- Synopsis - A short non-spoiler synopsis can be entered here. This is not a place for criticism or reviews, and should maintain a neutral point of view. For instance:
Structured in a manner reminiscent of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Hyperion is a linked
series of stories, all relating to the mysterious planet Hyperion. The stories are told by
7 hand-picked pilgrims, while in transit to the Time Tombs of Hyperion, which are opening
for the first time in centuries, and are normally inaccessible due to the lethal actions of
its guardian, The Shrike. The stories are told against a space opera backdrop in which humankind
has formed the Hegemony, a far-flung collective of planetary systems linked by farcaster portals,
threatened with attack by the Ousters (who are space-evolved humans) as the novel opens. The novel
has elements of both science fiction and horror, and covers a wide range of themes such as:
time-travel, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, religion, ecology, and the works of John
Keats. The book does not have closure in the conventional sense, and is continued in the sequel
The Fall of Hyperion.