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Hyperion is a 1989 science fiction novel by American author Dan Simmons. The first book of his Hyperion Cantos series, it won the Hugo Award for best novel. The plot of the novel features multiple time-lines and characters. It follows a similar structure to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The next book in the series was The Fall of Hyperion, published in 1990. Plot Premise In c. 2732, the Hegemony of Man comprises hundreds of planets connected by farcaster portals. The Hegemony maintains an uneasy alliance with the TechnoCore, a civilization of AIs. Modified humans known as Ousters live in space stations between stars and are engaged in conflict with the Hegemony. Numerous "Outback" planets have no farcasters and cannot be accessed without incurring significant time dilation. One of these planets is Hyperion, home to structures known as the Time Tombs, which are moving backwards in time and guarded by a legendary creature known as the Shrike. On the eve of an Ouster invasion of Hyperion, a final pilgrimage to the Time Tombs has been organized. The pilgrims decide that they will each tell their tale of how they were chosen for the pilgrimage. Part One, The Priest's Tale: "The Man who Cried God" Paul Duré and Lenar Hoyt are Catholic priests. In an earlier archeological dig on a colony world, Duré misinterpreted/faked evidence that Christianity had reached the world before humanity did, hoping to spur a resurgence of the church. His ruse was uncovered, and Duré was exiled to Hyperion. He researches an isolated human-like civilization known as the Bikura and finds that they have an obsession with the "cross" or "cruciform." Thinking that this is the proof he was looking for on his previous expedition, Duré follows the Bikura to their place of worship but deduces that the Bikura have been infected with cross-shaped parasites called cruciforms. After death, the cruciform rebuilds the physical body and resurrects its host, but only as a living vessel that can support the parasite. From this Duré deduces that the Bikura are actually original settlers of Hyperion that live forever but have been transformed into bald, sexless eunuchs with limited mental capabilities. Duré encounters the Shrike and is infected with a cruciform. Severe pain prevents Duré from either cutting out the cruciform or leaving the Bikura; his journal entries end. In order to prevent his subsequent resurrection after death as a mindless host for the cruciform, Duré crucified himself to a tesla tree (a tree on Hyperion that collects electric charge from the air and erupts with lightning constantly) in an attempt to kill himself and the parasite. For seven years, Father Duré had been continually electrocuted and resurrected. As Hoyt touches Duré, the cruciform falls from his body and allows him finally to die. The Bikura are destroyed with nuclear weapons, but not before Hoyt is infected with both Duré's cruciform and one of his own. This reveals Father Hoyt's motivation for returning to Hyperion as being relief from the constant pain the cruciform inflicts on him for being too far from the colony. Part Two, The Soldier's Tale: "The War Lovers" Colonel Fedmahn Kassad's tale begins with a flashback to his days training in the FORCE military academy on Mars. During a simulation battle, a mysterious woman saves Kassad and becomes his lover. Kassad has multiple encounters with this woman inside these simulated battles, and he spends his days in the academy and after searching for her, as he believes that she is real. After graduation, Kassad begins a prolific but controversial military career. When the Ousters attack a Hegemony colony world, Kassad uses brutal guerrilla warfare tactics to push them back. He is successful, but a scapegoat in the public's eye for the death and destruction that befell the world. Recovering from injuries on his way back to the web, Ousters attempt to raid the hospital ship that carries Kassad. He hijacks an Ouster shuttle and crashes it onto Hyperion. There he is found by the woman he encountered in the simulations Moneta. Kassad sees the Tree of Pain, a gigantic steel tree on which the Shrike impales its victims. Ousters land on the surface of Hyperion in an attempt to capture or kill Kassad. Moneta provides him with armor and weapons, and teaches him to use time-altering abilities in combat. They easily kill the Ousters with unexpected help from the Shrike, who Moneta seems to trust. While making love after the battle, Kassad realizes that Moneta is working with the Shrike and it has been manipulating him to use him to spark an interstellar war in which billions of people will die. After Kassad is rescued, he becomes an anti-war activist. This reveals Kassad's motivation for returning to Hyperion- he wishes to kill the Shrike in order to prevent the interstellar war it is planning. Part Three, The Poet's Tale: "Hyperion Cantos" Martin Silenus trained as a poet, but his training was interrupted when a black hole destroyed Earth. Silenus is forced to work as a laborer. During this time, he starts work on his Hyperion Cantos, his magnum opus. His Dying Earth series becomes an enormous hit, making him a multi-billionaire. Silenus joins Sad King Billy on Hyperion. Billy is an aristocrat who decides to relocate to Hyperion and establish a kingdom of artists. Silenus resumes work on the Cantos and becomes convinced that the Shrike is his muse. Billy burns the Cantos manuscript and is taken away by the Shrike. In the centuries since, reliant on life-extending treatments, Silenus has been waiting to return to Hyperion to finish the poem. Part Four, The Scholar's Tale: "The River Lethe's Taste Is Bitter" Sol Weintraub, a Jewish professor, is present on the pilgrimage with his infant daughter Rachel. Twenty years ago, Weintraub's adult daughter became an archaeologist and went to Hyperion. While mapping one of the Tombs, the Shrike appears; Rachel contracts a disease which causes her to age backwards. Weintraub wrestles for years with dreams in which he is ordered to go to Hyperion and sacrifice Rachel in a replay of the Binding of Isaac. He decides to become a pilgrim and to implore the Shrike for a cure. After hearing Weintraub's tale, the party retires outside to gaze at the stars. There, they see the Templar treeship which carried them to Hyperion destroyed by Ousters. The ship's captain (who is also on the pilgrimage), Het Masteen, does not react and retires to his room without speaking. In the morning, Masteen is missing and his room is found full of blood, despite a watch that has been kept all night. Part Five, The Detective's Tale: "The Long Good-Bye" Brawne Lamia (named in reference to Fanny Brawne) is a private investigator. Her current client is a cybrid (a human body controlled by a TechnoCore AI) named Johnny. She and Johnny are forcibly farcast to a planet that seems to be a perfect replica of Old Earth. They become lovers. Lamia and Johnny undertake a vi.... Discover the Ken Siri popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ken Siri books.