It would be unfair to judge this book as science fiction. It is space fantasy. It is also smutty, violent, and absent a satisfactory conclusion. The constant literary references were really distracting to immersion in the story, and probably mean only to give erections to big John Keats fans...

If captured by the Shrike, my torture would be to read this series for eternity.

n  WHAT THE SHRIKE!n

What in the world did I just read, and why didn't I read it sooner? This book is so superbly written and crafted—it's easily one of the best modern books I've read, one that excels in storytelling and writing!

If I could give this book more than five stars, I definitely, definitely would.

The scope of imagination, wordplay, and critical analysis of humankind is astounding. I do think that the "frame" structure of the story, in which each character's tale slowly unfurls the plot, is superbly done. Each following story added a significant layer of depth to the book.

I don't know if I can contribute any more than what has already been said about this book, so here are some of my reactions for each tale.

[MINOR SPOILERS FROM HERE ON END, though nothing that would devastate many expectations. Unless you like to jump into a story blind and can’t stand to have anything spoiled. In that case, stop reading now…]

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1. n  The Priest's Talen: I am of the cruciform. I never really thought a series of a few words would ever cause me to break out in goose bumps. Not even "Come play with us, Danny" or "Hello, Clarice" or even "We know how monetary policy works" has elicited such a reaction. The priest's tale was powerful—a delicate mixture of horror and cleansing salvation. Even after finishing the book, I feel that the other stories don't match up to the urgency and suspense of the priest's tale.

Welcome to the rabbit hole that is Hyperion.

2. n  The Soldier's Talen: This tale reached impressive heights in the beauty of its prose, and the irony of its conclusion. To put it crudely, the twist at the end of this story would probably top the episode charts of Punk'd, if Ashton Kutcher survived till the rise of the Hegemony. The story alternated between beautiful—especially when Kassad meets his special someone for the first time in person—and what I can only describe with a very impassioned and dizzied WTFJUSTHAPPENED. I listened to Kassad's entire story on audiobook. The narrator had the perfect voice for a hard military man like Kassad who is lost in love.

3. n  The Poet's Talen: Ah, this was probably my favorite story of them all. The potty-mouthed, frat house humor of this story, especially after Kassad's nostalgic and passionate tale, was a refreshing change. In my mind, M. Silenus was one of the most developed characters of the book, with the exception of Sol Weintraub. Seriously, some days, I wish I could respond to queries M. Silenus-style: "Goddamn poopoo." The winding yet always focused narrative of M. Silenus was perfect in its execution—just circuitous enough to get into the "mad poet" mindset, but told with enough purpose to direct us along in its torrential journey to the final conclusion.

4. n  The Scholar's Talen: This was a well told, emotional story. It didn't affect me as much as it did other people, probably because I was more in the position of Rachel than Sol. Still, this story was the most approachable in plot and superbly crafted.

5. n  The Detective's Talen: I haven't read many "whodunit" type of novels, and have never read any PI novels. You know, the ones where the PI is some grizzled chain-smoking guy that sports a thick trench coat and a tattered pork pie hat. [I'm aware I am massively stereotyping, or that I may have gotten the stereotype wrong... Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry!] The twist in this one is that the PI is a woman, and the person who steps into her office is a young, beautiful man with a very unusual secret. It took me a while to get into the story; Brawne Lamia isn't my favorite character. But it took off after a while, and the ending was satisfying, if not a little confusing.

6. n  The Consul's Talen: Well, that came out of nowhere. But in a good way!

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As a sci-fi newbie, I had some trouble swallowing down the futuristic elements, especially since the story throws you right into the heat of things. Unfamiliar terms made me nervous (Time debt? Fatline? Senate CEO? Huh?!) and may have pushed me into early retirement from the book if not for the rave reviews. To be honest, I still don’t completely understand this new world that we’re thrust into. But this is a story-driven narrative, and the stories that we’re given are well worth the entry into a brave, new, unfamiliar world.

FIVE EIGHT BAZILLION STARS AND THE HIGHEST OF RECOMMENDATIONS!

One of the best sci-fi fantasies I’ve ever read. It doubles as both the set up to another book as well as a short story collection in a shared universe. Dan Simmons draws from all sorts of unexpected inspiration ranging from The Canterbury Tales and The Wizard of Oz, to mythology I’m not knowledgeable enough to know about and the poetry of John Keats, whom I had never heard of before this (sorry, I’m not a poetry guy). This combination creates a unique fantasy universe and story that feels both, funnily enough, mythological and poetic. And while I don’t know what the other books consist of, as far as it seems this isn’t even the main meat of the story, it’s essentially just character building.

Imagine Star Wars but unpredictable and more than surface level entertainment.

I loved all the characters and their stories that accompany them. Perhaps the last couple were less interesting, and that’s when it starts hinting at this AI vs human war plot that I’m not thrilled with, only because it feels like so many space fiction heads into that direction, but none do it in the way Hyperion does it. My favorite story by far goes to Sol Weintraub’s. There is an emotional core to all of the stories (except for the Lanar Hoyt’s story, which is more of a plain horror story), but his beats all of them, especially since I’m a new dad and the concept of watching my child grow up and then slowly deteriorate is guaranteed to get me teary eyed.

Excited for the rest of this series!

Many years ago I DNF'ed Hyperion and I don't remember why, and then I lost the book. I enjoyed the story and I definitely remember the priest's tale and the warrior's tale. So, it must have been school, a girl, a move, a new interest - the many distractions of Life. I hope my lost, well-kept copy of Hyperion with a Borders bookmark found a loving new home.

One thing I had forgotten was the powerful coziness of the central story of the pilgrims. It made me feel like a groundhog snug and warm in my burrow but aware of the dangers outside. I think this represents a pleasure center of the brain powerfully connected to the part which enjoys a good story; Sharing and hearing stories with fellow tribe members, or in this case, travelers sharing a common path, huddling together for comfort, safety, and humanity.

There is something for almost everybody in Hyperion. Many diverse human (and other) stories with a central connection. Some call Hyperion the prequel for the main story, so now I'm more curious to read onward, and hope I don't get distracted.

I cannot put into words how much I hate this book. A friend of mine gave me this book as a birthday gift, so I had to read it. I kept telling him I don't "do" most sci-fi, but he said based on other books I liked that I would probably like it. I did not. Oh boy, I did not. I also almost vomited on the bus when I got to the part about the cruciform. And there is an actual vagina dentata in the book--I totally laughed out loud because I thought, "Really? Dan Simmons, you are REALLY going to go there?"

Maybe if I had more tolerance for sci-fi or for gratuitous vagina dentata, I would enjoy this book. All I can say is, to paraphrase "Futurama," "I read it! I can never un-read it!"

4.5

En un futuro en el que la humanidad ha conectado decenas de mundos bajo su control en nombre de la Red de la Hegemonía, Hyperion es uno de los pocos que aún no forma parte de esa red. En él yacen las Tumbas del tiempo, una localización envuelta en misterio en la que el espacio-tiempo se ve alterado, así como el Alcaudón, una criatura a la que unos veneran y otros temen...
Nuestra historia comienza cuando un grupo de personas se dirige hacia Hyperion para realizar la que se dice será la última peregrinación debido a una posible amenaza de guerra intergaláctica. Cada uno de ellos guarda su historia personal y sus secretos, pero uno de ellos es un espía. A fin de descubrir quién de todos ellos es el infiltrado, todos irán contando su historia y sus motivaciones para realizar la peregrinación, de forma que cada capítulo nos cuenta un trocito de la vida de todos estos personajes.

Hyperion es una novela de esas a las que cuesta un poco entrar, pero que te atrapa con fuerza una vez que pasas esa barrera de inicio. Es una historia compleja, profunda y con muchísimos elementos diferentes, tantos, que es difícil encajarla en un solo género. Indudablemente se trata de una saga de ciencia ficción, pero al menos en este primer libro también roza el género fantástico, el misterio e incluso el terror. Si bien las primeras páginas pueden hacerse un poquito cuesta arriba por la cantidad de elementos que aparecen que aún no conoces, a mi ya me tenía atrapada en la mitad del primer capítulo. Cada capítulo parece superar al anterior, y cada historia individual de esos personajes es tan rica y completa que da para una novela aparte. Solo un capítulo de uno de los personajes se me ha hecho un poco bola, pero el resto me ha parecido absolutamente fantástico. Hay dos en concreto que me han parecido absolutamente brillantes, y en cada una de ellas el autor parece desenvolverse perfectamente en historias muy diferentes: de lo más perturbador a lo más tierno y emocionante.
El autor va dándonos detalles de su mundo progresivamente a medida que avanzamos por los relatos de los distintos personajes, de forma que poco a poco puedes ir conectando las piezas del puzzle y aprendiendo un poquito m��s acerca de Hyperion, la Hegemonía, el Tecnonúcleo y todos los demás elementos que hacen esta historia tan compleja e interesante.
Como (casi) toda novela de ciencia ficción del estilo también trata diversos temas como la conciencia de las IA, las religión, el totalitarismo de la Hegemonía... Son tantos los puntos que toca que es difícil abarcarlos todos en una sola reseña.

Lo que empezó siendo para mi una novela confusa y algo densa, terminó convirtiéndose en la que posiblemente sea una de mis mejores lecturas del año. Totalmente recomendada por mi parte.

This review is for Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion, as one story.

So this is how you write the best sci-fi and space-opera?

I can't review this.. there's just too much. Honestly one of the best things I've ever read. It reminds me of Steven Erikson's Malzan Book of the Fallen in it's amazing scope and complexity, and in tackling very large chunky moral topics without ever making you the reader feel like you're being told a moral tale or talked down to.

There is really good characterization, whether you like them or not, they have a valid voice and role. There are incredible philosophical concepts, that really take you out to the edge of grand ideas. There is loads of tension, I think book two takes place over maybe 3 or four days? But it's often edge of your seat, the whole known human sphere in peril kind of stuff.

There's space fleets and grand intrigue (the grandest really). There's deeply moving sacrifice and finely balanced emotional roller-coaster.

There's some damn good writing.

The villains (you have NO idea) get their just deserts. And as for our protagonists. My oh my, there is death and loss and sacrifice and sudden plot twists and comings back from death, and some wonderfully intricate timy-wimy stuff. Fabric of the universe and parallel possibilities and messages from both ends of the chronological spectrum...

Damnit, it's just so good.

And, I am told by a reviewer I trust, that I ain't seen nothing yet. Endymion is said to be where the real story starts. I'll be seeing for myself real soon.

[2020 reread] It's even better the second time around, i'm already 100 pages into The Fall of Hyperion

Posted at Heradas Review

This is another one of those classics of SF literature that I have somehow missed reading over the years. Had I been more of an active reader in the nineties, I’m sure I would’ve come to it much sooner. Thankfully, I finally got there, and Hyperion was not what I expected, in the best way possible. It’s most often compared to Dune, The Book of the New Sun, or other great works of Science Fantasy. Obviously, coming into the novel my expectations were high, and I knew the most basic gist of the plot: a pilgrimage across a world to meet an unimaginable being. What I got was partly what I anticipated, but in a very left-field form, which was such a refreshing subversion of my what I thought I was getting myself into. It delivered on what I thought it was, but in a way I never imagined, and it was fantastic.

Instead of straight-forward narrative momentum, Hyperion is almost entirely the backstories of these pilgrims. It’s heavily character based, and the only book I can honestly say is 100% both a novel, and a story collection. These stories are more technically novellas, because of their length, but you get what I’m saying. Each story genuinely adds to the forward narrative, by going backward. It’s really quite breathtaking to see this done so well. I’ve read other collections that are also novels, but they’re always more one or the other. This is equally both.

Each tale feels like a slightly different genre married to science fiction, and the interstitial sections weave them together tightly. Only one of them fell slightly flat for me. Mostly because it was more akin to cyberpunk than anything else, and I have a real love/hate affair with cyberpunk. I tend to judge the genre entirely too harshly at times, mostly because if I have any sort of professional knowledge, it’s in the Information Technology arena, and I have a difficult time suspending my disbelief about the realities of virtual worlds in regards to how they’re represented in cyberpunk. That’s a topic for another day.

Hyperion has that indescribable, almost lovecraftian terror, dread and brooding present throughout, and one tale in particular left me unbearably heartbroken. There’s honestly only one thing I can objectively complain about here, and it’s more endemic to the genre during the time period this was written in than anything else: the way the narrator spends an inordinate amount of time describing women’s bodies, broken down into parts, particularly breasts and nipples. It’s just kind of eye-roll pervy, but it’s my only real gripe. Thankfully, it’s not quite at a Haruki Murakami level, and this doesn’t much happen anymore in the really well written stuff of the genre, but I’m more embarrassed for the author than anything else, award winning fiction like this is fairly written in stone for future generations to examine.

I was torn whether or not to dig straight into The Fall of Hyperion after finishing this, but ultimately I decided not to just yet. I want to let this percolate and grow in my mind, but mostly I’m one of those anti-bingeing types that prefers to spread great stories out over a long period of time, to elongate my enjoyment of them, and better unpack their themes. I think it’s time for a non-genre novel, and then I’ll dig back in when the time is right. That being said, I can’t wait to come back to the world of Hyperion, and see what new terrors await these fantastic characters.

4/5

Інколи в літературі з’являються люди, які об’єднують різні жанри і створють щось нове та неординарне. Так вийшло із тетралогією Дена Сіммонса “Пісні Гіперіона”, що стала мейнстрімом та внесла щось своє у розвиток наукової фантастики. Ден Сіммонс — письменник, який отримав безліч нагород з літератури та став відомим у світі. Перша книга складається із шести новел, які розповідають зовсім різні історії шести паломників, що вирушили на планету Гіперіон. Книга, яка складається із сотень сторінок, в якій історії не пов’язані, виглядає досить дивною. Але у них є дещо спільне — єдине місце призначення, хоча цілі відрізняються.

Як далеко може зайти людство у своєму розвитку? Без різниці у якій сфері — соціальній, фізичній, технологічній чи біотехнологічній. Тільки заберіть від нас усі рамки і наші бажання заполонити увесь Всесвіт легко переможуть. Навіть якщо ми створюватимемо роботів, які можуть знищити нас. Навіть якщо будемо літати крізь час і простір, не задумуючись, що стаємо молодшими від наших дітей. Навіть якщо наша жага до незвіданого буде знищувати невідомі раси.

Сюжет трилогії розгортається у часі після Гіджри. Унаслідок ряду наукових експериментів на Старій Землі (наша Земля) відбулася Велика Помилка, що впродовж років знищила планету. У цей час якраз почалася Гіджра — велике переселення людей у інші Галактики, що стало можливим за допомогою неймовірному винаходу, двигуна Гокінга, що надав можливість рухатися більше швидкості світла. Не малу роль відіграли і штучні інтелекти, які подарували людству портали та міжпланетний зв’язок.

Тепер повернемося до паломників, які прямують на планету Гіперіон, а саме до Гробниць Часу, найбільшої загадки цього часу. Ніхто не знає звідки взялося це місце, але усі знають, що вони небезпечні та стали приводом до створення церкви Ктиря. Ктир — найбільший лиходій, монстр, що складається з колючого дроту та шипів, який настромлює своїх ворогів на шипи Дерева Згуби. Він охороняє Гробниці Часу і разом з ними прямує з майбутнього до минулого. Консул, Лінар Гойт, Федман Кассад, Ламія Брон, Гет Мастинів, Мартін Силен, Сол Вайнтрауб — герої, які пішли в останнє організоване паломництво, щоб побачити Гробниці Часу та зустрітися із Ктирем. Кожна історія, яку розповідають герої є унікальною, цікавою, незвичною, драматичною та дає змогу зрозуміти мету через яку вони погодилися на цю небезпечну подорож.

Як я вже згадував, Сіммонс об’єднав різні жанри та, як ви мабуть здогадалися, виділив їх в окремих розповідях подорожуючих. Побудова твору не в достатній мірі дає змогу зрозуміти структуру світу, в якому відбуваються події. Тому я б виділив кілька основних аспектів, які є важливі. Хоча під кінець книги розумієш, як із усього заплутаного та невідомого виникає цілісна картина.

По-перше — це Велика Помилка, яка призвела до утворення Чорної діри та знищення Землі. В результаті великого розселення утворилося Всемережжя, яке керується Гегемонією (міжгалактичне політичне суспільство, яке складається з людей) та охороняється сильним космічним флотом. Гегемонія поступово захоплює незалежні колонізовані світи, якщо вони згідні на усі умови. В іншому випадку ці світи будуть задовільнятися життям на “окраїні”, від’єданими від Всемережжя. Досить цікаво, що у світі Сіммонса ментальність народів не змінилася. Ворожість одних до одних, різношерсність релігій, які конкурують та суперечать одна одній, дають картину того самого людства, але у всесвітніх масштабах.

По-друге — це створення штучних інтелектів, які були винайдені людиною. За деякий час вони зрозміли, що є особистостями і вийшли з під контролю своїх “батьків”, але без кровопролиття. Порівняно із людьми вони відчувають себе богами, наміри та вчинки яких є просто загадками. Можна сказати, що у зв’язку з тим, що вони подарували людству портали та міжпланетний зв’язок, то у них спільне бачення майбутнього. Але насправді ні, люди та штучні інтелекти мають різний погляд на розвиток світу. Тепер з’явилася нова цивілізація під назвою ТехноКорд з якою потрібно рахуватися.

По-третє — це планета Гіперіон і Гробниці Часу, які знаходяться на ній. Найбільш цікавий факт, що вони огорнуті невідомим полем, що дає змогу часу всередині текти з майбутнього до минулого. Штучні інтелекти могли розуміти та передбачати багато чого, будуючи власні моделі майбутнього. Але якраз Гробниці стали для них деякою аномалією, що зменшує відсоток правильного передбачення майже на половину.

“Гіперіон” став для мене однією з найкращих книг, які я досі читав. Тут не просто знайомишся із світом, у якому все відбувається, героями, які є унікальними та не схожими один на одного, а досліджуєш кожне слово та намагаєшся зануритися в історію з головою. Нотатки в кінці книги та пошуковик дуже допомогли розібратися в термінології та подіях, які відбуваються. Я можу тільки припустити скільки колосальних зусиль потрібно докласти перекладачу, щоб дати змогу прочитати цю книгу українською. Це ж вам не любовний роман чи детектив, де відсутні наукові, фантастичні чи нереальні терміни. Так само обрадувало, що видання є в кількох варіантах, як від стандартних диванів, так і з зовсім іншого стилю та формату обкладинки. Якраз остання і припала до душі, велика і товста книженція (щось ті дивани мені не лежать до душі).

Підсумовуючи, можу сказати, що це серія книг, яку просто не можна пропустити. Окрім того видавництво планує видавати наступні книги серії.

Більше відгуків у блозі.

This is a complex and all-encompassing, masterfully crafted science fiction novel that features multiple characters and time-lines.

“I now understand the need for faith—pure, blind, fly-in-the-face-of-reason faith—as a small life preserver in the wild and endless sea of a universe ruled by unfeeling laws and totally indifferent to the small, reasoning beings that inhabit it.”

“Among us we represent islands of time as well as separate oceans of perspective.”

“It no longer matters who consider themselves the masters of events. Events no longer obey their masters.”

"Suffice it to say that I believe the Ousters have done what Web humanity has not in the past millennia: evolved. While we live in our derivative cultures, pale reflections of Old Earth life, the Ousters have explored new dimensions of aesthetics and ethics and biosciences and art and all the things that must change and grow to reflect the human soul."

“Mark Twain once opined in his homey way: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

“Odd how the daily imperatives persist even in the face of collective disaster.”

“The essence of human experience lay not primarily in the peak experiences, the wedding days and triumphs which stood out in the memory like dates circled in red on old calendars, but, rather, in the unselfconscious flow of little things – the weekend afternoon with each member of the family engaged in his or her own pursuit, their crossings and connections casual, dialogues imminently forgettable, but the sum of such hours creating a synergy which was important and eternal.”

Somehow I’ve managed to read a dozen books by Dan Simmons without getting around to Hyperion, one of his most acclaimed works. Frankly, I’ve been scared of it. Simmons has been mashing up horror, sci-fi, hard boiled crime novels, thrillers, and historical fiction while often stuffing his books with so many ideas that it was all I could do to keep up so this seemed like it could be a bit more than I could comfortably chew.

Just as I feared, while I was reading and nearing the end, Simmons crept into my house like a ninja and rammed a funnel into my skull. Then he poured his wild sci-fi ideas and concepts into my brain pan like a frat boy pouring the suds in a beer bong. My mind overloaded, and I gibbered like a monkey on meth for fifteen seconds before passing out. When I woke up an hour later with a wicked headache and cerebrospinal fluid leaking out my ears and nose, Simmons was gone, but he’d left a note saying “Don’t you ever learn? Keep reading and one of these days, I will END you!”

So now I’m typing this with cotton balls stuck in my nostrils and ears while I’m waiting to get my MRI scan, and I’m once again left in awe of just how many wildly original ideas Simmons can cram into one story.

Simmons borrows the structure of The Canterbury Tales here. In the distant future, humanity has spread out among the stars, and one of the planets they’ve inhabited is Hyperion which has the mysterious Time Tombs and a deadly entity known as the Shrike which protects the area around them. A powerful religion has grown around the Shrike and many make pilgrimages to try and see him from which almost no one ever returns.

A former Consul of Hyperion is contacted by the Hegemony government and told that he must join a pilgrimage to see the Shrike with six others. The Ousters, a faction of humanity mutated by centuries of living in deep space, has been making aggressive moves against Hegemony worlds and now they’re targeting Hyperion just as there are signs that the empty Time Tombs are about to stop moving backwards in time and finally reveal their secrets.

The Consul meets the other pilgrims which include a priest, a soldier, a poet, a scholar, a detective and the captain of a rare giant tree capable of space travel. (Yes, a giant tree moving through space. Ask Simmons. I’m just reporting the news here, folks.) Realizing that they must have been chosen to make the journey for a reason, they take turns telling the stories of their connections to Hyperion and the Shrike as they make their way towards the Time Tombs.

I struggled with this book at first because Simmons throws the readers into the deep end of the pool with little explanation of the universe he’s created, and I don’t do well with books that start like: “Captain Manly Squarejaw woke up on his Confederated star potato and drank a glass of strained purplepiss juice while checking his com unit thingie to get the lastest news on the crisis involving the Whogivesashitsus.“

Fortunately, Simmons gets the plot up and moving quickly, and then uses the stories of each of the pilgrims to fill us in on the history and setting. By using the different story tellers, Simmons gives different perspectives for tales as diverse as an interstellar war to a future detective story with big sci-fi action to quieter personal tragedies like a father losing his daughter to a horrible fate. All of these stories eventually come back around to Hyperion and the Shrike.

I was also impressed how Simmons writing this in 1989 foresaw a computer network linking people, but also turning them into information overloaded cyber junkies who confuse accumulating news with taking action. There’s so many different big sci-fi ideas in here that many writers probably would have been content to make an entire career out them, but Simmons uses them all deftly to create one unified story. Oh, and memo to George Lucas: the next time you want to make a sci-fi movie with interplanetary politics being a primary driver to your plot, read this first. Or just hire Simmons to write the damn thing for you .

My only gripe is that while I knew there were sequels to this, I thought I was getting a complete story, and it definitely leaves a lot hanging for the next book. And there’s a Wizard of Oz thing near the end, and I hate the goddamn Wizard of Oz. It’s a Kansas thing.