Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos) Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 1990

Hyperion is phenomenal! The writing is so eloquent that it was actually shocking to believe that this was written in 1989, it felt like this had easily been written and released this year because nothing felt dated about the story, the characters or really anything involved with the storyline. It’s described as The Canterbury Tales in space, though I’ve never read The Canterbury Tales, I can’t exactly say that. What I can say is that this was truly something unique to me, as I’ve not really experienced a type of story telling like this where it felt like six different novellas tied into one large story. After reading this I can truly say that Simmons is a master of the science fiction genre by writing such a masterful tale that had me reading every chance that I got and frothing over his beautiful writing style.Hyperion’s setting of a 29th century world has such an intricate plot with a very rich and detailed universe where humanity has colonized numerous planets. One of my favorite things is spotting references, and Simmons has a lot of them placed within the story, at one point I would say “oh this reminds me of this” and then Simmons would point that out later letting you know that’s why it’s similar, part of that is using historical themes such as Greek and Biblical Hebrew to help tell a part of the story. Hyperion has a perfect pacing that never felt sluggish or too fast moving at any point and if you’re looking for a story that is much more character driven than plot, as the focus is on learning about the characters, this is definitely the story to read. Within each story, Simmons does a great job of weaving in action and drama with stories of political power, familial love, religion and fate. What intrigues me the most is that while the story of the characters is happening, a war is underway with the Ousters, that could destroy Hyperion.“Words bend our thinking to infinite paths of self-delusion, and the fact that we spend most of our mental lives in brain mansions built of words means that we lack the objectivity necessary to see the terrible distortion of reality which language brings.”The story follows six pilgrims and their expedition to Hyperion, my worry with how this story was told is that I could end up not liking one or more of these stories within, but that was not the case, each story is well established and thought provoking while also being dark and tragic to their own extents and always leading back to one thing, the Shrike, a terrifying creature that is sent back in time. The differences in the style of each story is what made this so unique, one story felt somewhat like Westworld or Ready Player 1, one was a bit more comedic, another one felt like a nod to Isaac Asimov’s iRobot, while another had a Benjamin Button, 50 First Dates quality about it to give multiple parallels to how different each one of these characters are. Simmons attention to focus on these characters that are deeply complex and so very flawed is what makes this stand out the most, on top of that there is the mysterious Shrike creature that is sent back in time, a creature that is described almost like Galactus the world eater, but with a more sinister xenomorph look to it.With everything that’s been revealed about the characters, there’s still quite a bit of mystery still left to figure out in the rest of the series and its sequel since the story ends on a bit of cliffhanger with the group reaching their destination as all their stories have now been told. I’m not a big fan of cliffhangers, but this series is old enough that all books are available, so there’s no reason for panic. Another thing I’m always leery about is multiple narrators, because if one is bad, it can put a damper on the story, but again, this was not an issue because all five narrators, Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, Jay Snyder & Victor Bevine were terrific. They made this story even better with superior performances that got me in my feels and had my spine tingling from theme sheer terror that they felt, this was perfect in every way imaginable. As Dwight would say, perfectenschlag.

Really loved the, what i imagined to be, a muscle mommy Dick Tracey ❤ I wasn't completely convinced when I realized it was going to be told via multiple character flashbacks, but i think it works

I don’t even know where to start. The universe Dan Simmons illustrates through his writing is so fantastical and like nothing I’ve ever read before. Such an incredible story and I’m already reading the next one in the series!

I don't really know where to begin here.I have loved science fiction books since childhood, and anyone who reads the genre will know there are many styles and stories beneath that umbrella. Does the author abuse open ended approaches to science? Maybe an overuse of the fantastic in pursuit of good fiction? Is there a point to the story beyond "kill the baddies"? Anyone who loves sci-fi knows sometimes a series or an author fails to live up to they hype.Saying that this series "lives up to the hype" simply does not say enough. To me, this is a masterpiece on form with Frank Herbert's DUNE. The author weaves an incredible story through some of the most inspired world creation I have ever had the pleasure to experience, through any medium. Simply every facet of the universe that Dan creates for the reader is just right, he knows when to stop and let the minds eye fill in the gaps while providing the materials for it to do so. As i read, I wanted to highlight entire chapters for their sheer literary beauty, worlds in the work of Dan Simmons are more than altered and recycled earths. The story he weaves in this universe is shrouded in mystery through to the very end without being confusing, relevant without grinding an axe, and nuanced without being understated.There are some authors that simply stand out in their ability to emotionally involve the reader in their story, and Dans Hyperion series stands in another league in that regard. I write this review having finished "The rise of Endymion" only minuets prior, and I feel as if I have just parted with a dear friend. Goosebumps covered my arms and emotion filled my eyes throughout the series, but the true master work to me is in the conclusion, a brilliant tying together of an immensely complicated story that covers thousands of years in story time in a way that does not leave the reader wanting. To watch him do that with such measure as an author makes me never want to write again.One of my great regrets is having been born too late to meet Frank Herbert. To make an estimation of the artist that created a series that nobody waned with such finesse that it swept the literary world and demanded their attention to the genre. Frank told more than a nice story in his writing, DUNE to me is more than a diversion of my time. DUNE to myself and others was a beautiful questioning of what it means to be a human explored through a literary medium.I didn't think it possible but Dan Simmons has written his Hyperion series to the level of great authors like Frank Herbert. The amount of real world work it must have taken to tie together the incredible detail in science, religion, and relationships is staggering, and highlights his mastery of his craft. He approaches the fictional science much as we approach the realities of our modern world, giving enough detail to understand without having to resort to hand-wavium. His understanding of human religions and his postulations of their future growth and adaptation highlights a far more than cursory understanding of the topic, and his characters feel like people i would deeply like to know.Thank you Mr. Simmons for this book and this series. If humanity is meets an untimely end and our society is exhumed at some later date by some later life, I hope that they find your book. The Hyperion series is more than a sci-fi novel, its a love letter to humanity from a man who invested the years in understanding it.

an absolute classic in the genre! so memorable and so eloquently writtenkeep the mystery alive and don’t read anything about it :) just enjoy!