Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Well, don't ever say I'm not open minded. A sci fi novel of all things. And I did very much enjoy it.

Formulated in the style of the Canterbury Tales, it follows seven pilgrims to the planet of Hyperion. Inevitably, I found some of the stories less enjoyable than others but overall I found this novel surprisingly accessible, readable and engrossing. The characters were well drawn and unexpectedly realistic, which made the novel a much deeper, more compelling read. I was also impressed with the writing - the language was a lot richer and more descriptive than I was expecting.

I'll admit that some of the nuances eluded me and I still don't really know what "more than 150 planetary data-spheres mingled their resources within the framework created by 6,000 omega class AIs to allow the OCS:HTN to function" means. But this did not detract from the plot which is still exciting and easy to follow even if you weren't previously aware that a möbius cube was a carbon-carbon-shell set around a zero impedance containment field folded back on itself. Which I was, of course.