Hyperion
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Narrated by:
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Marc Vietor
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Allyson Johnson
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Kevin Pariseau
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Jay Snyder
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Victor Bevine
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By:
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Dan Simmons
About this listen
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.
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Critic reviews
Locus Award, Best Novel, 1990
"Dan Simmons has the Midas touch: Every genre he writes - whether SF, horror, mystery, historical, or thriller - he turns to gold. Hyperion and The Fall Of Hyperion set a new standard for grand-scale science fiction." (Kevin J. Anderson, author of The Saga of Seven Suns)
"Dan Simmons was a star from the outset. It was the Hyperion books that made him a superstar. The man, quite simply, is what we in the trade call a writer's writer." (Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author)
Each of [the pilgrim's] stories would make a superb novella on its own. ( The New York Times Book Review, Gerald Jonas)
Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks for Fans of Dune
Ever since its publication in 1965, Frank Herbert's Dune has set the bar high for epic science fiction. In fact, Herbert's beloved novel is considered to be one the best sci-fi books of all time. Dune was the recipient of multiple awards, including the inaugural Nebula Award for best novel in 1966. And in October 2021, more than 50 years after the novel's initial release, fans of Dune are being treated to a film adaptation, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Editor's Pick
A sci-fi classic with a masterful full cast narration
"This epic sci-fi listen was way outside of my usual comfort zone so I did not go in expecting to get so sucked in by the stories or deeply affected by the characters as I did. Dan Simmons is a literary force to be reckoned with and Hyperion is accessible for both devoted fans and newbies like me, with its incredible word-building and character-driven storylines. The impeccable full-cast narration is just the cherry on top of this adventure through time and space."
—Catherine H., Audible Editor
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Moth was a beautiful planet, the only one with wings - two great golden clouds suspended in space around it. Here was a wide-open world for any venture a man might scheme. The planet attracted unwary travelers, hardened space-sailors, and merchant buccaneers - a teeming, constantly shifting horde that provided a comfortable income for certain quick-witted fellows like Flinx and his pet flying snake Pip.
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The First of the Flinx and Pip Novels AT LAST!
- By Chris on 01-20-09
By: Alan Dean Foster
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Zodiac: Zodiac, Book 1
- By: Romina Russell
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories.
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Beware the 13th sign!
- By Krista Lemoine on 09-22-16
By: Romina Russell
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Rhapsody
- Child of Blood
- By: Elizabeth Haydon
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 30 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Rhapsody is a woman, a singer of some talent who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage--one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world.
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Good story! Terrible narration.
- By CharmY2K on 04-30-15
By: Elizabeth Haydon
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Lamentation
- The Psalms of Isaak, Book 1
- By: Ken Scholes
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Scott Brick, William Dufris, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In Lamentation, the first entry in the Psalm of Isaak series, an ancient weapon has completely destroyed the city of Windwir. From many miles away, Rudolfo, Lord of the Nine Forest Houses, sees the horrifying column of smoke rising. He knows that war is coming to the Named Lands. Nearer to the Devastation, a young apprentice is the only survivor of the city—he sat waiting for his father outside the walls, and was transformed as he watched everyone he knew die in an instant. Soon all the Kingdoms of the Named Lands will be at each others' throats.
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Highly Enjoyable
- By RB on 05-15-09
By: Ken Scholes
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Time Salvager
- By: Wesley Chu
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Convicted criminal James Griffin-Mars is no one's hero. In his time, Earth is a toxic, abandoned world, and humans have fled into the outer solar system to survive, eking out a fragile, doomed existence among the other planets and their moons. Those responsible for delaying humanity's demise believe time travel holds the key, and they have identified James, troubled though he is, as one of a select and expendable few ideally suited for the most dangerous job in history.
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Thrilling time-traveling adventure full of twists.
- By Daniel on 11-13-15
By: Wesley Chu
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Altered Carbon
- By: Richard K. Morgan
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 25th century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person's consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or "sleeve") making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.
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Altered Carbon
- By Jake Williams on 09-22-07
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Three Parts Dead
- By: Max Gladstone
- Narrated by: Claudia Alick
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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A god has died, and it’s up to Tara, a first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethras, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring him back to life before his city falls apart. Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without him, the metropolis’ steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot. Tara’s job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in.
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Great story, but the narrator was off
- By John on 07-27-14
By: Max Gladstone
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In the Ocean of Night
- Galactic Center, Book 1
- By: Gregory Benford
- Narrated by: Maxwell Caulfield
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 2019. NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy it, he instead discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe - a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal….
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Like some Space with your Soaps?
- By Bradley on 05-15-12
By: Gregory Benford
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The Hollow Man
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Jeremy Bremen has a secret. All his life he's been cursed with the ability to read minds. He knows the secret thoughts, fears, and desires of others as if they were his own. For years, his wife, Gail, has served as a shield between Jeremy and the burden of this terrible knowledge. But Gail is dying, her mind ebbing slowly away, leaving him vulnerable to the chaotic flood of thought that threatens to sweep away his sanity. Now Jeremy is on the run - from his mind, from his past, from himself - hoping to find peace in isolation.
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Genius writing, great book
- By David Shear on 02-28-14
By: Dan Simmons
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At Any Price & Rolling Hot
- Hammer's Slammers Series
- By: David Drake
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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This two-story compiliation, read by Stefan Rudnicki, offers two stories from David Drake's popular Hammer's Slammers series. In At Any Price, Col. Alois Hammer's indomitable Slammers are called in to support human colonists against a native uprising in this novel-length adventure. But even though the natives' off-world weapons are no match for the Slammers, their ability to teleport gives them a frightening advantage! In Rolling Hot, the battle-crazed troop of recruits and vets, led by Captain Ranson, must cover 300 miles of hostile enemy territory.
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Not a cohesive story or stories
- By Jeffery on 01-19-21
By: David Drake
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The Quantum Thief
- By: Hannu Rajaniemi
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist, and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy - from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of Mars. Now he’s confined inside the Dilemma Prison, where every day he has to get up and kill himself before his other self can kill him.
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Starts Confusing, Gets Exciting, Ends Awesome
- By Matthew on 10-21-11
By: Hannu Rajaniemi
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A very pleasant surprise
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The men onboard HMS Terror have every expectation of finding the Northwest Passage. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the Terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear there is no escape.
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Very good then, NOT
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Caught behind the lines of Hitler's Final Solution, Saul Laski is one of the multitudes destined to die in the notorious Chelmno extermination camp. Until he rises to meet his fate and finds himself face to face with an evil far older, and far greater, than the Nazis themselves. Compelled by the encounter to survive at all costs, so begins a journey that for Saul will span decades and cross continents, plunging into the darkest corners of 20th century history to reveal a secret society of beings who may often exist behind the world's most horrible and violent events.
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Idk who needs to see this, but TRIGGER WARNING
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The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city - intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.
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Achaeans and robots and post-humans, oh my
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Hyperion
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Primera y aclamada entrega de la tetralogía «Los cantos de Hyperion», una saga fundamental de la ciencia ficción moderna que fue galardonada con tres premios Locus y el Hugo de 1990 por el presente título. La publicación de la serie a lo largo de la década de 1990 coronó a Dan Simmons como un referente indiscutible del género, capaz de construir un mundo al estilo de los Cuentos de Canterbury, y al mismo tiempo hacer un claro homenaje a John Keats.
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A very pleasant surprise
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Very good then, NOT
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Im Jahr 2700 - die Erde ist durch den Großen Fehler bereits vor langem zerstört worden - leben die Menschen auf 200 verschiedenen Planeten. Künstliche Intelligenzen - kurz KIs genannt - kontrollieren diese Welten in einem Computernetz. Sie haben sich zu den heimlichen Herrschern über die Menschen erhoben. Auf dem Planeten Hyperion, der außerhalb dieser Kernzone liegt, regiert eine Schreckensgottheit: das Shrike, einem rätselhaftes Wesen, halb organisch, halb mechanisch, und Inbegriff des Schmerzes und der Qual.
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Defeated
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Jeremy Bremen has a secret. All his life he's been cursed with the ability to read minds. He knows the secret thoughts, fears, and desires of others as if they were his own. For years, his wife, Gail, has served as a shield between Jeremy and the burden of this terrible knowledge. But Gail is dying, her mind ebbing slowly away, leaving him vulnerable to the chaotic flood of thought that threatens to sweep away his sanity. Now Jeremy is on the run - from his mind, from his past, from himself - hoping to find peace in isolation.
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Genius writing, great book
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They create a computer using a 30 million man Army
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The year is 1924 and the race to summit the world's highest mountain has been brought to a terrified pause by the shocking disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, high on the shoulder of Mt. Everest. By the following year, three climbers - a British poet and veteran of the Great War, a young French Chamonix guide, and an idealistic young American - find a way to take their shot at the top.
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Great story, great detail
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A Fire Upon the Deep is the big, breakout book that fulfills the promise of Vinge's career to date: a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function.
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William Mandella is a soldier in Earth's elite brigade. As the war against the Taurans sends him from galaxy to galaxy, he learns to use protective body shells and sophisticated weapons. He adapts to the cultures and terrains of distant outposts. But with each month in space, years are passing on Earth. Where will he call home when (and if) the Forever War ends?
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A classic.
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Welcome to Ringworld, an intermediate step between Dyson Spheres and planets. The gravitational force created by a rotation on its axis of 770 miles per second means no need for a roof. Walls 1,000 miles high at each rim will let in the sun and prevent much air from escaping. Larry Niven's novel, Ringworld, is the winner of the 1970 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 1970 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the 1972 Ditmars, an Australian award for Best International Science Fiction.
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Genuinely Creative
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Old Man's War
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John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater.
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Fun and Witty Military Sci-Fi
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Song of Kali
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Blood will curdle in Calcutta. In the most crime-ridden city, nightmares become real and evil is defined by frightening occurrences. When an American family finds themselves encircled by the terrors of this land, lurid events befall them and life takes on a new meaning - death. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, Song of Kali will chill the blood and frighten even the most jaded of horror fans.
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All Violence is an Exercise in Power
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What listeners say about Hyperion
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- mix579
- 02-27-16
I understand why it's a classic, but...
After reading it way back when it was first published in print, I recently listened to the audiobook version and had pretty much the same reaction to it. I feel almost obligated to admire the author for his skillful weaving of a complex, multi-layered web of tales, all written in totally different styles, each of them contributing in an ingenious way to our understanding of the world that forms the backdrop to this story. Really, really well done, and I fully understand why this book is a sci-fi classic.
Alas, in the end it all sort of falls flat for me, a classic example of arts for art's sake. Some of the tales are gripping (Detective, Poet, Soldier, ) but the others just meander on without much purpose (in particular the Consul's tale). At times it feels like a sophomore in English studies trying to squeeze as many "big" words, as many memes as possible into a paragraph to impress the professor. If someone had seriously edited the book and cut 25% out, it would have been a masterpiece. Well, there's still the issue that it really ends just when it's about to become really interesting. I'm not huge fan of blatant cliffhangers books that leave essentially everything open and bring nothing to a (at least partial) conclusion.
The narration cast is outstanding. Having different characters narrated by different actors works extremely well here.The person reading the poet is brilliant!
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- Ryan
- 03-10-12
As good as I remember
I first read this book in college, and couldn’t put it down. Coming back to it years later (in audiobook form this time), I’m just as absorbed.
Hyperion is space opera in its peak form, with vivid writing, well-realized characters, a futuristic universe that’s both imaginative and believable, and a story that pulses with mystery. Unlike most science fiction, it's also a consciously literary-minded novel, referencing works ranging from the poetry of Keats to the medieval Canterbury Tales. Anyone who's had to read the latter in high school will recognize Simmons' inspired re-imagining, in which seven travelers from very different walks of life share their personal tales with one another as they make their way on a pilgrimage towards an enigmatic alien temple and its dark, mysterious inhabitant, the Shrike. Then there are numerous nods to other works of science fiction, from Poulson to Gibson. All the thematic connections help Hyperion feel like a work somehow bigger than itself.
To be fair, Simmons sometimes gets a little too obvious with the name-dropping, which led to a bit of eye-rolling on my part, but Hyperion is still compulsively readable. The first two “tales”, by the priest and soldier respectively, are absolute page-turners. If you aren’t drawn into the story of Father Dure’s mission to the descendants of some lost colonists, who have become a little odd during the intervening centuries, then science fiction might not be for you, The Bukowski-in-space poet’s tale and the haunting scholar’s tale, have less typical science fiction plots, but were (I thought) just as good. The remaining tales, while not quite as memorable in their own right, serve to transition from the past to the larger story’s “present”. Simmons does a masterful job of gradually revealing his universe, each tale focusing in on one aspect of it, while offering more depth or new angles on what we’ve learned from previous tales. It’s a textbook example of how to set up a complex world and its backstory without a lot of expository babble.
It should be noted that Hyperion is really the first half of a larger work, which happens to be split into two novels. There’s barely an ending here, and if you want to find out how all the various plot threads are resolved, you’ll have to read the second book of the pair, The Fall of Hyperion. I didn’t think that book was quite as good -- as often happens in science fiction, a compelling setup doesn’t imply an equally satisfying resolution. But Hyperion itself is so imaginative, it’s worth a read.
As to the audiobook experience, I found the use of different voice actors to play different characters a little distracting, notably the “Darth Vader” voice of one guy, but most of them did a pretty decent job. I particularly liked the boozy, gravelly voice of the actor who played the poet.
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- David
- 04-09-13
Engrossing
I first read Hyperion when I was a teenager (and when I'd never heard of John Keats), and I was wondering if it would still hold up (and whether it's more fun if you've read some Keats). The answer is yes!
At first I was doubtful. The first chapter is very awkward because the 5 voice artists are conversing with each other and there are irksome pauses between their lines that should have been edited out - it sounds very stilted.
But hang on in there, because the meat of "Hyperion" is the five lengthy tales told by individual narrators, and this is where the novel really takes hold. Each of the stories is wonderfully engrossing and moving, and each evokes the novel's many worlds and societies in thrilling detail. They are little masterpieces of storytelling and each could stand alone in their own right; but linked together, they illuminate and develop each other beautifully. As the novel comes to its close, you realize that it's a masterpiece of formal perfection. Despite ending on a cliffhanger it's entirely satisfying.
The only disappointment for me was the reader of the Brawne Lamia tale, whose voice lacks the emotional depth of the other readers, and who lumbers the pivotal character of Johnnie with a truly awful attempt at a British accent. The other readers are all wonderful though.
This is one of the great science fiction novels and well worth a listen.
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- Randy
- 09-07-12
Remarkable
There are 4 books in this series and if your read Hyperion you will be hooked. Our author Dan Simmons just didn't write a masterpiece of SciFi, he wove an entire universe. He took known things like Catholic religion and created a future of what Christianity might be. Hyperion introduces us to warriors, monsters, and an illness that makes one 26 year-old girl become a baby again. The entropic tides of the time tombs becomes an enigma that keeps you glued to the pages. The descriptions of the world, wars (both ancient and futuristic) are so vivid you feel like you are there. The excitement builds to a crescendo that makes you scrabble for the next book Fall of Hyperion. Good luck stopping at just one.
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6 people found this helpful
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- David
- 02-09-11
Classic space opera, but it's just part one
This is a classic space opera tale, though most of it takes place on the planet of Hyperion, except in flashbacks. Seven travelers are on a pilgrimage to see the Shrike, a godlike alien being who apparently has a habit of going on bloodthirsty killing sprees and carving up most of the travelers who come to visit it. But if it doesn't kill you, it grants you a wish, or something like that. Our not-so-merry band of travelers is a diverse cast, each of whom has their own story to tell, and a dark secret. It turns out that this pilgrimage could spell the beginning of Armageddon.
An entertaining tale, though already a little dated, it's got all the elements of classic sci-fi: interstellar conspiracies, a fleet of space "pirates," AIs debating whether or not to exterminate humanity, time travel, ancient ruins guarded by an alien god, a mystery, a lot of second-guessing about who's a traitor, and a cliffhanger ending. I wish I'd known when I started listening that it was written as the first in a series and ends with a "To be continued."
Overall, a good epic space opera, grand in scale and full of big ideas, though it is not particularly cerebral. It reminded me a bit of Chalker, Varley, or Alan Dean Foster.
The multi-cast narration on this one was very good; I wish more audiobooks used a variety of voices.
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- john
- 01-15-09
Kevin J Anderson recommends?
I got this audiobook because there was a header that KJA recommends, well the only thing in common here is the length of the book. it was okay, just okay, for all the length is had none of the substance, i will get the next one in the series just to be sure, the multiple narrators is annoying especially the lady, i felt she came in and read the part with out reading the book she was totally out of sync, sounded like a t.v. actress who needed to make rent. and after listening to her i know why she needs to make rent.
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- Flavius Krakdaddius
- 09-06-09
Changing My Opinion About SciFi
I read this book on a friend's recommendation, and I'm glad I did. I haven't read a great deal of science fiction, and much of what I have read was unimpressive. This book makes me think I may have been reading the wrong stuff. It's smart, well-written and gripping. Definitely worth hearing.
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- DUDE
- 05-28-13
Tough to review
For me this is tough to review b/c the writing, narration and story are fantastic and i would give them each 5 stars, that is, until the ending. This book is and was very well known in its time, won a Hugo award even but that perplexes me unless the sequel was released at the exact same time b/c this book cannot stand on its own. Had the sequel never been published, this book would have been quickly forgotten and possibly even hated due to the abruptness of the ending. I get writing a story that draws readers in and makes them want to keep reading but this book's ending is cruel to the readers. Given the succinctness of Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion (book 2), the author clearly knew exactly where the story was going and only ended the book where it ended to trap readers and force them to buy the new book. Perhaps that was the publishers decision to do it that way but to me this was an incomplete book.
That being said, i highly recommend this book (and its sequel)! The accuracy of some of the 'predictions' in this story are on par with that of Asimov and other great classic sci-fi writers and that makes it really fun to read (listen) for me personally. If i had known that book 1 and book 2 are really a single book, i would have given this 5 stars overall.
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- Ben
- 06-11-16
Needs end of story.
The story stopped without any conclusion. it would be better if any one thing had truly been finished.
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- Kirk
- 10-04-09
Wow! Awesome Story and Narration!
AWESOME! This audiobook started out slow, and even with the Awesome narration I was going to quit listening to it, BUT my friend who had read the entire series told me to stick it out. I am so GLAD that I listened to him because Hyperion turned out to be AWESOME! I just finished the 2nd book "Fall of Hyperion" and am on the 3rd book "Endymion".
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