Dan Simmons - The Hyperion Cantos May 2026

The Shrike tilted its head. A gesture almost human. Almost.

We built it. Not as a machine. As a character . The villain of a story we could not stop telling. Dan Simmons - The Hyperion Cantos

It did not move. It replaced space. One moment it stood before the Tombs; the next, it was behind me, a blade resting against my spine. The Shrike tilted its head

The Shrike’s hand is on my shoulder now. The blades are warm. it was behind me