A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought)

The premise is fascinating. This is a vast tale with multiple story lines. Vinge manages to weave them together without losing the reader. He has put a unique spin on sentience and the possible forms it might come in. I thoroughly enjoyed the creatures he brings to life. All the while, there is a much deeper story line going on, slowly unveiled. I assume (I hope) further books will unfold this deeper story line further.

After reading Hyperion series, I feared it would be hard to find something I would really enjoy reading. (Im kind of picky, and love a good space opera as well as hard sci-fi) While Hyperion still takes the cake for sure, this was a book that kept me turning pages. I definitely recommend it.

I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to the sequel however I did not at all enjoy the evident lack of proofing. The Kindle version shows signs of being sloppily OCRed. In particular the spacing on the 'email' extracts is so bad as to disrupt readability in places. The random punctuation that occasionally appears also intrudes on both immersion and, at its worst, understanding. How sad that such a great book should be so poorly used.

the store: lift your game.

This book has a lot to say about many interesting subjects - the nature of intelligence, of the self, of technology and progress and modes of advancing technology. And it's all wrapped in the best of space opera, plus kids and intelligent hive-mind puppy packs. It's really impressive, and enjoyable.

This novel is not for everyone, for the science fiction fan that enjoys short long works as the book is not a giant epic but large enough to carry you in to the world. The deep space adventurer style I enjoyed it having first read the book in later high school. I think the plot might pass some people as to complex in a way or almost a old school depth, as more modern works are becoming generic genre titles.

Exceptional hard science fiction, with concepts of our galaxy like no others. From millions of civilizations to one medieval planet, the story has intrigue, warfare, living characters, mystery, and excitement. Truly superb. And 3 sequel books to enjoy as well.

A Fire Upon the Deep creates a wonderfully rich universe with fresh ideas about alien species and organization of cultures. But ultimately it feels like there's something missing. The race to the bottom to stop the catastrophy is an important part of the story but fails towards the end. I was a lot more interested in the world of the Tines and cared a lot less for what happened elsewhere.

Vinge is certainly up there with the best hard science writers like Greg Bear. His aliens are some of the best conceived and characterized I've ever read. The book does have its flaws, such as an over reliance on the fantastical powers available in the outer limits of our galaxy (the Beyond). But if you can suspend your disbelief just a bit, you're in for a terrific space opera filled with some of the most amazing characters since Star Wars. And while I got a bit tired of "ultra-" this and "ultra-" that, Vinge's prose is top notch.

Be skeptical of my reviews because I love all science fiction; sometimes even the worst. This , however, was an exceptionally good story although slow here and there with too much description and detail of a situation , person or place.

My overall impression of this book surprised me. I found some details a bit off, but before I could really make note of why, the plot dragged me onward into great action and believable characters that you cared about. Perhaps that is a good example. How can a potted plant be a space opera hero? Vinge pulls it off so well that the fates of Blueshell and Greenstalk are actually deeply moving. Of course the human characters are the core of the story, and the other aliens from telepathic wolf packs to reincarnated Frankenstein god-monsters provide more than enough mystery and suspense as you try to distinguish friend from foe. Mention is made of a “Computer Science and Applied Theology course”, breeding a wolf pack for “mathematical excellence”, and “Godshatter”, all of which mathematical and religious ideas I find most interesting in sci-fi, but Vinge does not delve into these aspects of his universe; it probably would have slowed the pace of the story too much. This is a space opera with lots of interesting details and plenty of room for sequels. I’ll definitely return to his “Zones of Thought” series.

A fascinating balance b/w the examination of the entire civilizations and the nitty gritty of individual thoughts and actions. The writer goes back and forth between space faring aliens and a planet bound "midieval" type society.

This book starts off a little vague, but stick with it and it takes you on a very exotic and unconventional ride. The universe Vinge imagines is very creative, with different rules of physics depending on where you are in the universe and a very "big picture" view of time and space. Even when you are shown the "grain of sand on the beach" reality of the lives of the characters, you still care what happens to them and want them to succeed.

It also introduces some really clever and original (to me anyway) ideas of intelligent life and how aliens might be different from humans. I found the alien species to be very interesting.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any sci-fi fan.

This book was truly excellent. Especially during the early chapters, the suspense and ominous nature of the antagonist is fully explored. The English is very strong, although some of the characters don't get adequate treatment. This book kept me on the edge right through to the end.

One of my favorite sci fi novels. The universe this single book outlines is incredibly deep and intriguing.

I find the zones of thought concept to be unique and interesting, and the characters, especially Pham, are complex and engrossing.

Loved the deep SF ideas and alien societies & species. The story itself could have been better written and a little more engaging and is the only reason I didn't rate this 5 stars (4.5 would be more accurate rating from me if it were possible :) Still highly recommended for anyone who enjoys serious and thought worthy SF.

A broad sweeping space opera with Galaxy spanning scope, but with with a unique and original flavor and interesting characters. Definitely worth the read if you are a fan of books like the Hyperion Cantos

There are some unique concepts but when mixed with the commonplace, I found it to be a bit pretentious. Undefined words & unpronounceable names, yet things still revolve around 24 hour days or light years, etc. Very earthly concepts used with very different non-earth lifeforms. Why write a book with so many complications and different concepts yet constantly refer back to the the mundane. I had trouble with it. And then the climax ended up a somewhat muted event. Perhaps a Glossary would have helped for those made up words/concepts. If that Glossary were accessible thru Kindle Touch word highlighting, would have made the book a little more enjoyable. YMMV.

I especially like reading about aliens that are very different from the standard humanoid variations typically encountered in popular fiction and film, and this book delivered in that respect. I thought the idea of the galaxy being separated into what basically amounted to speed zones to be a clever plot device, but it didn't help to suspend my disbelief, which was a bit of a problem, but I was able to look beyond it due to my curiosity about the tines.

There are some unique concepts but when mixed with the commonplace, I found it to be a bit pretentious. Undefined words & unpronounceable names, yet things still revolve around 24 hour days or light years, etc. Very earthly concepts used with very different non-earth lifeforms. Why write a book with so many complications and different concepts yet constantly refer back to the the mundane. I had trouble with it. And then the climax ended up a somewhat muted event. Perhaps a Glossary would have helped for those made up words/concepts. If that Glossary were accessible thru Kindle Touch word highlighting, would have made the book a little more enjoyable. YMMV.

I especially like reading about aliens that are very different from the standard humanoid variations typically encountered in popular fiction and film, and this book delivered in that respect. I thought the idea of the galaxy being separated into what basically amounted to speed zones to be a clever plot device, but it didn't help to suspend my disbelief, which was a bit of a problem, but I was able to look beyond it due to my curiosity about the tines.

An overall enjoyable book. Interesting character development and world building going on. The book is a bit predictable and the ending is a bit a of a let down with this regard. Don't let that stop you from reading it!

Reasonably worthwhile read, but didn't knock my socks off. Interesting ideas, not new I think, about different zones of speed and thought in his universe. I expect those ideas have been fleshed out in more detail in later books in the series. But I was not that drawn in by the characters, which is usually what I need to really get into a story. Did not grab me enough to run out and buy the follow up books.

Vernor Vinge is one of the rare science fiction writers who can vividly imagine and describe a far-future universe, but also has a strong grasp of dramatic tension and character development. He also has enough writing chops to keep the prose flowing without ever becoming stilted, which by itself would be enough to make him stand out in the genre. Being able to write very long novels set in distant regions of the galaxy and keep everything held together is not an easy task.

So he's one of my favorite authors, and this is a great book. Its answer to the Fermi Paradox is enjoyably mind-bending, the universe it sketches out is one I'd be excited to live in, and the pack minds thing is a much more realistic approach to alien life than the Star Trek "like humans but green" that a lot of sci-fi just can't quit. He also uses his usual approach to exposition, which is to throw readers into the world he's created, give them a sense of complex structures and vast spaces, and then gradually give enough information to work the rules of the world out for themselves. I'm a big fan of this approach, which avoids getting bogged down in lengthy third-person exposition.

This is not, though, his best book. The narrative problems of a Star Wars Cantina universe are tricky, and even Vinge can't get around having a Cantina scene where the worldly (galacticy?) veteran confidently guides a newbie around a spaceport, saying things like "Oh, those are just the Zogwargs, they're one of the roughest species around here." Similarly, no matter how good you are at plot development, if your story spans thousands of light years and involves billions of deaths, it's impossible to make that fully relatable in the context of a novel. A substantial portion of all humans gets wiped out as a minor(!) plot point, and I just didn't care. Finally, many chapters start off with a series of what are basically interstellar emails, complete with interstellar http headers, and while the idea and the thematic issues Vinge uses them to play with are great, the actual experience quickly gets tedious.

If you want to see Vinge at his absolute best, go for A Deepness in the Sky, the sort-of prequel to this book. The scale is vast but more contained, the world-building imaginative but tighter, and the storytelling consequently much better. It's one of the best modern novels I've read, sci-fi or otherwise.

Love love love. I reread it every couple of years. So many complex interlaced storylines and ideas! Rich characters. Evocative descriptions. I love when aliens are people, the whole spectrum, from heroes to villains. I love when humans are like that too.

I thought some of the ideas presented in this wildly creative book -- "pack minds" or single high-grade conciousnesses built out of multiple lower-grade consciousnesses -- to be highly intriguing. Yet at the same time the plot was convoluted with quick plot solutions at many points that were all too glaringly not well woven into the story: almost like the writer painted himself into numerous plot corners and then had to bail out with obvious devices. The ending was weak, hurried and unsatisfying. Some of the massive events he relates, such as the murder of billions of souls and the crushing of countless civilizations, are skimmed over quickly and hardly get the gravitas they deserve -- and yet one must at the same time be glad for that as the book is overly long and I found myself skipping pages.

This book was recommended by a good friend and lived up to its billing. It got me even more excited about Vernor Vinge - I am now planning to read all his books. It's a really well-written piece of science fiction, with sufficient technical detail and a good plot.

Vernor Vinge's space opera is truly galactic in scope and gives the reader a sense of wonder on how vast the galaxy is. He has peopled this galaxy with many interesting alien species & habitats that are truly a delight to read. Sci-fi enthusiasts will get a kick out of this book. Be sure to follow this up with his equally grand prequel, 'A Deepness in the Sky'.

Very original ideas. Fascinating exploration of the idea of a group mind organism, and a universe of isolated civilizations without high bandwidth communications. Entertaining characters. Variety of settings.