shrike-pilgrimage
A dangerous journey to Hyperion involving seven chosen pilgrims tasked with uncovering the secrets of the Time Tombs and confronting the Shrike.
1 chapter across 1 book
Hyperion (1990)Dan Simmons
The prologue introduces the Hegemony Consul as he receives a fatline transmission from Meina Gladstone, informing him of his selection to join the Shrike Pilgrimage to Hyperion amidst a looming Ouster invasion and the mysterious opening of the Time Tombs. The Consul contemplates the grave political and military stakes involved, including the possibility of an Ouster agent among the pilgrims, and reflects on his painful past on Hyperion and the terrifying presence of the Shrike. The chapter ends with the Consul awakening aboard the Templar treeship Yggdrasil, preparing to rendezvous with the other pilgrims.