Hyperion: 07/01/18-08/31/18

[Nancy]

Hyperion


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.

[Dean]

That's come up quick - wasn't expecting this till later in the year. I have just started book 3 of the Lord of The Rings trilogy, so will order this now and start it in a couple of weeks hopefully.

[Nancy]

I need to find a copy too.

[Dean]

Just bought it for my Kindle as it was only £3.99 on Amazon, so am ready to start once I have completed LOTR.

[Jennifer]

I need to get a copy as well.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Oh, great. I've been contemplating starting this series next. I think I contemplate this every year and chicken out because I'm not usually a fan of short stories. But I think I'm finally in the mood. :-)

[Amy, Queen of Time]

I've been trying to start this book for the last 3 days, but since I just started a new job and my head is full to overflowing of new things, I restarted 3 separate times before getting through the epilogue. Fried brain and completely new world rules don't mix very well. Thank goodness for weekend reboots! I don't mean to scare anyone off from reading because the concepts aren't that difficult. Anyhow ...

Now I'm about 5% in and am really in awe of the kilometer-long treeship. I had to go seek out some fan art for it:
*http://hyperioncantos.wikia.com/wiki/...
*https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (includes speculation on how it works)
*https://forums.spacebattles.com/threa... (5th comment down ... love this one)
*https://www.deviantart.com/josearias/...
*https://www.flickr.com/photos/shamise... (lego version)

I'm just about to delve into the priest's story and can't wait.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

This should come in handy along the way: a whole page of Hyperion art:
https://www.airjordan11.com/topic/pai...

Also, as recently as a year ago, it seems that Hyperion was being turned into a SyFy series by Bradley Cooper. News about it goes back to about 2015, so I'm not that optimistic, but it would be really interesting if it does end up making it.

[Nancy]

I love the fan art Amy!

I can’t wait to start this but it might be later in the month.

[Jennifer]

I love this book! One of my all time favorite series, and I'm looking forward to diving into it again!

[Dean]

Started this a few days ago and after a short while it really got my interest (I wasn't so sure during the short prologue), and I think i'm going to enjoy this. I thought it picked up pace during the Priests story which I was really getting in to...

However, just at that point, further progress has stalled as we are on hols for a week and this morning, through my own ineptitude, I found myself fishing my Kindle out of the bottom of the wooden hot tub. The Kindle does not seem to want to forgive and forget this issue, so I am stuck in the middle of nowhere (we are staying in a tree-house in a forest) without any reading material. aarrghh!

Should have brought a book...

[Nancy]

Oh no! Your poor kindle. I guess if you dropped a paper book, you could have set it out to dry in the sun. That sucks to be without something to read. I’d be going crazy. Your vacation sounds intersting though.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Dean wrote: "Started this a few days ago and after a short while it really got my interest (I wasn't so sure during the short prologue), and I think i'm going to enjoy this. I thought it picked up pace during t..."

Oh no. I feel your pain. I dropped mine-face first on a cement floor and cracked the screen a couple of months ago rendering it dead. I was lost a bit before I got a new one (or rather, my husband got himself a new one and gave me his old one which holds a charge for only a couple of hours). But on a vacation in the middle of the woods! Ack! Depending on where you are, when you make your way out to civilization, your paper book choices may be severely limited to grocery store fare (if you're lucky enough to find a grocery store with books).

[Amy, Queen of Time]

I waited so long to read this book? Why? My friend was correct back in 2003 when he said I'd love this book. I love this book ... so far.

One thing is that it falls in the genre of Priests In Space (you have to say in the big booming voice like Pigs in Space). You'd think that there'd not be so many books in this genre, but I keep on stumbling onto them, and they're always intriguing. Almost always, they feature Jesuit priests. I'm not really sure why except that it was the Jesuit priests who set up so many missions in the new world, so why not have them be the religious explorers and missionaries among the stars? I'm not sure if it's because of the more agnostic nature of sci-fi writers that they often write these characters as ones that aren't truly convinced of their faith or who have their faith challenged through their exploits. Anyhow, books that come to mind in this genre include Grass, The Sparrow, and The Book of Strange New Things -- all favorites. If any of you have read and loved other Priests in Space books, I'd love to know of them.

Anyhow, I've finished the Priest's story here and loved it. More later when I have more time to write.

[Nancy]

I am glad you are loving the book Amy!

[Dean]

Well, holiday over, back to civilisation, electricity and hot water and a new Kindle has been bought, so I am back reading Hyperion. Incidentally, while away, I did drive out to the nearest town and found a small book shop that had a very limited amount of sci-fi, but they did have "The Word For World is Forest" by Ursula Le Guin, which proved an interesting enough read (3-star for me) to keep me occupied for a few days.

I have now finished the Priests story and am really interested to see where this is now going in the 2nd Chapter. I find the back page blurb on many books gives too much of the story away but this is suitably vague so I have no real idea what to expect next.

Amy - I like the sound of Grass and The Sparrow so will check those out some time.

[Nancy]

I Hope you had a great holiday despite the fiasco with your kindle. ;)

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Dean wrote: "Well, holiday over, back to civilisation, electricity and hot water and a new Kindle has been bought, so I am back reading Hyperion. Incidentally, while away, I did drive out to the nearest town an..."

I'm glad you managed to find a book store with sci-fi. Those random vacation book choices are always interesting. You never know whether you're finding a treasure or not. At least it kept you entertained!

Okay, so you've gotten to the ending of the Priest's tale. I read the ending a couple of times and am still unclear what we're supposed to think. Maybe that's the point. But I have too many questions.

Questions For the End of the Priest's Tale
(view spoiler)[
1. Was the priest telling his own tale? Is that what we're supposed to gather by the cruciforms that the consul finds on his body when the consul knocks the priest out?
2. Which was the true ending to the story? The one the read from the journal or the one that he told to the consul?
3. Did he crucify himself to free himself from the cruciform? Did he die the true death or did he finally escape because the cruciform thought he was dead? (hide spoiler)]

[Dean]

I will learn how to do spoilers when I get a moment and get back to you on those! I definitely have a different view on No.1 though (I think). You have me questioning my own interpretation now..

[Dean]

Nancy wrote: "I Hope you had a great holiday despite the fiasco with your kindle. ;)"

Was great thanks. We stayed here: https://www.living-room.co/

Perfect place for peace, quiet & reading, but a bit off topic so i'll leave my holiday memories there!

[Nancy]

Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said a tree house!

[Amy, Queen of Time]

That looks like an amazing holiday even if you didn't have a kindle. Apparently, there are lots of them around here. I might just have to book one next summer.

[Jennifer]

I always think of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales when I read this - the pilgrims on the way to a shrine, each telling their tale. Of all the stories, the priest's and consul's held my interest most, while the soldier's bored me. The poet and the detective's tales are interesting, but reading ahead to book II, I find them very important. Then there is Rachel's father (scholar), and the Templar (bound to a tree) - whose stories also are vital to the tale. I am enjoying reading this again, and finding new depths to it. Kudos to the author!

[Dean]

Amy, regarding your questions after the priests tale:

(view spoiler)[
1 & 2) the priest was telling the tale truthfully as it happened (apart from the end), until the Consul got the truth out of him when they were alone. However, my view was that by the time Hoyt was rescued, the Bikura had also made him of the cruciform, and the second cruciform he was carrying was that of Duré's. (as they had described a similar thing happening to another earlier on - so, when Hoyt died at some future time, both of them would be reborn?)
3) Duré was trying to kill himself to be free of the cruciform as he discovered that pain resulted in it's grip on you lessening. I guess he didn't plan for it to take quite so long though... sounds like if it wasn't for the package he was holding, the cruciform may have fallen off years before and saved him a lot of pain!
(hide spoiler)]

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Jennifer wrote: "the soldier's bored me..."

Definitely. It keeps putting me to sleep. It's interesting in small bits.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Dean wrote: "Amy, regarding your questions after the priests tale:


(view spoiler)[Did I miss something? When did Hoyt need rescuing? I thought he was just in the party that went in search for Duré.
Was that in the beginning of the tale and I just spaced it? (hide spoiler)]

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Concerning The Soldier's Tale:
I am really curious what a Saudi Shi'ite Muslim would think about this tale. I think it's interesting that the author decided that it would be a Shi'ite group that would act in this way. I was an international student advisor for many years, and a large number of my Saudi Muslim students were shi'ite. I'd think this would rankle a bit with them for various reason, but specifically because they've been the cultural underdogs there for so long. Maybe that's the idea behind this? That the oppressed need a strong leader to get them to rise up?

[Dean]

The soldiers tale wasn't as good as the Priests for me, but was okay, but the first part of the Poets story I struggled with.

I had enough of poetry during my recent encounter with Lord of the Rings! Still, i'm about half way through thoughthis chapter and it has picked up a little.

[Dean]

Amy wrote:

Did I miss something?

(view spoiler)[
When did Hoyt need rescuing? I thought he was just in the party that went in search for Duré .


Right at the end of the chapter when the Consul is alone with the Hoyt (page 97 on my kindle) he tells that the Bikura came and killed all his crew mates and left only himself alive. The next day they took him to see the 'son of the flames' Duré. Afterwards he says that the Bikura too him back to the cleft and it wasn't until the next day that Orlandi came to rescue him and destroyed the village. I think it this day before he was rescued he was made 'of the cruciform' (and given Dures cross as well - however that worked.)

(hide spoiler)]

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Dean wrote:
I was almost asleep the first time I read through the ending of that chapter. Maybe I need to go back and re-read further back in the ending because I don't remember any of that.

[Dean]

I found the below which has proved a great summary. I'm using it after each chapter to make sure I didn't miss anything important before moving on. So far, have resisted any temptation to read ahead of where I am up to in the book (just starting Chapter 4).

http://hyperioncantos.wikia.com/wiki/...

[Jennifer]

Dean wrote: "I found the below which has proved a great summary. I'm using it after each chapter to make sure I didn't miss anything important before moving on. So far, have resisted any temptation to read ahea..." Good link! Thanks!

[Amy, Queen of Time]

The summary is helpful, but I'm still left with more questions than answers. I guess that's the nature of this book though.

[Jennifer]

As it is part of a series, book II is really needed to explain a lot of things - and there is Endymion and The Rise of Endymion - books III and IV.

[Dean]

The Scholars tale is a real return to form for me. Really enjoying it, and it makes you think.

I could pick a few holes in how things would really work out in the scenario described, but i'm happy not to dwell on those things too much.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

The Soldier's Tale
I have a pondering about the Shrike moving (view spoiler)[backward through time. How does that even work? Do they experience the effect and then the cause? What do the chunks of time look like?Obviously, it's not 12:00:00 PM followed by 11:00:59 AM. Do the shrikes' days move backward instead? Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, etc.? It seems that the suit that The Soldier wears allows him to perhaps feel what their chunks of time are like: freeze time, move forward in frozen time and do things, experience normal time again. So then when do they move backward? Assuming that Moneta is a shrike, it's not as if she experienced the big O and then the foreplay. But The Soldier wasn't wearing a special suit during those times, so they certainly weren't in a bubble of frozen time. But it is interesting that Moneta only came to him in the past when he was immersed in virtual reality scenarios. At the end of his tale, The Soldier vows to kill the shrike and Moneta if he sees them again. But if Moneta is a shrike and moves backward in time, he hasn't had his first meeting with her from her point of view. So does she fall in love with him because he's trying to kill her? That hardly makes sense, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Suddenly, this feels like River Song and Doctor Who, doesn't it? Come to think of it, the shrike remind me of the Endermen in Minecraft. This book is several decades old and everyone and their dog has read it, so I'd not be surprised if it has consciously or subconsciously inspired other storylines/creations. Sorry this whole paragraph is a mess, but so is time travel. (hide spoiler)]

[M.J.]

Amy, I love the fan art of the Hypperion cantos tree, and now I'm really excited to read this book! Thanks!

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Everybody still reading?

I'm in love with the concept of the poet's house which seems to have the equivalent of a star gate through the door of each room so that each room opens up to a glorious view on a different planet. Yes, please! I need a back porch that opens up to the woods, a kitchen with a view of the ocean, a bedroom with a skylight that has the best view of the stars without city lights and the sound of crickets ...

[Dean]

The poet's house sounded great, but for me was one of the few good things about him! From the time he told his story, I was hoping that some misfortune would befall him.

I finished the book yesterday. Overall, i'm giving the book 4 stars, and i really enjoyed it, though in some areas I thought it bogged down a little. If I were to break down the chapters, would score:

Priest's Tale: 4
Soldiers Tale: 3
Poet's Tale: 2
Scholar's Tale: 5
Detective's Tale: 3
Consul's Tale: 4

I wasn't sure prior to reading but I will almost certainly read the sequel in the next few months. Whether I then go on to read the next two books i'm not so sure; from what I have read, 1&2 go together and then 3&4 go together.

My thoughs on the end: (view spoiler)[ I'm hoping it's no great surprise to others that this book has no real-ending. This had been on my to read list for ages before I happened to read something that made me aware of this fact, so at least I was prepared, but I do think it sucks to a degree. Most books in a series manage to have a satisfactory ending of sorts for each individual book. (hide spoiler)]

[Amy, Queen of Time]

I assume that spoiler is for the whole book, Dean? I like your rating system there. I love what I've read as a whole even though I'm not tearing through it.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Here's Dan Simmons on Reddit talking in December about any possibility of a Hyperion movie/television series: www.reddit.com/r/Hyperion/comments/81...

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Oh, apparently, this was the original source of that statement. Oops. http://forum.dansimmons.com/ubbthread...

[Nancy]

I am going to start this tonight.

[Dean]

Amy wrote: "I assume that spoiler is for the whole book, Dean? I like your rating system there."

Yeah, sorry for not being clear - still getting the hang of using spoiler tags....! I don't think my spoiler would be a great surprise to anyone reading as it's not about the plot itself, but I just don't want to give anything away, so thought it best to hide it for those that haven't finished the book.

[Nancy]

I was going to start this tonight and all of a sudden the only copy my library has on Overdrive has suddenly been checked out. Now I have to wait two weeks. The library is already closed so I can’t even go get a paper copy.

[Nancy]

I started last night! I just finished the priest’s story.

[Nancy]

Amy wrote: "Dean wrote: "Amy, regarding your questions after the priests tale:


Did I miss something? When did Hoyt need rescuing? I thought he was just in the party that went in search for Duré.
Was that ..."


Orlandi rescued him from the Bikura. He was trappped there just like Duré was.

[Dean]

Nancy wrote: "I started last night! I just finished the priest’s story."

Glad you got a copy in the end - did you enjoy the priests tale?

[Nancy]

Yes, I did. I’m looking for ward to the other stories and where it leads. So far, off to a good start.

[Nancy]

I finished the soldier’s story.