The Fall of HyperionThe Fall of Hyperion
What it's about
The pilgrims of Hyperion have reached the Time Tombs, and the Shrike, the creature they came to face, begins to come for them. Meanwhile, war has broken out between humanity's Hegemony and the Ousters, and the Hegemony's leader, Meina Gladstone, depends on a strange artificial being with the personality of the poet John Keats, who dreams the pilgrims' fates. The two stories converge in a war that will decide the future of humanity.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Hugo and Nebula finalist and is the essential second half of one of science fiction's great epics.
You'll love it if you liked
Hyperion, Dune or The Foundation Trilogy
Good to know
You have to read Hyperion first. It's more conventionally plotted, with a lot of space war.
By the numbers
- Readers85 out of 100 · counts 40%+39
- Critics43 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+15
- Bestseller28 out of 100 · counts 14%+4
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
Hugo Award finalist (1991). 4.25★ from 159K Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #28 of the 140 science fiction books we rank
- #34 of the 131 fantasy books we rank
- #128 of the 666 modern books we rank
- #300 of the 1,404 books we rank
Shortlisted
- Hugo Award finalist (1991)
- Nebula Award finalist (1990)
Reads as
Epic, Adventurous
