“Hyperion” by Dan Simmons – In Search of a Strange God

Hyperion by Dan Simmons is one of the most revered science fiction novels of the 20th century, taking place on the eponymously-named world where people live beyond the laws of man. On this world, Hyperion, a mysterious creature of supposedly-immense power awaits, only known as the Shrike. 

It is unclear as to what it is exactly, with many fearing it, others revering it, and with the rest declaring it something that needs to be destroyed at all costs.

However, getting to the mysterious Shrike is far from being a walk in the park; not only is the universe on the brink of Armageddon, but he/she/it awaits in the Valley of Time Tombs, a very hard-to-reach place (to say the least) dominated by giant structures that are capable of moving through time. 

In hopes of finding all the answers to their questions, a group of seven people set out on a pilgrimage to finally meet the Shrike. Each of the pilgrims has a hope and a secret… with one of them possibly being capable of averting the end of the world.

I’m sure that you can tell, just from the premise, why this novel is considered one of the best ones. It combines a giant, imminent and impending doom, a mysterious deity-like creature that holds all the answers, and an epic adventure awaiting seven less-than-ordinary characters. 

This book is mostly focused on the pilgrims themselves, the lives they have led and the horrors they have gone through to lead them to the final journey towards the Shrike. This actually makes each of the pilgrims more than just a set piece; you become deeply acquainted with the suffering of each one of them, actually caring about their destiny and the decisions they make.

If you’re expecting this to be a light read, then forget about that right now. Hyperion is one of the heaviest reads you’ll have in a while, and not because of the language used; Hyperion is a world that is on the brink of destruction, falling victim to moral and physical decay. It is a very disturbing place where even the greatest horrors are not out of question. 

Each of the pilgrims has his share of hurdles, and you can rest assured that many of them are not only brutal, but actually disturbing to a certain extent; the focus is placed on human suffering. Dan Simmons takes the main things that make our current lives what they are, after which he twists and deforms them as much as possible until they become something horrible.

All in all, Hyperion is definitely one of the most original and yet heavy pieces of science fiction literature out there, and for those who like their reading with an extra dose of philosophy and brutality will no doubt fall in love with this book.

---

Dan Simmons Dan Simmons is an American writer whose works of science fiction have won him, most notably and amongst other things, the Hugo and Locus Awards. The former was given for the Hyperion Cantos science-fiction series, while the latter was awarded for the duology, Illium/Olympos. Also, his 1985 book Song of Kali was the winner of the World Fantasy Award.