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Hyperion

By: Dan Simmons
Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, Jay Snyder, Victor Bevine
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Publisher's summary

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.

©1989 Dan Simmons (P)2008 Audible, Inc.
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Critic reviews

Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1990
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: 12 of the Best Sci-Fi Series in Audio


From the furthest reaches of space to the microbiology of pandemics and gene manipulation, to the future implications of technology for societies similar to our own, science fiction is a fascinating genre that offers listeners a wide variety of ways to access its themes. In looking for the best sci-fi audiobook series, it can be difficult to know where to start due to the genre's sheer number of iterations and variations. But what these series have in common is an acute devotion to telling a good story, as well as fully building out the worlds therein. The writing is enhanced by the creative and impassioned narration.

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

What listeners say about Hyperion

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfectly Interwoven Story

This story is great in that it takes into account the very nature of our humanity that will never change despite drastic changes in time, space, technology, or political environment. The characters are clear and strong. It is easy to find and root for the character you relate to the most. This is a great adventure full of twists turns and they didn't leave out the emotional connection that makes you care what happens to the people in this tale.
If you love sci-fi; but, want a story that brings romance, family duty, heroism, and sarcasm, together, then this is the book for you.

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a brilliant and entertaining sci-fi Series

I've read it twice and listened to this series many times. my first attempt I had a little trouble putting the separate stories of each pilgrim together but this was likely from reading between calls at work. my second time through I realized how well written the story is and I truly could not put the books down.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Watered down sci-fi

I found this book to be a bit too poetic at many times for what I consider to be science fiction. The book could have been about half as long without missing anything pertinent. Lastly, the ending was extremely disappointing.

The science fiction part was pretty decent. However, there were several references made regarding things like future infrastructure that were not well explained. Also, the timeline jumping was hard to follow at times. Overall, a good listen, just not great.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

captivating!!

in depth novel with many story lines, each captivating and leaves you waiting for the next!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not perfect but very good

A seriously wild ride, truly a very unique sci-fi story. Only (major) complaint is that the author absolutely can’t write female characters (which is painfully evident in Brawne Lamia’s chapter). Otherwise very enjoyable and well done.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Literary Sci Fi

This is science fiction at its best. High brow, engaging, speculative, human. Great narrative performance.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Creating a world from perspective

The book uses the stories of the selected members for the final pilgrimage to a doomed world. While they never meet before the telling of their stories, the actions of each is what brings them together. It’s really an amazingly well made story with a variety of characters which make it more likely to really communicate to a varied audience.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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wonderful

Great book and lovely narrators. definitely worth a listen. I very much loved the entire thing

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I was expecting

A little too much weird sex stuff for me and it doesn't even finish the story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Somewhat interesting but unfulfilling

First off let me state I am not a big sci-fi fan so take that into consideration for my lower story rating.

The book is journey to nowhere. You go along for the ride and listen to why the people are travelling but that is about it. In all 6 tales are told, 3 of which held my interest. In each tale you uncover who the pilgrim is, a bit of their past, and a reason for journeying to Hyperion. The book ends with no resolution. Some people probably think that is great, and in other stories that can work. I just wasn't invested enough to care more than a feeling of that was annoying that I just listened to all that without a resolution. Had I known that, combined with my semi-disinterest in the characters, I probably would have passed on this book.

A plus is I really enjoyed the narrators. They did a fantastic job and made slogging through some of the boring tales a bit more tolerable.


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