For my fellow Hyperion nerds that also like synth/electronic music Zombie Hyperdrive has 2 albums inspired by Hyperion. The first, released in 2016, is called Hyperion and their second album, released in 2020, is called Imperium. I think I like Imperium better. Mare Infinitis and Between the Stars are quite dreamy. Enjoy!

In RoE (at the end),

!In Raul's dream, the Keats cybrid, Joseph Severn says to the Consul, he is going to return to the Core to cause trouble and chaos. Could it be that this Chaos leads to the core recommending Federico to lead the chase for Aenea?! !<

The final scene where the pilgrims join arms and skip into the valley of the Time Tombs while singing "The Wizard of Oz" is probably my favorite ending of any novel. It was haunting, confusing, charming, cathartic, and fun.

I don't really have the right words to describe it, but it was one of the most powerful and bizarre moments I've ever read. I'm almost reluctant to read the sequels because that ending was so perfectly weird.

I'm just curious if other folks were as affected by the final chapter as I was. "The Wizard of Oz" has been following me for days

Can I read just Hyperion Book 1 and 2 or do I need to read all four to understand and enjoy the story

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Between Kassad in a Phase Suit and Rhadamanth Nemes which one of them you personally think gave the Shrike a tougher time? Sure Kassad was able to slay the Shrike but that event was all part of a bigger plan and the Shrike was almost certainly holding back against either combatant by not abusing any of it's time warping prowess. But based on observation which phase shifter you think the Shrike has to exert more effort in scoring a win?

I am reading hyperion for the first time and I'm in the beginning of the detective's chapter. Has anyone else noticed that her character was inspired by the main character from the isaac asimov book "The Caves of Steel" Elijah Bailey. They are both agoraphobic detectives that come from underground worlds attempting to solve a robot murder.

I only got into reading sci-fi about a year ago. The Hyperion books were some of the first I read (I read all four back to back), and I enjoyed them all to various degrees, but FoH is by far my favourite. I knew when I finished that book that it would be hard for anything to top, and I only find that to be more true the further I dive into this genre. I've read a handful of so called "sci-fi epics" since then and absolutely none of them come close to the all-encompassing scope of FoH. FoH had everything; the space battles, the fantasy, the politics, the culture, the history, the interpersonal relationships and the dichotomy between on-ground events and the ripple effect that it all has on the entire universe—even extending into the very fabric of it. It's one of the most ambitious stories ever and somehow Simmons pulled it all off in a satisfying and engaging way. A true benchmark that I will never stop comparing other books to.

As the story goes on, I can't help but feel someone was "inspired" by someone

red eyes

machine built solely to kill

sent back in time by malevolent AI

sent back in time to protect messiah figure

Nemes and her siblings are basically the T-1000 (also Kassad's suit)

big metal monster vs smaller, more advanced liquid metal monster

Re reading Hyperion again and I’m at the part where Father Paul Duré is in the flame forests with Tuk who mentions getting themselves and “the ‘brids” away from the Tesla trees. They’re described as having long ears, tethered and blindfolded (most likely by Tuk), but nothing else. I don’t think I skipped over anything previously but I don’t know what function they served practically for their trek through the pinion plateau to the flame forests. They die anyway the second hell breaks loose in the flame forests. Can anyone explain?

I burned through the first 3 books and couldn’t put them down. Really struggling to get through the 4th. A little too much Raul’s travel blog vibes and feels repetitive. Is it just me? Is the point that his adventure is repetitive and he keeps having to Groundhog Day on each new planet?

Update: I finished it. It was worth it and it all makes sense. If you’re stuck like I was, push through!

Here sol thinks about Abraham and isaac. And it's just too impact full for me.

I'm an ex Muslim (agnostic now) and I had to read the story of Ibrahim A. (Abraham) and his son Ismael A. (isaac) a lot in my life. They are very important for us Muslims. Abraham is literally called the father of humanity here and this part of the book was so important for me. As I don't trust in God, I felt like trusting in God again. No imam or Quran or hadis made me feel that. I just love it... I wanted to sacrifice everything only to see if God's real!

Ofc there are way better parts but I remember this the most (as it was at the end). And I finished reading FoH and I liked it more than hyperion. And I'm gonna start Endymion soon.

Example, M Silenus, M Masteen, etc.

Why are people referred to as just M, then their name in most conversations? I am halfway through Endymion and I am used to it by now, but I still don't understand why it is used.

Of note, I am listening to the books on audible at work. Maybe the hard copies have some extra bit of context I am missing out on?

The only idea I have come up with is that it was Dan Simmons' Gender Neutral honorific for all entities in the series.

I was reading the last few chapters. It was the moment when Raul saw Aenea on Earth and I realised their missing connection when Apocalypse by CAS was playing in the background over speakers in my room.

I don't think I have had tears in my eyes so quickly in a long long time.

Simply lovely!

I keep finding myself coming back to this chapter and it’s just so perfect. Sol having a final dream of the sacrifice. Realizing help isn’t coming back for him. His final moments with Rachel as the tombs begin to open and his dream comes to fruition. The appearance of the Tree of Pain and Shrike, and finally the actual sacrifice itself.

I feel like this chapter is the heart of the entire books (or at-least the first two, have not read beyond these). Its written so well, with the imagery/setting and Sol’s feelings portrayed perfectly. I love when books have these epic payoffs that are built up for so long, it gives me the chills, and I think this part in particular would be amazing on the big screen.

Would love to hear everyone’s opinions on this scene/chapter. Any other parts or even books that work as well as this one?

I think I've decided I want to get a Hyperion themed tattoo in American trad. I always see a lot of trad archway tattoos so I'm thinking of doing that with a Tesla tree on the other side. Thought you guys might have some fun ideas as well. I'd love for it to be something related to Sol as that was my favorite chapter but the Tesla tree seems the most straight forward and fun

Kassad makes love with a woman he believes is Moneta. He believes it is her, until shortly before he climaxes. Feeling her/his steel blades (or imagining them?) on his penis, he disengages, believing (or knowing) that he's just fcked the Shrike. Shortly after this experience Kassad resigns his commission and becomes active in anti-war movements on return to the Web. Hoping someone has a clue about what happened (pp. 171-73 Hyperion 1989 paperback edition).

I’m in the middle of Endymion so maybe this has been answered already but it just came to me. How does youth and the cruciform work together? I guess I’m confused with the new Pax cruciform. Do people grow older with the cruciform or are they stuck at that age forever? Also, if they do grow older and older, do they just keep resurrecting until they’re withered basically a vegetable?

I’m so worked up right now I could write an essay or make a video about how disappointed I am with this novel. The premise and Priest’s story were such strong lead ins and had me so excited to see how each of the stories would connect and make more sense of Hyperion and the Shrike. I should’ve known I was going to be set up for disappointment as soon as the author began sexualizing the only female character within her introduction, I forgot what he said, but rolled my eyes at her description. I enjoyed the idea of stories within a story, but at points these narratives became tedious and often confusing. The terminology also baffles me, very creative ideas, but I can’t keep up with all of the made up terms, worlds, inventions, institutions, etc. Dan Simmons is an extremely literary author, but it feels like he spent more time with those aspects than with the storytelling. I hate how the book demands you read the sequel without even a satisfying cliffhanger. After Sol’s story the book went downhill with me. especially regarding its obsession with Keats, which I didn’t understand. Nearly all of the personal stories dragged far too long, wanted to love Brawne’s, but it just became a fanfic in the end. The Counsul’s was the most disappointing. Hard to follow, boring, and with a lackluster reveal of the “spy” which didn’t even matter. There seemed to be no resolution for anything, just colorful characterizations and world building. It feels like he “killed” Het Masteen just so he wouldn’t have to make up another story. The Soldier’s felt completely pointless. I think the ideas in this book are fantastic but the execution was lacking, I could feel the book losing steam as it became evident there was no real resolution. It’s interesting to have as foreboding and powerful character as the Shrike, but it seemed impossible to defeat, just cool to speculate about. I still can’t get over how gross and boring the Siri story was. Baffled by how corny the ending was.

Artist is Lauryn Dunkle at Ronin tattoo in Columbia, TN.