Hyperion Cantos Author: Dan Simmons
	Book Information Publisher: Guild America Books Book Type: Hardcover Members Wishing: 0 Rating: 1 ISBN-13: 157914 - ISBN-10: Publication Date: 1990 Pages: 929

Eight centuries from now—long after the death of Old Earth—humanity stands on the brink of galactic war. The Hegemony of Man encompasses numerous worlds linked by a teleportation Web, but other human beings live beyond the Web—descendants of spacefarers who chose not to terraform alien worlds, but to adapt themselves to interstellar space.

Now these Ousters are about to trigger all-out war by invading Hyperion, a remote colony planet never brought into the Web. The Hegemony must prevent the takeover at any cost, for Hyperion is the site of the Time Tombs—artifacts created by a civilization of the future, sent back in time for an unknown purpose. Some believe the Tombs will soon open, revealing valuable war-winning technology. Others believe the Tombs signify that the time has come for humanity to atone for its long, bloody history, the instrument of which is the Shrike—the Lord of Pain.

Three meters tall, with four arms and a metallic carapace covered with deadly spikes and blades, the Shrike has inspired countless thousands to seek absolution in the valley of the Time Tombs—pilgrimages stopped because of the imminence of war and the strange, unstable time tides in the area. But the leaders of the Hegemony have allowed one final journey for seven specially chosen pilgrims—each one prepared to confront the Pain Lord for his or her own private reasons. No one knows what awaits them in Hyperion's wasteland—cut off from technology and the rest of the human race. But one thing is certain: at a time of impending chaos, the Shrike and those facing its awful judgment hold the key to the future. Includes Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion. Warning: Explicit language. Jacket art by Ron Walotsky. (929 pp.) 1989-1990.