Victoria BC science fiction book club discussion

Discussion of chapter 6

I finished this chapter a couple of days ago, but didn't get around to sharing my thoughts until now.

It's interesting how the Ousters are painted in a more sympathetic light by the consul. I think it's worth noting something from Kassad's story (p151):

...the Bressian civilians and captured FORCE troops had been found flayed open and pinned down like frogs in a biology lab their organs bathed in nutrient fluid, arms and legs efficiently amputated, eyes removed and, and their minds readied for interrogators' questions with crude cortical comtraps and shuntplugs jacked directly through 3cm holes in the skulls.

In all fairness, this was from a holo that FORCE:intelligence that may have been falsified. If not, the Ousters really are barbarians.

The Hegemony, while insidious and evil in its own way doesn't seem so barbaric to me, especially with the New Bushido code. They were the ones who provoked war with the Ousters though, and they are extremely xenophobic Between them and the TechnoCore, they've got a pretty tight grip on the worlds. I was shocked to learn that the Big Mistake wasn't a mistake.

The main part of the story, about Maui-Covenant reminded me of Colonialism. I imagine that's what Simmons was going for.

The relationship between Siri and Merin was interesting and quite beautiful I thought, and also very surreal.

The setting that the pilgrims were in for this chapter was really interesting. The large gloomy castle with its Shrikeish red and blacks, lit with the distant battle in space... really cool.

I was touched by the consul's promise to use his wish to save Rachel.

I was glad to finally hear the consul's story, even if the large part about Merin and Siri seemed like a bit of a sidebar. Mau-Covenant sounds absolutely beautiful - floating islands, dolphins, a vast sea. It's a neat idea that somewhere along the line we developed the ability to communicate with these creatures.

Merin and Siri's relativistic relationship was fascinating. I'm shocked they were able to continue it for so long considering the lengthening gap in their ages. Does love transcend time and space?

I really like how Simmons has incorporated the physical implications of space flight and colonization into Hyperion. Varying levels of gravity on different worlds, standard time and time-debts, the list goes on. These are very real issues that one day we may have to deal with if we manage to get off this planet.

So the "templar" is alive. Did he fake his own death? Why would he go to that much trouble? Clearly he has motivations for reaching the Shrike before the rest of the party does...

The consul activated the device to open the time tombs, and killed four Ousters in the process. The destruction of Old Earth being planned by the Core and human government all along was a nice twist. The Ousters were portrayed in a much different light here, fighting against impossibly large powers that may not have the best interests of humanity in mind. I love the shades of grey that are introduced. Life is never so simple.

While the ending was a huge cliffhanger, I thought it was appropriate. There is still hope for Rachel.

I agree that Merin and Siri seemed like a sidebar to the rest of the story. I kept wondering if I was missing some sort of significance. Though I guess part of their story was to give us background knowledge on the romantic myth about them and the rebellion/revolutionary attitude that it inspired?

Nice point about the dark black and red castle reflecting the Shrike's appearance, Sam. The Shrike didn't make an appearance in the last story, but his (?) presence was still felt.

On a somewhat silly note: I couldn't help picturing the dolphins singing "So long and thanks for all the fish".