Hyperion Book Review
Hyperion is the most sci-fi, sci-fi that has ever sci-fied. I truly mean this. If you enjoy sci-fi in its pure form. Not the pop sci-fi of “Project Hail Mary” or the pseudo-intellectual sci-fi of “The Quantum Magician” (I’m still annoyed by this one). Then you will enjoy Hyperion.
The novel follows a group of people going on a pilgrimage to the Time Tombs of Hyperion. These people do not know each other, as their voyage starts they decide to tell their own stories as to why they were chosen to go on this journey. The book then follows with each person telling their story which takes up most of the novel. Between these stories, there is progress in their active journey towards Hyperion and the Time Tombs.
I personally don’t enjoy books with multiple character points of view or long-drawn-out story segments seemingly adding to but at the same time taking away from the main plot. I felt the same way here with Hyperion but as the stories started to be told I became more and more interested in them. Other than the first story I found the following ones simply amazing. This book and the stories being told in them cover almost every bit of “sci-fi”. From space ships and power suits to time dilation and religion. Even touching on sci-fi noir/cyberpunk elements with a hard-hitting private investigator character. If you like sci-fi there is almost guaranteed something here for you to enjoy.
That being said what I consider as a pro with the range of sci-fi covered in this novel can also be seen as a con. If you aren’t a fan of sci-fi look elsewhere, this isn’t for you. If you are only a fan of certain elements of sci-fi this might not be for you either. It isn’t a long book and it covers a lot. It feels like a tasting menu of pure sci-fi rather than a concrete story. I personally feel any one of these stories could be 300-page novels in their own right. Which is an interesting way can be seen as such. Due to the story structure of characters telling these tales as individual story’s of their lives, it ends up being summarized in a way. You are reading a first-hand summary of a much larger story. Personally speaking, I would have liked to read the longer story first hand and I think others might feel the same way.
Final Verdict
This is an amazing novel with so many deep pure sci-fi elements to it. It might be a bit jarring to people who aren’t used to pure sci-fi or those coming from more “pop sci-fi” stories. That being said I think if you give it a chance you will find something to enjoy with Hyperion. 7.6/10
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