Tweet Review: Gods at war, courage of warriors and poets, betrayal of machines, woman from the future and a pilgrimage; all lead to a new humanity.
This book forever changed the way I read science fiction. There is much to say, and even in these 100 minutes (!) of wrapping up the Fall of Hyperion, there are many things left unsaid. Everything is answered – yes, even where the Shrike comes from. All the complex threads and interweaving relationships are deftly tied up. The revelations hit so fast and so hard the characters in the book (and reader) have to adjust quickly in order to make it to the end.
I continue to be amazed at the complexity of the Hyperion universe. It is some of the best sci-fi I’ve come across. The insanely strong narrative continues in the second book of the series – Fall of Hyperion. I loved the first one (Hyperion), and have high hopes for the finale of the second. The end arrives next week and the mystery of the pilgrimage will be revealed! (Right, it’s got to!)
This book makes the reader face an ugly truth – even centuries in the future, we hold our self-preservation above everything else. We will destroy in order to maintain our supremacy. But the forces of the universe and our own creations outmatch us and we’ll have to scratch and claw our way out of the abyss in order to survive. But will we ever change, really?
Favorite moment so far – SPOILER – The war meeting after learning of the impending Ouster invasion where Meina Gladstone realized she couldn’t control the chaos she had unleashed. But she steeled herself against the coming end of Hegemony civilization with dignity and fierceness. While her joint chiefs buckled under pressure and senators moaned, she took command – she told the generals to defend the web worlds at all costs, the senators were to pass a unified war declaration with no political defectors, and Gladstone told the All Things liaison in a private meeting that she would declare open war against the TechnoCore, no matter if it meant plunging the web into the dark ages – better that than be a slave to the machines or the Ousters. That was her moment to shine.
What would you do on the last day of your life? What if the world as you knew it was about to end? Nope, this isn’t a zombie apocalypse. It’s the Fall of Hyperion, an action-packed and deeply meditative tale of mankind confronted by long separated space siblings now returning for war, man-made machines gambling on their supremacy in the universe and surrounding it all – seven pilgrims on a desolate planet close to death and discovery of the ultimate truth of our existence. Listen to the first part of the book here on the REIGN of Books podcast.
We dive into some classic turn-of-the-century sci-fi from H.G. Wells, who helped define the genre. It’s impressive how Wells takes the ordinary things that surround us and turns them into tense terrifying mysteries. The tales are strange unwinding oddities filled with fantastic creatures and wondrous places. It takes me back to the roots of good ol’ campfire storytelling.
Hyperion – you are a time-tripping, world-destroying, farcaster-building, ouster-ousting, shrike-shattering epic. Here is my video tribute to you, another sci-fi masterpiece that throws time to the wind. Zany Farscape Time Scene (even zanier if you have no idea what you’re watching):
Tune in this weekend for some turn-of-the-century sci-fi. We’re going back to the classics with a few selections from H.G. Wells. Jonathan Kiel picked out some good ones: “In the Abyss” and “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid.”
It’s impressive how Wells takes the ordinary things that surround us and turns them into tense terrifying mysteries. The tales are strange unwinding oddities filled with fantastic creatures and wondrous places. It takes me back to the roots of good ol’ campfire storytelling.
Hyperion is one of those rare pieces of fiction that transcends mere storytelling. It is epically crafted and its ensemble cast of characters are wonderfully deep, complex people who bare their souls through the journey. It is a saga stretched over space and time yet incredibly personal and intimate.
The future represented in this book is shaped through the personal experiences and histories of the seven main characters (and a fantastic supporting cast), and it’s very effective. We learn about the galaxy through their eyes and it’s easy to digest facts about an alien future and at the same time to care about where each person ends up. And the future is not so very different than the present – humans have taken their same hopes, dreams and fears out into the cosmos. And the book attempts to deal with the repercussions of our actions as a society. We killed earth, do we get a second chance?
But the story leaves many cliffhangers that make you want to jump immediately to the next book, which I’ve heard described as the second part to Hyperion rather than a sequel. The space saga that is the Hyperion universe demands to be expanded (even if the cliffhanger makes you want to scream). After that initial shock you realize you can’t wait to see what happens next. Let the journey continue.
Rating: 5/5 stars
I’m having a little bit of withdrawal already. I miss my fellow travelers and their stories of planet hopping, space battles, the search for eternal life, and the burning forest and sea of grass on Hyperion. I felt like I came a long way with them on this journey. This is one of those stories that rises above the rest and really nails it when it comes to describing the human condition and connects with you in strong and unexpected ways. Hyperion is part of my sci-fi lexicon now and in my opinion some of the characters are as memorable as any in Middle Earth, Star Trek or Star Wars. Hyperion hyperbole? I don’t think so. It’s that good.
SPOILERS: My favorite parts. Peter Dure’s trek through the flaming forest, subsequent discovery of the cruciform and the labyrinths, and his gut-wrenching fate. Colonel Kassad’s many simulated and real military campaigns and the insane survival instinct that lets him outfight the Ousters in zero-gravity. Martin Silenus and his centuries-long story including the Dying Earth, fame, and true literary obsession in the City of Poets. Sol Weintraub’s emotional powerhouse of a tale in watching his daughter become younger and lose her skills and essentially her life. Brawne Lamia’s classic noir tale ripped from Blade Runner and which exposes the true nature of the Technocore. The Consul’s tale of his world of Maui-Covenant being crushed and later his role in keeping the Hegemony secret of the systematic genocide of other species so that mankind would not be challenged. And then he became a double agent many times over, conspiring with the Ousters and potentially destroying mankind by unleashing the Shrike. The whole book makes you think hard about morality, destiny and our choices in life.
It was not about the planet but about the passing of the self-styled Titans called humans. It was about the unthinking hubris of a race which dared to murder its homeworld through sheer carelessness and then carried that dangerous arrogance to the stars, only to meet the wrath of a god which humanity had helped to sire.
The middle part of Hyperion raises the bar significantly. It’s a very strong middle section that delivers some jaw-dropping revelations.
The many layers of mystery wrapped up in this space saga draw you in deeper as the history of the Dying Earth and the colonization of Hyperion are retold by a living witness of these century old events. We see another personal encounter with the Shrike that shows the power of the time energy at the Time Tombs and the resulting devastation that reverberates through the years. Below the surface of these stories are deep issues of faith, obsession and destiny. Hang on, this is gonna get good.
Tune in this weekend for some turn-of-the-century sci-fi. We’re going back to the classics with a few selections from H.G. Wells. Jonathan Kiel picked out some good ones: “In the Abyss” and “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid.”
REIGN of Books 