On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, therewaits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. Thereare those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. Inthe Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backwardthrough time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, withthe entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage toHyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Eachcarries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate ofhumanity in his hands.