Hyperion

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons is far from a quick read. It is intense and absorbing, yet deals with a culture both exceedingly human and alien at the same time.

The Earth has been gone for centuries, destroyed in an apparent scientific accident, and humanity has spread across the galaxy to hundreds of different habitable planets.

Intergalactic war is about to erupt on the outback world of Hyperion between the Hegemony, which is the primary government, and the Ousters, who are a band of outsiders, evolved over the centuries in zero gravity into a nearly different species altogether.

Hyperion is the home of the mysterious and deadly Shrike. History contains a spotty record of the Shrike, and no photographic evidence, as very few people who have seen them live to tell the tale. The Shrike have their own cult following, and pilgrims regularly travel to Hyperion on a path to the equally mysterious Time Tombs to sacrifice themselves to these Shrike. With the advent of war threatening to destroy the planet, the Hegemony and the Church of the Shrike have authorized one final pilgrimage to the Time Tombs, with seven hand-picked participants.

Sound like a lot of detail to absorb? That is just the Prologue.

As the seven final pilgrims make their journey to Hyperion and the Time Tombs, one by one they each tell the tale of how the Shrike have personally impacted their lives.

The Catholic Priest lost his friend and mentor on the planet. In the course of investigating the death, this priest uncovers the horrific details and becomes inexorably fused with Hyperion and the Shrike, enough to destroy the very faith upon which he has based his life.

The Soldier owes much of his military success to a woman that he never met outside of dreams and virtual reality simulations. Never, until he crash lands on Hyperion near the Time Tombs.

The Poet finds his muse by helping to found a colony of artists on Hyperion, until that muse turns deadly.

The Scholar rarely left the confines of the college campus in which he taught, until his only daughter travels to Hyperion on an archaeological study of the Time Tombs. Her encounter with the Shrike left her alive, but forever changed.

The Starship Captain knows more than he is willing to tell.

The Detective is investigating the murder of one of her clients. The course of her investigation will reveal information that was better left hidden.

The Consul seems to be the perfect government tool. Yet, hidden beneath the surface, he has his own agenda. Will his actions open Pandora’s Box?

The pilgrims’ tales wrap up just in time for the end of the journey, and journey’s end is a bit surreal.

Each of these individual tales are an engrossing novella on their own. Put them all together, and you have a complex look into the future of Humanity, and how we might handle the monumental task of colonizing a strange and hostile galaxy.