Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos)
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
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
BUY THE BOOK
Join a book club that is reading Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos)!
Community Reviews
Wow, I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a bit of a slog to get through but halfway through the first of the pilgrims stories I was hooked. After that each story gave new understandings into the world. Some were noir feeling, others kind of a weird love story and one that absolutely breaks my heart. The way the world feels so lived in, so totally unknown and at the same time perfectly familiar, is just amazing.
I had to read this for a work bookclub - the chapters were too long and I didn’t really care enough about all these pilgrims . The world was super confusing. I don’t even care enough to read the second book even though the ending sort of left you on a cliffhanger? What really did happen except we heard long 3 1/2 hour chapters about each of these people? Definitely this book must be just for men because I just found it boring as hell!!
Of course the one man in our bookclub selected this one. While this is my least favorite genre - I have listened to some dystopian books that were 5 star reads - like WOOL by Hugh Howey.
The futuristic world in Hyperion was compared to The Canterbury Tales and I remember absolutely hating that book in High School.
Of course the one man in our bookclub selected this one. While this is my least favorite genre - I have listened to some dystopian books that were 5 star reads - like WOOL by Hugh Howey.
The futuristic world in Hyperion was compared to The Canterbury Tales and I remember absolutely hating that book in High School.
Hyperion was a wild reading experience, sometimes brilliant, sometimes frustrating, and always intense. I completely understand why it's a modern sci-fi classic, but I also finished it feeling emotionally wrung out and occasionally confused in ways that didn't always feel intentional.
The book is structured as a series of tales, and honestly, that's where it shines. Each character gets a spotlight, and the individual stories range from devastating to grotesque to deeply unsettling. Some absolutely wrecked me (looking at you, Scholar's Tale), while others stressed me out so badly I'm convinced my skin got worse (Detective's Tale, please calm down). The Poet's Tale was unhinged in the most entertaining way, and the Soldier's Tale left me wondering what on earth I had just witnessed. And the Priest's Tale? Easily one of the most shocking, eerie, mythic, and the moment I realized the book was willing to get very dark.
I also liked the Consul's Tale a lot, especially the political layers and the tragic romance, though I wish it had dug deeper into the psychological effects of loving someone across mismatched timelines. There was so much emotional potential there that felt just out of reach.
The world building is rich and vivid, sometimes funny, sometimes horrifying, and occasionally overwhelming. The Shrike becomes more terrifying with every tale, not because it kills but because it chooses, and we have no idea why. The book is full of big ideas: time, identity, resurrection, AI ethics, faith, memory... all explored with ambition, if not always clarity.
And then there's the ending. I won't spoil it, but didn't love it. It felt abrupt, more like someone closed the book mid-sentence than an intentional cliffhanger. After so much buildup and so many emotional heavy stories, I wanted at least a sliver of resolution. Instead, it stopped right when things were finally converging.
Overall: Hyperion is bold, imaginative, and sometimes genius. But it's also uneven, emotionally chaotic, and occasionally exhausting. I'm glad I read it, but it didn't fully land for me.
ould not put this one down! The author weaves multiple storylines into a single, harmonious masterpiece that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Be warned: once you dive into this book, you’ll be compelled to read the entire series. It’s that good!
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.