The Shrike

The region of the Tombs is also the home of the Shrike, a menacing half-mechanical, half-organic four armed creature that features prominently in the series.

It appears in all four Hyperion Cantos books and is an enigma in the initial two; its purpose is not revealed until the second book, but even then left somewhat nebulous.

The Shrike appears to act both autonomously and as a servant of some unknown force or entity.

In the first two Hyperion books, it exists solely in the area around the Time Tombs on the planet Hyperion.

Its portrayal is changed significantly in the latter two books, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion.

In these novels, the Shrike appears effectively unfettered and protects the heroine Aenea against assassins of the opposing TechnoCore.

Surrounded in mystery, the object of fear, hatred, and even worship by members of the Church of the Final Atonement (the Shrike Cult), the Shrike's origins are described as uncertain.

It is portrayed as composed of razorwire, thorns, blades, and cutting edges, having fingers like scalpels and long, curved toe blades.

It has the ability to control the flow of time, and may thus appear to travel infinitely fast.

The Shrike may kill victims in a flash or it may transport them to an eternity of impalement upon an enormous artificial 'Tree of Thorns,' or 'Tree of Pain' in Hyperion's distant future.

The Tree of Thorns is described as unimaginably large, metallic tree, alive with the agonized writhing of countless human victims of all ages and races.

It is also hinted in the second book that Tree of Thorns is actually a simulation generated by some mystical interface which connects to human brains via some strong and pulsing (like it is alive) cord.

Links
Wikipedia> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos#The_Shrike
Hyperion Cantos Wiki> hyperioncantos.wikia.com/wiki/Shrike
Good Reads.com> www.goodreads.com/characters/28492-the-shrike

Copyright Owner
Dan Simmons> dansimmons.com/

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