Hyperion Cantos

This the second time I will review my thoughts on the Hyperion Cantos epic poem by Dan Simmons. I have finished reading all the books directly related to the poem from Hyperion to The Rise of Endymion. There are other novels in the Hyperion Universe, but they are not part of the poem. This epic falls in the categories of other epics of sci-fi like Dune and The Foundation series.

Many who have seen the jacket cover of the original novel may believe that the novel contains elements of fantasy which involves spiritism or demonism because of the thorny creature depicted on the book cover or jacket. The creature seen there is known as the Shrike. It is not a demon. Without major spoilers, just picture the Shrike as a Cylon adaptation with mechanical appendages. It is not a demon. I have never seen a demon so...

The Cantos is a masterpiece from the vivid imagination of the author. It contains all the elements pertaining to the genre of hard science fiction. Many readers will have difficulties in reading it if they are looking for a mental adrenaline boost that they may receive from a space opera like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica. The Cantos is more like a slow reaction drug, it takes a while to feel the effects. One needs to read this poem as slowly as possible.

The main reason to take your time is that the novel is extremely detailed. There are new concepts of technology embedded with existing science. Reading it too quickly may lead the reader to misunderstandings of the plot. Here is an example. Michio Kakau, a scientist and futurist, in one of his discourses that I attended in Washington DC talked about uploading one conscience into a synthetic body, one would be called a cyborg. In the novel you read about the reverse where an AI is transferred into a human body. The author calls it a Cybrid.

In conclusion the Hyperion Cantos is a good read, very detailed in science and technology with a good story that concludes eloquently If one has the patience to not only read the novel but to absorb the concepts the author conveys to the hard sci-fi readers.