HYPERION by Dan Simmons

A masterclass of sci-fi worldbuilding

"It no longer matters who consider themselves the masters of events. Events no longer obey their masters."

This book - the first in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons - is a work of unbridled genius. A masterclass in worldbuilding and storytelling. And as the blurb from the legendary Iain M. Banks proclaims on the front cover, "Truly astonishing."

Synopsis

Several hundred years hence, humanity has expanded to the stars. Through use of farcasters, the Hegemony of Man can travel instantaneously between hundreds of worlds comprising the Worldweb. Systems that do not come under the Worldweb - known as Outback or Protectorate worlds - can only be reached via conventional space travel, incurring a relativistic time debt (time passing slower for those making the trek than for those on the worlds they leave behind). Other societies include the TechnoCore - a race of Artificial Intelligences who continue to advise and interact with the Hegemony, despite having officially seceded from the grouping - and the aggressive Ousters - a militaristic race of humans who have evolved into beings more attuned for low or zero-g warfare.

    The outlying planet known as Hyperion has intrigued the Hegemony, the TechnoCore, and the Ousters for centuries. Its mysterious Time Tombs are believed to have been created in the far future and sent back through time for an as-yet-unknown purpose. But they have not been sent back alone...

    The Time Tombs are guarded by the omnipotent Shrike, an imposing and indecipherable killing machine of chrome metal. A creature which transcends the laws of time and space, appearing anywhere and everywhere it wills, leaving only blood and terror in its wake. So revered and feared is this being that it has inspired an entire dedicated religion or cult. The Shrike Church - otherwise called The Church of the Final Atonement - believe the creature to be a force for holy retribution, which will one day wipe out all sinners across the Hegemony and beyond.

    And then we come to the events of the book. War between the Hegemony and the Ousters looms, with Ouster forces on their way to seize control of Hyperion. In a last ditch effort to unravel the secrets of the Time Tombs and the Shrike, a final Shrike Pilgrimage is authorised. As the sparse colony on Hyperion flees the planet, seven individuals from across the Hegemony set out on a journey to the Time Tombs. Each has a link to Hyperion and to the Shrike, and as they proceed ever closer to their final destination, they each tell their tale, in the hopes that fitting the puzzle pieces together allows this last pilgrimage to succeed where all others have failed.

The Hyperion Tales

The framing story follows the pilgrims as they gather on the Templar Treeship, Yggdrasill, land in Hyperion's capital of Keats, and gradually venture across the planet towards the Time Tombs, the threat of the Shrike looming at every moment. Whenever there is a calm moment, they take turns to tell their tales. Each tale varies in flavour and genre, though all are intriguing in their own way. This novel is unadulterated sci-fi, while each of these stories delves into a differing subgenre.

    Beginning with The Priest's Tale, told through a series of diary entries of a Jesuit Priest. It chronicles his expedition into the wilderness of Hyperion, and encountering a tribe he believes are descended from the original settlers. The closest the novel comes to horror, and Christ is it horrifying.

    The Soldier's Tale veers into the territory of military sci-fi, detailing battles with the Ousters and virtual military engagements.

    The Poet's Tale, an elegy of beautifully written prose, following the life and times of the Hegemony's foremost poet and his journey to finding his muse - the Shrike.

    The Scholar's Tale, a tragic story of a daughter irrevocably affected by her time on Hyperion, and a devoted father whose faith is tested to the brink, and would do anything to see his child cured, even meeting his end at the hands of the Shrike if needs be. By far the most heartbreaking part of the novel.

    The Detective's Tale is a good old-fashioned bit of noir fiction, starring a streetwise private investigator, and a unassuming client, against the backdrop of this vast and intricate sci-fi setting. Here we learn more about the machinations of the TechnoCore, and is arguably my favourite of the six tales.

    Lastly, The Consul's Tale, told by the character we are introduced to at the very beginning of the novel. Interwoven stories of family and vengeance passed down the generations. A confusing tale to begin with, though by the end brings some clarity to what the hell is going on.

    The pilgrims venture out across the sand, the Time Tombs in sight...

    And the novel ends there, the most galling of cliffhangers, to continue in The Fall of Hyperion.

A masterclass

I was absolutely enraptured by this novel. The scale of the worldbuilding here is unparalleled as far as I'm concerned, via the ultimate display of showing, not telling. So much of the world of the Hyperion Cantos in conveyed effortlessly through these six tales (seven if one includes the framing story). Simmons drip feeds the history and lore of the universe he has created without straying into exposition territory. It is all conveyed by the dialogue and the action. There are whispers and mentions of Old Earth as we go through the novel, and the infamous "mistake" which led to its downfall, resulting in the Hegemony we see in the present. But the full truth of it is not provided to us right off the bat. We are left intrigued, keen to press on and see the full picture. And as gaps are gradually filled in our knowledge of the world, we can even begin to theorise the truth of what is going on. The Shrike too maintains its curiosity across the length of the novel; we are as much in the dark about it as are the point-of-view characters. Every new detail provides us a modicum of insight into what this thing is, and why it is so feared. The level of wordlbuilding achieved by the end of the novel is truly sublime, and does so in a fewer than 500 pages. Other works can only dream of reaching a similar level of detail, even across several volumes.

    On that note, he does not get bogged down in explaining the surreal technology, or the way the world and societies work in long, tedious paragraphs, certainly not in any noticeable way. Instead he trusts the reader's intelligence, giving us just enough detail to put it all together ourselves, enabling us to envisage the setting in our mind's eye. For that reason, I wouldn't put it in the Hard Sci-Fi category as some reviewers have. I admit that I am no expert in all the subgenres of sci-fi and fantasy, and assessing which novel fits in which portion of a Venn diagram. I have spoken a little about the vibe of each of the six tales in Hyperion and what subgenre I feel they fit into. Overall though, I feel the whole novel leans towards a Space Opera vibe, with the focus much more on the characters, the world, and the story, and less on how the world and technology works. Often I find it a slog to read through extended paragraphs on how a spaceship's engine works - as much as I love the work of Peter F. Hamilton, his work often strays into this trope. I'm sure a great deal of engineering research went into those passages, and it is impressive to say the least. Alas, it does not interest me. I want to know about the characters and the world of this far-future society. Give me just enough detail about the technology so I can picture the ship flying through space, or a character passing through a farcaster portal, and get on with the story. And that is certainly what Dan Simmons achieves here. There was never a dull moment throughout the prose.

    Simmons is able to weave in so many styles and voices across the novel. One of the issues that can come from a novel with multiple POVs (and I am guilty of this too) is that they can end up sounding homogenous, with no differentiation between the characters voices. Here that is not the case, and not simply because the structure of each tale varies drastically; some told through diary entries, some told in the first person, others in the third person, etc. The vocabulary. The eloquence of the prose. It all differs significantly between the characters. While the tales of the Soldier and the Detective are efficient and to the point, the prose of the Poet's tale is obviously far more expressive, as if his whole story was written as one of his poems. They say that to be an author is to be so many other people and professions, since you must write from the perspective of whoever your POV character is. Simmons knocks this out of the park. Rarely has it been so plain to see in any novel I've read with multiple POVs where the style and voice change so evidently between the characters.

    And then there is skill by which these tales are weaved together. It is clear these are not six random short stories Simmons made up and thrust together to form a larger work. Though different, they are the same, plainly set in the same universe. Details and events from one tale appear in another and vice versa. The setting is so beautifully and meticulously realised that nothing feels out of place. The tales come together to form a cohesive whole.

    Of course, any story and setting relies on the imagination and thrilling ideas of the author, and Dan Simmons' imagination was clearly firing on all cylinders when he wrote this piece. From the Templar Treeships, to the Ouster physiology, to the Cybrids of the TechnoCore, to the Windwagons rolling across the tall grass plains of Hyperion, and the devastating Tesla Trees. The ideas on display here are some of the wildest and most fascinating I have come across in the sci-fi genre. Type any of the above phrases into Google and check some of the incredible fanart produced over the years, and allow yourself a taste of what Hyperion has to offer.

    On top of all that, Simmons seems to get in some commentary of real-world society too. The hubris of looking upon indigenous tribes as something less than civilised. Destruction of natural environments in favour of imperialist expansion and reaping the land for natural resources. The stagnation of society and inability or unwillingness to evolve with the times. And ultimately, the age-old failure of humanity: the desire to destroy that which we do not understand. Those are the points I picked up on, although the best anologies to the real should be left up to the subjective mind, and so other readers may see these or others, or indeed may see none at all, and simply enjoy the novel for what it is: a masterclass of sci-fi storytelling and worldbuilding.

    Only a couple of negative points that cropped up that may be real issues for some readers. The structure can be difficult to keep up with. Tales within tales within flashbacks within tales. It can be a misleading ride if you prefer a straightforward, linear narrative. Anyone with an extensive background of reading sci-fi should be fine with this though.

    Likewise, if you are looking for a satisfactory ending, you will not find it here. Apparently Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion were supposed to be one and the same if Simmons had got his wish, but his publishers had different ideas, opting instead to split it up. I have absolutely no problem with this. It was a wild ride, and the ending has only left me champing at the bit to read the sequel.

    In terms of the content, there is horror, there is gore, there is violence, and there is sex, most of which is graphic. One thing I noticed about the sex scenes is that they do come across as a bit lechy, and clearly written by a man. That is not to say they are bad or overly gratuitous (I for one love a gratuitous and graphic sex scene), only that some of the language used in these scenes can be a tad... juvenile, for want of a better word.

    This is a dark novel. Not one meant for children or young teenagers. But as a starting point into sci-fi, it's pretty damn awesome.

Verdict

I had heard so much about Hyperion before going into it. It has been sitting on my shelf for God knows how long, and I am ashamed it has taken me this long. From all I had been told about this novel, I knew it was going to be good; I just didn't realise how good.

    Hyperion has everything I want from a novel. It is dark, epic, scary, sexy, intriguing, with flawless worldbuilding, multifaceted and sympathetic characters, and a story that, while unconventional in its structure, had me absolutely riveted from start to finish. It proudly goes back to my bookshelves, to stand alongside my other all-time favourites.

10 stars

★★★★★★★★★★