Hyperion (1989) Bantam Spectra

In the twenty-ninth century, the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat by the rebel Ousters and the schemes of the secessionist AI TechnoCore. Seven citizens set out on a pilgrimage to the planet, Hyperion. There, the fabled Time Tombs seem about to reveal their secrets. But Hyperion is home also to the Shrike, part god and part killing machine, whose powers are said to transcend space and time. The seven have been chosen by the Church of the Shrike to travel on what may prove to be a final pilgrimage. While en route, the travellers, like another fabled group of pilgrims, share their stories on why they are on the journey.

The Fall of Hyperion (1990) Bantam Spectra, Headline

On Hyperion, the Time Tombs are opening and seven pilgrims risk their lives to petition the Shrike -- a creature that may control the fate of all mankind. Something is drawing the Hegemony, the AIs, and the Ousters towards the Shrike and the Time Tombs. The novel begins with the arrival of the pilgrims. Planning to seek out the Shrike and trying to discover its purpose and their own, the pilgrims are drawn into events over which they have too little control.

Endymion (1996) Bantam Spectra, Headline

The story begins some 300 plus years after The Fall of Hyperion. A young girl, Aenea, is foreseen is a great threat to the current ruling Hegemony in the galaxy, a twisted version of the Catholic Church that relies on the cruciform parasite and the promise of resurrection to hold sway. She is protected by the Shrike and some of her other companions while she tries to unravel her destiny. Trying to stay ahead of her pursuers, Aenea, begins the journey to confirm her role as the coming messiah, one she may not live to fulfill. Her protector, Raul Endymion, tells the tale from his orbital prison.

The Rise of Endymion (1997) Bantam Spectra

It begins with the death and resurrection of Pope Julius XV and the coming-of-age of the new messiah, Aenea. She is thought to be the only person who can counter the pope and his plan to unleash the Pax Fleet, the Church's military wing, on a final genocidal Crusade to gain total dominion over the universe. A Church ally, the AI Core offers immortality to humankind but only those faithful who pledge total obedience to the Church. The Core has its own motives; Aenea knows what they are. Together with the android A. Bettik, Raul Endymion and Aenea embark on a final mission to find and comprehend the underlying fabric of the universe. Meanwhile, the Shrike -- monster, angel, killing machine -- has followed them and is ready to complete its own mission.

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