Hyperion

All my reviews can be found at The Tiny Reader's Reference! Come on over and say hello!Short & Sweet: [b:Hyperion 77566 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) Dan Simmons https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405546838l/77566.SY75.jpg 1383900] is a fast-paced, wordy, high science-fiction novel that focuses on characters and world-building rather than immediate story progression. Extremely immersive and very colorful.I started tabbing this book, it is that elaborate.It's easy to get overwhelmed and/or confused, especially if you are parallel reading and put this novel down for any length of time. [b:Hyperion 77566 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) Dan Simmons https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405546838l/77566.SY75.jpg 1383900] gives naught a care, however, as it dumps you immediately into the action, where we meet “The Consul” as he's summoned to the planet, Hyperion.We are then introduced to the six main characters, called “Shrike Pilgrims”, aboard a treeship headed to the planet, the home of the ‘Shrike'. The progression itself would be dull otherwise, if Dan Simmons had not injected their trajectory with a back-and-forth narrative - fueled by the group's desire to know each other and their experiences with Hyperion better - explaining each person's background. Its quite frankly brilliant, as it breaks up the monotony and allows us to feel like we physically travel from memory, to real time, and back again.Each story is told in a different way, with a different voice, and through this method of storytelling do we learn more about the world we're in and the elements within we previously didn't understand. In this, every character's motivations are revealed, adding dimension and depth. They transform by the end of the novel, creating actual people instead of caricatures - very little of the Pilgrim's actual journey is expounded upon. The story is pretty much cemented in memories.I read reviews that stated that [b:Hyperion 77566 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) Dan Simmons https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405546838l/77566.SY75.jpg 1383900] was a setup for the second book, [b:The Fall of Hyperion 77565 The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2) Dan Simmons https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541174620l/77565.SY75.jpg 1882596]. It's quite accurate, as this novel was pretty much character and world-building. Sounds boring and repetitive, but [a:Dan Simmons 2687 Dan Simmons https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1427999015p2/2687.jpg] manages to keep it fresh with the constant changing memories, voices, and points-of-view.I did dock a star, as it began to drag toward the end. However, I feel this is a novel that can, and should, be read multiple times, and the history and world created is rich and endlessly interesting. The ending left off at a perfect point for [b:The Fall of Hyperion 77565 The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2) Dan Simmons https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541174620l/77565.SY75.jpg 1882596] to pick up the thread, and I will be reading the next in line. High science-fiction done right - absolutely recommended.