Hyperion

By Dan Simmons

Suffering and Redemption

Dan Simmons crafts a Canterbury Tales for the far future: seven pilgrims travel to meet the deadly Shrike, each carrying a story of suffering and hope. A priest wrestling with faith after genocide. A soldier betrayed by his own side. A scholar watching his daughter age backward toward non-existence. A detective seeking justice beyond death. Through vivid, heartbreaking tales, Simmons explores the deepest Catholic themes: suffering's meaning, redemption's cost, and love's power to conquer death itself. The crucifix imagery is explicit—some must be nailed to the tree of pain so others might live.