I finished reading Hyperion on the plane back home. This again is a (1989) book I had not heard of until I saw it in the Gollancz 50 series (which delivers at a low price the “best” 50 books in science-fiction and fantasy, like Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind and Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. Its only drawback being a vivid and ugly yellow color! I don’t often read space opera sci-fi; however, this book is a masterpiece that completely deserves its inclusion in the Gollancz 50 series.

Hyperion offers a complex plot, compelling characters, an interesting universe, a credible political structure, and, above all, relates quite strongly and openly to literary history, from Chauncer’s Canterbury Tales, to H.G. Wells, to William Gibson’s Neuromancer, to Philip K. Dick (and Blade Runner), and to Keats as a central figure. Plus interesting plays on religions and beliefs. The book does not conclude, as there is a sequel, The Fall of Hyperion, that I will most certainly read.

Guest post contributed by Xi’an’s Og. Along with book reviews, this blogger includes pieces on research, academic life, and travels, dipping into the fiction as well as non-fiction.