Wick Welker's Reviews > Hyperion

A science fiction and literary masterpiece.

What was I doing with my life before I read Hyperion? As a huge science fiction and fantasy reader, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what science fiction was capable of but wow did this book completely blow away all expectations.



How does one even begin to talk about this masterpiece? I could start with the masterful and subverting storytelling or the bottomless well of characterization. Or how about the subtle yet overarching world building and dozens of sci fi tropes expertly woven throughout? Hyperion is so many things and above everything it is a story about time, love, regret and horror.

I’ll start right off with the prose--it’s phenomenal. Simmons cuts the fat, describes what needs to be described without being indulgent. He instantly can create an entire planet, shade it in with a culture and then place the character set pieces to engage. He’s economical with his words when he needs to be and layers in the pretty words with impeccable literary timing. The dialogue is real and the scenes are framed perfectly. Hyperion is at once a single story but also separate vignettes, a la Canterbury Tales, each contributing to one another and the overall arc of the story. If at first you don’t think this kaleidoscope story-telling doesn’t work, just wait for it because believe me, it all comes together brilliantly.

Barbarians, we call them, while all the while we timidly cling to our Web like Visigoths crouching in the ruins of Rome's faded glory and proclaim ourselves civilized.

The world building—excuse me—worlds building is an enormous achievement. Without infodumping, Simmons unfurls a sprawling intergalactic hegemony where humanity spans dozens of planets many thousands of years in the future. Of course he’s not the first to do this but here’s what he achieves: he makes this future social construct of humans actually feel familiar. And how? Because he leaves vestiges of Old Earth (current day) littered through the story from poets like Keats to common world religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The degradation and transformation of these modern-day cultural pillars is fascinating. Yeah, catholic priests are still around but they are not up to things you might think. This book is full of prophetic dreams and visions that bring a welcome mysticism that hangs beautifully over a hard sci-fi backdrop.

It occurs to me that our survival may depend upon our talking to one another.

The world building is subtle, coming in at different angles and not slamming the reader with rigid boundaries and arcane history. The building is organic and there is one thing Simmons does that others fail at: the fancy sci-fi worldbuilding isn’t just a gimmick with a flimsy plot. The world building isn’t even what makes this book so good! And don’t get me started on the multitude of amazing sci fi elements throughout these pages: time travel, relativity, entropy, reverse aging, space travel, multi planet governments, AI overlords, robotic secession, cyberpunk, time travel warfare, alien space battles and much more.

Words are the only bullets in truth's bandolier. And poets are the snipers.

Here are the other things Hyperion is: an erotic romance, a tragic romance, a trans robotic romance!, a noir, a slasher film, a psychological horror, a requiem, an uprising of natives, a story about imperialism and rebellion, a political thriller, a writer chasing his muse and so much more. Now you wouldn’t think that throwing all these elements together would work at all but guess what? It does, really, really well. And that is why this book is so brilliant. Hyperion is both epic in its scope yet able to find balance and have a main plotline where everything comes together.

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

Above all, Hyperion is simply a beautiful book about a group of strangers on a mysterious pilgrimage whose past lives not only inform the ongoing plot but serve to enrich characterization and character dynamics. I’ve never read anything like this and it is going on the tippy top of my masterpiece shelf. I cannot wait to read the rest and I can’t recommend this book enough. Please, this needs to rocket up your TBRs. This is easily one of the best science fiction books I've ever read.