and a guide. Revived from cyrogenic freeze aboard a treeship--living trees propelled through space by alien beings which emits force fields--the pilgrims share that they each have a unique relationship to Hyperion. Hoping to learn as much as possible before confronting the Shrike, the pilgrims draw straws and begin to share their stories en route to the Time Tombs.

    Hyperion stands out by offering six stories for the price of one, each tale leaning heavily toward the work of a different author. The priest's tale is a horror story, Joseph Conrad in space. The soldier's tale is military science fiction in the mode of Robert Heinlein. The poet's tale, my favorite, has the sensibility of Douglas Adams. The scholar's tale has the sentimentality of Ray Bradbury.


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      • The detective's tale channels William Gibson. The consul's tale feels reminiscent of Jack London, substituting outer space for the South Seas. Different readers are sure to find different literary influences. The prose is at times overwhelming, sometimes difficult to comprehend. Labyrinthine worlds are always Earthlike, at least to 7.

      The tunnels themselves are set deep--usually a minimum of ten kilometers but often as deep as thirty--and they catacomb the crust of the planet. On Svoboda, not far from Pacem's system, over eight hundred thousand kilometers of labyrinth have been explored by remotes. The tunnels on each world are thirty meters square and carved by some technology still not available to the Hegemony. Each of the labyrinthine worlds--including Hyperion--had been probed and researched.

      Nothing has ever been found. No signs of excavation machinery, no rusting miner's helmets, not a single piece of shattered plastic or decomposing stimsick wrapper. Researchers have not eve identified entrance and exit shafts. No suggestion of heavy metals or precious ores has been sufficient to explain such a monumental effort. No legend or artifact of the Labyrinth Builders has survived. The mystery had mildly intrigued me over the years but never concerned me.

      Behold The Unfilmable: Hyperion Cantos

      My criticism of Hyperion aren't the demands it places on the reader but its influences. The novel's length is brunch compared to a Stephen King word count and not every paragraph Simmons writes is that long or throws as many mysterious nouns at the reader. But never at the possibilities of the movie. Janeway did take some of that disgust away. And every permutation of every sci-fi, spec-fic novel I've ever loved, I've sat through every visualization of it - because the creators of that visualization may see some, may see all, may see it so much better, than what I saw when I read the original.

      Lord Of The Rings: OK, actually, also the Ents But I wasn't my friend who refused to see any realization lest it spoil his personal vision. I think the LOTR's cinematic team saw my vision one better. Absolute fact - the genre is still mainly a man's game right now. But I still watch, because - there's no alternative if you want to see sci-fi and spec-fic. Because - it's my genre, my main literary direction. I have faith and I have hope that my enjoyment of the novel might be displayed beautifully by talented cinema artists. Somebody might deliver Hyperion. Dan Simmons has given it all the right ingredients and out there are all the right artisans.

      Eventually it will be here. And I'll be there, possibly with my 3D glasses on, hoping the detective is totally transferrable to me being her. Cinematic realization of speculative fiction and science fiction is a minor grail that some people keep chasing Maja but remember this is not like LoTR, because there wasnt any second of sex scene and nudity. Given The Cantos is a complex story telling, I still count it as one of the most in-depth ones. I may have skipped on some parts, but the ones I did read was still so well written I joined this site just so I could comment here: There is indeed one main hero in Hyperion, though perhaps not in the stereotypical sense as it is the Consul, who not only plays the role of mediator, and narrator in some senses, but is himself a player in these tales.

      The stories of each character intertwine beautifully, irrevocably, and integrally: And not belabour the point, but I found this series to be an epic poem all its own, despite Mr. Simmons' integration of real and reconstituted characters as well as his intellectual usage of the Canterbury tales as the basis for his premise.

      It is original, thoughts provoking and yes, it would be difficult to produce as a film or series if films. I would like to point out, however, that Bradley Cooper whatever your opinion is of a man you do not know is an actual avid fan of these books, and without knowing what his capacity for screenwriting, I feel more enchanted by the idea of someone who respects the story as he obviously does to ha e the opportunity to introduce others to what I refer to as my "SciFi" bible.

      I have also joined this site to say thanks to omIMV for their post, capturing my thoughts quite well. If the movie s don't follow the timeline of the books, who cares? The stories themselves don't follow a sequential timeline.

      This is a perfect environment for creative license. To Eric, on your comments on book one, "nearly unreadable? I've recommended the series to quite a few people, including my teenage son, and no one else has found it anything approaching unreadable. Simmons ability to craft each tale in a different voice and genre was one of the things that caught my attention. The depth and vision, action and deeper philosophy kept it, and made this my favorite series, with the first book being my favorite.

      The Canterbury tales framework seems almost a happy accident, and really doesn't deserve mention, except to describe the similarity. Not having a definite ending as a criticism? My hopes for the movie, the thing that brought me to this site, are that Cameron and company will get tired of retelling Pocohantas in space, and make some movies with a real plot. I need to agree with most of you who think that Hyperion is impossible to be translated into a motion picture. But it definitely could be transformed into a TV series. They can play with the stories and characters and SGI dont have to be Oscar worthy.

      As long long as they get the tone right like Jackson did with LOTR little changes will be acceptable. I know that as fans is very tempting to thing that this story is so great that no body could make a movie out of it, but could you imagine what it would be if they actually succeeded? Skip to Main Content Area. Hello, if this is your first time here, login with Facebook or create a free account to get started.

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