Hyperion
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4.5 • 1.9K Ratings
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
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 science fiction 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
Customer Reviews
Great book, disappointing edition
Having read this book many years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it a second time around. The eBook edition is atrocious - the publisher should be ashamed to release a classic book riddled with typos. Was this book scanned by faulty software, and not even checked by the publisher? This is a sure way to turn off people new to the eBook scene. Random House, please address!
A Vivid Science Fiction Classic That Still Feels Ahead of Its Time
Hyperion is a genuinely great book. Dan Simmons writes with so much texture and atmosphere that it feels like you are standing on the world itself, watching each story unfold up close. The structure keeps it moving, the characters are memorable, and the imagery sticks in your head long after you stop reading.
First published in 1989, it is also impressive how much of its imagined future feels recognizable today. You can see why this novel has influenced so many creators, including the kind of big, mythic, lore heavy storytelling that shows up in RPGs and MMORPGs.
It is not flawless, though. A few sections can feel dense, and I had to reread parts to fully grasp some of the concepts and terminology. The fascination with Keats also gets a little excessive at times. Still, those are small complaints next to what the book delivers overall. Hyperion is an amazing read and absolutely worth it.
Hyperion
Easily the most imaginative and compelling sci-fi series I have read. If Steven King 'is in awe of Dan Simmons" there must be something to his writing. Be warned though, "Hyperion" is only the first quarter of the story. The 'ending' which in my opinion was great, serves to whet ones appetite for the next three in the series, "Fall of Hyperion", "Endymion", and "RIse of Endymion." I couldn't get through them fast enough, and was sad that there isn't more. Besides his vividly imagined worlds and characters, Simmons is particularly interesting to read because all of his stories have a classic literature aspect to them. In the case of "Hyperion" it is the poet Keats and his life that are a key part of the story. I find this aspect of Simmons writing elevates the storytelling to a higher level, and probably sends many of his hardcore sci-fi fans to the broader horizons of the classics.