Image via Doubleday By David Caballero Published Aug 5, 2026, 11:03 PM EDT David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Some books are just waiting to be adapted into a movie or TV show. Just this year, we had two incredible book-to-movie adaptations, with Project Hail Mary and The Odyssey both breaking box office records and earning universal acclaim from critics and audiences. Indeed, many books seem tailor-made to be translated into either the big or small screens, with storylines that perfectly benefit from the adaptation treatment. However, many other books remain elusive and unknowable, avoiding the straightforward conventions that would make them ideal for an adaptation. Such is the case for Hyperion .
Written by the late Dan Simmons , Hyperion is a challenging yet immensely rewarding sci-fi epic and one of the best reading experiences of the last century or so. The word "masterpiece" is certainly overused, but if there's one book that earns the title, it's this one. Yet, what makes Hyperion special on the page is also what would make it impossible for anyone to do it justice in either film or show form . This ambitious triumph of the written word is perfect in its current form, and while many talented creatives could certainly take a chance and test their mettle by adapting it, there's a strong chance they would simply fail to recreate what Simmons so effortlessly captured on the page.
Artwork by Noriyoshi Ohrai Hyperion borrows the structure of the classic by Geoffrey Chaucer , The Canterbury Tales , to tell its fascinating story. First, the basics of worldbuilding : in the far future — the year 2732, to be exact — thousands of planets across the universe make up the Hegemony of Man , each one connected by a farcaster portal. Other players include the TechnoCore, a civilization of advanced AIs, and the Ousters, a group of modified humans living in space stations and in constant conflict with the Hegemony.
Now, for the actual plot: a framing device presents a group of pilgrims sent to the planet of Hyperion , which exists outside the Hegemony. Because it has farcaster, one cannot visit Hyperion without incurring severe time dilation. The pilgrims mean to visit the Shrike, a powerful and dangerous metallic creature said to be capable of granting a wish to each of them. The Shrike, in turn, is the guardian of the Time Tombs, structures that are moving backwards in time.
As an Ouster invasion prepares to attack Hyperion, the pilgrims go on this final voyage, each one with a story to share about how and why they were chose…