a masterpiece of storytelling...

short plot description: set several hundred years in the future. Earth has been destroyed but Mankind has spread out to the stars in two different factions, the Ousters and the Hegomony. The Hegemony is planet-based, connected by a network of telepotation devices ("Farcasters") and a powerful computer network ("Datasphere") both controlled by AIs ("TechnoCore"). The Ousters live in deep space, having adapted to living in zero gravity. When the book starts both sides are on the brink of open war and the planet Hyperion seems to be the choosen battleground. Hyperion is also the home of the Time Tombs and the Shrike both which are shrouded in mystery around which has a religion has sprung up. Seven seemingly unrelated people are brought together to go on a pilgrimage on Hyperion with the hope of averting disaster. During the pilgramage we learn their stories...

my thoughts: one of the best books I've read so far. The world-building is breathtaking both in scope and details. The main characters are living and breathing people and not mere spokespersons for the plot. Add excellent storytelling which is not bound by any genre (poetry, crime noir, space opera), throw in some commentary about religion,government and society and you've got a wild mix which not many have been able to pull off successfully.
Minor gripes: the ending is quite abrupt and some of the references to twentieth-century culture felt a bit out of place.

my advice: run, don't walk and pick up a copy. Highly recommended