The Fall of Hyperion

I finished reading The Fall of Hyperion today. I found its continuation of the theological explorations begun in Hyperion deeply satisfying. Although certain ‘mysteries’ revealed at the end of each book could be foreseen by attentive readers, I much prefer that to the Angels and Demons approach of writing a mystery and then contriving a reason on the final pages why the least likely character was the murderer.

But I found the theological twists and turns to be genuinely thrilling. One example (which I think I can share without it being a real spoiler) is when a character who had been reflecting on the story of Abraham and Isaac since the first book concludes that, in that famous instance, Abraham was testing God rather than vice versa.

There are even more interesting theological explorations (many of them inspired by “St. Teilhard”), but to reveal them would indeed give away plot elements. So I’ll leave it at that, and recommend Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion to those who enjoy science fiction that explores religious themes.