If you’ve ever wanted to experience a 1,000-page existential crisis while simultaneously questioning your life choices, The Hyperion Omnibus is the book for you! It’s like riding a rollercoaster designed by philosophers and sci-fi nerds—thrilling, mind-bending, and you might lose your lunch!

The plot is a beautiful mess, with more characters than a soap opera and more timelines than a time travel convention. Each story is like a game of literary telephone: you start with a simple premise, and by the end, you’re left wondering if you just time-traveled to another dimension or accidentally joined a cult. Spoiler: You probably did both.

Then there’s the Shrike—half-deity, half-fearsome creature, and 100% the reason you’ll sleep with the lights on. It’s like the book’s mascot decided to be a mix of your worst nightmares and an overzealous motivational speaker. "You will suffer, but you will also grow!" Thanks, Shrike!

The writing is as poetic as it is perplexing. One moment you’re deeply contemplating the nature of humanity, and the next you’re scratching your head over a line that feels like it was lifted from an existential fortune cookie. Just when you think you have it figured out, bam! Another plot twist. It’s like the authors are playing an elaborate game of “Gotcha!” with your brain.

In conclusion, The Hyperion Omnibus is a wild ride through time, space, and philosophy. If you enjoy intricate plots, deep themes, and the occasional existential crisis, grab a snack (and maybe a therapist) and dive in. Just be prepared to have your mind bent, twisted, and possibly broken. But hey, at least you’ll have some entertaining stories to tell at parties!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (if you survive the ride!)

Baroque, enormously complicated, and oftentimes contradictory, the Hyperion series can be a frustrating read. But it’s filled with brilliant writing and equally brilliant concepts, and it’s one of the few far-future works that manages to pair interesting and somewhat relatable characters with the sometimes truly outlandish creations advanced technology makes possible. (Simmon’s living Dyson sphere being a particular favorite of mine.)

n  

“Saturn is fallen, am I too to fall?
ttttAm I to leave this haven of my rest,
ttttThis cradle of my glory, this soft clime,
ttttThis calm luxuriance of blissful light,
ttttThese crystalline pavilions, and pure fanes,
ttttOf all my lucent empire? It is left
ttttDeserted, void, nor any haunt of mine.
ttttThe blaze, the splendor, and the symmetry,
ttttI cannot see – but darkness, death and darkness.”
— Hyperion, John Keats

n

Since the early 80s, when his first short story was published with Harlan Ellison’s help – after having survived his critique on their first acquaintance – giving him his first success, and a big boost to his literary career, Dan Simmons has been one of the top multi-genre writers of our time, foraying over the years into science fiction, mystery, horror, and historical fiction, managing to sweep readers and critics alike, and to be awarded and nominated for his works on numerous occasions.
And in The Hyperion Omnibus, the first volume of the Hyperion Cantos collecting the first two novels: Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, Simmons – drawing inspiration from the life and works of the Romantic poet John Keats – creates his own vision of the far future, traveling us in a universe of priests and poets, pilgrims and mythical creatures, and humanoid species and artificial intelligences, but also in a two-legged story arc of religion and science, politics and war, and transcendence and horror, in a phenomenal, literary science fiction duology.

Hyperion (8.5/10)

In the twenty-eighth century the universe has changed. For four hundred years since the massive exodus of the human race to the stars known as Hegira, and the ultimate destruction of Old Earth, the Hegemony of Man – taking the driver’s seat of humanity’s exploration and colonization in the depths of the unknown – has become the new power of the galaxy, joining and uniting its hundreds planets under the ever-expanding Worldweb, and creating a politically and militarily powerful interconnected system that has left its superiority unopposed; but now, with the mysterious Time Tombs on the planet Hyperion – where the mythical Shrike, the Lord of Pain, dwells – to have started opening for the first time, causing the Ousters to come out of their shell, an unprecedented interplanetary war looms closer and closer – but the Consul, having once been a delegate for the Hegemony, taking on some of the most difficult and sensitive diplomatic assignments across the galaxy, gazes at the wonders of an Outback world.
Sensing the coming war to promise a large-scale conflict, and a change of power in the galaxy that could threaten both the Hegemony and the Worldweb itself, the Consul will be appointed by the Senate CEO and the Shrike Church to travel along with six other pilgrims in a final pilgrimage on the planet Hyperion, and uncover the secrets of the Time Tombs before it’s too late.
However, with their voyage to Hyperion having been revealed longer than they originally expected, extending their arrival to the Time Tombs and their encounter with the deadly Shrike even more, when they decide to share the stories of their past that brought them to this final pilgrimage, in hope to understand the forces that prompted them, and their deepest secrets come to light, the Consul and the other pilgrims will discover something that will change everything they believed they knew so far, facing an irrevocable reality that could judge their next actions as well as the future of all humanity.

Motivated by his agent to write his first long-form science fiction novel, in order to take the downpayment that he so much need in his life at the time, Dan Simmons delves into the genre he loved and grew up with, taking us in Hyperion far in the twenty-eighth century, into a galaxy where it has been divided into three factions: the Hegemony of Man, which – with humanity having migrated long ago to the stars – has built over the centuries a great interplanetary system, connecting its hundreds planets of the Worldweb through fatlines and farcaster portals (instantaneous communication and transportation technologies respectively) that has allowed them to have direct social, political and military influence with any of its worlds at speeds faster than light; the Ousters who, set apart from their human ancestors, evolving genetically in something much more alien, have explored far beyond the known worlds, creating their own, strange cultural society in the Outback – the “back” worlds – far from the control of the Hegemony that has made them their only – and greatest – threat; and the TechnoCore, a conglomerate of artificial intelligences – and seemingly allies of the Hegemony – which, seceded from the human race ever since the Hegira, taking in their hands the will of their actions – and their freedom – have become an autonomous force, building a big organization of social and racial sentient entities.
As well as to the planet Hyperion, where, with the Time Tombs and the Shrike – a killing machine of indescribable appearance and strength – having drawn the galaxy’s attention since their discovery centuries ago, has given rise to a new cult: the Church of the Shrike, which has taken upon it to send the proselytizers – and the naive – to the embrace of its steel thorns to seek their atonement, and the granting of a wish, creating over time nightmarish fables of horror.

A first installment in which, written in the same frame narrative as Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, weaving multiple interconnected stories within the main one, Simmons creates a vast cultural, political, social and theological universe of various races and factions, traveling us in a story of priests, poets, soldiers, detectives, artificial intelligences and mythical creatures, that combines religion with science, passion with soul-searching, and love with betrayal, building a phenomenal novel of many levels of storytelling and imagination – a literary achievement in science fiction which, showing the power of his writing and ideas, marked the genre as only a few have done before.

The Fall of Hyperion (9.5/10)

Few hours have passed since the invasion in the Hyperion System, and the end of their long peace; and now, with the Hegemony of Man being ready to officially declare an all-out war against the Ousters, wanting to unleash upon them the full power of the Worldweb to end them once and for all, the fate of the whole human race hangs in the balance, leaving the future of its survival more uncertain than ever – but Joseph Severn, having been alive and aware just these last ten months, assuming the persona of a nineteenth century artist to hide his true identity, has been attending to a party invitation.
Farcasting from the planet Esperance to the busy world of Tau Ceti Center – and capital of the Hegemony – arriving at the appointed time for the appointment with the most powerful woman on the Web: Meina Gladstone, Severn will be asked by the CEO personally to spend the next few days with them in the military councils, impersonating his artistic persona before brass and politicians alike, and to watch and observe the events of the war.
Yet, with his arrival on the CEO’s staff to have caught the eyes of many, leaving unanswered questions about his real purpose there, when he falls victim to a royalists group in their attempt to abstract him classified informations, and Meina Gladstone – as a reparation for his troubles – gives him the opportunity to travel to the planet Hyperion, and to better understand his connection with the pilgrims of the Final Pilgrimage, Severn will find himself lost between his dreams and the war for dominance of the galaxy, seeking for answers that will only raise even more questions.

Meanwhile, far away in the Valley of the Time Tombs, beyond the high desert of Keep Chronos on Hyperion, the Consul and the other pilgrims, having finally arrived at their destination after their long journey, traveling for a week through the wonders – and the dangers – of this strange world only to reach the kingdom of the mythical Shrike, have been spending their last moments together, awaiting for the fulfillment of their deepest hopes and desires that will put an end to their suffering.
But, with the collapse of the anti-entropic fields and the opening of the Tombs to have intensified the time tides all the more, causing raging weather anomalies in the Valley, when the judgment of Death personified finds them, and one after another fall into inexplicable events, the pilgrims will soon find themselves separated and stranded, facing their very survival.

While Meina Gladstone, having made the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity from total annihilation, opening the door to a threat that she thought she could control, will be faced with her own great challenge, and an unprecedented large-scale war that will put in danger everything they knew.

However, with the war against the Ousters to have taken a sudden, unexpected turn, revealing a massive opposition that could bring to the Worldweb itself a terrible and devastating impact, when the schemes of the secessionist artificial intelligences of the TechnoCore come to their finalization, and a power-struggle between gods breaks out across time and space, Severn, Gladstone, and the Consul and the rest of the pilgrims will have to leave behind their personal desires, and do their part in order to give humankind some hope of survival, because if they do not, a darkness like no other will shallow entire galaxies.

With Hyperion to have worked both practically and essentially as the prologue of this duology, setting up the way – even if somewhat unconventional for the publishing standards – for a much larger story arc between both books, Dan Simmons takes us in The Fall of Hyperion to Tau Ceti Center – or simply TC² – the capital and administrative planet of the Hegemony, whereby the Government House – and by extension each Hegemony CEO – controls the hundreds worlds of the Web, making it the base of operations for political and military actions, and the center of human space, as he/she imposes his/her will upon billions of lives; but also into the datumplane, a dataspace virtual reality, that interconnects each planetary system’s farcaster portals and fatline transmitters and receivers through the dataspheres – singularity containment spheres – with the Web itself, in a place where time and space do not fall under the laws of physics.
As well as to the Time Tombs, beyond the abandoned Keep Chronos and the ruins of the City of Poets – the Dead City – where once Sad King Billy sought to build unsuccessfully a refugee for artists, poets and other misfits of the society, where its mysterious structures lies: the Sphinx, the Obelisk, the Crystal Monolith, the Jade and Cave Tombs, and the Shrike Palace, which have become the attraction – and the death sentence – of many scientists, pilgrims and tourists since their appearance on Hyperion centuries ago, keeping their secrets hidden, and the terrible Shrike imprisoned from the rest of the world, that have made it and inaccessible and uninhabitable place.

A second installment in which, switching this time in a more conventional narrative, but keeping the quality of his writing at the same level as before, Simmons builds an intricate, multi-tiered story of true awe, uniting the threads of the two novels into a common plot, and traveling us in a thrilling and profound adventure of pilgrims, politicians, high priests, Templars, cybrids, humanoid species and godlike entities, that combines politics with war, sacrifice with survival, and transcendence with horror – a second installment which, concluding this first journey, culminating it in the best possible way imaginable, proves once more the well-earned reputation and success of the Hyperion duology.

All in all, The Hyperion Omnibus is a marvelous duology of science fiction and literary achievement, with Dan Simmons – bringing a high-level imagination and writing – traveling us to the far future, into a universe of priests, poets and mythically creatures, but also in a two-part story of religion, politics, war and transcendence, that creates an incredibly unique and superbly profound reading experience of true, and powerful storytelling.


Ελληνική κριτική 1/2:
Από τις αρχές του ‘80, όταν το πρώτο του διήγημα δημοσιεύτηκε με την βοήθεια του Harlan Ellison – αφότου έχοντας επιβιώσει την κριτική του στην πρώτη τους γνωριμία – δίνοντάς του την πρώτη του επιτυχία, και μια μεγάλη ώθηση στην λογοτεχνική καριέρα του, ο Dan Simmons έχει υπάρξει ένας από τους κορυφαίους πολυειδής συγγραφείς της εποχής μας, κάνοντας σύντομες επιδρομές με τα χρόνια μέσα στην επιστημονική φαντασία, το μυστήριο, τον τρόμο και την ιστορική φαντασία, καταφέρνοντας να σαρώσει με την φαντασία του αναγνώστες και κριτικούς ομοίως, και να βραβευτεί και να προταθεί για τα έργα του σε πολυάριθμες περιστάσεις.
Και στο The Hyperion Omnibus, τον πρώτο τόμο του Hyperion Cantos που συλλέγει τα πρώτα δύο μυθιστορήματα: Hyperion και The Fall of Hyperion, ο Simmons – παίρνοντας έμπνευση από τη ζωή και τα έργα του ρομαντικού ποιητή John Keats – δημιουργεί το δικό του όραμα του μακρινού μέλλοντος, ταξιδεύοντάς μας σε ένα σύμπαν ιερέων και ποιητών, προσκυνητών και μυθικών πλασμάτων, και ανθρωποειδών ειδών και τεχνητών νοημοσυνών, αλλά και σε μια δισκελής ιστορία θρησκείας και επιστήμης, πολιτικής και πολέμους, και υπέρβασης και τρόμου, σε μια φαινομενική, λογοτεχνική διλογία επιστημονικής φαντασίας.

Hyperion

Στον εικοστό όγδοο αιώνα το σύμπαν έχει αλλάξει. Για τετρακόσια χρόνια από την μαζική έξοδο του ανθρώπινου είδους στα αστέρια γνωστή ως Hegira, και της απόλυτης καταστροφής της Παλιάς Γης, η Ηγεμονία του Ανθρώπου – παίρνοντας τα ηνία της εξερεύνησης και της αποίκησης της ανθρωπότητας στα βάθη του άγνωστου – έχει γίνει η νέα εξουσία του γαλαξία, εντάσσοντας και ενώνοντας τους εκατοντάδες πλανήτες της κάτω από το συνεχώς επεκτεινόμενο Δίκτυο των Κόσμων, και δημιουργώντας ένα πολιτικό και στρατιωτικά ισχυρό διασυνδεδεμένο σύστημα που έχει αφήσει την υπεροχή της χωρίς αντίσταση· αλλά τώρα, με τους μυστηριώδεις Χρονοτύμβους στον πλανήτη Hyperion – εκεί όπου το μυθικό Shrike, ο Άρχοντας του Πόνου, κατοικεί – να έχουν αρχίσει να ανοίγουν για πρώτη φορά, προκαλώντας τους Ousters να βγουν από το καβούκι τους, ένας διαπλανητικός πόλεμος χωρίς προηγούμενο καραδοκεί όλο και πιο κοντά – αλλά ο Πρόξενος, έχοντας υπάρξει κάποτε ένας απεσταλμένος για την Ηγεμονία, αναλαμβάνοντας μερικές από τις πιο δύσκολες και ευαίσθητες διπλωματικές αναθέσεις σε όλο τον γαλαξία, ατενίζει τα θαύματα ενός κόσμου του Outback.
Αισθανόμενοι τον ερχόμενο πόλεμο να υπόσχεται μια μεγάλης κλίμακας σύγκρουση, και μια αλλαγή εξουσίας στον γαλαξία που θα μπορούσε να απειλήσει τόσο την Ηγεμονία όσο και το ίδιο το Δίκτυο των Κόσμων, ο Πρόξενος θα διοριστεί από την Διευθύνων Σύμβουλο της Συγκλήτου και την Εκκλησία του Shrike να ταξιδέψει μαζί με άλλους έξι άλλους προσκυνητές σε ένα τελευταίο προσκύνημα στον πλανήτη Hyperion, και να ξεσκεπάσει τα μυστικά των Χρονοτύμβων πριν να είναι πολύ αργά.
Ωστόσο, με το ταξίδι τους στον Hyperion να έχει αποκαλυφθεί μακρύτερο απ’ όσο περίμεναν αρχικά, επεκτείνοντας την άφιξη στους Χρονοτύμβους και την συνάντησή τους με το θανατηφόρο Shrike ακόμη περισσότερο, όταν αποφασίσουν να μοιραστούν τις ιστορίες των παρελθόντων τους που τους έφεραν σε αυτό το τελευταίο προσκύνημα, σε μια ελπίδα για να καταλάβουν τις δυνάμεις που τους παρακίνησαν, και τα βαθύτερα μυστικά τους έρθουν στο φως, ο Πρόξενος και οι υπόλοιποι προσκυνητές θα ανακαλύψουν κάτι που θα αλλάξει όλα όσα πίστευαν ότι ήξεραν μέχρι τώρα, αντιμετωπίζοντας μια αμετάκλητη πραγματικότητα που θα μπορούσε να κρίνει τις επόμενες πράξεις τους όπως επίσης και το μέλλον ολόκληρης της ανθρωπότητας.

Παρακινούμενος από τον ατζέντη του να γράψει το πρώτο του μακριά μορφής μυθιστόρημα επιστημονικής φαντασίας, προκειμένου να πάρει την προκαταβολή που τόσο πολύ χρειαζόταν στην ζωή του τότε, ο Dan Simmons βουτάει στο είδος που αγάπησε και μεγάλωσε μαζί, πηγαίνοντάς μας στο Hyperion μακριά στον εικοστό όγδοο αιώνα, μέσα σε ένα γαλαξία όπου έχει χωριστεί σε τρεις φατρίες: την Ηγεμονία του Ανθρώπου, η οποία – με την ανθρωπότητα να έχει μεταναστεύσει προ πολλού στα αστέρια – έχει χτίσει με τους αιώνες ένα μεγάλο διαπλανητικό σύστημα, συνδέοντας τους εκατοντάδες πλανήτες του Δικτύου των Κόσμων μέσω των fatlines και farcasters (στιγμιαίες τεχνολογίες επικοινωνίας και μετακίνησης αντιστοίχως) που τους έχει επιτρέψει να έχουν άμεση κοινωνική, πολιτική και στρατιωτική επιρροή με οποιουσδήποτε από τους κόσμους της σε ταχύτητες ταχύτερες από το φως· τους Ousters οι οποίοι, διαχωρισμένοι από τους ανθρώπινους προγόνους τους, αναπτύσσοντας γενετικά σε κάτι πολύ πιο εξωγήινο, έχουν εξερευνήσει μέρη μακρύτερα από τους γνωστούς κόσμους, δημιουργώντας την δικιά τους, παράξενη πολιτιστική κοινωνία στο Outback – τους “πίσω” κόσμους – μακριά από τον έλεγχο της Ηγεμονίας που την έχει κάνει την μοναδική – και μεγαλύτερη – απειλή τους· και τους TechnoCore, μια μάζα τεχνητών νοημοσυνών – και φαινομενικά σύμμαχοι της Ηγεμονίας – τα οποία, αποσχισμένα από το ανθρώπινο είδος από την Hegira, παίρνοντας στα χέρια τους την θέληση των πράξεών τους – και την ελευθερία τους – έχουν γίνει μια αυτόνομη δύναμη, φτιάχνοντας μια μεγάλη οργάνωση κοινωνικών και φυλετικών αισθανόμενων οντοτήτων.
Όπως επίσης και στον πλανήτη Hyperion, όπου, με τους Χρονοτύμβους και το Shrike – μια μηχανή που σκοτώνει απερίγραπτης εμφάνισης και δύναμης – να έχουν τραβήξει την προσοχή του γαλαξία από την ανακάλυψή τους αιώνες πριν, έχει προκαλέσει μια νέα λατρεία: την Εκκλησία του Shrike, η οποία έχει πάρει πάνω της να στέλνει τους προσήλυτες – και τους αφελείς – στην αγκαλιά των ατσαλένιων αγκαθιών του μυθικού πλάσματος για να αναζητήσουν την εξιλέωσή τους, και την παραχώρηση μιας ευχής, δημιουργώντας με τον καιρό εφιαλτικές ιστορίες τρόμου.

Ένα πρώτο μέρος στο οποίο, γραμμένο στην ίδια αφήγηση πλαισίου όπως το The Canterbury Tales του Geoffrey Chaucer, υφαίνοντας πολλαπλές αλληλοσυνδεόμενες ιστορίες μέσα στην κύρια, ο Simmons δημιουργεί ένα τεράστιο πολιτιστικό, πολιτικό, κοινωνικό και θεολογικό σύμπαν διαφόρων φυλών και φατριών, ταξιδεύοντάς μας σε μια ιστορία ιερέων, ποιητών, πολεμιστών, ντετέκτιβ, τεχνητών νοημοσυνών και μυθικών πλασμάτων, που συνδυάζει την θρησκεία με την επιστήμη, το πάθος με την αναζήτηση της ψυχής, και την αγάπη με την προδοσία, χτίζοντας ένα φαινομενικό μυθιστόρημα πολλών επιπέδων αφήγησης και φαντασίας – ένα λογοτεχνικό επίτευγμα στην επιστημονική φαντασία το οποίο, δείχνοντας την δύναμη της γραφής και των ιδεών του, σημάδεψε το είδος όπως μόνο λίγα έχουν κάνει ξανά.

*Το δεύτερο μισό βρίσκεται στα σχόλια, παρακάτω.

Reading these two novels (published in one volume) was something of an emotional rollercoaster. At times I hoped for it to end, and I wanted to put the book down rather than continue experiencing the anxiety and hardships these characters endure. Other times I was fascinated by the universe Dan Simmons created, or inspired by the bond the characters built through shared adversity.

To produce such an empathetic response from the reader was probably one of the better results Simmons could have hoped for. One of the overall themes of the story is after all Human Empathy. In any case, this work contains much to reflect on. It is not quickly or easily digested, which is something one could say about too few Science Fiction novels.

There are some weak points, such as the dependence of one plot on the early 90’s obsession with virtual universes and cyberspace. Otherwise, this is an impressive achievement. The descriptions of the many human colonized planets, the strange Time Tombs, and the Shrike itself create very striking visuals in the imagination. (I am grateful to have read an edition with suitably abstract cover art, rather than the hopelessly literal artwork found on the covers of the mass market editions.) For some like me, Hyperion is also an interesting opportunity to learn more about the poetry of John Keats!

One could easily imagine this story as an allegory for our current cultural and social conditions on Earth. The citizens of this fictional Hegemony of the far future have adapted to the convenience of nearly instantaneous travel and communication between extremely distant locations. Thanks to their dependence on this "Farcaster" technology, they consider themselves one population, rather than hundreds of different groups separated by vast light years in distance. Likewise, some part of our human population on Earth has adapted to the instant communication made possible by our Telecom and Internet infrastructure, and the quick travel made possible by the burning of fossil fuels for air travel. The resulting implications of this dependence may be very similar.

(6 of 5 stars) The best Space opera I have read and one of the top two sci-fi books (series) all categories. Think this is the fourth or fifth time I read these books and they are still as great as ever. Simmons shows how you make great litterature out of what once was a pulp genre. And the books change with you over time. When I first read them Sol, the academic, was the least interesting character arc in the book. Now (13 years later) that I am a father I think that story is one of the best in the book and I understand why Simmons put so much time into it. He has a nack for hitting you in the gut as a parent (see Song of Kali). I love these books, and I look forward to read them again in a few years.

Imagine a future where Earth is dead and the whole humanity has spread to hundreds of planets which now form the Hegemony of Man, and which are connected by instant portals.

Seven pilgrims are summoned to return to Hyperion, a planet that is not yet part of the Hegemony but plays a crucial political role, as the so called Time Tombs are opening and the Shrike, part God and part killing machine, has been freed. Each pilgrim has a reason to go back to Hyperion, an astonishing story to tell, and a crucial role to play.

Space opera at its best, galactic war, spaceship travel, time travel, political intrigue, mystery, lots of literature references...in a word: mind-blowing. If you are a sci-fi fan I can assure you that these books won't disappoint you!

Very early on this book gave indications that it could be a great one.

The setup is great. In fact, the first part, the first book, is all setup. Setup fleshed out with backstory on frame of world building. The backstories are great.

Dan Simmons loves literature. He loves classics. And he doesn't try to hide it. He flaunts it. Hyperion, the first book/part, is a tribute to an early English classic, and poetry, and a dead poet, in the future, in space, with sprinkles of cyberpunk and the armageddon on the top. The conclusion of the frame story takes the reader/story to the precipice without hanging from the edge by the fingernails.

The writing is pretty good. The styles range through the stories being told. If I'd read the first book and had to wait to read the second I would've been pretty impressed/satisfied, and looking forward to the next book. Would I have ached to read the conclusion/continuation? I don't know, I only had to turn the page.

So the second part/book introduces a new frame story/style/character, tells the stories of some of the next level characters, concludes the stories of the top level characters, builds to a crescendo, or a rolling of crescendos. a rolling storm of crescendos, if you like, and then wipes up the most pressing questions this reader had left.

Bravo!

Per cominciare, un plauso alla Mondadori: pubblicare i libri appaiati è senza dubbio la scelta giusta, visto che alla fine di Hyperion abbiamo una storia troncata a metà.

L'inizio di Hyperion è difficoltoso, un po' perché si entra lentamente nella storia, un po' per i costanti cambi di ambientazione e di tenore dovuti ai racconti dei pellegrini.
Però superati i primi scogli si rimane affascinati dalle loro storie, e dal lento dispiegarsi dell'universo nel quale ci si muove.

La fine della Terra, l'umanità sparsa nell'universo, la colonizzazione di mondi distanti, le nuove tecnologie scoperte.
Ogni racconto fa luce su aspetti diversi sia dell'umanità post-Egira, sia del rapporto con Hyperion e con lo Shrike, la misteriosa creatura che infesta la zona delle Tombe del Tempo su quel remoto pianeta, una zona anomala dove imperversano le maree del tempo che trascinano le tombe indietro lungo l'asse temporale, provenienti da un misterioso futuro e già vuote, uno dei grandi misteri dell'universo.

Hyperion si conclude all'arrivo dei pellegrini alle Tombe del Tempo.
E di nuovo, cominciando a leggere La Caduta di Hyperion, si è colti in contropiede, ci si ritrova frastornati: il registro cambia, lo stile cambia, cambia il punto di vista.

Non abbiamo più i racconti e il pellegrinaggio, seguiamo un nuovo//vecchio personaggio, ben lontano da Hyperion ma al pianeta e ai sette collegato.
Seguiamo la politica interplanetaria, i consigli di guerra e le correnti sotterranee nei luoghi di potere.
Le tessere del mosaico di Hyperion acquisite nel primo volume vengono completate con quelle mancanti, e poco a poco riusciamo a ottenere la visione d'insieme che ci stupisce.


Questi due libri sono iniziati con un pellegrinaggio e finiscono con un'epica sci-fi, ma per tutto il tempo sono pervasi da un amore folle e pervasivo nei confronti di Keats.
Il pianeta Hyperion ma anche alcuni personaggi richiamano il poeta, senza contare il fatto che lui stesso sia nel cast dei personaggi centrali della storia.

Ecco, semmai questa ridondanza di Keats è uno dei pochi punti che lasciano perplessi (troppo reiterato e ingombrante per essere un semplice omaggio, troppo oscuro per avere altri significati all'interno della trama), con l'altro che per me è l'intera questione del pellegrinaggio voluta e gestita da praticamente tutte le parti in causa, ognuna con i propri scopi opposti a quelli della controparte. Perché scegliere proprio quelle persone?
Alcune scelte sono ovvie (la Vera Voce, il Console, Brownie, il prete) ma altre hanno senso solo alla luce del finale e comunque restano esterne ai giochi di potere e previsioni che hanno portato alla scelta degli altri.

Comunque è stato un viaggio emozionante, pieno zeppo di tematiche intriganti (e di poesia).
Mi è dispiaciuto solo averlo letto in un periodo in cui non ho avuto tempo per la lettura, godendomelo così probabilmente meno di quanto non avrebbe meritato.

English:
What an amazing science fiction book. A great journey in a universe set far in the future, where we are told about a world called Hyperion, home of a monster called the Shrike, and a looming galactic war. The book doesn't confuse the reader with phrases of technical jargon, instead it tells a story of hope, fear, love, revenge, justice, and of purpose.

You'll find yourself enthralled by it, and find yourself rooting for the pilgrims. Whether you like science fiction or not, it doesn't matter. This is a great literary work that anyone that loves to read will easily find themselves wanting to keep reading to see what happens next.

Deutsch:
Was für eine atemberaubende Buch. Einer riesige reise in einem Universum weit in der Zukunft wo wir wir von einer Welt namens Hyperion, heim eines Monster die man denn Shrike nennt, und einer Galakistchen krieg die über den Horizont liegt, erzählt wird. Das Buch verwirrt der Leser nicht mit technischen Jargon, sonder erzählt eine Geschichte über liebe, Hoffnung, angst, Rache, Gerechtigkeit, und Ziel.

Du wirst diesen Buch lieben, egal ob du Science Fiction magst oder nicht, denn es ist ein literarischen Meisterwerk, das jeder der es liebt zu lesen gefallen wird, und gespannt den nächsten Seite blättern, um zu lesen was am nächsten passiert.

Bellissimo libro. Simmons crea una storia coinvolgente e mai banale con dei personaggi con dei caratteri diversi che esprimono le proprie paure durante il pellegrinaggio alle Tombe del tempo. I personaggi, con le loro storie e i loro desideri, cominciamo a conoscerli fin da subito quando racconteranno le loro vite, le loro esperienze e la loro relazione con pianeta Hyperion nel primo libro. Si può dire infatti che il primo libro sia solo una "presentazione" dei personaggi e la vera storia che dovranno affrontare sarà vissuta nel secondo.
Tra il primo e il secondo libro cambia lo stile di narrazione. Nel secondo troviamo una doppia narrazione (in prima e in seconda persona).
La storia è veramente singolare, mai scontata, non ha grandi colpi di scena ma ma Simmons riesce cmq a coinvolgere il lettore rendendo i fatti sempre più fitti.
L'unica pecca a mio avviso è la parte politica del romanzo a volte difficile da masticare e che richiede più attenzione. Sappiamo che la Terra non esiste più e ci sono tanti pianeti, forse troppi, che fanno parte dell'Egemonia, che dovrà combattere contro gli Ouster e contro lo Shrike. È interessante il rapporto tra presente e futuro che viene affrontato tramite le Tombe del tempo che vengono dal futuro ma si stanno allineando con la linea temporale del nostro presente.
Da non sottovalutare anche la conoscenza filosofica e poetica di Simmons. Lo scrittore fà infatti spesso riferimento al poeta John Keats (1759 - 1821) e ad altri poeti (a volte anche pittori). La capitale di Hyperion si chiama proprio Keats e sia Hyperion sia Endymion (il libro successivo) sono delle opere di Keats. Per questo motivo, il richiamo alla poesia, ci sono anche molti spunti di riflessione. Non vi aspettate una fantascienza di azione. C'è chi paragona Simmons ad Asimov. Un Asimov del XXI secolo.
Un libro che consiglio agli amanti del genere.
Classifica dei volumi: 2,1.

Hyperion is one of the most disappointing stories I’ve read in a while. It misses in the most crucial ways in spite of its interesting premise and some formidable highlights that alone could have made it an instant must read.

It just doesn’t work. It’s not smart enough for what it’s trying to pull off and not fun enough to make its most self-indulgent sections worth it.

I can strongly recommend reading half of the first book and nothing else.

Che dire, un mondo complesso, meraviglioso e impressionante fa da cornice ad una storia appassionante, a tratti più "filosoficheggiante" e narrativa, mentre in altri momenti più ricca di pura azione. Questa edizione è veramente MASTODONTICA e scomoda, ma sicuramente è una saga da avere in libreria, da leggere quando avrete tempo da dedicarle con pazienza. Ne consiglio la lettura per tutti gli amanti della fantascienza ma anche a chi vuole iniziare a scoprire questo genere col botto!