%run _help_reading.py
import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv(
'https://github.com/MrGeislinger/victorsothervector/raw/main/'
'data/reading/all_reading-clean.csv'
)
book_name = """Hyperion"""
one_title = one_title_data(df, book_name)
one_title_summary = get_summary_by_day(one_title)
generate_plot(one_title_summary, book_name);
Overview
This first book of a four part series introduces the reader to the series’ world set in the future through a collection of 6 different stories told by travelers to the planet Hyperion.
Buy at Bookshop (non-affiliate link / affiliate link)
I don’t know how I avoided hearing anything about this book (published in 1989) but I’m glad I wasn’t spoiled!
I’m not a big reader of fiction, but I do tend to like a good Sci-Fi world, and Hyperion delivers!
I can’t actually remember who recommended the book or where I even heard about it first, but it’s been on my reading list for a while now. I enjoy going into books blind as much as possible and that’s how I went into this one. I wasn’t sure if it was science fiction. I suggest the same to you if you’re reading this, so here’s your chance before continuing. (It’s not like my thoughts on the book are that profound anyways.)
I was so happy going into the book with no expectations since this book unveils the world of Hyperion little-by-little over stories from 6 different travelers. This ~500 page book really is more of an introduction to a world that apparently kicks off the 4 part series. This can sound like a bit of a rip but I find these 6 stories broken into their own chapters and averaging about 80 pages stand well on their own while also building up more of the fictional world.
I usually read by chapter where I dedicate the time to finish a complete chapter at a time, and this book works really well for my method! With the longest chapters being 100 pages, it’s something I could dedicate about 60-90 minutes to completely focus on one story at a time.
The sci-fi concepts from the book are interesting such as having to deal with time dilation but for the most part the concepts feel more like ‘magic’ than something I feel grounded in our own universe. But I think that’s alright since the main focus is about the world and this mysterious ‘Shrike’ who’s to bring the end of humanity & is traveling backwards in time. The important part is that it feels as if there are rules to this universe and we’re trying to understand how the characters and events are connected.
Speaking of the ‘traveling backwards through time’, some stories/chapters resonated with me more than others and it was the “The Scholar’s Tale” with Sol’s daughter Rachel aging backwards that hit me hard. This definitely feels like something I connect more with as a parent compared to if I read this when I was younger without kids. The way the story is told is heartbreaking with a dagger on my heartstrings being twisted throughout the chapter. I’m honestly a little afraid, though still intrigued, to hear about what ultimately happens. If you read this before having kids and are a parent now, I bet it’s worth reading again for that different emotional experience.
I liked Hyperion’s style of the world being revealed through multiple characters’ backstories; the author, Dan Simmons, does a great job of making each feel like it is actually told by someone different. I don’t know what the rest of the series will be like (I’ve heard it’s not told in the same multiple perspectives) but this was good enough that it has me dedicated to get through the rest of the series to see what happens!
I had to ask my public library to request the sequel from another library so I guess I’m too far invested now to quit.
Hyperion has got me hooked, so even if the rest of the series is different, I’m still looking forward to Dan Simmons writing on what happens next!