Endymion

Set nearly three centuries after the tumultuous Fall of the WorldWeb, "Endymion" thrusts readers back into the intricate cosmos of Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos. The galaxy is now largely under the dominion of the Pax, a formidable and religiously fundamentalist Catholic Church. Raoul Endymion, a former poacher, is chosen by a resurrected AI persona of the poet Martin Silenus for a pivotal, seemingly impossible mission: to rescue Aenea, the enigmatic daughter of Keats and Moneta, from the mysterious Time Tombs. Aenea is seen by the Pax as a dangerous heretic and a threat to their absolute power. Accompanied by the loyal, blue-skinned android A. Bettik, Raoul embarks on an epic, galaxy-spanning quest, traversing the fabled river Tethys. Hot on their heels is Father Captain Frederico DeSoya, a devout and ruthlessly efficient warrior-priest, determined to capture or eliminate Aenea. As ancient secrets resurface and the terrifying Shrike makes its ominous reappearances, Raoul and Aenea must unravel the true nature of their interwoven destinies and the universe itself, before the Church can solidify its eternal control.