Hyperion

Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are two intricately designed novels that reach backwards to draw inspiration from poetry and philosophy of centuries gone by to inform on a dark war between mankind, our evolution, and our subtle machine overlords in utopian future.

Sound familiar? It should. These two award-winning novels were written a decade before the Matrix series were released, and it’s hard not to draw parallels on many levels (specifically in terms of plot and philosophical influence).

Hyperion is overtly structured like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: a disparate group of people set off on a pilgrimage. The journey is of galactic significance, as it has been sponsored by the government in an attempt to head off a major war. They all are given to believe that one amongst them is a spy, and to discover who that might be, they agree to share the stories of why they were selected for the pilgrimage.

The sequel, Fall of Hyperion, picks up after the revelation of the spy’s identity. It introduces a new character, who is a computer-bred replicant of John Keats, the 19th century poet. His journey takes him deep behind the scenes of the political maneuvering as humanity wages a defensive war against an overwhelming invasion. He has some sort of psychic link to the pilgrims on Hyperion, allowing him to follow what is occurring there.

Like all good science fiction authors, Dan Simmons does more than simply present a world with advanced technology. He thinks through the implications of such a technology, and brings it back to lessons for us today.

As a student of both English literature and computer science, I found these two books an intelligent and informed read. I highly recommend them for anybody looking for a good stepping stone between Neuromancer and The Matrix.