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A review by reidob
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
4.0
As someone who only occasionally dips his toe into the sci-fi canon, I feel a bit hesitant writing a review of one of its acknowledged classics, but here goes:
Hyperion is the name of a world, and is central to the stories told here. This world contains the time tombs, and within the time tombs is a creature that, in one way or another, has had a profound effect on all of the characters this book contains.
As it turns out, this is more a series of very clever short stories tied together with a compelling central plot—all of those telling their stories are on a pilgrimage to Hyperion, each for their own reasons, and their stories are thought to possibly contain the seeds of their survival. My son pointed out to me that this is much the structure of the Canterbury Tales; I must admit this had not occurred to me, but it fits, and makes the conceit all the more compelling.
As might be expected, the stories are a bit uneven in quality, and the transition between them can feel a bit jarring. But they are very smart, expertly contrived, well-written, and compelling. Each one takes on somewhat of a different genre, including the hard-boiled detective and a retelling of a Shakespearean tragedy. It's as if Simmons has set himself a challenge to base these disparate ways of telling a story all on the same world, or with some connection to it. I applaud his ambition and think he has amply achieved it.
This book was written in 1989, and although it is difficult to put my finger on precisely why, the language and style felt a bit old-fashioned to me. I know 28 years is not really all that long ago, but there is something a bit stodgy in this world of the far distant future. This is a minor complaint, though, and for the most part I found this fine book a wonderful read. I look forward to the second book in the series.
Hyperion is the name of a world, and is central to the stories told here. This world contains the time tombs, and within the time tombs is a creature that, in one way or another, has had a profound effect on all of the characters this book contains.
As it turns out, this is more a series of very clever short stories tied together with a compelling central plot—all of those telling their stories are on a pilgrimage to Hyperion, each for their own reasons, and their stories are thought to possibly contain the seeds of their survival. My son pointed out to me that this is much the structure of the Canterbury Tales; I must admit this had not occurred to me, but it fits, and makes the conceit all the more compelling.
As might be expected, the stories are a bit uneven in quality, and the transition between them can feel a bit jarring. But they are very smart, expertly contrived, well-written, and compelling. Each one takes on somewhat of a different genre, including the hard-boiled detective and a retelling of a Shakespearean tragedy. It's as if Simmons has set himself a challenge to base these disparate ways of telling a story all on the same world, or with some connection to it. I applaud his ambition and think he has amply achieved it.
This book was written in 1989, and although it is difficult to put my finger on precisely why, the language and style felt a bit old-fashioned to me. I know 28 years is not really all that long ago, but there is something a bit stodgy in this world of the far distant future. This is a minor complaint, though, and for the most part I found this fine book a wonderful read. I look forward to the second book in the series.