Rating: 
Summary: The best book I have ever read.
Review: When I started Hyperion I had no idea what to expect. It was the first sci-fi I had read in a while and, put quite simply, it blew me away. The way Simmons had envisioned not only the future of a planet, but an entire universe was almost too much for me. The individual tales were incredibly engrossing and some nearly brought tears to my eyes. I have so many favorite parts, from Rachel telling Sol that she no longer wants to remember her unknown life, to Dure stuck in perpetual death and rebirth, that I have considered the entire book utterly breath-taking. I have read it seven times and every time I get something new out of it. I am now forcing my friends to read it and they have become enthralled with the Hyperion series. My only gripe is the unconclusive ending, but it forced me to read an almost equally impressive book, the Fall of Hyperion. I would give Hyperion more points if it were possible.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: This along work along with its conclusion and secondary story lines in Endyminion is far and away the most superior scifi I've encountered in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: I won't ruin the end for you; Hyperion doesn't have one.
Review: I am ambivalent about Hyperion. I disagree with many of the reviewers in that I found the characters in the book fascinating, not repulsive. I looked forward with great anticipation to the meeting with the Shrike, which was set up to be the climax of the novel. When I was ten pages from the end of the book and they still had not met the Shrike, I started to sweat. Five pages . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . TO BE CONTINUED!?! This isn't a novel! It does not tell a complete story! My disappointment was so great that it overwhelmed my curiosity, I refuse to read the sequel
Rating: 
Summary: Profane, Vulgar, and Indecent
Review: What a disappointment Hyperion was. After reading all the hype about the book, I was excited to read it. I only wish someone had written something about the muck one has to wade through to get to the story. This book is profane, vulgar, and indecent. It reminded me of third grade when certain kids learned crude words and tried to use them as often as possible. I threw the book into the trash can with the rest of the garbage before I could finish it. I will not recommend Hyperion to anyone, young or old.
Rating: 
Summary: I can't see what everyone else is raving about!
Review: I was suprised to see this on the list of "raves" here at Amazon.com. I found it especially odd to find some reviews comparing it with Ender's Game (one of my favorites). I can hardly think of two sci-fi books more different. I will say that the writing was quite good. That is why I decided to complete the book, but I was looking forward to getting to the end. Then when I reached the end and realized that this was only the first of a series I felt cheated. I knew I wouldn't read the second, but had absolutely no sense of resolution.
Rating:
Summary: Was it a bad year for SF books?
Review: I can't help but wonder if it was a lean year for SF novels in 1990. The other books nominated for the Hugo that year:
The Boat of a Million Years by Poul Anderson
Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card
A Fire in the Sun by George Alec Effinger
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper
I've not had a chance to read any of the others, but read "Hyperion" because of all of the great reviews it's been given, and since it did win the Hugo that year.
I'd prefer to give it a "grate" review.
While some of the stories were mildy interesting, the characters were not. How can one get involved in a story when the majority of the characters are less-than-savory, to say the least? I for one didn't care much which of them survived. In my mind, none of them much deserved it. And to make matters worse, the book ended without even resolving this matter.
Perhaps the most annoying thing about this book is Simmons' descriptive style. He seems to feel that describing everything down to the atomic level makes for good writing. I for one found his style cumbersome and derailing. Read Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man" if you want to see the flip-side. Bester can engage you entirely in a story with very sparse descriptions. Less is more in good writing, and film for that matter. Allow the reader to fill-in the gaps on their own. Bludgeoning them with over-description makes this book crawl at a snail's pace.
The Shrike was perhaps the only interesting character in the book. Enigmatic and brutal. Much like Simmons' writing style.
I gave the book a rating of 3 because the cover-art was neat and all of the pages were in the right order. If you buy it, keep the cover and dispense with the pages in between.
Rating:
Summary: The wonderful world of Hyperion
Review: This book, along with Ender's Game, ranks as one of the top science-fiction novels of our time. It presents a beautiful prelude to the tetralogy of the Hyperion world and its universe, and is easily the best of the series. In a nutshell, it tells the story of the human race in a far future, and their relationship with not only each other but with the technology that has made possible the colonization of space. The twist is the presentation, which is served in the form of the personal tales of seven unique individuals, each of whom plays a role much greater than anyone could guess in the future of the human race. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: English does not have the appropriate adjectives...
Review: Every aspect of this book - the absolutely realistic character development, the description you feel in your guts, the imaginative and fully-developed plot, the exceptional dialogue - is like a drug. You will not think of the genre the same way after reading Hyperion (too much of it will seem like drivel). A friend told me about it three years before I actually read it, and I regret not rushing out to get it the moment I heard the title cross his lips. This is one of those rare books that defies description. It transcends the ink on the page and becomes a cohesive, truly beautiful work of literature. It challenges one to think about some of the assumptions we live by. The 'Father's Tale' was one of the most moving and powerful pieces of writing I have ever read. Please, read it.
Rating:
Summary: Poetic & Dark Science Fiction
Review: I wouldn't give this a 10, because I reserve that for works such as the Foundation, Dune and Wraeththu series, but this is a wonderful book.
It's written not with pretentious intellectualism,
as some other reviewer pointed out, but with a sense of appreciation for human pain that is
masterfully interwoven with literary references.
Hyperion is a story which branches in and out of several threads, that do come together for the most attentive and intelligent reader. In this book, Simmons won't give you certainties, but stimulating gaps in the
story that will leave you speculating as to what should fill them. A good storyteller works not only with wordcrafting, but also with images carefully constructed in the reader's mind
that will add colour and dimension to the story.
With this work, Simmons proves to be in full control of these two techniques. As you read it, you may become completely engrossed with one of the
tales that compose the story. Someone should perhaps warn you that there is much more to the story than any of the individual tales therein. This way if you happen to be yanked out of your favourite thread before you're done relishing in the pleasure of what you just read, you may keep looking forward to reaching out for the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: great book
Review: I've read this book and I believe that Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion are the two best books I've ever read. The despriction of the future is entertaining and the plot is thick enough to be interesting
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