# The Fall of Hyperion ![Book cover of The Fall of Hyperion](/books/covers/the_fall_of_hyperion.jpg) by [Dan Simmons](/books/authors/dan_simmons/) Book 2 of [Hyperion Cantos](/books/series/hyperion_cantos/) Awards: [Locus](/books/by-award/#locus-award), [2025 Favorites](/blog/favorite-books-of-2025/) ★★★★★ ## Review _The Fall of Hyperion_, by Dan Simmons, is the second book in the _Hyperion Cantos_, but really it's the second half of [_Hyperion_](/books/hyperion/). It brings the seven pilgrims' story to an end and depicts the war between the TechnoCore, the Ousters, and the Hegemony. I loved _The Fall of Hyperion_ when I [first read it][first_read], even more so than [_Hyperion_](/books/hyperion/), because it tells a much simpler story. It has space battles, the Soldier fighting the Shrike, and answers to every mystery. It doesn't require the kind of close reading that the first one does to really enjoy it. [first_read]: /books/the_fall_of_hyperion/review-2023-10-27/ On this second read-through, I recognized [_Hyperion_](/books/hyperion/) for the epic masterpiece it is, on the same level as [Wolfe](/books/authors/gene_wolfe/)'s [_The Book of the New Sun_](/books/series/the_book_of_the_new_sun/), Herbert's _Dune_, or Tolkien's _The Lord of the Rings_. But my opinion of _The Fall of Hyperion_ didn't change. It's still great, but it didn't reveal the same level of hidden depth. ### Themes _The Fall of Hyperion_ follows the themes and structure of its namesake, John Keats's _The Fall of Hyperion: A Dream_. Just as the narrator of the poem falls asleep and dreams of the aftermath of the [Titanomachy][titanomachy], the cybrid Joseph Severn dreams of the fall of the Hegemony from a distance. [titanomachy]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanomachy The character Moneta takes her role directly from the poem. In Keats's poem, she is the living archive of the war and the guardian of the altar. In Simmons's book, she is the survivor of a war in the far future who brings the memory of it back in time. In the poem, she points out the difference between a dreamer and a poet: the dreamer observes the world but does not act, while the poet uses empathy to provide meaning and heal the world. The central thesis of _The Fall of Hyperion_, that suffering is necessary for enlightenment, comes directly from Keats's poem: > "None can usurp this height," returned that shade,\ > "But those to whom the miseries of the world\ > Are misery, and will not let them rest.\ > All else who find a heaven in the world,\ > Where they may thoughtless sleep away their days,\ > If by a chance into this fane they come,\ > Rot on the pavement where thou rottedst half." > > --- Keats, John. ["An Earlier Version of 'Hyperion'"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Poetical_Works_of_John_Keats/An_Earlier_Version_of_%22Hyperion%22) *The Poetical Works of John Keats*. DeWolfe, Fiske & Company. 1884. p. 281. Simmons applies this idea to civilization itself. The Hegemony is stagnant because the TechnoCore has made life too easy. This is juxtaposed against the Ousters, who rejected the TechnoCore's gifts and have flourished as the true heirs of humanity. This requirement for suffering determines the outcome of the war in heaven as well. Through Father Paul Duré, Simmons casts the war as a race to [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's][ptdc] [Omega Point][op]---the final evolution of an evolving god. The machines try to reach this point by creating a god that is all intellect. But because it cannot suffer, it is destined to lose to the human god, which unites intellect with empathy via the Void Which Binds. Severn transitions from dreamer to poet only when he suffers through the same death as Keats, allowing him to finally act by joining the empathy aspect of the triune human god. [ptdc]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin [op]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point Ultimately, the book follows Keats's theme of "dying into life." The narrator in _The Fall of Hyperion: A Dream_ feels his death and rebirth as he climbs to the altar; similarly, the novel's narrator, Joseph Severn, must physically die to be reborn within the Void. Apollo in Keats's _Hyperion_ is granted godhood through "knowledge enormous", taking in the agonies and triumphs of the universe, just as the human god is born from uniting intellect and empathy. We see this cycle everywhere: with Father Duré and Father Hoyt dying and being reborn through the cruciform parasite, and finally with CEO Meina Gladstone's choice to destroy the Hegemony. Gladstone's choice resolves the theme of Abrahamic sacrifice introduced in the first book. In _The Fall of Hyperion_, Sol Weintraub realizes that Abraham's test was not really a test of Abraham, but a test of God, and that blind obedience is immoral. By reclaiming his own will, he resolves the dilemma. Weintraub sacrifices Rachel only when _she_ asks for it. Gladstone arrives at the same solution: she sacrifices the Hegemony not because it is demanded, but because she chooses to take the sin upon herself, freeing humanity and allowing them to die into life. ### Story [_Hyperion_](/books/hyperion/)'s structure is so compelling, with each pilgrim's story as a pastiche of a different genre. When you layer in the themes and references to Keats's work, it becomes a masterpiece. _The Fall of Hyperion_ feels like a pale imitation. It's still great, but not transcendental. It also suffers in the way [Wolfe](/books/authors/gene_wolfe/)'s [_The Urth of the New Sun_](/books/the_urth_of_the_new_sun/) does: it explains every mystery. The cruciform parasites were intended to do this, the Tree of Thorns was created to do that, etc., etc. It leaves the impression that the world is a little too neat, too planned out. That said, the plotting and pacing are on point. There are two twists that both hit hard. The first is when the other Ouster swarms attack the Web, indicating they must have been launched hundreds of years ago. The second comes when the swarms are revealed to be TechnoCore false-flag operations, and the Ousters are revealed to be humanity's true descendants rather than barbarians. _The Fall of Hyperion_ reminded me of a few other works in its darker themes. The Shrike's Tree of Pain being imaginary, with torture fed into the victims' heads via a shunt, is the same idea as in [Banks](/books/authors/iain_m_banks/)'s [_Surface Detail_](/books/surface_detail/), where civilizations use simulated hells to punish sinners. The planet-wide inferno on God's Grove was like the tsunamis of flame in [_The Player of Games_](/books/the_player_of_games/). Gladstone sacrificing billions to save humanity reminds me of the choice Ozymandias makes in Moore and Gibbons's _Watchmen_, although Ozymandias builds a lie whereas Gladstone exposes the truth. The struggles of the Catholic Church during civilizations collapse is like [Miller](/books/authors/walter_m_miller_jr/)'s [_A Canticle for Leibowitz_](/books/a_canticle_for_leibowitz/). Both this book and [El-Mohtar](/books/authors/amal_el-mohtar/) and [Gladstone](/books/authors/max_gladstone/)'s [_This Is How You Lose the Time War_](/books/this_is_how_you_lose_the_time_war/) deal with a war being fought over possible futures. Some of the details were similar to other books as well. The Core references Asimov's [Three Laws of Robotics][three_laws] from _I, Robot_. The navy's use of a star system in the farcaster network as a DMZ is an idea later used by [Taylor](/books/authors/dennis_e_taylor/) in [_Not Till We Are Lost_](/books/not_till_we_are_lost/), and is similar to how Basilisk is used in [Weber](/books/authors/david_weber/)'s [_On Basilisk Station_](/books/on_basilisk_station/). Finally, the cruciform glowing on the labyrinth walls reminded me of the glowing Harmonium aliens in the caves of Mercury in [Vonnegut](/books/authors/kurt_vonnegut/)'s [_The Sirens of Titan_](/books/the_sirens_of_titan/). [three_laws]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics The last time I read this book, I stopped here and didn't finish the rest of the the [_Hyperion Cantos_](/books/series/hyperion_cantos/). This time I intend to continue on through [_Endymion_](/books/endymion/) and [_The Rise of Endymion_](/books/the_rise_of_endymion/), even though I hear each one is worse than the last. I'm hoping I've heard incorrectly! ## Reviews that mention _The Fall of Hyperion_ - [_Endymion_](/books/endymion/) - [_Exit Strategy_](/books/exit_strategy/) - [_Hyperion_](/books/hyperion/) - [_Monday Begins on Saturday_](/books/monday_begins_on_saturday/)† - [_The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress_](/books/the_moon_is_a_harsh_mistress/)† - [_On Basilisk Station_](/books/on_basilisk_station/) - [_The Rise of Endymion_](/books/the_rise_of_endymion/) - [_Sunstone Imperative_](/books/sunstone_imperative/)† - [_This Is How You Lose the Time War_](/books/this_is_how_you_lose_the_time_war/) † _Mentioned via a link to the series._ ## Previous Reviews - [_The Fall of Hyperion_](/books/the_fall_of_hyperion/review-2023-10-27/) by [Dan Simmons](/books/authors/dan_simmons/) --- ★★★★★: The Fall of Hyperion is a sequel that outshines its predecessor. It is everything I was expecting from Hyperion and more! A true masterpiece. ## Related Books - [_Hyperion_](/books/hyperion/) by [Dan Simmons](/books/authors/dan_simmons/) --- ★★★★★: Hyperion is Dan Simmons’s masterpiece. It is the first book in his Hyperion Cantos. It follows seven pilgrims as they travel to the Time Tombs on Hyperion to petition the Shrike. Along the way, each tells their own story, weaving together history, myth, and prophecy to tell of the impending downfall of man. - [_Endymion_](/books/endymion/) by [Dan Simmons](/books/authors/dan_simmons/) --- ★★★☆☆: Endymion, by Dan Simmons, is the third book in the Hyperion Cantos. It follows a new cast of characters—Aenea, Raul, and Bettik—as they flee the oppressive forces of the Pax via a raft on the River Tethys. Set centuries after the earlier books, the story reveals a galaxy reshaped by the Church and its dark covenant of immortality. - [_The Rise of Endymion_](/books/the_rise_of_endymion/) by [Dan Simmons](/books/authors/dan_simmons/) --- ★★★☆☆: The Rise of Endymion, by Dan Simmons, is the fourth and final book in the Hyperion Cantos. It concludes the journey of Aenea and Raul as they race to unlock the secret of the Void Which Binds before the Pax can silence them. It resolves the mysteries of the Shrike and the TechnoCore while arguing that the Church’s immortality is a trap: to truly live, humanity must be willing to die.