Book 1 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons

One of the great things about Science Fiction is that it allows authors/creators to draw concepts from philosophy, science, sociology, literature, you name it; throw it into the future or an alternate reality; and see what might happen.

In Hyperion, Dan Simmons envisions a future where the culture of humanity has become stunted by its sense of biological superiority while at the same time being entirely and unwittingly dependent on the AIs and technology it once helped to create. Despite having access to hundreds of worlds, there is a homogeneity within human culture created by the ability to step from one world to the next in the blink of an eye. I suppose you could say it is a sad display of the ultimate globalisation, characterised by everything from mediocrity in literature to the fall of religion and the destruction of unique ecosystems and life forms in the name of tourism.

The one variable that cannot be computed by the AIs is Hyperion, home to the mysterious Time Tombs and the Shrike, a creature straight out of nightmares. The Tombs are opening and the Church of the Shrike has hand-selected a last group to take the pilgrammage to the tombs. During their journey, each narrates their story in an homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - and to a variety of literary styles including a hard-boiled detective story and a Heart of Darkness-style missionary quest.

Hyperion is a gripping, deeply intelligent read. It rightly won a number of awards, including the Hugo. I'll be writing about some more aspects of it in my next post, since you simply cannot read it without dashing out to find its sequel, Fall of Hyperion.