mass market paperback, 517 pages
English language
Published April 11, 1991 by Bantam.
On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.
this book avoids a lot of the problems of its prequel. the story is richer, the characters are more interesting and interact with each other more, the gigantic world is explored and detailed more, and the large-scale philosophical + political developments are crafted with patience and precision. I feel fulfilled after being slightly disappointed by book 1 overall.
Amazing but tough to read sequel to the hugo award winning Hyperion follows the pilgrims on their voyage to the unpredictable Hyperion. Taking parallels from the life of the poet John Keats the story revolves about the place the AI holds in the people's lives. Tough choices, reasonings and an ending that contradicts the facade of the book, a brilliant voyage where the people from the future have no better music than the celebrated classics and Beatles coated with great science fiction ideas about instant travel. This is tough especially at the ending but sure worth the experience. I wished Dan SImmons had been more crisp with the thoughts, seemed elaborate than what would've suited the flow of the book but still loved it.
