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Hyperion  By  cover art

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.

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)
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Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks for Fans of Dune


Ever since its publication in 1965, Frank Herbert's Dune has set the bar high for epic science fiction. In fact, Herbert's beloved novel is considered to be one the best sci-fi books of all time. Dune was the recipient of multiple awards, including the inaugural Nebula Award for best novel in 1966. And in October 2021, more than 50 years after the novel's initial release, fans of Dune are being treated to a film adaptation, directed by Denis Villeneuve.

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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I liked this one.

The only thing that I didn't like is that the story didn't conclude to my satisfaction. the narrations were good and the stories were very good

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Short Stories all sewn together

7 characters must tell their stories about how they were chosen for a mission to basically save humanity.
Simmons has a huge imagination to both see the future and describe in detail this new tech heavy universe.
It’s a good story!

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Pretty great interpretation!

All readers are very professional and great! I enjoy this program totally. Wanna listen the sequel.

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God damn. This book is amazing

This book is so well written and amazingly paced. I love that it does not hold your hand with explanations about the sci fi aspects of the world, you understand the more you read through context, not clunky exposition.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Couldn't follow the second half

The first parts of the book worked well enough but maybe I missed some connecting ideas because the descriptions of each of five or six peoples' histories absolutely lost me.
The ending left me wondering what might happen next and I think that there is a follow on book but I'm not interested because I slept through and had to re listen to many sections.

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Favorite book

I’ve listened to this book about 10 times and love Simmons other works. Can’t wait for a video series!

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Awesome book!

Just great! Love the story and the writing style. Amazing world building and character development.

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Fabulous!

Wow no wonder everyone recommended this book to me! On to the next volume -can’t wait to see what happens!

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best book I've listened to in a while

I had heard the the premise of this book before I started it, "The Canterbury tales in space", with a thorny monster that impales people and keeps them alive in torment, it sounded very grim, and as much as people told me it was great, I put off reading it.
but after finishing, I would not call it grim, it's really something special, and I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to spoil anything, but also I don't know how to distill an adequate synopsis.
if you can tolerate sci-fi or fantasy, then you'll probably find something engrossing in this idea of what a future for humanity might look like and what stories might be possible there and then.

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Philosophy, world building, and Several stories

A fun and richly unique set of stories coming together across a vast space and time. Excellent voice acting and vivid world building with strong character development. A must.

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