Hyperion, by Dan Simmons

Seven people are asked to go on a pilgrimage to the Shrike Temple on Hyperion. Humans now occupy over one hundred worlds in the galaxy having lost Earth to some horrible self-inflicted event thousands of years prior. The human population stands at 150 billion and travels rapidly from system to system through “farcaster” portals that tunnel through space and time or slowly on large interstellar ships. The Shrike is a semi-mythical creature that occupies a series of structures in the far north of Hyperion called the Time Tombs. The Time Tombs are moving backward through time. The Shrike appears invulnerable to the effects of time, being able to slow it down or even stop it as it wishes. No one knows where it came from or to what purpose it serves except it is a fearsome and deadly creature. It is said that a pilgrimage to the Shrike must number seven people. It is also said that of those seven pilgrims, one will be granted his/her wish. This story opens with the human race about to enter a war with another species, the Ousters, who are descendants from the first humans to leave Earth. The battlefield is centered in the Hyperion system. The last pilgrimage to the Shrike is taking place simultaneously and may, likely will, affect the outcome of the war. This story is really an aggregate of six stories told by the pilgrims to one another. Each has an experience, in some form, with the Shrike. Suffusing the text are references to John Keats, the poet. And the pilgrimage itself reminds one of the Canterbury Tales. It’s a wonderful read. And haunting – especially the Priest’s tale. The story continues in the Fall of Hyperion which I’ve just begun. Good science fiction is impressive stuff indeed. This novel combines quality writing with a lucid and clearly articulated vision of a human future. The philosophical questions/conundrums posed by the pilgrims echo those we experience in our own lives. Perhaps this is the true measure of a good read.