Average Bufph Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Dan Simmons
1989-05-26
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
The Canterbury Tales structure was initially intriguing, with each pilgrim's story revealing different aspects of this far-future universe. I particularly enjoyed the hard science elements around the TechnoCore and the time manipulation concepts, which reminded me of the complex physics I loved in Liu's work. However, I found the pacing uneven - some stories were absolutely gripping while others felt like they dragged on too long.
The Shrike as a mysterious, terrifying force was compelling, and Simmons' world-building across multiple planets showed impressive scope. While the book definitely had moments of brilliance, especially in its exploration of AI consciousness and human evolution, the fragmented narrative structure made it harder for me to stay fully engaged compared to the more cohesive cosmic narratives I've been gravitating toward lately.
