The Fall of Hyperion

Winner of the Locus Award (1991).

On the world called Hyperion the mysterious Time Tombs are opening and seven pilgrims risk their lives to petition the entity called the Shrike – a creature that may well control the fate of all mankind.

The Hegemony of Man – a thousand thousand worlds linked by a network of farcaster portals and high-tech gateways – is under siege by Ousters, strange, half-human tribes mutated almost beyond recognition.

The AIs – Artificial Intelligences whose synthetic wisdom created and now maintains the nets that bind the Hegemony – have become a threat. There are hints that they have turned against the Hegemony and all mankind. There is evidence that they have begun a strange and frightening project: a scheme to create the Ultimate Intelligence – to build, in short, God. God of Machines: the ultimate deus ex machina. His genesis may well mean man's annihilation.

Something is drawing the Hegemony, the AIs, the Ousters, and indeed the entire universe towards the Shrike and the Time Tombs from which it has arisen. In a moment the paths of man, machine and god will intersect. And nothing will ever be the same.

THE FALL OF HYPERION is a stunning, powerful world-building science fiction novel and a superb sequel to the internationally acclaimed HYPERION, winner of the Hugo Award and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.