The world feels lived in and fleshed out almost to an extreme, as various biomes have entire ecosystems unique to their parts of the planet. From the outset, Dan Simmons presents a fully realized world with answers to nearly every question. While the politics and intricate story present in Dune are what have driven many to consider it a cult classic loved by many through the years, with Hyperion it’s actually the world of the story that has kept people interested. While each character works back through why they were selected, the group hopes to discover a way to avoid the horrifying, often quite gory, fate imparted upon Shrike pilgrims every year. The Time Tombs themselves are mysterious structures wherein time moves backward. Hyperion tells the stories of how seven separate individuals were chosen for a pilgrimage to the titular planet in search of the fearsome Shrike, a legendary creature that guards the Time Tombs and plays an integral role in the arc of human history.

RELATED: First Reviews For Denis Villeneuve's Dune Are In: Here's What Critics Say Hyperion hasn’t quite gathered the massive cult following seen with Dune, although there are many fans who swear by the book as classic sci-fi. While it has never been officially adapted, it has been in talks to be adapted in various forms since 2009, with the latest attempt being a Syfy channel miniseries announced in 2015. Released in 1989 and winning several awards, such as the Hugo and Locus Awards for best novel, Hyperion has long been lauded as a must-read for sci-fi fans. Hyperion by Dan Simmons is another sci-fi series with highly regarded worldbuilding, plotlines, and characters that could easily lend themselves to an adaptation that performs better than any Dune adaptation thus far. With a third adaptation for the purportedly unadaptable Frank Herbert’s Dune coming out in late October, now might be the perfect time for some other well-regarded sci-fi books to try their hand at the silver screen.

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