Author: Dan Simmons
Genre: Science Fiction
Copyright: 1989 by Dan Simmons
Length: ~481
ISBN: 978-0-399-17861-0
About the Author
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Dan Simmons was a former public school teacher. He is one of the few writers to work consistently across genres such as science fiction, horror, and fantasy. His works have been honored with many awards, including nine Locus Awards, four Bram Stoker Awards, and the Theodore Sturgeon Award.
Why I chose this book
I was browsing through Barnes and Noble when I came across this book. It was on sale, and I thought the name was interesting. I did not know who Dan Simmons was until then. It was science fiction, a catchy title, and my daughter offered to buy it for me. So here we are.
Quick Summary
The story follows a group of travelers from across the galaxy. Each of these travelers have their reasons to visit the planet Hyperion and to see the Shrike, a mysterious creature that is considered by some as a god. All have had in the past various dealings with the Shrike. And now they return, some by choice, others out of necessity. But trust needs to be built if they are to survive the trip. So each traveler must tell their story before reaching the planet. But there is a twist. One of the so-called travellers has a more sinister reason for being there.
In the meantime, the drums of war grew louder.
My Impressions
The book is long. There are a few imaginative moments, such as the concept of the time tomb. The pace of the storytelling cannot catch my interest, which made reading the book almost a chore rather than pleasurable.
Overall Takeaway
The book is about the stories the travelers tell each other. Each detailing the reason they make this trip despite the foreboding of death and danger. But it does not go much beyond that. So I feel that there should be a part 2 to the book so that I do not feel hanging because of the way the author ended things.
And so it turns out that there are in 3 sequels to Hyperion.
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