Book Review: Hyperion

This science fiction tale by Dan Simmons won the Hugo Award. It also inspired a few
character names in the famous video game StarCraft, and because I’m a fan of that game I
wanted to check out Hyperion after a friend recommended it. If you enjoy creative works with an
interplanetary universe set in the 29th century, pick this book up.

I can safely say that this book kept me reading late into the night. Simmons does a good
job using foreshadowing to give the reader just enough information to leave them begging for
more. If you are looking for beautiful prose or memorable sentences, this novel may fall short.

That said, Simmon’s knowledge of science is blended well into the story and helps believability
flow into the space age concepts. L’m no astrophysicist, so I appreciated Simmon’s ability to
weave such concepts into the story without taking away from the character development or plot.
The characters include an atheistic “Consul,” a Muslim colonel, a Jewish scholar, a
Catholic priest, an almost hedonistic poet, and (IIRC) an agnostic female detective. Simmons
plays with the concept of religion in a futuristic world, with more religious allusions to the Jewish
and Catholic characters. Such religious play does not get in the way of the story and I only
mention the faiths because Simmons chose to. Enjoy trying to figure out why.

The storytelling is interesting. The main plot is spun in between the characters each
telling a story from their past, with the goal of understanding what each will “wish” of a homicidal
entity known as the Shrike. Each story is a long chapter and gives insight into why each
character is making a deadly pilgrimage that only one may return from. While a new writer may
find this structure difficult to achieve, I especially liked the priest’s chapter as it is written in
journal fashion, which I find compelling in Hyperion for the same reason as in the first half of
Dracula.

Overall, this is a great story with compelling characters and plenty of mystery. Be warned
that there is a sequel, The Fall of Hyperion, so don’t expect to walk away with closure and all
mysteries solved. That’s part of the fun.