Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Check Amazon.com for a copy and buy it!
Be warned but not afraid. Hyperion's ending is a cliffhanger that leads to the book's sequal, Fall of Hyperion. I got really annoyed when this happened, because this novel is so good that I didn't want it to end.
The Shrike is one bad mother (shut yo' mouth)!
What makes this novel especially good for those of us who write science fiction is the multiple POVs, style, and tone. Normally, switching all that makes for one really crappy read. However, Simmons avoids this by creating a scifi Cantebury Tales.
The novel follows a group on a pilgrimage to a very special planet. Each pilgrim (minus the huge belt buckles and turkeys) tells their story, in turn, of why their going on this expedition. Each telling is presented as a short story with its own unique style.
For example, the private investigator's tale is told in first person like an old hard-boiled detective story. The soldier's tale is written in a tight, militaristic third person. The poet's tale is first person, full of cursing and laughs. Maybe Simmons just wanted to show off. If so, it worked.
But this is no collection of stories the author wrote then turned into a half-baked novel. They contribute beautifully to the plot, which involves a nine-foot tall robot-thing covered with thorns, and they help the reader futher understand the novel's characters and settings.
We need more toilet paper for the raft
And what a setting! Simmons created a detailed, complex, and ultimately believable future society. He also manages to strike the right balance. All his "cool ideas" are presented but they don't get in the way of the plot. Nothing is in this novel without having a purpose.
To give you a taste, I present the gatehouse. Simmons creeped a common scifi tech: the teleportation gate. Step through and you're teleported elsewhere. Simple, no? Simmons imagined a home where every room is on a different planet, connected by these gates. The bathroom is a raft on an ocean world, and the basement is on top of the highest mountain in civiliation. Sweet.
Science fiction is at its best when the science is fantastic but plausible and the writing is tight, realistic, and entertaining. Simmons does all this and more. Think you've read some good books lately? Try this.
Think you know a great SF book or story? Prove it.
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