Hyperion

What can you say about this novel? One of the greatest works of speculative Sci-fi ever? A Masterpiece? Well Written? Shocking? Inviting the inevitability of death no matter what advances the future brings? It is all these things and so much more. When read in its entirety with its companion novel Endymion it shatters the boundaries of Sci-fi and possibly the human experience of wonder.
Only "Iain M Bank"s has come close to changing our perception of the world as it is now or could be. Changing the very nature of humanity. A special book.

This book is a classic now and will still be one hundred years from now. It’s the only truly fiction book on this list, but it contains some of the deepest truths about human nature, the meaning of time, memory, and identity.

Different narrators tell their tragic stories, which converge in a beautifully wrapped-up end set in a dystopian future with an ongoing war among different species descent from modern Homo sapiens. What is not to love about it?

Dan Simmons’ book weaves together the rigour of science fiction with the allure of fantasy to create a universe that is as intellectually provocative as it is imaginatively rich.

At the centre of this story is the Shrike–a being of advanced technology that can move through space and time, with near god-like abilities more commonly found in fantasy. Learning about the Shrike through the eyes of the main characters was like reading a futuristic version of Tolkien’s Sauron–the being is mysterious, terrifying, unknowable, and casts a hypnotic pull over those who seek it.

The novel itself is a feat in… show more.

It’s kinda funny; I actually didn’t finish this book the first time around. I don’t even remember why. I tend to juggle a lot of books and sometimes get distracted, and to be fair, this book doesn’t necessarily start with much of a bang. But man, oh man, was I hooked on the journey once I sank my teeth into the seven pilgrims’ stories and really got going. The worlds are fantastically imagined, and the mysteries (of the Shrike and of everything else) kept me turning pages in the best way possible.

Love or hate the rest of the series,… show more.

Hyperion is stimulating, mind-blowing, and always surprising. It is loaded with fantastic storylines but also somehow easy to read. You will never know what will happen next—a spellbinding world.

The narratives of the seven main characters could each be a book of their own. Mesmerizing world-building. No wonder it is a science fiction classic! I immediately went next to its sequel.

My boss raved about this book so I checked it out. He was right. It’s a truly wonderful sci-fi novel featuring a creature called the Shrike (aka Lord of Pain), who is made out of knives.

The novel tells the story of 7 travelers, and each tale is more gripping, interesting, and heartbreaking than the next. There are multiple timelines, kids that grow in reverse, and, again, a creature made out of knives. Sci-fi + monsters = a pretty winning combo.

Number one on my list has to be Hyperion.

Hyperion is a novel that from the jump, steeps the reader into another whole league of suspense. From a story about a priest who can’t die, to a man who is investigating his own death, then a daughter who is aging backward, each of these interconnected stories raises the stakes of the other. And that’s the rub, even though the previous story was intense, the subsequent (interconnected) story manages to make the previous story even more nail-biting.

I’m trying not to spoil anything but there are some really big ideas… show more.

This book is a mix of science fiction and polemic. Simmons’ best known work other than The Terror (which would also fit on my list) is the story of a group of pilgrims on a world that promises actual immortality—or an excruciating death at the hands of a truly memorable and horrifying robot.

It takes its form from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, with each pilgrim relating their life story through a different genre lens. The best of the lot is the hardboiled noir detective, but they’re all compelling.

Some people find the ending of the story frustrating, but the road… show more.

This is, quite simply, excellent storytelling. Seven people go to Hyperion, each with their own tale to tell. They are going to the Time Tombs, which move backward in time, and where they will be confronted by the terrifying spectre of the Shrike. They know the dangers, but each is compelled to join the pilgrimage for reasons of their own. The author’s rich imagination gives immense depth and breadth to this tale, in which the stories of the seven travellers converge toward a tense climax. If you enjoy this book as much as I did, you’ll be pleased to know… show more.

Hyperion taught me how to be afraid. The feeling I get when I read Hyperion is quite similar to how I feel when I watch Alien, my favorite movie. I see the Shrike as the ultimate literary sci-fi horror monster, much the same way as the Xenomorph is the quintessential movie monster. These creatures create the fear that I crave from my media, and the fear I hope to incite within those who read my works.