A good sci-fi book which so nearly hits its mark. It gives possibly the most interesting concept in any science fiction with the zones of thought, and presents a wider question on the threats of higher intelligence, particularly on Artificial Intelligence. The tines race and medieval world is amazing and the best possible part of the novel. However the surrounding plot with the space travel is quite dull, and it’s a struggle to care for any characters. The writing at times seems to YA level, the news reels used to inform the reader of the wider universe is poorly done. The fantasy aspect in the tines world is great but the wider universe parts are a slog.

[Rating: 5.0/5.0]

First-time reading by an SF fan who doesn’t usually go in for space opera: I’m sure my rating will go up on reread. It’s just that I could quite keep track of the many characters and their motivations. Otherwise, the world-building is outstanding. The prose is acceptable. The characters are a bit two-dimensional but I blame that on the sheer volume of characters. Amazing ideas. I’ll revisit someday and I definitely want to read the prequel A Deepness in the Sky.

Major disappointment. A childrens story wrapped up in a mass of gobbledygoop sentences, with sometimes almost great ideas that almost always get lost in the search for something else. Not a complete waste of time - but painfully close. 2 Stars.

Koliko se često desi da se „ne mogu ovo više“ na kraju promeni u „ovo je možda i najbolji sf roman koji sam pročitao“? Stvar je u ovome – Vindž baca čitaoca direktno u svet i ne drži mu ruku a ma nimalo. To inače ne bi bio problem, šta više, bila bi prednost, da me Vindž jednostavno pusti da lutam dok ne uhvatim priključak. Medjutim, on me hendikepira i baca me niz stepenice i uz sve to mi još ukrade kolica. I ugasi svetlo. Dok se ja popnem uz stepenice dobijem sede u kosi, ali sada imam mačje oči i puzim mnogo dobro.

Elem, kada prodje prvih stotinak stranica gde gledam za koju (nauljenu) kvaku mogu da se uhvatim, ovde se mogu naći sledeće stvari: originalni vanzemaljci (rasa suštinski biljaka iz saksije je poseban favorit; ali i čoporska kolektivna svest pasa zatečenih u srednjem veku), razradjeni, stvarni likovi (iz mog iskustva nešto vrlo retko u sf-u – čak i u Enderu koji tu još i stoji nekako na nogama svi pate od nekog prolaznog i antipatičnog veltšmerca), inteligentna i zanimljiva intepretacija „problema inteligentnih vrsti“ (zašto ih još nismo našli) i tehnološkog singulariteta (kako ćemo najebati), ali i sasvim ljudskog beznadja i borbe protiv istog. Dodaj na to i mrvicu fantastike (jedna polovina narative se odvija na planeti pomenutih čopora sa sve spletkama i sličnom komfort-rid dinamikom), i ovo je jedan retko dobar roman. Jedino malo ne zna da piše akciju čovek ali sa druge strane - svesne saksije!!! Odoh da kupim jednu i da je vredno zalivam, u nadi da će da prohoda.

5

Stunning in ways both large and small. Vinge plunges the reader expertly into a vast, fascinating vision of the future Galaxy, where space is separated into Zones that protect lower-tech civilizations from higher-tech ones, and allow high-tech civilizations to make risky ventures into even higher zones, where transcendent powers roam.

The prologue is marvelous. The reader can't figure out exactly what's happening - and clearly isn't intended to - but the writing is strong enough to convey what is important. It's an impressive, novel approach to communicating abstract conflict.

He then alternates between two strong settings. The first, a human woman with a kind-of internship in a massive communications hub and information archive. It's marvelously well-considered: archives so large that even the indexes of their indexes are massive. I wish we could have spent more time there. Here he also introduces another major player, the heroic Pham Nuwen, first with a bit of deception that I found marvelously effective. Vinge preys upon the reader's expectations as well as the character's, and turns a cliche into something unexpected.

In the second setting, he presents the very grounded story of two stranded human children adapting to life on an alien planet, populated by one of the most thoroughly alien races I've encountered in fiction: the pack-minded Tines.

The first 100 pages go slowly, simply because the new terminology in the space setting and sprawling names and new concepts in the grounded setting force a slow, thorough reading. Events pick up steam slowly but inexorably, culminating in a final 1/3 that rushes past at break-neck speed.

I can't point to any one moment where it shone, but as a whole the novel is consistently excellent. The ending strikes an excellent balance between resolution and uncertainty - it's my favorite of any book in a long while.

From where I stand now, A Fire Upon the Deep edges out Hyperion to be my favorite book I've read this year.

Can I get one "classic" sci-fi with good writing please?

This book had some of the most fascinating ideas I've read; unique aliens, other-worldly tech, and about as far sci-fi as you can get. But the writing just killed it for me. Sometimes it was decent but in-between those times, it was a hard to read mess.

Tried to force myself to finish the last third but ultimately had to put it down.

Who knows sci-fi with gorgeous prose?

3.5

This was an interesting book, but it’s really a fantasy story cloaked in a sci fi story. Obviously, even the fantasy aspects contain science fiction, so no one would refute that it’s hard sci fi. I just wasn’t prepared for a medieval “Song of Ice and Fire” political novel. It was good, just not my thing.

I will say, the prose in this novel reads much like a parody of sci fi. Vinge does an excellent job of easing you in, but if you read a random page to someone they would think you were messing with them; with “wrickwrackscar reading Flenser about the Blight”. But it does work and keeps you intrigued.

The resolution fell a little flat for me, but the journey was worth it.