Name: Hyperion
Rating: 4.198744769874477 (239 reviews)
ISBN: 9780553283686

Dan Simmons

A pilgrimage to the realm of the Shrike, a part-god/part-killing machine, provides the travellers the forum to tell their incredible stories

Hyperion

It is the 29th century and the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat. Invasion by the warlike Ousters looms, and the mysterious schemes of the secessionist AI TechnoCore bring chaos ever closer. On the eve of disaster, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set fourth on a final voyage to the legendary Time Tombs on Hyperion, home to the Shrike, a lethal creature, part god and part killing machine, whose powers transcend the limits of time and space. The pilgrims have resolved to die before discovering anything less than the secrets of the universe itself. Winner of the Hugo Award for best novel, 1990

something about religion and sci-fi… between priest hoyt and sol weintraub my fear yet enthrallment to a greater being is being put for more consideration. middle stories are weaker, more of a direct fable warning type deal but glad i pushed through. 

A fantastic storytelling structure and some great ideas, if not perfectly implemented. Very good at points (the best kind of classic sci-fi, even drifting into sci-fi horror), but I just couldn’t engage with some of the characters and their tales. Also will I read a book with a proper ending ever again? Still, imaginative and a good read overall.

Naomi J.

Aaron J Mitchell

Highly enjoyed this epic science fiction. It's a series of short stories told during a journey, each tied to the strange planet Hyperion and bizarre nightmare creature known as the Shrike. The only slightly annoying detail is that the book is only the first half of the story, with the various characters plots, begun with their stories, not really played out until you read the sequel the Fall of Hyperion.

Excellent premise, great prose and writing style, but it all got a bit too overcomplicated for me in the end. I felt not everything was resolved and I was left filling in too many gaps without enough information. Still, would recommend to fans of horror sci-fi.

(Edit: The sequels would probably answer a lot of the open questions, and I haven't had the chance to read through them)

Hamed Khalidi

Excellent premise, great prose and writing style, but it all got a bit too overcomplicated for me in the end. I felt not everything was resolved and I was left filling in too many gaps without enough information. Still, would recommend to fans of horror sci-fi.

(Edit: The sequels would probably answer a lot of the open questions, and I haven't had the chance to read through them)

Hernando

A Classic SF book with many genres packed in a great fashion. We got Space Opera, Time travel, Thriller, Mystery, a bit of Horror, etc etc. I enjoyed each of the stories and did not feel bored with the characters, they all were interesting in some way. Don't know why I've waited for so long to read this book.

Gavin

Starts terribly, with a brooding protagonist playing a grand piano outside in a storm. Also, despite being set in 3200CE or whatever, it makes dozens of of leaden references to the culture of C20th Earth. 

But the structure (6 tales from 7 travellers, cf. Chaucer) and the sheer variety of styles and themes soon kicks in and drags you through a delicious cyber-goth intrigue. The poet character is annoying, but he’s meant to be. (The key problem of metafiction: to write a great poet character, you really have to be a great poet yourself. Nabokov was, but even he dodged the issue by making Pale Fire about a flawed poet.) 

At one point it implies that Keats’ poems were retrocaused by schemes of time-travelling AIs, which is a thing I must admire.

Ouch. I’d heard so much good about this book. Have to say, it didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed parts of it for sure, but overall it was disappointing. I only finished it because I had about 100 pages left when I realised it wasn’t going to end well, but I felt I’d slog through it just in case. Feels fine to have ticked a “classic” off my list, but wouldn’t recommend it as an enjoyable read. 

Wayne Gibbons

Hana 

Fatih Arslan

B.H. Pitt

The sheer number of amazing sci-fi concepts not just broached, but fully fleshed out and realized in this novel is staggering. Frank Herbert wishes he could have done this much world building in the first Dune book.

Barry Hess

The Sol/Rachel story is enough on its own to net 5 stars for me. Can't wait to read Fall.

Damian Makki

Incredible. Rachel's story had me in tears and completely heartbroken.

Stephen Gill 

I read Hyperion when it first appeared in paperback many years ago. I bought a copy recently as I had given my first copy to someone who never returned it. I picked it up again and started reading and couldn't put it down. I have to say that it is one of the most enjoyable and intriguing books that I have ever read. This book just works on so many levels. Brilliant!

Daryl Houston

I have really mixed feelings about this book. Parts of it were gripping and imaginative; parts of it felt like hack writing. Sometimes I liked the frame tale aspect and the nods to literary forebears; sometimes I found it annoying or inconsistent or distracting. I'm glad I read it, and I'll likely read the sequel, but I'll go into it with a little hesitation.

Sarvagnan S

A good book to end the day with. This is somewhere between a collection of stories and a cohesive book. The stories would not stand on their own, but within the structure of the book they draw you in.

Hyperion

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