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Hyperion Cantos #1-2
The Hyperion Omnibus
Together in one volume for the first time, the first two novels of the Hyperion Cantos.
HYPERION
lt is the 29th century and the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat. Invasion by the warlike Ousters looms, and the mysterious schemes of the secessionist AI TechnoCore bring chaos ever closer.
On the eve of disaster, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set fourth on a final voyage to the legendary Time Tombs on Hyperion, home to the Shrike, a lethal creature, part god and part killing machine, whose powers transcend the limits of time and space. The pilgrims have resolved to die before discovering anything less than the secrets of the universe itself.
THE FALL OF HYPERION
The mysterious Time Tombs are opening and the Shrike that has risen from them may well control the fate of all mankind. The Ousters are laying siege to the Hegemony of Man and the AIs we created have turned against us to build the Ultimate Intelligence; God. The God of Machines. His genesis could mean annihilation for man.
Something is drawing the Hegemony, the Ousters, the Als, the entire universe to the Shrike.
Here is a superb vision of future technology and ancient religions, of scientific revelation and timeless mystery, of transcendent joy and mind-bending horror. Here is a Hugo Award-winning landmark in Science Fiction.
HYPERION
lt is the 29th century and the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat. Invasion by the warlike Ousters looms, and the mysterious schemes of the secessionist AI TechnoCore bring chaos ever closer.
On the eve of disaster, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set fourth on a final voyage to the legendary Time Tombs on Hyperion, home to the Shrike, a lethal creature, part god and part killing machine, whose powers transcend the limits of time and space. The pilgrims have resolved to die before discovering anything less than the secrets of the universe itself.
THE FALL OF HYPERION
The mysterious Time Tombs are opening and the Shrike that has risen from them may well control the fate of all mankind. The Ousters are laying siege to the Hegemony of Man and the AIs we created have turned against us to build the Ultimate Intelligence; God. The God of Machines. His genesis could mean annihilation for man.
Something is drawing the Hegemony, the Ousters, the Als, the entire universe to the Shrike.
Here is a superb vision of future technology and ancient religions, of scientific revelation and timeless mystery, of transcendent joy and mind-bending horror. Here is a Hugo Award-winning landmark in Science Fiction.
779 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Dan Simmons
305 books11.5k followersDan Simmons grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
May 9, 2012
Hyperion: On the eve of interstellar war between the Hegemony of Man and the barbarian Ousters over the fate of Hyperion, seven pilgrims embark on a journey to the Time Tombs and their mysterious protector, The Shrike, a three meter tall, four-armed monster covered with blades. One pilgrim will have his wish granted and the others will be impaled on the Shrike's Tree of Pain. Only one or more of the pilgrims isn't what he appears to be...
Every once in a while, a book comes along that eclipses many that came before it. Hyperion is one of those books. Told with a structure similar to the Canterbury tales, Hyperion is the story of seven pilgrims on a journey that will end in death for most of them. Interested yet?
Each pilgrim tells his or her story and Simmons doesn't skimp. We get a horror story, a detective story, action, tragedy, comedy, the whole nine yards. Instead of info-dumping the back story of the complex world he's created, Simmons rations the information and doles it out one bite-sized morsel at a time, mostly in the stories told by the pilgrims. The Shrike is going to stick with me for a long time after I'm finished.
The writing is superb. Simmons continues to wow me with his versatility and the concepts he introduces are amazing. Farcasters, tree ships, time debt, reverse aging, artificial intelligence, it's amazing the sheer amount of thought that obviously went into Hyperion's conception. Surprisingly, Hyperion is a fairly easy read. I have no idea why I've waited this long to accompany Kassad, Masteen, Lamia, and the others on their journey to meet the Shrike.
Fall of Hyperion: The situation in the world web rises to a fever pitch as all out war between the Ousters and the Hegemony of Man erupts. Or does it? And what do the pilgrims on Hyperion and an artist named Severn have to do with it? Is the Hegemony of Man doomed? And what does the Core have to do with everything?
That's about all I can reveal of the plot without blowing all the twists. Suffice to say, Dan Simmons is the man. The story of the seven pilgrims continues and the plot threads hinted upon in Hyperion are tugged and stretched to the breaking point. Things that seemed of minimal importance proved to be integral to the overall plot. Questions are answered, more questions are raised, the shit hits the fan, and dogs and cats begin living together. I never would have guessed whose blood it was in the wind wagon in the first book.
I can't imagine not reading the Fall of Hyperion after reading the first book and it must have been agony for those waiting for it when it was first published. I'd better wrap this up before I start giving away plot details about Brawne, Hoyt, Kassad, and the others. Suffice to say, The Hyperion Cantos are now on my measuring stick list of books, along with the Dark Tower, The First Chronicles of Amber, and the Matthew Scudder series. Highest possible recommendation.
Every once in a while, a book comes along that eclipses many that came before it. Hyperion is one of those books. Told with a structure similar to the Canterbury tales, Hyperion is the story of seven pilgrims on a journey that will end in death for most of them. Interested yet?
Each pilgrim tells his or her story and Simmons doesn't skimp. We get a horror story, a detective story, action, tragedy, comedy, the whole nine yards. Instead of info-dumping the back story of the complex world he's created, Simmons rations the information and doles it out one bite-sized morsel at a time, mostly in the stories told by the pilgrims. The Shrike is going to stick with me for a long time after I'm finished.
The writing is superb. Simmons continues to wow me with his versatility and the concepts he introduces are amazing. Farcasters, tree ships, time debt, reverse aging, artificial intelligence, it's amazing the sheer amount of thought that obviously went into Hyperion's conception. Surprisingly, Hyperion is a fairly easy read. I have no idea why I've waited this long to accompany Kassad, Masteen, Lamia, and the others on their journey to meet the Shrike.
Fall of Hyperion: The situation in the world web rises to a fever pitch as all out war between the Ousters and the Hegemony of Man erupts. Or does it? And what do the pilgrims on Hyperion and an artist named Severn have to do with it? Is the Hegemony of Man doomed? And what does the Core have to do with everything?
That's about all I can reveal of the plot without blowing all the twists. Suffice to say, Dan Simmons is the man. The story of the seven pilgrims continues and the plot threads hinted upon in Hyperion are tugged and stretched to the breaking point. Things that seemed of minimal importance proved to be integral to the overall plot. Questions are answered, more questions are raised, the shit hits the fan, and dogs and cats begin living together. I never would have guessed whose blood it was in the wind wagon in the first book.
I can't imagine not reading the Fall of Hyperion after reading the first book and it must have been agony for those waiting for it when it was first published. I'd better wrap this up before I start giving away plot details about Brawne, Hoyt, Kassad, and the others. Suffice to say, The Hyperion Cantos are now on my measuring stick list of books, along with the Dark Tower, The First Chronicles of Amber, and the Matthew Scudder series. Highest possible recommendation.
October 16, 2020
Baroque, enormously complicated, and oftentimes contradictory, the Hyperion series can be a frustrating read. But it’s filled with brilliant writing and equally brilliant concepts, and it’s one of the few far-future works that manages to pair interesting and somewhat relatable characters with the sometimes truly outlandish creations advanced technology makes possible. (Simmon’s living Dyson sphere being a particular favorite of mine.)
July 16, 2019
4.5 Stars
Hyperion - 4.5 Stars
The Fall of Hyperion - 4 Stars
Hyperion - 4.5 Stars
The Fall of Hyperion - 4 Stars
August 22, 2021
Per cominciare, un plauso alla Mondadori: pubblicare i libri appaiati è senza dubbio la scelta giusta, visto che alla fine di Hyperion abbiamo una storia troncata a metà.
L'inizio di Hyperion è difficoltoso, un po' perché si entra lentamente nella storia, un po' per i costanti cambi di ambientazione e di tenore dovuti ai racconti dei pellegrini.
Però superati i primi scogli si rimane affascinati dalle loro storie, e dal lento dispiegarsi dell'universo nel quale ci si muove.
La fine della Terra, l'umanità sparsa nell'universo, la colonizzazione di mondi distanti, le nuove tecnologie scoperte.
Ogni racconto fa luce su aspetti diversi sia dell'umanità post-Egira, sia del rapporto con Hyperion e con lo Shrike, la misteriosa creatura che infesta la zona delle Tombe del Tempo su quel remoto pianeta, una zona anomala dove imperversano le maree del tempo che trascinano le tombe indietro lungo l'asse temporale, provenienti da un misterioso futuro e già vuote, uno dei grandi misteri dell'universo.
Hyperion si conclude all'arrivo dei pellegrini alle Tombe del Tempo.
E di nuovo, cominciando a leggere La Caduta di Hyperion, si è colti in contropiede, ci si ritrova frastornati: il registro cambia, lo stile cambia, cambia il punto di vista.
Non abbiamo più i racconti e il pellegrinaggio, seguiamo un nuovo//vecchio personaggio, ben lontano da Hyperion ma al pianeta e ai sette collegato.
Seguiamo la politica interplanetaria, i consigli di guerra e le correnti sotterranee nei luoghi di potere.
Le tessere del mosaico di Hyperion acquisite nel primo volume vengono completate con quelle mancanti, e poco a poco riusciamo a ottenere la visione d'insieme che ci stupisce.
Questi due libri sono iniziati con un pellegrinaggio e finiscono con un'epica sci-fi, ma per tutto il tempo sono pervasi da un amore folle e pervasivo nei confronti di Keats.
Il pianeta Hyperion ma anche alcuni personaggi richiamano il poeta, senza contare il fatto che lui stesso sia nel cast dei personaggi centrali della storia.
Ecco, semmai questa ridondanza di Keats è uno dei pochi punti che lasciano perplessi (troppo reiterato e ingombrante per essere un semplice omaggio, troppo oscuro per avere altri significati all'interno della trama), con l'altro che per me è l'intera questione del pellegrinaggio voluta e gestita da praticamente tutte le parti in causa, ognuna con i propri scopi opposti a quelli della controparte. Perché scegliere proprio quelle persone?
Alcune scelte sono ovvie (la Vera Voce, il Console, Brownie, il prete) ma altre hanno senso solo alla luce del finale e comunque restano esterne ai giochi di potere e previsioni che hanno portato alla scelta degli altri.
Comunque è stato un viaggio emozionante, pieno zeppo di tematiche intriganti (e di poesia).
Mi è dispiaciuto solo averlo letto in un periodo in cui non ho avuto tempo per la lettura, godendomelo così probabilmente meno di quanto non avrebbe meritato.
L'inizio di Hyperion è difficoltoso, un po' perché si entra lentamente nella storia, un po' per i costanti cambi di ambientazione e di tenore dovuti ai racconti dei pellegrini.
Però superati i primi scogli si rimane affascinati dalle loro storie, e dal lento dispiegarsi dell'universo nel quale ci si muove.
La fine della Terra, l'umanità sparsa nell'universo, la colonizzazione di mondi distanti, le nuove tecnologie scoperte.
Ogni racconto fa luce su aspetti diversi sia dell'umanità post-Egira, sia del rapporto con Hyperion e con lo Shrike, la misteriosa creatura che infesta la zona delle Tombe del Tempo su quel remoto pianeta, una zona anomala dove imperversano le maree del tempo che trascinano le tombe indietro lungo l'asse temporale, provenienti da un misterioso futuro e già vuote, uno dei grandi misteri dell'universo.
Hyperion si conclude all'arrivo dei pellegrini alle Tombe del Tempo.
E di nuovo, cominciando a leggere La Caduta di Hyperion, si è colti in contropiede, ci si ritrova frastornati: il registro cambia, lo stile cambia, cambia il punto di vista.
Non abbiamo più i racconti e il pellegrinaggio, seguiamo un nuovo//vecchio personaggio, ben lontano da Hyperion ma al pianeta e ai sette collegato.
Seguiamo la politica interplanetaria, i consigli di guerra e le correnti sotterranee nei luoghi di potere.
Le tessere del mosaico di Hyperion acquisite nel primo volume vengono completate con quelle mancanti, e poco a poco riusciamo a ottenere la visione d'insieme che ci stupisce.
Questi due libri sono iniziati con un pellegrinaggio e finiscono con un'epica sci-fi, ma per tutto il tempo sono pervasi da un amore folle e pervasivo nei confronti di Keats.
Il pianeta Hyperion ma anche alcuni personaggi richiamano il poeta, senza contare il fatto che lui stesso sia nel cast dei personaggi centrali della storia.
Ecco, semmai questa ridondanza di Keats è uno dei pochi punti che lasciano perplessi (troppo reiterato e ingombrante per essere un semplice omaggio, troppo oscuro per avere altri significati all'interno della trama), con l'altro che per me è l'intera questione del pellegrinaggio voluta e gestita da praticamente tutte le parti in causa, ognuna con i propri scopi opposti a quelli della controparte. Perché scegliere proprio quelle persone?
Alcune scelte sono ovvie (la Vera Voce, il Console, Brownie, il prete) ma altre hanno senso solo alla luce del finale e comunque restano esterne ai giochi di potere e previsioni che hanno portato alla scelta degli altri.
Comunque è stato un viaggio emozionante, pieno zeppo di tematiche intriganti (e di poesia).
Mi è dispiaciuto solo averlo letto in un periodo in cui non ho avuto tempo per la lettura, godendomelo così probabilmente meno di quanto non avrebbe meritato.
September 12, 2015
Whaaaat?!!
This was my reaction to the reveal of Moneta's identity. I guess when you have both time and space continuum at your disposal, you can create all kinds of crazy twists. I am at awe how Simmons can step across genre boundaries and dazzle in multiple literary planes. I have known him as a master horror storyteller, and now he is up there with Herbert and Asimov in the field of mind-blowing sci-fi. Hyperion and its sequel are more like two parts of one book, so I would definitely recommend reading them both in quick succession to appreciate the entire story in all its glory.
The first part is structured similarly to The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. There is a group of pilgrims on a journey to mysterious planet of Hyperion to meet the fabled entity called The Shrike. Each character tells a story of their past that has led them to this journey, therefore revealing more of the novel's universe and history. The majority of the second book is told from the perspective of cybrid John Keats - a clone of the famous poet equipped with an AI intellect, - and his dreams of the pilgrims. As you might already guess, Hyperion Cantos is full of literary allusions and direct references. Among many others I noted Shakespeare, The Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chaplin, and Greek mythology. How fun is that?
The novels themselves are incredibly multi-layered and imaginative. There are conspiracies, prophecies, the man vs machine arguement, philosophical discussions of theology and identity, the looming end of humanity, ecological footprints and colonialism, death and rebirth, and of course poetry. Is it weird that my favourite character is Ummon, who speaks mostly in koans?
This was my reaction to the reveal of Moneta's identity. I guess when you have both time and space continuum at your disposal, you can create all kinds of crazy twists. I am at awe how Simmons can step across genre boundaries and dazzle in multiple literary planes. I have known him as a master horror storyteller, and now he is up there with Herbert and Asimov in the field of mind-blowing sci-fi. Hyperion and its sequel are more like two parts of one book, so I would definitely recommend reading them both in quick succession to appreciate the entire story in all its glory.
The first part is structured similarly to The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. There is a group of pilgrims on a journey to mysterious planet of Hyperion to meet the fabled entity called The Shrike. Each character tells a story of their past that has led them to this journey, therefore revealing more of the novel's universe and history. The majority of the second book is told from the perspective of cybrid John Keats - a clone of the famous poet equipped with an AI intellect, - and his dreams of the pilgrims. As you might already guess, Hyperion Cantos is full of literary allusions and direct references. Among many others I noted Shakespeare, The Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chaplin, and Greek mythology. How fun is that?
The novels themselves are incredibly multi-layered and imaginative. There are conspiracies, prophecies, the man vs machine arguement, philosophical discussions of theology and identity, the looming end of humanity, ecological footprints and colonialism, death and rebirth, and of course poetry. Is it weird that my favourite character is Ummon, who speaks mostly in koans?
August 31, 2020
Che dire, un mondo complesso, meraviglioso e impressionante fa da cornice ad una storia appassionante, a tratti più "filosoficheggiante" e narrativa, mentre in altri momenti più ricca di pura azione. Questa edizione è veramente MASTODONTICA e scomoda, ma sicuramente è una saga da avere in libreria, da leggere quando avrete tempo da dedicarle con pazienza. Ne consiglio la lettura per tutti gli amanti della fantascienza ma anche a chi vuole iniziare a scoprire questo genere col botto!
March 6, 2021
«Dio mio» mormorò Meina Gladstone, guardando il cadavere di [...]. «Faccio tutto questo sulla base di un sogno.»
«Qualche volta,» disse il generale Morpurgo, prendendole la mano «capita che i sogni siano l'unica cosa che ci distingue dalle macchine.»
Trovo difficile dare forma ai miei pensieri su questo libro. Mi ha accompagnato per 5 lunghe settimane in un viaggio incredibile tra le stelle di un universo costruito magistralmente. Il worldbuilding di Hyperion è terrificante in senso positivo: è l'atto d'amore di un autore che sa quello che fa, come lo fa e perché lo fa.
Partendo dall'edizione: Mondadori ha saggiamente unito "Hyperion" e "La caduta di Hyperion" in un unico volume, come del resto è giusto che sia. Il primo, infatti, non può essere letto senza tenere in considerazione il secondo. Questo nonostante l'enorme differenza strutturale - e di ritmo - tra i due libri.
"Hyperion" è una storia frammentata, inizialmente lenta e poco chiara. I termini sci-fi utilizzati da Simmons sono parte integrante della storia sin da subito, ma senza nessuna spiegazione sul loro significato. Nessun inforigurgito fastidioso, nessun personaggio che perde tempo a spiegare le cose al lettore. No, è il lettore a imparare, pagina dopo pagina.
Ed è sempre il lettore che deve compiere un atto di fiducia. Sì, perché dopo una settantina di pagine ero in parte demoralizzato e in parte confuso: dove sto andando? Dove mi porterà questa lettura?
La lettura, già. Il primo volume ci parla di 7 pellegrini. Il contesto è il mondo di Hyperion, alla periferia di una galassia ormai largamente colonizzata dall'uomo. Hyperion è una variabile instabile inserita in un universo matematico, meccanico, preciso. Il passato dei pellegrini, in un modo o nell'altro, si intreccia con questo pianeta lontano, ancora fermo a una condizione di sviluppo tecnologico inferiore rispetto agli oltre 200 mondi della "Rete". L'umanità ha potuto espandersi velocemente grazie alla tecnologia dei Teleporter, veri e propri portali che permettono a chiunque di attraversare lo spazio-tempo in una frazione di secondo.
Hyperion è, come già detto, una variabile instabile. È casa delle Tombe del Tempo, manufatti provenienti dal futuro e gettati a ritroso nel tempo. Ma non solo. È anche il luogo infestato dallo Shrike, una sorta di macchina-divinità non soggetta alle leggi fisiche, un vero e proprio "Dio della Sofferenza", come viene definitivo più volte nel corso della lettura. Ma lo Shrike non è un nemico da film horror o il mostro finale da sconfiggere: è solo un piccolo tassello di un'utopia fantascientifica brillantemente costruita, con il suo ruolo ben definito.
I pellegrini sanno solo che devono raggiungere le Tombe del Tempo, sia per fare i conti col proprio passato, sia per seguire il ruolo che gli è stato cucito da forze più grandi di loro. E così, durante il viaggio, raccontano. Lo fanno seguendo una struttura liberamente ispirata ai Canterbury Tales di Chaucer.
Capite, in principio era il Verbo. E il Verbo diventò carne nella trama dell'universo umano. E solo il poeta può espandere questo universo, trovare scorciatoie verso nuove realtà, così come il motore Hawking supera le barriere dello spaziotempo einsteiniano.
Essere un poeta, mi resi conto, un poeta vero, significava diventare l'Avatar incarnato dell'umanità; accettare il manto di poeta equivaleva a portare la croce del Figlio dell'Uomo, a sopportare le doglie dell'Anima Madre dell'Umanità.
Essere un poeta vero è diventare Dio.
I racconti dei pellegrini sono già di per sé grandiosi. È inevitabile preferirne alcuni ad altri, anche se personalmente li ho amati tutti, così come ho imparato ad affezionarmi alle loro voci mano a mano che procedevo nella lettura. La quantità di carne al fuoco che Simmons impiega è incredibile: il parassita crucimorfo di Padre Hoyt, Kassad e Moneta, Martin Sileno e il suo racconto tagliente, Sol e la piccola Rachel (quante lacrime), Brawne e Johnny. Infine il Console, col suo breve racconto, per me di una bellezza struggente, mentre ricorda sua nonna Siri e il suo meraviglioso mondo natale, Patto-Maui, la cui bellezza sarà forse persa per sempre a causa dell'ingordigia umana.
Ma quando arriverà il momento di giudicare, di capire un tradimento che si diffonderà come una fiamma per tutta la Rete e che porrà termine ai mondi, vi chiedo di non pensare a me - il mio nome non era neppure scritto sull'acqua, come avrebbe detto lo spirito del vostro poeta perduto - ma alla Vecchia Terra morta senza un valido motivo, ai delfini e alla loro carne grigia che secca e imputridisce al sole; vi chiedo di vedere, come ho visto io, le isole mobili senza più spazio dove andare, i pascoli distrutti, le Secche Equatoriali incrostate di piattaforme di trivellazione, le isole soffocate da turisti vocianti e rompiscatole che puzzano di lozione UV e di spinelli.
O, meglio ancora, non pensate a niente di tutto questo. State fermi, come ho fatto io dopo aver azionato l'interruttore. Un omicida, un assassino, ma comunque orgoglioso, con i piedi fermamente piantati sulla mobile sabbia di Hyperion, che grida a testa alta e con il pugno alzato contro il cielo "La peste su tutt'e due le vostre case!"
Vedete, ricordo il sogno di mia nonna. Ricordo come sarebbe potuto essere. Ricordo Siri."
È quindi inevitabile che le storie dei pellegrini non possano chiudersi nell'arco di un libro. Terminato Hyperion, il lettore sarà appena arrivato alle Tombe del Tempo. Ma è come se ci fosse stato altre 100 volte. Come se anche lui, insieme ai pellegrini, dovesse essere giudicato dallo Shrike.
Su queste premesse si apre il secondo volume, "La caduta di Hyperion". 370 pagine e oltre di puro spettacolo fantascientifico. Spesso ho pensato "è come andare al cinema e guardare qualcosa di immenso, una sorta di nuova Odissea nello Spazio". A un primo libro meditativo e più lento ne segue uno esplosivo a un livello sbalorditivo. E proprio in questo volume si chiudono le varie storie, con finali che ho trovato per la maggior parte soddisfacenti e adeguati.
Ne "La caduta di Hyperion", Simmons mischia guerre, battaglie, assemblee governative e continui passaggi tra i portali teleporter a pagine intrise di religione, filosofia e - naturalmente - poesia.
«Mi piacerebbe avere la tecnologia per combattere Dio alla pari» disse in tono basso e leggero. «Prenderlo per la barba nel suo stesso covo. Ripagarlo di tutte le ingiustizie accumulate sull'umanità. Fargli passare l'arroganza, o altrimenti sbatterlo all'inferno.»
Poesia perché il nome stesso di Hyperion suggerisce l'influenza marcata di Keats sull'intera opera. Ma Keats non sarà soltanto un'ispirazione superficiale: entrerà proprio a gamba tesa nella narrazione, in modi così singolari da far sorridere.
Ci sono immagini intrise di tale sense of wonder da lasciare a bocca aperta. La maggior parte sono off-limits per questa recensione causa spoiler, ma vi invito a fare anche voi un atto di fiducia e credermi. L'ho detto all'inizio e lo ripeto: il worldbuilding di Hyperion è immenso. I mondi sono descritti in maniera vivida, reale, credibile. Le tecnologie sono splendide, sempre realistiche, possibili, a uno schioppo di dita. È tutto così reale da mettere i brividi. E anche il finale, per quanto riguarda la Rete e la guerra in atto, è perfetto. Sono saltato sul divano e ho bonariamente esclamato che cazzo di figata!
Hyperion è un libro scritto come si dovrebbero scrivere sempre i libri. Senza compromessi, con tanta fantasia e tanto talento.
Camminarono insieme sotto il sole caldo, stonando e cantando a tempo, perdendo le parole e cominciando da capo; risalirono il pendio verso la nave in attesa.
«Qualche volta,» disse il generale Morpurgo, prendendole la mano «capita che i sogni siano l'unica cosa che ci distingue dalle macchine.»
Trovo difficile dare forma ai miei pensieri su questo libro. Mi ha accompagnato per 5 lunghe settimane in un viaggio incredibile tra le stelle di un universo costruito magistralmente. Il worldbuilding di Hyperion è terrificante in senso positivo: è l'atto d'amore di un autore che sa quello che fa, come lo fa e perché lo fa.
Partendo dall'edizione: Mondadori ha saggiamente unito "Hyperion" e "La caduta di Hyperion" in un unico volume, come del resto è giusto che sia. Il primo, infatti, non può essere letto senza tenere in considerazione il secondo. Questo nonostante l'enorme differenza strutturale - e di ritmo - tra i due libri.
"Hyperion" è una storia frammentata, inizialmente lenta e poco chiara. I termini sci-fi utilizzati da Simmons sono parte integrante della storia sin da subito, ma senza nessuna spiegazione sul loro significato. Nessun inforigurgito fastidioso, nessun personaggio che perde tempo a spiegare le cose al lettore. No, è il lettore a imparare, pagina dopo pagina.
Ed è sempre il lettore che deve compiere un atto di fiducia. Sì, perché dopo una settantina di pagine ero in parte demoralizzato e in parte confuso: dove sto andando? Dove mi porterà questa lettura?
La lettura, già. Il primo volume ci parla di 7 pellegrini. Il contesto è il mondo di Hyperion, alla periferia di una galassia ormai largamente colonizzata dall'uomo. Hyperion è una variabile instabile inserita in un universo matematico, meccanico, preciso. Il passato dei pellegrini, in un modo o nell'altro, si intreccia con questo pianeta lontano, ancora fermo a una condizione di sviluppo tecnologico inferiore rispetto agli oltre 200 mondi della "Rete". L'umanità ha potuto espandersi velocemente grazie alla tecnologia dei Teleporter, veri e propri portali che permettono a chiunque di attraversare lo spazio-tempo in una frazione di secondo.
Hyperion è, come già detto, una variabile instabile. È casa delle Tombe del Tempo, manufatti provenienti dal futuro e gettati a ritroso nel tempo. Ma non solo. È anche il luogo infestato dallo Shrike, una sorta di macchina-divinità non soggetta alle leggi fisiche, un vero e proprio "Dio della Sofferenza", come viene definitivo più volte nel corso della lettura. Ma lo Shrike non è un nemico da film horror o il mostro finale da sconfiggere: è solo un piccolo tassello di un'utopia fantascientifica brillantemente costruita, con il suo ruolo ben definito.
I pellegrini sanno solo che devono raggiungere le Tombe del Tempo, sia per fare i conti col proprio passato, sia per seguire il ruolo che gli è stato cucito da forze più grandi di loro. E così, durante il viaggio, raccontano. Lo fanno seguendo una struttura liberamente ispirata ai Canterbury Tales di Chaucer.
Capite, in principio era il Verbo. E il Verbo diventò carne nella trama dell'universo umano. E solo il poeta può espandere questo universo, trovare scorciatoie verso nuove realtà, così come il motore Hawking supera le barriere dello spaziotempo einsteiniano.
Essere un poeta, mi resi conto, un poeta vero, significava diventare l'Avatar incarnato dell'umanità; accettare il manto di poeta equivaleva a portare la croce del Figlio dell'Uomo, a sopportare le doglie dell'Anima Madre dell'Umanità.
Essere un poeta vero è diventare Dio.
I racconti dei pellegrini sono già di per sé grandiosi. È inevitabile preferirne alcuni ad altri, anche se personalmente li ho amati tutti, così come ho imparato ad affezionarmi alle loro voci mano a mano che procedevo nella lettura. La quantità di carne al fuoco che Simmons impiega è incredibile: il parassita crucimorfo di Padre Hoyt, Kassad e Moneta, Martin Sileno e il suo racconto tagliente, Sol e la piccola Rachel (quante lacrime), Brawne e Johnny. Infine il Console, col suo breve racconto, per me di una bellezza struggente, mentre ricorda sua nonna Siri e il suo meraviglioso mondo natale, Patto-Maui, la cui bellezza sarà forse persa per sempre a causa dell'ingordigia umana.
Ma quando arriverà il momento di giudicare, di capire un tradimento che si diffonderà come una fiamma per tutta la Rete e che porrà termine ai mondi, vi chiedo di non pensare a me - il mio nome non era neppure scritto sull'acqua, come avrebbe detto lo spirito del vostro poeta perduto - ma alla Vecchia Terra morta senza un valido motivo, ai delfini e alla loro carne grigia che secca e imputridisce al sole; vi chiedo di vedere, come ho visto io, le isole mobili senza più spazio dove andare, i pascoli distrutti, le Secche Equatoriali incrostate di piattaforme di trivellazione, le isole soffocate da turisti vocianti e rompiscatole che puzzano di lozione UV e di spinelli.
O, meglio ancora, non pensate a niente di tutto questo. State fermi, come ho fatto io dopo aver azionato l'interruttore. Un omicida, un assassino, ma comunque orgoglioso, con i piedi fermamente piantati sulla mobile sabbia di Hyperion, che grida a testa alta e con il pugno alzato contro il cielo "La peste su tutt'e due le vostre case!"
Vedete, ricordo il sogno di mia nonna. Ricordo come sarebbe potuto essere. Ricordo Siri."
È quindi inevitabile che le storie dei pellegrini non possano chiudersi nell'arco di un libro. Terminato Hyperion, il lettore sarà appena arrivato alle Tombe del Tempo. Ma è come se ci fosse stato altre 100 volte. Come se anche lui, insieme ai pellegrini, dovesse essere giudicato dallo Shrike.
Su queste premesse si apre il secondo volume, "La caduta di Hyperion". 370 pagine e oltre di puro spettacolo fantascientifico. Spesso ho pensato "è come andare al cinema e guardare qualcosa di immenso, una sorta di nuova Odissea nello Spazio". A un primo libro meditativo e più lento ne segue uno esplosivo a un livello sbalorditivo. E proprio in questo volume si chiudono le varie storie, con finali che ho trovato per la maggior parte soddisfacenti e adeguati.
Ne "La caduta di Hyperion", Simmons mischia guerre, battaglie, assemblee governative e continui passaggi tra i portali teleporter a pagine intrise di religione, filosofia e - naturalmente - poesia.
«Mi piacerebbe avere la tecnologia per combattere Dio alla pari» disse in tono basso e leggero. «Prenderlo per la barba nel suo stesso covo. Ripagarlo di tutte le ingiustizie accumulate sull'umanità. Fargli passare l'arroganza, o altrimenti sbatterlo all'inferno.»
Poesia perché il nome stesso di Hyperion suggerisce l'influenza marcata di Keats sull'intera opera. Ma Keats non sarà soltanto un'ispirazione superficiale: entrerà proprio a gamba tesa nella narrazione, in modi così singolari da far sorridere.
Ci sono immagini intrise di tale sense of wonder da lasciare a bocca aperta. La maggior parte sono off-limits per questa recensione causa spoiler, ma vi invito a fare anche voi un atto di fiducia e credermi. L'ho detto all'inizio e lo ripeto: il worldbuilding di Hyperion è immenso. I mondi sono descritti in maniera vivida, reale, credibile. Le tecnologie sono splendide, sempre realistiche, possibili, a uno schioppo di dita. È tutto così reale da mettere i brividi. E anche il finale, per quanto riguarda la Rete e la guerra in atto, è perfetto. Sono saltato sul divano e ho bonariamente esclamato che cazzo di figata!
Hyperion è un libro scritto come si dovrebbero scrivere sempre i libri. Senza compromessi, con tanta fantasia e tanto talento.
Camminarono insieme sotto il sole caldo, stonando e cantando a tempo, perdendo le parole e cominciando da capo; risalirono il pendio verso la nave in attesa.
February 12, 2020
RECENSIONE QUI: https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/...
Se siete appassionati di fantascienza vi consiglio assolutamente di leggere questa serie appassionante e avventurosa, nonostante sia una lettura lunga. Questo volume racchiude i primi due romanzi della tetralogia e dà inizio ad una visione di un futuro lontano, facendoci viaggiare in un universo di sacerdoti e poeti, pellegrini e creature mitiche, specie umanoidi e intelligenze artificiali, ma anche in una storia che intreccia religione e scienza, politica e guerra, trascendenza e orrore. Rimarrete stupiti di fronte alla bravura di Dan Simmons nell'oltrepassare i confini e nell'intersecare più generi tra loro, creando un tempo e uno spazio ben strutturati con colpi di scena pazzeschi. Protagonisti della storia sono un gruppo di pellegrini in viaggio verso il misterioso pianeta di Hyperion per incontrare l’entità misteriosa e mostruosa chiamata Shrike. Ogni personaggio in prima o in terza persona racconta il proprio passato e cosa li ha portati a compiere il viaggio così che l’autore possa rivelare ogni tassello gradualmente, uno dopo l’altro, facendoci conoscere il carattere dei personaggi e la natura dell’egemonia e il ruolo di Hyperion e dello Shrike nel destino dell’umanità. Nella seconda parte la storia è raccontata in modo diverso in quanto la narrazione è affidata a un “cybrid”, il cui corpo è umano ma l’intelligenza è artificiale. Sebbene le esperienze dei pellegrini continuino ad essere una parte importante della storia, gran parte dell’attenzione si sposta soprattutto sull’Egemoni, sul conflitto tra le fazioni e sull’invasione degli Ouster. Molti misteri e apparenti contraddizioni vengono spiegati in questa seconda parte. La scrittura è superba e versatile, sorprendente e potente, tanto che il lettore inizia il romanzo e una volta arrivato alla fine vorrebbe ancora continuare a leggere ancora su questo mondo perfettamente creato. Ci troviamo di fronte ad una storia grandiosa dell’orrore, di azione e tragedia, cospirazioni e profezie, sacrificio e sopravvivenza, identità e teologia, impronte ecologiche e colonialismo, morte e rinascita, una tra le migliori di fantascienza che abbia mai letto. Non voglio rivelarvi più nulla perché c'è così tanto da dire di questo romanzo bellissimo.
CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/
Se siete appassionati di fantascienza vi consiglio assolutamente di leggere questa serie appassionante e avventurosa, nonostante sia una lettura lunga. Questo volume racchiude i primi due romanzi della tetralogia e dà inizio ad una visione di un futuro lontano, facendoci viaggiare in un universo di sacerdoti e poeti, pellegrini e creature mitiche, specie umanoidi e intelligenze artificiali, ma anche in una storia che intreccia religione e scienza, politica e guerra, trascendenza e orrore. Rimarrete stupiti di fronte alla bravura di Dan Simmons nell'oltrepassare i confini e nell'intersecare più generi tra loro, creando un tempo e uno spazio ben strutturati con colpi di scena pazzeschi. Protagonisti della storia sono un gruppo di pellegrini in viaggio verso il misterioso pianeta di Hyperion per incontrare l’entità misteriosa e mostruosa chiamata Shrike. Ogni personaggio in prima o in terza persona racconta il proprio passato e cosa li ha portati a compiere il viaggio così che l’autore possa rivelare ogni tassello gradualmente, uno dopo l’altro, facendoci conoscere il carattere dei personaggi e la natura dell’egemonia e il ruolo di Hyperion e dello Shrike nel destino dell’umanità. Nella seconda parte la storia è raccontata in modo diverso in quanto la narrazione è affidata a un “cybrid”, il cui corpo è umano ma l’intelligenza è artificiale. Sebbene le esperienze dei pellegrini continuino ad essere una parte importante della storia, gran parte dell’attenzione si sposta soprattutto sull’Egemoni, sul conflitto tra le fazioni e sull’invasione degli Ouster. Molti misteri e apparenti contraddizioni vengono spiegati in questa seconda parte. La scrittura è superba e versatile, sorprendente e potente, tanto che il lettore inizia il romanzo e una volta arrivato alla fine vorrebbe ancora continuare a leggere ancora su questo mondo perfettamente creato. Ci troviamo di fronte ad una storia grandiosa dell’orrore, di azione e tragedia, cospirazioni e profezie, sacrificio e sopravvivenza, identità e teologia, impronte ecologiche e colonialismo, morte e rinascita, una tra le migliori di fantascienza che abbia mai letto. Non voglio rivelarvi più nulla perché c'è così tanto da dire di questo romanzo bellissimo.
CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/
February 21, 2019
“Saturn is fallen, am I too to fall?
Am I to leave this haven of my rest,
This cradle of my glory, this soft clime,
This calm luxuriance of blissful light,
These crystalline pavilions, and pure fanes,
Of all my lucent empire? It is left
Deserted, void, nor any haunt of mine.
The blaze, the splendor, and the symmetry,
I cannot see – but darkness, death and darkness.”
— Hyperion, John Keats
Since the early 80s, when his first short story was published with Harlan Ellison’s help – after having survived his critique on their first acquaintance – giving him his first success, and a big boost to his literary career, Dan Simmons has been one of the top multi-genre writers of our time, foraying over the years into science fiction, mystery, horror, and historical fiction, managing to sweep readers and critics alike, and to be awarded and nominated for his works on numerous occasions.
And in The Hyperion Omnibus, the first volume of the Hyperion Cantos collecting the first two novels: Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, Simmons – drawing inspiration from the life and works of the Romantic poet John Keats – creates his own vision of the far future, traveling us in a universe of priests and poets, pilgrims and mythical creatures, and humanoid species and artificial intelligences, but also in a two-legged story arc of religion and science, politics and war, and transcendence and horror, in a phenomenal, literary science fiction duology.
Hyperion (8.5/10)
In the twenty-eighth century the universe has changed. For four hundred years since the massive exodus of the human race to the stars known as Hegira, and the ultimate destruction of Old Earth, the Hegemony of Man – taking the driver’s seat of humanity’s exploration and colonization in the depths of the unknown – has become the new power of the galaxy, joining and uniting its hundreds planets under the ever-expanding Worldweb, and creating a politically and militarily powerful interconnected system that has left its superiority unopposed; but now, with the mysterious Time Tombs on the planet Hyperion – where the mythical Shrike, the Lord of Pain, dwells – to have started opening for the first time, causing the Ousters to come out of their shell, an unprecedented interplanetary war looms closer and closer – but the Consul, having once been a delegate for the Hegemony, taking on some of the most difficult and sensitive diplomatic assignments across the galaxy, gazes at the wonders of an Outback world.
Sensing the coming war to promise a large-scale conflict, and a change of power in the galaxy that could threaten both the Hegemony and the Worldweb itself, the Consul will be appointed by the Senate CEO and the Shrike Church to travel along with six other pilgrims in a final pilgrimage on the planet Hyperion, and uncover the secrets of the Time Tombs before it’s too late.
However, with their voyage to Hyperion having been revealed longer than they originally expected, extending their arrival to the Time Tombs and their encounter with the deadly Shrike even more, when they decide to share the stories of their past that brought them to this final pilgrimage, in hope to understand the forces that prompted them, and their deepest secrets come to light, the Consul and the other pilgrims will discover something that will change everything they believed they knew so far, facing an irrevocable reality that could judge their next actions as well as the future of all humanity.
Motivated by his agent to write his first long-form science fiction novel, in order to take the downpayment that he so much need in his life at the time, Dan Simmons delves into the genre he loved and grew up with, taking us in Hyperion far in the twenty-eighth century, into a galaxy where it has been divided into three factions: the Hegemony of Man, which – with humanity having migrated long ago to the stars – has built over the centuries a great interplanetary system, connecting its hundreds planets of the Worldweb through fatlines and farcaster portals (instantaneous communication and transportation technologies respectively) that has allowed them to have direct social, political and military influence with any of its worlds at speeds faster than light; the Ousters who, set apart from their human ancestors, evolving genetically in something much more alien, have explored far beyond the known worlds, creating their own, strange cultural society in the Outback – the “back” worlds – far from the control of the Hegemony that has made them their only – and greatest – threat; and the TechnoCore, a conglomerate of artificial intelligences – and seemingly allies of the Hegemony – which, seceded from the human race ever since the Hegira, taking in their hands the will of their actions – and their freedom – have become an autonomous force, building a big organization of social and racial sentient entities.
As well as to the planet Hyperion, where, with the Time Tombs and the Shrike – a killing machine of indescribable appearance and strength – having drawn the galaxy’s attention since their discovery centuries ago, has given rise to a new cult: the Church of the Shrike, which has taken upon it to send the proselytizers – and the naive – to the embrace of its steel thorns to seek their atonement, and the granting of a wish, creating over time nightmarish fables of horror.
A first installment in which, written in the same frame narrative as Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, weaving multiple interconnected stories within the main one, Simmons creates a vast cultural, political, social and theological universe of various races and factions, traveling us in a story of priests, poets, soldiers, detectives, artificial intelligences and mythical creatures, that combines religion with science, passion with soul-searching, and love with betrayal, building a phenomenal novel of many levels of storytelling and imagination – a literary achievement in science fiction which, showing the power of his writing and ideas, marked the genre as only a few have done before.
The Fall of Hyperion (9.5/10)
Few hours have passed since the invasion in the Hyperion System, and the end of their long peace; and now, with the Hegemony of Man being ready to officially declare an all-out war against the Ousters, wanting to unleash upon them the full power of the Worldweb to end them once and for all, the fate of the whole human race hangs in the balance, leaving the future of its survival more uncertain than ever – but Joseph Severn, having been alive and aware just these last ten months, assuming the persona of a nineteenth century artist to hide his true identity, has been attending to a party invitation.
Farcasting from the planet Esperance to the busy world of Tau Ceti Center – and capital of the Hegemony – arriving at the appointed time for the appointment with the most powerful woman on the Web: Meina Gladstone, Severn will be asked by the CEO personally to spend the next few days with them in the military councils, impersonating his artistic persona before brass and politicians alike, and to watch and observe the events of the war.
Yet, with his arrival on the CEO’s staff to have caught the eyes of many, leaving unanswered questions about his real purpose there, when he falls victim to a royalists group in their attempt to abstract him classified informations, and Meina Gladstone – as a reparation for his troubles – gives him the opportunity to travel to the planet Hyperion, and to better understand his connection with the pilgrims of the Final Pilgrimage, Severn will find himself lost between his dreams and the war for dominance of the galaxy, seeking for answers that will only raise even more questions.
Meanwhile, far away in the Valley of the Time Tombs, beyond the high desert of Keep Chronos on Hyperion, the Consul and the other pilgrims, having finally arrived at their destination after their long journey, traveling for a week through the wonders – and the dangers – of this strange world only to reach the kingdom of the mythical Shrike, have been spending their last moments together, awaiting for the fulfillment of their deepest hopes and desires that will put an end to their suffering.
But, with the collapse of the anti-entropic fields and the opening of the Tombs to have intensified the time tides all the more, causing raging weather anomalies in the Valley, when the judgment of Death personified finds them, and one after another fall into inexplicable events, the pilgrims will soon find themselves separated and stranded, facing their very survival.
While Meina Gladstone, having made the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity from total annihilation, opening the door to a threat that she thought she could control, will be faced with her own great challenge, and an unprecedented large-scale war that will put in danger everything they knew.
However, with the war against the Ousters to have taken a sudden, unexpected turn, revealing a massive opposition that could bring to the Worldweb itself a terrible and devastating impact, when the schemes of the secessionist artificial intelligences of the TechnoCore come to their finalization, and a power-struggle between gods breaks out across time and space, Severn, Gladstone, and the Consul and the rest of the pilgrims will have to leave behind their personal desires, and do their part in order to give humankind some hope of survival, because if they do not, a darkness like no other will shallow entire galaxies.
With Hyperion to have worked both practically and essentially as the prologue of this duology, setting up the way – even if somewhat unconventional for the publishing standards – for a much larger story arc between both books, Dan Simmons takes us in The Fall of Hyperion to Tau Ceti Center – or simply TC² – the capital and administrative planet of the Hegemony, whereby the Government House – and by extension each Hegemony CEO – controls the hundreds worlds of the Web, making it the base of operations for political and military actions, and the center of human space, as he/she imposes his/her will upon billions of lives; but also into the datumplane, a dataspace virtual reality, that interconnects each planetary system’s farcaster portals and fatline transmitters and receivers through the dataspheres – singularity containment spheres – with the Web itself, in a place where time and space do not fall under the laws of physics.
As well as to the Time Tombs, beyond the abandoned Keep Chronos and the ruins of the City of Poets – the Dead City – where once Sad King Billy sought to build unsuccessfully a refugee for artists, poets and other misfits of the society, where its mysterious structures lies: the Sphinx, the Obelisk, the Crystal Monolith, the Jade and Cave Tombs, and the Shrike Palace, which have become the attraction – and the death sentence – of many scientists, pilgrims and tourists since their appearance on Hyperion centuries ago, keeping their secrets hidden, and the terrible Shrike imprisoned from the rest of the world, that have made it and inaccessible and uninhabitable place.
A second installment in which, switching this time in a more conventional narrative, but keeping the quality of his writing at the same level as before, Simmons builds an intricate, multi-tiered story of true awe, uniting the threads of the two novels into a common plot, and traveling us in a thrilling and profound adventure of pilgrims, politicians, high priests, Templars, cybrids, humanoid species and godlike entities, that combines politics with war, sacrifice with survival, and transcendence with horror – a second installment which, concluding this first journey, culminating it in the best possible way imaginable, proves once more the well-earned reputation and success of the Hyperion duology.
All in all, The Hyperion Omnibus is a marvelous duology of science fiction and literary achievement, with Dan Simmons – bringing a high-level imagination and writing – traveling us to the far future, into a universe of priests, poets and mythically creatures, but also in a two-part story of religion, politics, war and transcendence, that creates an incredibly unique and superbly profound reading experience of true, and powerful storytelling.
Ελληνική κριτική 1/2:
October 1, 2022
Die Geschichte um Hyperion besteht eigentlich aus zwei Büchern, "Hyperion" und "Der Fall Hyperions", die in den Hyperion-Gesängen vereint sind. Die alleinige Lektüre des ersten Bandes ergibt auch wenig Sinn, da die Geschichte mittendrin endet.
Wir befinden uns in der Zukunft, die Menschheit hat sich in der Galaxie ausgebreitet und unwirtliche Planeten mittels Terraforming bewohnbar gemacht. Wissenschaftlicher Fortschritt machte dies möglich, führte aber auch zur selbstständigen Weiterentwicklung der künstlichen Intelligenzen, die nun als eigene Population existieren sowie zur Zerstörung der Erde. KIs und Menschheit coexistieren, die KIs haben den Menschen sogar die Technologie der Farcaster zur Verfügung gestellt, mit denen diese innerhalb von Sekunden die größten Distanzen im Raum überwinden können.
Hyperion ist ein Planet, im Outback, auf dem vor einiger Zeit die Zeitengräber gefunden wurden. Große Monumente, um die sich die Zeit krümmt, und die voller Geheimnisse stecken. Bewacht werden sie von einem Monster, dem Shrike. So mystisch die Gräber wirken, haben sich über die Jahrzehnte Legenden und Religionen gebildet, Pilger machen sich auf den Weg zu diesen sagenumwobenen Gräbern.
Die Geschichte startet mit einer letzten Pilgerreise zu den Gräbern. Von der Hegemonie ausgesucht, machen sich die Personen auf ihre Reise mit ungewisser Rückkehr. Während wir im ersten Band hören, wie die einzelnen Pilger mit Hyperion verbunden sind und ihre Geschichten nur noch mehr Fragen aufwerfen, vergrößert sich der Schauplatz enorm in Band zwei. Krieg, Intrigen, das Überleben der Menschheit, Verrat, ...
Ich weiß gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll, bei diesem Feuerwerk. Der Ideenreichtum und das Worldbuilding sind großartig. Auch der Aufbau der Geschichte, vom Kleinen ins Große hat mir echt gut gefallen. Die Geschichte ist aufgrund der Mysterien und Intrigen durchweg spannend, gerade weil fast alles wirklich erst am Ende aufgelöst wird.
Simmons macht es einem jedoch nicht einfach, die Welt zu betreten und zu durchblicken. Was am Anfang noch etwas überfordern wirkte, lässt einem später jedoch Raum für eigene Vorstellungen und Überlegungen.
Auch wenn am Ende vieles aufgeklärt wurde, war doch nicht alles zu 100% greifbar für mich. Was für mich jedenfalls wie ein Versprechen ist, dass ich beim nochmaligen Lesen mindestens genauso viel Spaß haben werde!
Das Buch ist auch eine Hommage an John Keats - der Titel, das Auftreten der Figur. Generell findet man immer wieder diese direkten Verweise auf unsere Kultur und Geschichte - tauchen doch plötzlich Mozarts Sonaten oder Zitate von Churchill auf.
Einen Stern ziehe ich ab, weil es ein paar Szenen gab, gerade im ersten Band, die auf mich befremdlich und unangenehm wirkten (vermutlich aber gar nicht diese Intention hatten) und mich das Gesicht unnötigerweise verziehen ließen.
Unterm Strich aber ein spannendes und in vielen Facetten schillerndes Buch, das sich lohnt zu lesen.
Wir befinden uns in der Zukunft, die Menschheit hat sich in der Galaxie ausgebreitet und unwirtliche Planeten mittels Terraforming bewohnbar gemacht. Wissenschaftlicher Fortschritt machte dies möglich, führte aber auch zur selbstständigen Weiterentwicklung der künstlichen Intelligenzen, die nun als eigene Population existieren sowie zur Zerstörung der Erde. KIs und Menschheit coexistieren, die KIs haben den Menschen sogar die Technologie der Farcaster zur Verfügung gestellt, mit denen diese innerhalb von Sekunden die größten Distanzen im Raum überwinden können.
Hyperion ist ein Planet, im Outback, auf dem vor einiger Zeit die Zeitengräber gefunden wurden. Große Monumente, um die sich die Zeit krümmt, und die voller Geheimnisse stecken. Bewacht werden sie von einem Monster, dem Shrike. So mystisch die Gräber wirken, haben sich über die Jahrzehnte Legenden und Religionen gebildet, Pilger machen sich auf den Weg zu diesen sagenumwobenen Gräbern.
Die Geschichte startet mit einer letzten Pilgerreise zu den Gräbern. Von der Hegemonie ausgesucht, machen sich die Personen auf ihre Reise mit ungewisser Rückkehr. Während wir im ersten Band hören, wie die einzelnen Pilger mit Hyperion verbunden sind und ihre Geschichten nur noch mehr Fragen aufwerfen, vergrößert sich der Schauplatz enorm in Band zwei. Krieg, Intrigen, das Überleben der Menschheit, Verrat, ...
Ich weiß gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll, bei diesem Feuerwerk. Der Ideenreichtum und das Worldbuilding sind großartig. Auch der Aufbau der Geschichte, vom Kleinen ins Große hat mir echt gut gefallen. Die Geschichte ist aufgrund der Mysterien und Intrigen durchweg spannend, gerade weil fast alles wirklich erst am Ende aufgelöst wird.
Simmons macht es einem jedoch nicht einfach, die Welt zu betreten und zu durchblicken. Was am Anfang noch etwas überfordern wirkte, lässt einem später jedoch Raum für eigene Vorstellungen und Überlegungen.
Auch wenn am Ende vieles aufgeklärt wurde, war doch nicht alles zu 100% greifbar für mich. Was für mich jedenfalls wie ein Versprechen ist, dass ich beim nochmaligen Lesen mindestens genauso viel Spaß haben werde!
Das Buch ist auch eine Hommage an John Keats - der Titel, das Auftreten der Figur. Generell findet man immer wieder diese direkten Verweise auf unsere Kultur und Geschichte - tauchen doch plötzlich Mozarts Sonaten oder Zitate von Churchill auf.
Einen Stern ziehe ich ab, weil es ein paar Szenen gab, gerade im ersten Band, die auf mich befremdlich und unangenehm wirkten (vermutlich aber gar nicht diese Intention hatten) und mich das Gesicht unnötigerweise verziehen ließen.
Unterm Strich aber ein spannendes und in vielen Facetten schillerndes Buch, das sich lohnt zu lesen.
July 19, 2018
¿Quiere saber más de estos dos libros, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 8, 2019
На „Книжни Криле” вече сме писали за „Петата купа” и „Лятото на страха” от Дан Симънс, но дори и да сте чели гореспоменатите книги, повярвайте ми, нищо не е в състояние да ви подготви за това, което ви очаква в „Хиперион”. Чета тази убийствена тетралогия, събрана в два тома с твърди корици, пълноправна (и дори задължителна!) част от поредицата „Велики майстори на фентъзи и фантастика” на изд. „Бард”. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
February 24, 2012
Be warned: there are some spoilers here...
I really enjoyed many aspects of the Hyperion Omnibus and would certainly recommend it to anyone, however (isn’t there always one of those?), it was a bit of an up and down experience for me. The Priest’s Tale was excellent, with its cruciform parasites and how the horror of them for a catholic drove Father Dure to do what he did, and I quite enjoyed how that plot thread was woven in later on. But balanced against that, what later seemed the proselytising of the C. S. Lewis kind, with a bit of L. Ron Hubbard thrown in for good measure, had me gagging. Apparently love is a fundamental basis of the universe, whilst god, being woven in at the Planc level, transcends time and is the triune entity of the Christians ... and lo the messiah is to be born!
The Soldier’s Tale with its violence, military technology, mysterious woman (and with Kassad’s yet to be explained encounter with the shrike as the mysterious woman) I much enjoyed too, though later on this was a plot thread that tended to fizzle. The Poet’s Tale, whilst still enjoyable, suffered from a problem I felt was endemic throughout the books: too much in the way of literary allusions and pretensions. How often I found myself skipping the obsessing about Keats and pointless quotations of poetry. There’s much about the power and wonder of poetry and poets, and the implication that isn’t the pen mightier than the sword? Yeah, well, take your Parker to your next sword fight and see how you get on. The Consul’s and The Detective’s Tales were great too, but by then I was starting to get anxious about the proliferation of ideas and plot threads and the possibility of this not completing.
The setting of Hyperion was excellent, with this whole story taking place under a sky lit by interstellar war, as was the interplay between the shrike pilgrims. The tree of thorns is a horrifying image that sticks, and the time tombs were the kind of idea just about any science fiction writer would be jealous of.
The shrike itself was good whilst only glimpsed, but suffered under close inspection. My feeling was that it started out as a monster from Dr Who and was not cured of the rubber mask syndrome by the later add-ons from Alien. And, now I’m reading Endymion, by its Terminator II transformation into a good guy.
There were lots of ideas and threads needing to be tied together in these books, and so they were, sometimes very well and sometimes in a kind of soapish babble. Simmons did manage to pull the rabbit out of the hat, but it had lost one ear and most of its fur during its stay. Still, don’t get me wrong, there are hours and hours of science fictional reading pleasure here. I in fact loved the whole massive chaotic canvas of this story which, really, wouldn’t have been possible without that mass of ideas and interweaving plot threads.
I really enjoyed many aspects of the Hyperion Omnibus and would certainly recommend it to anyone, however (isn’t there always one of those?), it was a bit of an up and down experience for me. The Priest’s Tale was excellent, with its cruciform parasites and how the horror of them for a catholic drove Father Dure to do what he did, and I quite enjoyed how that plot thread was woven in later on. But balanced against that, what later seemed the proselytising of the C. S. Lewis kind, with a bit of L. Ron Hubbard thrown in for good measure, had me gagging. Apparently love is a fundamental basis of the universe, whilst god, being woven in at the Planc level, transcends time and is the triune entity of the Christians ... and lo the messiah is to be born!
The Soldier’s Tale with its violence, military technology, mysterious woman (and with Kassad’s yet to be explained encounter with the shrike as the mysterious woman) I much enjoyed too, though later on this was a plot thread that tended to fizzle. The Poet’s Tale, whilst still enjoyable, suffered from a problem I felt was endemic throughout the books: too much in the way of literary allusions and pretensions. How often I found myself skipping the obsessing about Keats and pointless quotations of poetry. There’s much about the power and wonder of poetry and poets, and the implication that isn’t the pen mightier than the sword? Yeah, well, take your Parker to your next sword fight and see how you get on. The Consul’s and The Detective’s Tales were great too, but by then I was starting to get anxious about the proliferation of ideas and plot threads and the possibility of this not completing.
The setting of Hyperion was excellent, with this whole story taking place under a sky lit by interstellar war, as was the interplay between the shrike pilgrims. The tree of thorns is a horrifying image that sticks, and the time tombs were the kind of idea just about any science fiction writer would be jealous of.
The shrike itself was good whilst only glimpsed, but suffered under close inspection. My feeling was that it started out as a monster from Dr Who and was not cured of the rubber mask syndrome by the later add-ons from Alien. And, now I’m reading Endymion, by its Terminator II transformation into a good guy.
There were lots of ideas and threads needing to be tied together in these books, and so they were, sometimes very well and sometimes in a kind of soapish babble. Simmons did manage to pull the rabbit out of the hat, but it had lost one ear and most of its fur during its stay. Still, don’t get me wrong, there are hours and hours of science fictional reading pleasure here. I in fact loved the whole massive chaotic canvas of this story which, really, wouldn’t have been possible without that mass of ideas and interweaving plot threads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2021
Dan Simmons ist für mich der unangefochtene Meister der Science Fiction.
Er hat eine ähnliche Art Charaktere zu erschaffen und zu beleben wie Stephen King.
Ich fühle die Personen und Handlungen in seinen Geschichten so sehr.
Die Science Fiction der Hyperiongesänge wird mit einer Leichtigkeit eingewoben, dass ich mich zu keinem Zeitpunkt von Wissenschaft und Technologie erschlagen gefühlt habe. Und trotzdem geht er unglaublich tief in die Materie. Er hat bis zu den letzten 200 Seiten (von 1400 Seiten) ein großes Mysterium um die Vorgänge aufrecht erhalten können. Wir springen in der zweiten Hälfte sehr häufig zwischen den vielen Personen hin und her. Dadurch wird im entscheidenden Moment wieder ausgeblendet. Ich hätte ihn dafür verkloppen können 😂🤯🤬
Dan Simmons liebt es in seinen Büchern Schriftsteller und deren Werke herauszuarbeiten. Das in die Science Fiction eingewoben, hat einen besonderen Charme und ist unvergleichlich. Es geht um große Fragen des Lebens, Paradoxons und einiges mehr. Für mich war nicht alles aufgeklärt und hinterlässt Raum für Spekulationen. Ich kann zum Inhalt einfach nicht mehr sagen, da es einfach zu viel Erkenntnis vorweg nehmen würde.
Er hat eine ähnliche Art Charaktere zu erschaffen und zu beleben wie Stephen King.
Ich fühle die Personen und Handlungen in seinen Geschichten so sehr.
Die Science Fiction der Hyperiongesänge wird mit einer Leichtigkeit eingewoben, dass ich mich zu keinem Zeitpunkt von Wissenschaft und Technologie erschlagen gefühlt habe. Und trotzdem geht er unglaublich tief in die Materie. Er hat bis zu den letzten 200 Seiten (von 1400 Seiten) ein großes Mysterium um die Vorgänge aufrecht erhalten können. Wir springen in der zweiten Hälfte sehr häufig zwischen den vielen Personen hin und her. Dadurch wird im entscheidenden Moment wieder ausgeblendet. Ich hätte ihn dafür verkloppen können 😂🤯🤬
Dan Simmons liebt es in seinen Büchern Schriftsteller und deren Werke herauszuarbeiten. Das in die Science Fiction eingewoben, hat einen besonderen Charme und ist unvergleichlich. Es geht um große Fragen des Lebens, Paradoxons und einiges mehr. Für mich war nicht alles aufgeklärt und hinterlässt Raum für Spekulationen. Ich kann zum Inhalt einfach nicht mehr sagen, da es einfach zu viel Erkenntnis vorweg nehmen würde.
June 14, 2022
Eines der Sci-Fi Klassiker schlechthin - wie ich im Nachwort erfahren habe 😂
Die erste Hälfte des Buches erzählen die Figuren erstmal ihre (Lebens-) Geschichten und wie es dazu kam dass sie ein Teil der Gruppe nun sind. Dadurch ergibt sich mit der Zeit schon ein erstes Bild. Aber erst im zweiten Teil der Geschichte vervollständigt sich dieses Bild und man bekommt eine sehr geile, tiefgründige und vielschichtige Geschichte zu lesen.
Für Sci-Fi Neulinge eher nichts, aber für diejenigen die schon ein bisschen was in dem Genre gelesen haben (so wie ich) lohnt es sich auf jeden Fall. Wenn man die Art der Erzählung mag. Ich fand es richtig klasse und es lohnt sich sicherlich auch mal ein zweites Mal zu lesen.
Die erste Hälfte des Buches erzählen die Figuren erstmal ihre (Lebens-) Geschichten und wie es dazu kam dass sie ein Teil der Gruppe nun sind. Dadurch ergibt sich mit der Zeit schon ein erstes Bild. Aber erst im zweiten Teil der Geschichte vervollständigt sich dieses Bild und man bekommt eine sehr geile, tiefgründige und vielschichtige Geschichte zu lesen.
Für Sci-Fi Neulinge eher nichts, aber für diejenigen die schon ein bisschen was in dem Genre gelesen haben (so wie ich) lohnt es sich auf jeden Fall. Wenn man die Art der Erzählung mag. Ich fand es richtig klasse und es lohnt sich sicherlich auch mal ein zweites Mal zu lesen.
May 30, 2021
“Sol remembered the dream, remembered his daughter’s hug, and realized that in the end—when all else is dust—loyalty to those we love is all we can carry with us to the grave. Faith—true faith—was trusting in that love.”
What makes a good book? In general, a good book will present you with an intriguing question and let a captivating cast of characters lead you to the answer. Typically. But a truly great book will bring those characters to life and let them show you the beauty is in the question. Not the answer.
The Hyperion Cantos is definitely the latter. It’s a story of humanity, our nature, and our destiny. An exploration of religious faith and its consequences. A cautionary tale of technology run amuck and our crippling dependence. An illustration of a parents boundless love for their child. And yes, it’s also a love story.
On the surface this is a story of a group of strangers joined together on pilgrimage to meet with the ambiguous and deadly creature known as the Shreik. With the hope of saving humanity as it approaches the eve of war. A galactic catastrophe which may lead to the end of mankind. But Simmons weaves the stories of these characters together to render a vibrant and complex society that draws the reader into thought provoking and awe inspiring encounters. Hence stretching the imagination.
But there’s more! The ample amount of conflict and action, with some scenes bordering on horror kept me fully engaged . And I was really impressed by the cinematic quality of Simmons writing in these sequences. His superb imagery brought this book to life!
I’ve read quite a bit of sci-fi and I’d always wished someone could blend the dynamic character work of Dune with the prophetic concepts of Foundation. Here Simmons has done that and more. Of all the science fiction I have read, the Hyperion Cantos is now king. I urge you to pick up a copy an experience its majesty! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
What makes a good book? In general, a good book will present you with an intriguing question and let a captivating cast of characters lead you to the answer. Typically. But a truly great book will bring those characters to life and let them show you the beauty is in the question. Not the answer.
The Hyperion Cantos is definitely the latter. It’s a story of humanity, our nature, and our destiny. An exploration of religious faith and its consequences. A cautionary tale of technology run amuck and our crippling dependence. An illustration of a parents boundless love for their child. And yes, it’s also a love story.
On the surface this is a story of a group of strangers joined together on pilgrimage to meet with the ambiguous and deadly creature known as the Shreik. With the hope of saving humanity as it approaches the eve of war. A galactic catastrophe which may lead to the end of mankind. But Simmons weaves the stories of these characters together to render a vibrant and complex society that draws the reader into thought provoking and awe inspiring encounters. Hence stretching the imagination.
But there’s more! The ample amount of conflict and action, with some scenes bordering on horror kept me fully engaged . And I was really impressed by the cinematic quality of Simmons writing in these sequences. His superb imagery brought this book to life!
I’ve read quite a bit of sci-fi and I’d always wished someone could blend the dynamic character work of Dune with the prophetic concepts of Foundation. Here Simmons has done that and more. Of all the science fiction I have read, the Hyperion Cantos is now king. I urge you to pick up a copy an experience its majesty! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
November 24, 2013
The best syfy series I have ever read in my life. Bar none. There is absolutely NO ONE out there that can do what Simmons does.
There are no words that are adequate to describe these four books. I am not even going to try. I read all four and tried to write semi-competent reviews about them when I read them and feel I did a terrible injustice to these books.
If you read the first one, you will read all four and NOT be disappointed. There is nothing more to say!
There are no words that are adequate to describe these four books. I am not even going to try. I read all four and tried to write semi-competent reviews about them when I read them and feel I did a terrible injustice to these books.
If you read the first one, you will read all four and NOT be disappointed. There is nothing more to say!
February 18, 2011
Hyperion
Seven hundred years in the future mankind is dispersed throughout the galaxy. Old Earth is long gone, the victim of an unfortunate incident involving a miniature black hole. The core of the Hegemony, the government of most of humanity, consists of the WorldWeb; planets that are connected by instantaneous transportation devices called farcasters. Planets that are not yet connected by farcaster must be reached by starship. Although most starships are equipped with faster-than-light Hawking drives, travel between the stars still requires a significant amount of time.
The story centers around the colonial planet of Hyperion; a backwater world outside of the WorldWeb. The planet is well known for the mysterious "Time Tombs" that are surrounded by an anti-entropic force field (which actually causes the Time Tombs to move backward through time) and the creature known as the Shrike. The Shrike is a horrifying four-armed monstrosity that has glowing crystalline eyes and is covered in metallic blades and thorns. The Shrike has been limited to the area immediately around the Time Tombs for centuries but has recently begun to range farther and farther from them. The creature is worshiped by the powerful Church of the Shrike, which believes that the Shrike will be instrumental in the end of mankind. Until recently the Church had sponsored pilgrimages to the Time Tombs. Many of these pilgrimages ended without any survivors. With the Shrike's newfound mobility indicating that it may finally begin the Apocalypse, the pilgrimage that comprises most of the book may very well be the last.
Unlike prior pilgrimages, none of the current group of seven pilgrims is a member of the Shrike Church, although all have some connection to Hyperion or to the Shrike. Like the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, each pilgrim tells his or her story. The stories are what make Hyperion really interesting. Some are told in the first person while others are told in the third person. One is told as a series of journal entries while another is told according to a person's stream of consciousness. Some of the stories are filled with action, a couple are more horrific, and a couple are heartbreaking. The motive and character of each pilgrim is exposed as his or her story is told. The stories build on each other, gradually revealing more and more about the nature of the Hegemony and about the role of Hyperion and the Shrike in the fate of humanity. Also revealed is the basic relationship that humanity has with the highly evolved artificial intelligences (AIs) that form the TechnoCore. Once slaves to humanity, the AIs of the Core declared independence centuries before the opening of Hyperion, declaring themselves as allies and friends to the Hegemony of Man instead. At least that's what the AIs claim. There are factions within the Core that see humanity as a parasite and a distraction from their goal of developing an Ultimate Intelligence; effectively a deus ex machina.
In addition to the Shrike, the Hegemony now finds itself threatened by the Ousters; a lost branch of mankind. As humanity left the doomed Earth for other inhabitable worlds, the Ousters refused to be dependent on the Core's technology, choosing to cut their ties with the rest of mankind and to dwell between the stars in vast fleets. The Ousters particularly abhor the Core-controlled farcaster system.
The story is grand in its scope and Simmons' worldbuilding is some of the best I've encountered. To top it off, Simmons doesn't forget to give the reader a cast of interesting, fully fleshed out people. I've read too many science fiction novels written by authors that were so fascinated by the fictional worlds they created that they forgot to give us a plot or characters that we'll care about.
The Fall of Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion is narrated very differently and has a broader focus than Hyperion. The viewpoint character is a "cybrid"; a being whose body is fully human but whose intelligence is an AI that is shared between its body and the Core. This particular cybrid, a replica of the 19th century poet John Keats, has the ability to dream events happening elsewhere. It is through these dreams that we find out what's happening to the pilgrims featured in the first novel. Although the pilgrims' experiences continue to be an important part of the story, much of the novel's focus is on the organization of Hegemony itself, the conflict between the factions within the Core, and the invasion by the Ousters.
Many of the mysteries and apparent contradictions introduced in the first novel are explained in this book. After the buildup that the Shrike received in Hyperion I had been certain that it would be impossible for Dan Simmons to reveal its origin and purpose without disappointing the reader. Not only was I not disappointed, but the truth behind the creature turned out to be even more interesting than I thought it could be. Even after we know what the Shrike is, the creature loses none of its menace.
The Fall of Hyperion is even more epic in its scope than Hyperion. The story is about nothing less than the destruction of worlds, the clash of gods, and the fate of humanity. Despite this, Simmons gives us a great cast of complex, believable characters. I love a story with a noble protagonist and Simmons' books gives us several. I have a soft spot for characters who choose to face certain death because of loyalty and friendship.
Hyperion Cantos illustrates Dan Simmons' talent for prose. His writing is perfectly balanced between the bare-bones simplicity of an Orson Scott Card and the over-abundant descriptiveness of a Greg Bear. While I enjoy Card's writing, I feel that Bear's approach meanders too much from the plot and the characters. Although the worlds that Simmons has created, Hyperion's Valley of the Time Tombs, and the Shrike are all lovingly detailed, it's never to the point of distraction. Thanks to the grand scale of his stories and his writing style, I will definitely be seeking out more of Simmons' novels, especially the final two books of the Hyperion saga: Endymion and The Rise of Endymion.
Seven hundred years in the future mankind is dispersed throughout the galaxy. Old Earth is long gone, the victim of an unfortunate incident involving a miniature black hole. The core of the Hegemony, the government of most of humanity, consists of the WorldWeb; planets that are connected by instantaneous transportation devices called farcasters. Planets that are not yet connected by farcaster must be reached by starship. Although most starships are equipped with faster-than-light Hawking drives, travel between the stars still requires a significant amount of time.
The story centers around the colonial planet of Hyperion; a backwater world outside of the WorldWeb. The planet is well known for the mysterious "Time Tombs" that are surrounded by an anti-entropic force field (which actually causes the Time Tombs to move backward through time) and the creature known as the Shrike. The Shrike is a horrifying four-armed monstrosity that has glowing crystalline eyes and is covered in metallic blades and thorns. The Shrike has been limited to the area immediately around the Time Tombs for centuries but has recently begun to range farther and farther from them. The creature is worshiped by the powerful Church of the Shrike, which believes that the Shrike will be instrumental in the end of mankind. Until recently the Church had sponsored pilgrimages to the Time Tombs. Many of these pilgrimages ended without any survivors. With the Shrike's newfound mobility indicating that it may finally begin the Apocalypse, the pilgrimage that comprises most of the book may very well be the last.
Unlike prior pilgrimages, none of the current group of seven pilgrims is a member of the Shrike Church, although all have some connection to Hyperion or to the Shrike. Like the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, each pilgrim tells his or her story. The stories are what make Hyperion really interesting. Some are told in the first person while others are told in the third person. One is told as a series of journal entries while another is told according to a person's stream of consciousness. Some of the stories are filled with action, a couple are more horrific, and a couple are heartbreaking. The motive and character of each pilgrim is exposed as his or her story is told. The stories build on each other, gradually revealing more and more about the nature of the Hegemony and about the role of Hyperion and the Shrike in the fate of humanity. Also revealed is the basic relationship that humanity has with the highly evolved artificial intelligences (AIs) that form the TechnoCore. Once slaves to humanity, the AIs of the Core declared independence centuries before the opening of Hyperion, declaring themselves as allies and friends to the Hegemony of Man instead. At least that's what the AIs claim. There are factions within the Core that see humanity as a parasite and a distraction from their goal of developing an Ultimate Intelligence; effectively a deus ex machina.
In addition to the Shrike, the Hegemony now finds itself threatened by the Ousters; a lost branch of mankind. As humanity left the doomed Earth for other inhabitable worlds, the Ousters refused to be dependent on the Core's technology, choosing to cut their ties with the rest of mankind and to dwell between the stars in vast fleets. The Ousters particularly abhor the Core-controlled farcaster system.
The story is grand in its scope and Simmons' worldbuilding is some of the best I've encountered. To top it off, Simmons doesn't forget to give the reader a cast of interesting, fully fleshed out people. I've read too many science fiction novels written by authors that were so fascinated by the fictional worlds they created that they forgot to give us a plot or characters that we'll care about.
The Fall of Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion is narrated very differently and has a broader focus than Hyperion. The viewpoint character is a "cybrid"; a being whose body is fully human but whose intelligence is an AI that is shared between its body and the Core. This particular cybrid, a replica of the 19th century poet John Keats, has the ability to dream events happening elsewhere. It is through these dreams that we find out what's happening to the pilgrims featured in the first novel. Although the pilgrims' experiences continue to be an important part of the story, much of the novel's focus is on the organization of Hegemony itself, the conflict between the factions within the Core, and the invasion by the Ousters.
Many of the mysteries and apparent contradictions introduced in the first novel are explained in this book. After the buildup that the Shrike received in Hyperion I had been certain that it would be impossible for Dan Simmons to reveal its origin and purpose without disappointing the reader. Not only was I not disappointed, but the truth behind the creature turned out to be even more interesting than I thought it could be. Even after we know what the Shrike is, the creature loses none of its menace.
The Fall of Hyperion is even more epic in its scope than Hyperion. The story is about nothing less than the destruction of worlds, the clash of gods, and the fate of humanity. Despite this, Simmons gives us a great cast of complex, believable characters. I love a story with a noble protagonist and Simmons' books gives us several. I have a soft spot for characters who choose to face certain death because of loyalty and friendship.
Hyperion Cantos illustrates Dan Simmons' talent for prose. His writing is perfectly balanced between the bare-bones simplicity of an Orson Scott Card and the over-abundant descriptiveness of a Greg Bear. While I enjoy Card's writing, I feel that Bear's approach meanders too much from the plot and the characters. Although the worlds that Simmons has created, Hyperion's Valley of the Time Tombs, and the Shrike are all lovingly detailed, it's never to the point of distraction. Thanks to the grand scale of his stories and his writing style, I will definitely be seeking out more of Simmons' novels, especially the final two books of the Hyperion saga: Endymion and The Rise of Endymion.
July 30, 2023
Bellissimo libro. Simmons crea una storia coinvolgente e mai banale con dei personaggi con dei caratteri diversi che esprimono le proprie paure durante il pellegrinaggio alle Tombe del tempo. I personaggi, con le loro storie e i loro desideri, cominciamo a conoscerli fin da subito quando racconteranno le loro vite, le loro esperienze e la loro relazione con pianeta Hyperion nel primo libro. Si può dire infatti che il primo libro sia solo una "presentazione" dei personaggi e la vera storia che dovranno affrontare sarà vissuta nel secondo.
Tra il primo e il secondo libro cambia lo stile di narrazione. Nel secondo troviamo una doppia narrazione (in prima e in seconda persona).
La storia è veramente singolare, mai scontata, non ha grandi colpi di scena ma ma Simmons riesce cmq a coinvolgere il lettore rendendo i fatti sempre più fitti.
L'unica pecca a mio avviso è la parte politica del romanzo a volte difficile da masticare e che richiede più attenzione. Sappiamo che la Terra non esiste più e ci sono tanti pianeti, forse troppi, che fanno parte dell'Egemonia, che dovrà combattere contro gli Ouster e contro lo Shrike. È interessante il rapporto tra presente e futuro che viene affrontato tramite le Tombe del tempo che vengono dal futuro ma si stanno allineando con la linea temporale del nostro presente.
Da non sottovalutare anche la conoscenza filosofica e poetica di Simmons. Lo scrittore fà infatti spesso riferimento al poeta John Keats (1759 - 1821) e ad altri poeti (a volte anche pittori). La capitale di Hyperion si chiama proprio Keats e sia Hyperion sia Endymion (il libro successivo) sono delle opere di Keats. Per questo motivo, il richiamo alla poesia, ci sono anche molti spunti di riflessione. Non vi aspettate una fantascienza di azione. C'è chi paragona Simmons ad Asimov. Un Asimov del XXI secolo.
Un libro che consiglio agli amanti del genere.
Classifica dei volumi: 2,1.
Tra il primo e il secondo libro cambia lo stile di narrazione. Nel secondo troviamo una doppia narrazione (in prima e in seconda persona).
La storia è veramente singolare, mai scontata, non ha grandi colpi di scena ma ma Simmons riesce cmq a coinvolgere il lettore rendendo i fatti sempre più fitti.
L'unica pecca a mio avviso è la parte politica del romanzo a volte difficile da masticare e che richiede più attenzione. Sappiamo che la Terra non esiste più e ci sono tanti pianeti, forse troppi, che fanno parte dell'Egemonia, che dovrà combattere contro gli Ouster e contro lo Shrike. È interessante il rapporto tra presente e futuro che viene affrontato tramite le Tombe del tempo che vengono dal futuro ma si stanno allineando con la linea temporale del nostro presente.
Da non sottovalutare anche la conoscenza filosofica e poetica di Simmons. Lo scrittore fà infatti spesso riferimento al poeta John Keats (1759 - 1821) e ad altri poeti (a volte anche pittori). La capitale di Hyperion si chiama proprio Keats e sia Hyperion sia Endymion (il libro successivo) sono delle opere di Keats. Per questo motivo, il richiamo alla poesia, ci sono anche molti spunti di riflessione. Non vi aspettate una fantascienza di azione. C'è chi paragona Simmons ad Asimov. Un Asimov del XXI secolo.
Un libro che consiglio agli amanti del genere.
Classifica dei volumi: 2,1.
May 27, 2022
Capolavoro assoluto della fantascienza.
Simmons riesce a creare un'opera dove, con una struttura molto intelligente, riesce a toccare tutti gli elementi tipici della fantascienza, inclusa la sfera del cyberpunk.
Il volume contiene i primi due libri de I Canti di Hyperion, in un'edizione (quella Mondadori) che personalmente non mi dispiace.
Consigliato.
Simmons riesce a creare un'opera dove, con una struttura molto intelligente, riesce a toccare tutti gli elementi tipici della fantascienza, inclusa la sfera del cyberpunk.
Il volume contiene i primi due libri de I Canti di Hyperion, in un'edizione (quella Mondadori) che personalmente non mi dispiace.
Consigliato.
February 27, 2015
Como el cerrojo de un penal. Lo que uno espera tras enfrentarse a una obra de esta envergadura en un idioma impropio es que, por lo menos, le guste para que el cerebro compense el esfuero y el tiempo dedicados. Otras veces el resultado no ha sido tan bueno y uno tiende a deprimirse y pensar cosas feas, pero lo de esta vez ha sido arrebatador. Hoy tenía intención de leer apenas una horita y ya terminarlo el fin de semana, pero no he podido evitar continuar hasta que se han terminado las páginas, pasando de la humedad ocular a la carcajada breve un par de veces mientras el vello de mis brazos era incapaz de volver a su posición normal tras erizarse con violencia.
Y mira que llevaba alguna gente dándome la chapa durante mucho tiempo con que tenía que leerlas, que le hacían sombra a Dune, que estaba perdiendo el tiempo con otras cosas menores, y yo ahí, a mi pera porque las presiones sociales son apenas brisas que pasan por mi vida de ermitaño dedicado al conocimiento y... Se me está yendo de las manos. Lo que quiero decir realmente es que es una de las mejores recomendaciones que me han hecho jamás, y que le gustará a cualquiera que alucine con la ciencia ficción en su vertiente de ópera espacial, así como a los seguidores de la Historia y las Artes musicales, especialmente a los egiptólogos (esas Tumbas del Tiempo) y los pianistas, porque el autor no ha escatimado en absoluto a la hora de documentarse sobre estas cuestiones. Creo que jamás vi semejante trabajo tan bien plasmado.
Las historias individuales de los protagonistas que se ven en el primer libro, magníficas, ya las hubiera querido la Dragonlance para sí (y mira que a mí me gustó la Dragonlance en mi juventud); la evolución de su historia conjunta y todo lo que pasa en la Hegemonía mientras tanto, apabullante; pero el desenlace, lo bien hilado que está todo sin que se le olvide coser unos detalles con otros... Magistral, no tengo palabras, y lo peor es que ni siquiera puedo acusarle de usar un Deus ex Machina (cough cough) porque él mismo te lo confiesa y te lo tienes que tragar de lo bueno que es.
Tan solo espero que los otros dos libros de los Cantos me apasionen tanto. Estos han sido, indudablemente, un listón que costará mucho superar. Y eso es bueno.
Y mira que llevaba alguna gente dándome la chapa durante mucho tiempo con que tenía que leerlas, que le hacían sombra a Dune, que estaba perdiendo el tiempo con otras cosas menores, y yo ahí, a mi pera porque las presiones sociales son apenas brisas que pasan por mi vida de ermitaño dedicado al conocimiento y... Se me está yendo de las manos. Lo que quiero decir realmente es que es una de las mejores recomendaciones que me han hecho jamás, y que le gustará a cualquiera que alucine con la ciencia ficción en su vertiente de ópera espacial, así como a los seguidores de la Historia y las Artes musicales, especialmente a los egiptólogos (esas Tumbas del Tiempo) y los pianistas, porque el autor no ha escatimado en absoluto a la hora de documentarse sobre estas cuestiones. Creo que jamás vi semejante trabajo tan bien plasmado.
Las historias individuales de los protagonistas que se ven en el primer libro, magníficas, ya las hubiera querido la Dragonlance para sí (y mira que a mí me gustó la Dragonlance en mi juventud); la evolución de su historia conjunta y todo lo que pasa en la Hegemonía mientras tanto, apabullante; pero el desenlace, lo bien hilado que está todo sin que se le olvide coser unos detalles con otros... Magistral, no tengo palabras, y lo peor es que ni siquiera puedo acusarle de usar un Deus ex Machina (cough cough) porque él mismo te lo confiesa y te lo tienes que tragar de lo bueno que es.
Tan solo espero que los otros dos libros de los Cantos me apasionen tanto. Estos han sido, indudablemente, un listón que costará mucho superar. Y eso es bueno.
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December 23, 2019DNF... mi arrendo momentaneamente...non è un libro brutto!anzi ci sono molti spunti interessanti!!!ma in questo momento faccio fatica a leggerlo... chissà magari in futuro lo riprenderò...
September 8, 2019
Absolut großartig. Eigentlich kann man so ein Epos gar nicht in Worte fassen. Das Buch war ein Geschenk und ich hatte keine großen Erwartungen als ich angefangen habe. Nie hätte ich erwartet so eine komplexe Welt mit so einer komplexen Erzählstruktur zu erleben. Jede Seite war eine absolute Freude.
February 28, 2019
Soaringly ambitious and incredibly accomplished. This far future space opera has a touch of everything: great ideas, beautiful planetscapes, exciting battles but also poetry and a deeply thoughtful theology that lifts the whole thing above the norm. Well deserving of its classic status.
August 23, 2020
«Questa Tomba contiene tutto quello che fu mortale di un giovane poeta inglese il quale sul suo letto di morte, nell’amarezza del suo cuore verso il malvagio potere dei suoi nemici, desiderò queste parole incise sulla sua lapide:
Qui giace colui il cui nome fu scritto sull’acqua.
24 febbraio 1821»
Qui giace colui il cui nome fu scritto sull’acqua.
24 febbraio 1821»
November 6, 2017
This review and the stars relate more to The Fall of Hyperion than Hyperion itself. The book is a beautiful masterpiece, capturing characters with depth and events on a grand scale, and all written before the advent of the internet (datasphere). The second book doesn't have the same creative and structured storytelling of the first book, but covers a lot of ground while explaining most of the apparent mysticism from the first book. I don't know how Simmons manages to keep track of the huge universe he has painted for us, while interweaving gems of philosophical pondering, but I've not seen much in the way of scifi that captures the true epic-ness of space the way Simmons does.
October 24, 2022
Molto bello il primo libro, ma con il secondo ho faticato non poco.
Mi è sembrato che sia stata messa troppa carne al fuoco, ho trovato poco chiare le scene di battaglia, e molto affrettato il finale.
Mi è sembrato che sia stata messa troppa carne al fuoco, ho trovato poco chiare le scene di battaglia, e molto affrettato il finale.
September 11, 2023
Kann ich nicht empfehlen. Wirr und schwer zu lesen. Es gibt einen klaren roten Pfaden aber der ist versteckt unter einem Berg von Nebensächlichkeiten. Die Grund Idee ist aber trotzdem gut. Nur schlecht ausgeführt
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