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What are you favorite images from Hyperion? I think it has a lot of nice images that will make for a good movie. For example, the Sea of Grass, that boat thingie, the Shrike itself...

Did you paint that with your mind?

It's a photo of my back yard.

My favorite visual image from this book for years has been Martin Silenus's farcaster house. I covet that house, and hope someday to be a multi-billionaire in the future where we have teleportation and colonies on other planets.

The farcaster house was cool. Snapshot Brawne and Johnny with minigun and hellwhip and add music from "Let the bodies hit the floor" by the Drowning pool .
PS - the guy in the chair is obviously cyberpuke "BB" in action in the cyberpunk chapter. Check out those moves!

I love this excerpt:

(on the treeship, Yggdrasill)
"Even in the still shadowed places, glowbirds nestled like Japanese lanterns above lighted walkways, glowing swingvines, and illuminated hanging bridges, while fireflies from Old Earth and radiant gossamers from Maui-Covenant blinked and coded their way through labyrinths of leaves, mixing with constellations sufficiently to fool even the most starwise traveler.

I also loved the farcaster house, especially the bathroom! I also was really taken in by the beginning (prologue) when the consul is playing the piano above that world. Overall, I have loved the imagery in this book!

Julia wrote: "I love this excerpt:

(on the treeship, Yggdrasill)
"Even in the still shadowed places, glowbirds nestled like Japanese lanterns above lighted walkways, glowing swingvines, and illuminated hanging ..."

I had a very difficult time getting into the first description of the treeship. I couldn't quite picture it. What I finally settled on was a giant tree with bubbles of rooms coming off of it.

For my favorite image, I'm going to have to go with something sorta disturbing. I really liked the image of Father Dure hanging from the Tesla tree with spikes through hands, badly burned, eyes missing, but giving a skeletal smile because he had won over the cruciform. I found that so disturbing and morbidly interesting that it stayed with me. I think I didn't stop thinking about it until I managed to get through the next 200 pages or so.

Renee wrote: "Julia wrote: "I really liked the image of Father Dure hanging from the Tesla tree with spikes through hands, badly burned, eyes missing, but giving a skeletal smile because he had won over the cruciform."

I change my mind, this is my favourite as well because not only was the imagery vivid but it was a satisfying (not sure thats the right word) ending to a well told story. It was a good wrap if that makes sense.

I'm glad this thread got revived. I think Dan Simmons excels at visual images.

Tamahome wrote: "I'm glad this thread got revived. I think Dan Simmons excels at visual images."

Book 4 has a particularly epic space battle with Capital ships slugging it and smaller "vessels" making suicide runs - I can't even do it justice without spoilering, but its awesome!
There's also a poignant image in book 2 when the purpose of the labyrinths starts unfolding as well.
I really hope the movie brings home that imagery - there's a whole lot to work with.

I did like some of the visual imagery in Hyperion, but disagree on several of the points people have made. Here are my random thoughts :)

When I was reading about the 'labyrinth world' I kept thinking to myself, this would be so much better is Iain M Banks had written it.

How did Father Dure get close enough to hang himself on the Tesla tree when they incinerate anything for hundreds of yards around?

The treeship UGhhhh please no. I expected there to be space whales off the port bow at any moment.

The farcasters were interesting, but I would like a little more explanation on how they work. Planet to planets seems to take a singularity gateway in orbit, but from place to place on the planet requires just a door frame. Seems to me that it is still teleportation/wormhole/folded space and would require the same energy.

AndrewP wrote: "I did like some of the visual imagery in Hyperion, but disagree on several of the points people have made. Here are my random thoughts :)

When I was reading about the 'labyrinth world' I kept thin..."


The true nature of the Farcasters is not fully revealed till book 4. Suffice to say they are not what are purported to be in the first book or even in the second. And The Teslas incineration properties from memory were seasonal.

David Sven wrote: "The true nature of the Farcasters is not fully revealed till book 4. Suffice to say they are not what are purported to be in the first book or even in the second. .."

To get to the end of book 4 is another 1,789 pages so I think I will go without the big reveal :(

AndrewP wrote: "David Sven wrote: "To get to the end of book 4 is another 1,789 pages so I think I will go without the big reveal :( "

There are quite a few other revelations but unless you feel compelled by the story to continue reading then maybe a wiki might help out - Though I found a lot of wikis not comprehensive enough to include ALL the surprises.

Mmmm... It's hard to decide, there is a lot of great "eye candy" in Hyperion... The tree ship sounds awesome, the space battles seen from the ground seem beautiful, (view spoiler)[(I don't want to spoil much) the fight with the Shrike IS EPIC, the Ouster city was breath taking (Fall of Hyperion). (hide spoiler)]...

Andrew P - on farcasters there is a difference between the ones for transporting people and the military ones for transporting big things like ships

They all do planet to planet and are basically the same thing - the ones on the planets are transporting to other worlds as well not just place to place on the same planet

Size and energy requirement seems to depend on the size of what you are transporting - and its not that useful to have a spaceship appear on a planets surface hence why the military ones are in orbit

Not sure I would critise Simmons on this, a lot of sci fi relies for plot on wormholes/hyperspace/some kind of instantaneous travel without everyone clamouring that its not explained how it works....

On the original topic - I think the battle between the shrike/Fedman and the Ousters would be awesome, with the stop/start time, liquid look combat suits etc

Ian wrote: "without everyone clamouring that its not explained how it works...."

Especially since, as of yet, they don't.

I agree that this book had a lot of great imagery. I listened to this book on Audible while working and did a few warm up sketches of some of the things I was hearing. They aren't near as awesome (or polished) as that first painting posted but here are the ones I've scanned in so far..

Nice! That should be on the YouTube show.

Wow, those are awesome! I love the Silenus picture!!

Thanks! I've been working on drawing human figures without reference but I agree with people that the farcaster house would make an awesome subject. Here's my last sketch I did while listening to Hyperion:

(I'm finding it hard to get good images to draw from Tigana! Then again, I'm only four or five chapters in so far...)

Chris wrote: "Thanks! I've been working on drawing human figures without reference but I agree with people that the farcaster house would make an awesome subject. Here's my last sketch I did while listening to ..."

Chris, your drawings are amazing! Please post some for Tigana!

Some awesome drawings Chris. Have a go at Rhun?