The series of books by
Dan Simmons beginning with
Hyperion contains four books:
- Hyperion
- The Fall of Hyperion
- Endymion
- The Rise of Endymion
There also exists a
novella "Orphans of the Helix" which takes place
within this series. It can be found in
1999 Far Horizons edited by
Robert Silverberg.
Many observe that this series is actually made up of two pairs of books. The first and second books happen one right after another and pose an satisfactory ending at The Fall of Hyperion. Likewise, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion closely follow each other and pose the ending to the series. While it is possible to read Endymion without first reading the previous pair of books, woe to the readers who start on the second of either pair for they shall be without background. Frustration to the reader who buys the first of the pair and reaches the end of the book without being able to continue the story.
More seriously though, the best comparison for Hyperion is that of a science fiction Canterbury Tales where each pilgrim to the temple of the Shrike, the Lord of Pain. This pilgrimage happens upon a backdrop of war as far flung parts of humanity return and artificial intelligences plot. As each story of the pilgrim is told they wrap together unveiling more and more. It should be noted that while Dan Simmons does have 'intresting' endings he does not suffer from Neal Stephenson's "Where the fuck was the ending" syndrome to quite the same degree.
Hyperion won the Hugo award in 1990