'The Hyperion Cantos' by Dan Simmons

It's been a while since I posted something that isn't directly related to my practice. So in this post I thought I'd talk about the fiction series I'm currently reading.

There are four books in the series, I am up to the fourth, 'Endymion Rises'.

Below are the books in the series in order:

1. Hyperion

2. The Fall of Hyperion

3. Endymion

4. Endymion Rises

Below are quick synopses of the four books, retrieved from Goodreads.com:

'Hyperion'.

"On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope—and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.'"-https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77566.Hyperion

'The Fall of Hyperion'

"In the stunning continuation of the epic adventure begun in Hyperion, Simmons returns us to a far future resplendent with drama and invention. On the world of Hyperion, the mysterious Time Tombs are opening. And the secrets they contain mean that nothing--nothing anywhere in the universe--will ever be the same."- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77565.The_Fall_of_Hyperion

'Endymion'

"Two hundred and seventy-four years after the fall of the WorldWeb in Fall of Hyperion, Raoul Endymion is sent on a quest. Retrieving Aenea from the Sphinx before the Church troops reach her is only the beginning. With help from a blue-skinned android named A. Bettik, Raoul and Aenea travel the river Tethys, pursued by Father Captain Frederico DeSoya, an influential warrior-priest and his troops. The shrike continues to make enigmatic appearances, and while many questions were raised in Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion, still more are raised here. Raoul's quest will continue." -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3977.Endymion

'The Rise of Endymion'

"The time of reckoning has arrived. As a final genocidal Crusade threatens to enslave humanity forever, a new messiah has come of age. She is Aenea and she has undergone a strange apprenticeship to those known as the Others. Now her protector, Raul Endymion, one-time shepherd and convicted murderer, must help her deliver her startling message to her growing army of disciples.

But first they must embark on a final spectacular mission to discover the underlying meaning of the universe itself. They have been followed on their journey by the mysterious Shrike--monster, angel, killing machine--who is about to reveal the long-held secret of its origin and purpose. And on the planet of Hyperion, where the story first began, the final revelation will be delivered--an apocalyptic message that unlocks the secrets of existence and the fate of humankind in the galaxy." -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289.The_Rise_of_Endymion

My thoughts;

• The Author is obsessed with poetry, in particular the poet John Keats. The titles of the books are taken from Keat's poems for one, and then in the second book there is an AI Cybrid, (a bio-factured human whose consciousness resides in the 'TechnoCore', which is where all AI personas reside), who is essentially a copy of John Keats who has some of the original Keats's memories. Another hint to his obsession of poetry is that there is a TechnoCore persona Ummon who speaks in Koans. All important characters in his novel has a familiarity and understanding of poetry.

• In my opinion the first book and the last are the best, (so far). Hyperion is so well written, it not only takes you into the story, but it also raises interesting philosophical questions. Simmons refers to human nature and brings up questions of evolution, co-evolutions, artificial intelligences and their role in our future evolution. The story is so large that it spans thousands of years of human history. Dan Simmons artfully weaves real history and physics into the telling to give the story more texture and believability, despite the wild storyline.

• Simmons brings up questions surrounding religion and belief structures. In the third book after the fall of the farcasters, (the 'farcaster network' was a way humanity could travel seemingly instantaneously to other locations within the 'Hegemony. of Man' controlled space, gifted to humanity by the Core), the catholic church has made a comeback and has overthrown the Hegemony of Man. This is thanks to the cruciform, (shaped like a crucifix) , which is a parasite which resurrects its host when the host dies. We later learn that the 'miracle of the cruciform' was given to the church by the TechnoCore as a new means to control humanity. Simmons makes the point that unique cultures and religions are necessary for evolution of humanity to occur, and that stagnation occurs when there is a hegemony in place. Be that a religious hegemony or otherwise.

I highly recommend 'Hyperion' by Dan Simmons. It inspires thought without being preachy, and the imagination and creativity present in the story is captivating.