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This then is the setting for the first part of Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos. As the book opens, a crisis of galactic scale is looming. The feared and reviled Ousters have begun the long-dreaded war against the Web’s ruling human Hegemony, and the focus of their initial attentions is the distant ... Read review
Advantages: Masterful story-telling, very strong characters Disadvantages: None
...the first part of Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos. As the book opens, a crisis of galactic scale is looming. The feared and reviled Ousters have begun the long-dreaded war against the Web’s ruling human Hegemony, and the focus of their initial attentions is the distant colonial planet of Hyperion. Home of the enigmatic Time Tombs, reports are that their legendary guardian, the Shrike, Lord of Pain, has reawoken and is spreading even more fear and panic. ... ...All Thing. Brought to Hyperion by the Templar treeship Ygdrasill, and joining its captain on this journey to the Shrike’s lair, are a failing Catholic priest, a vengeful soldier, a watchful detective, a diplomatic consul, a tragic scholar and a visionary poet. One among them is an Ouster spy – but which?
The pilgrims’ tales are told in such an order as to gain maximum effect; each builds on the last in some way and it is difficult ... more
If you think that the Web dominates communications today, get yourself put into cryogenic fugue for eight hundred years or so, and if Dan Simmons’ vision comes to pass, not only will they actually be able to revive you, you’ll be able to see *real* Web domination. For the Web of the twenty-ninth century draws communities together *physically* – its gateways are Farcaster portals which can interconnect on demand to give zero travel time between two points. (Fancy a residence built on a dozen different planets? No problem. Dinner at that restaurant you found while on honeymoon? Be there in five. Office space in the crisp air of the high mountains accessed from a door in your country retreat? Very popular these days). But not all known worlds are Web-connected, and travel beyond the technological gossamer still incurs the time-debt associated with relativistic speeds – as you approach the speed of light, time stretches and you reach your destination younger than your theoretical twin...
This then is the setting for the first part of Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos. As the book opens, a crisis of galactic scale is looming. The feared and reviled Ousters have begun the long-dreaded war against the Web’s ruling human Hegemony, and the focus of their initial attentions is the distant colonial planet of Hyperion. Home of the enigmatic Time Tombs, reports are that their legendary guardian, the Shrike, Lord of Pain, has reawoken and is spreading even more fear and panic. What secrets do the empty Tombs hold that the Ousters are so desperate to gain and the sentient Web All Thing is so desperate to retain?
The answers are to be found in the tales of the seven pilgrims chosen by the Church of the Final Atonement and the All Thing. Brought to Hyperion by the Templar treeship Ygdrasill, and joining its captain on this journey to the Shrike’s lair, are a failing Catholic priest, a vengeful soldier, a watchful detective, a diplomatic consul, a tragic scholar and a visionary poet. One among them is an Ouster spy – but which?
The pilgrims’ tales are told in such an order as to gain maximum effect; each builds on the last in some way and it is difficult to imagine the book being quite so good should the poet Silenus’ draw been made differently. But this of course is just a literary device of plot construction…
Simmons is a very clever writer. Each pilgrim’s tale is told in a different style; some are even in the first person, which is difficult to do without sounding like a primary-school essay. Like all good authors, he is also able to manipulate the reader’s emotions at will. At the pilgrims’ initial meeting, I felt sympathy for only two of the seven – the obviously ill priest Lenar Hoyt, and the scholar Sol Weintraub carrying his baby daughter. As the group descend into the valley at the end of the book, there was only one who I felt did not deserve any particular sympathy – and it was not the spy.
Winner of the 1990 Hugo Award for Science Fiction, “Hyperion” is a beautifully crafted beginning to the four-part Cantos; highly readable, a real page-turner. The characters are as highly developed as they are diverse; the various locations as clear and detailed as they would be on celluloid. I am not ashamed to admit that I was moved to tears at one point in the Scholar’s tale, but to tell you why would be to reveal too much – you will just have to find out for yourself. And so I must thank my fellow Ciao member offy for bringing this masterpiece to my attention – and hope that you in turn, once you have read this stunning book, will thank me for bringing it to yours.
Best price (inc P&P) 1 Mar 2002: £7.69 from whsmith.co.uk
Advantages: adventure, thriller, SF, Fantasy, spy, detective the works Disadvantages: the story doesnt end with this book
...at first is Hyperion.
Hyperion is no ordinary planet. It is the home of the shrike and the time tombs. The Shrike is an all metal & chrome spiky monster that seems to appear and disappear killing humans in its wake (sexy huh). The thing is nobody knows where it came from and what its purpose is. Its is worshipped by some and is believed to grant the wish of pilgrims. A usual party consists of seven and only one wish will be granted the rest will ... ...basically they don’t return.
Well anyway the Hegemony sets up a group of pilgrims to visit the shrike before the planet falls and the story is of this pilgrimage. The pilgrims consist of a consul, a soldier, a treeship pilot (as far as I could figure out a treeship is a spacecraft that is a tree!!??? I’ve only read the first book, I didn’t even know there are more but believe me I’m dying to start on the next installemt), a detective, an old scholar ...
iriyas 13.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Advantages: Incredible plot, wonderfully written, superb characters Disadvantages: the ending
...when you read such as HYPERION by Dan Simmons that you realise just how inferior and just downright crap your own work is.
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And so on with the review. Hyperion was released almost 15 years ago now and at the time took the book world by storm. It won various awards, including the 1990 Hugo Award and received almost universal acclaim by critics. Its easy to see why. Rarely have I read such an awe ... ...eve of war and with Hyperion facing an uncertain future because of impending invasion by the ousters, the hegemony council decides to send a group of pilgrims to try and find the secrets contained in the so called ‘time tombs’ on Hyperion, a set of strange ancient buildings that could hold the key to the answers of everything there is to know. However, they are guarded by the Shrike.
Hyperion tells the tale of this pilgrimage of seven ...
Atomcreator 11.06.2003 (16.06.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Advantages: This is seven or eight books in one. Disadvantages: You know you'll have to read the other three books!
...be rectified! Here goes...
Hyperion can be read as a standalone piece of literature, but is superbly supplemented by the following three novels, "Fall of Hyperion", "Endymion" and "Rise of Endymion" - I chose Hyperion as my favourite book of all time in 1999, and two years on, that choice has yet to be changed.
The tale revolves around seven travellers, initially on a spaceship (actually a treeship!) making a final pilgrimage to Hyperion. Only ... ...one "wish" and the rest expect to perish at the hands of a mechanical monster called the Shrike. The shrike is a marvelous machine, described as being all chrome and steel and spikes and claws, whose unlucky victims he hangs on a metal tree of tormented souls to live forever in mortal agony (I cannot do it justice here.)
The "players" are a father (with his daughter, a baby), a priest, a warrior, a treeship pilot, a poet, a woman with a computer/avatar ...
one47 15.06.2001 (10.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Advantages: It's a really masterpiece. Disadvantages: Nothing!
...the post-Ceausescu Rumania,through his masterpiece,the Hyperion Cycle.
Hyperion it’s a planet (not only a collection of poems of John Keats, eh? You knew that the poet is buried to Rome ? On its grave it can be read, in Italian, this simple and sad one epitaph:” Here it lies whose name was written on the water”…) on which the Shrike reigns. The Shrike : a four arms invincible monster, that it judges the pilgrims who go from he from the entyre Galaxy ... ...only succeeded in half :
Hyperion it had been written like something of aim to if same, perfect therefore as it was ,born in order to provoke questions - and in order not to answer to they ! The following books do not center the target; the responsibilities trade them of they are too much heavy. Although this, obtains the largest one happened of public , but nothing to that to see with the happened one of the first one !!!!!
And therefore…
I am ...
krazykat 29.07.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Advantages: There's three of them to devour Disadvantages: There's only three of them!
I'm a complete sci-fi and fantasy book junkie and rate this as best sci-fi trilogy I’ve read to date. The plot is epic even though it entangles you at a gradual pace. Just when you think you are getting to grips with the overall plot it adds another layer of relationships and possible outcomes.
The characters are intricately portrayed and you feel a strong connection to many of them (even if it’s repulsion) and I’m in awe of the imagination required ... ...favourite is definitely the priest.
The book emphasises the darker side of humanity and beautifully ties in some of the beliefs we hold dear to our ultimate destiny. It’s really an understatement to say this book covers every angle.
Overall book is a nice easy read, I guess the author wanted it to open to a greater range of readers. The problem being it’s very difficult to stop anywhere since the plot moves on so relentlessly. For those of you ...
RahimC 11.08.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
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Advantages: fast, thrilling, action packed and SF you cant loose Disadvantages: bits of poems
find out what happened. DanSimmons vision of the future (in my opinion) rivals Asimov?s foundation and frankly I think this ones more exiting. The book creates a much fuller picture of this future universe gives you a feel of what life would be like in it. Unlike Hyperion the ending is much more fulfilling as in you feel you have at least come to the first part of the story whereas the first book just left you in the middle of it.
A great SF book and anyone with a good active imagination should enjoy this thoroughly.
The only drawback is that the English writing style is not very simple and may be hard to understand at times. Also there a few short poems form part of the story ( don?t worry just a few bits and pieces) which I couldn?t understand fully but that may be because I?m stupid and in no way did it dilute the enjoyment ...
Advantages: Conclusion of an epic tale Disadvantages: That tale is over
Within a handful of words of Hyperion, I was hooked on the Cantos by DanSimmons which concludes with Rise of Endymion, telling the end of the tale of Raul Endymion and Aenea. Along the way are some familiar faces and some startling revelations.
Obviously I don't want to say anything of those or even of the storyline so as not to ruin the tale of those who haven't read it. All I will say is that this is the most incredible conclusion to a story I've ever read... any book that can cause such a stirring of emotion as this one did is truly incredible... never have I read a book that has driven me to tears before! It also helped that when I was reading the Hyperion saga, I had a bad case of the flu and was bed-ridden... I completed all of the books and by the time I'd finished I was cured... pure coincidence, but a funny one!
Another plus ...
