Sample

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Hyperion

By: Dan Simmons
Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, Jay Snyder, Victor Bevine
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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)

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
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14,877
  • 4 Stars
    5,912
  • 3 Stars
    2,317
  • 2 Stars
    840
  • 1 Stars
    587
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14,421
  • 4 Stars
    4,559
  • 3 Stars
    1,345
  • 2 Stars
    313
  • 1 Stars
    234
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12,966
  • 4 Stars
    4,686
  • 3 Stars
    1,909
  • 2 Stars
    764
  • 1 Stars
    587

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Strange but compelling

I loved the stories of the travelers. Each one was philosophical and compelling. It left me wanting to continue the series. This is the type of science fiction I enjoy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic

Engaging and unique. I can read this series again and again finding new interest each time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Probably need the 2nd book

I had several friends and constituents recommend me to this book. It was well written and VERY WELL performed. The performance alone is worth the listen, however I found the story to be missing something for me. I’m 1 hour post finishing this novel and I can’t determine what is missing.
Even with the missing piece the story was fun and engaging! Please look at my rating with my complaints and understand this book is worth it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Don’t only wentonly wentI didn’t know about this sooner.

Apparently I’m behind the times and am only discovering this masterpiece in early 2023. The story ranged all over the spectrum on beliefs and ideals and I was sucked in!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Very painful.

I was forcing myself each time to continue this book. Each character is supposed to provide their own narrative in first person to the others in the group. but instead each person's perspective is written like a diary. My was at some point this story would come together but instead offers no payoff. The last chapter by the author's own admission has nothing to do with the main narrative of the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and interesting

This is a very entertaining story or should I say series of interconnected stories. The plot develops at a slow and even pace for the first three quarters of the story and then accelerates. The narrator’s performances are excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mystery box, not really sci-fi.

It is somewhat entertaining and well written, but 100% mistery and fluff. There is room for that in a good story, but there needs to be more. If you are into that then you may love it but I was expecting sci-fi and ratings it as such.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great sci-fi listen!!

Great story, fairly complex but it flows well and keeps you engaged. The book is made up of several stories that support the main theme. The only complaint is the ending, there is no conclusion. Without the following book the reader would be left with a quite unfinished story however having just read the second book in the series I have to say the books are great and I think you should read them if you like sci-fi books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

First two books great! Last two books not great!

The main character in the later books is annoying, pathetic, and has zero character development.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great stories told by great voice talent!

If you like an overarching plot sprinkled with interrelated subplots all while being told by engaging voice characterizations then give this book a listen. You will clap at the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!