Shadows of Hyperion: 4 (Grand Central Arena) Paperback – 24 May 2021

I really liked this one. It has less dependence on the superhuman aspect of the core group’s powers and less of the dated language and tropes. I enjoy the other three books a bit in spite of the corny stuff, and here Spoor seems to be letting go of those (IMO) unnecessarily derivative markers. This book achieves a much freer re-interpretation of the heart of the old sf thrillers, making it even more of a tribute to their sense of wonder and revelation in all the possibilities imaginable when we reach beyond the constraints of here and now. I’m very glad Mr Spoor is still writing this series—I’d been wondering if he had put it aside—and I’m really looking forward to the next chapter in these Adventures. Hope it happens soon!

What I like most about Ryk E Spoor's writing is the way he catches the sense of grandeur, wonder and mystery of the early 20th-century sci-fi writers he homages while bringing a 21st-century sensibility for character. I've loved all of the books in the series so far and fully intend to continue doing so, having enjoyed this one as much as I did.

It starts with a murder. Who did it and why? The shadows of the past catches up with humanity and so do some of the greatest villains in fiction who come out in to the arena to play. I've enjoyed this series so far. Great action. The shadows of hyperion will splash over several factions and cause no end of problems. We also get to see how the ai villains stack up against the hyperions. I'm also glad that this series was continued and am looking forward to future entries.

It had been a while since I had visited Spoor's "Grand Central Arena" setting,but this book got me right back into it. It is shortly after the unexpectedvictory of the Faction of Humanity against the Molothos, a victory boughtat high cost, and the fallout of which involves the significant de-poweringof some of Humanity's most important champions after vastly over-extendingtheir abilities during the battle.Unfortunately events don't wait while they have some R&R and recover.Several of Humanity's super-powered "Hyperions" are on the looseand working for the other side(s), including the nearly unstoppableMaria-Susanna and the evil genius Fairchild. The Molothos are stilldisgruntled and dangerous and an unexpected murder leads to anunwelcome discovery that could completely alter the balance of powerin the Arena by duplicating a resource that heretofore only Humanityhas had.Good adventure as always. The setting is explicitly designed toavoid the trap of trans-humanism (mostly) and leave meaningfulphysical adventure possible. This time we get to see more of whatis happening outside the Arena and start to get some hints at ominousevents in the Big Picture (maybe the Arena isn't God?) There isalso a cameo by an old favorite Hyperion, and I figured out whosome of the others are (though the Wolf & Fairchild are still eludingme).I will note that with the move from Baen to self-publishing thecover finally makes clear that we are reading something that is asmuch anime as pulp (a fact which I took a long time to pick up!).Also, I think perhaps there were a few editing issues that camewith that. It seemed to me that several times in the POV sectionsitalics were missing and I was left thinking, "Wait, did he saythat or just think it?".Good fun, and I'm on board for the next one.

Just as one problem is solved, another arises. Captain Ariane Austin and her team have made the Faction of Humanity a respected group in the Arena, and have the backing of the humans back home. But now, a new, bigger, bolder enemy (this is a Doc Smith homage, after all) is looming: an escaped Hyperion AI. And just when Ariane and here crew are temporarily unable to use their newly won superpowers without potentially crippling or killing themselves.Fortunately, this volume starts with a very helpful 22 page summary of the previous three. Gosh, it’s ten years since I read the first one! I needed that summary.We have three main threads: attempting to find a cure for their damaged powers; attempting to get help from other friendlier Hyperions; and attempting to solve the murder of one of the Arena Champtions. All interlinked, all frenetic, and all good fun, resolving some issues, but introducing new, even bigger issues for later volumes.I hope there are going to be later volumes!