A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge

[The Wanderer]

Opinions please?

 

[Durandal]

I liked it a lot. Chock full of interesting ideas. The "Zones of Thought" concept was really unusual, and the pack-based intelligence of the doglike aliens was quite memorable.

Have you read it, or are you considering reading it? (Just want to know how much plot to reveal...)

 

[clovis-man]

Along with "A Deepness in the Sky" it's one of the best written by anyone in the past couple of decades. MHO only of course.

Jim

 

[gully_foyle]

I loved this book. However, as I often find in modern SF, or even modern novels, the action gets a bit confused as it reaches its climax, I found it a bit hard to visualise what was happening. That aside, the characters were pretty cool and the concept of the Tines works well. It's the only book of his that I've read, but I'd definitely read another.

Wanderer, what are you seeking when you say opinions please? Are you asking because you've read the book, or because you're thinking of it? If you have read it, can you venture your thoughts as well? E.g. I just read this and thought it was awful, but I'd like to hear other peoples opinions.

 

[The Wanderer]

Sorry Yes, I read it and I loved it, When I First posted I hadn't fisnished it, so I didn't want to give too much away

Yes I like for all the reasons mentioned, the zones of thought, the Points of view of the characters, which don't flinch

Spoiler

Even when Scriber is killed, it shows his death and the event leading up to it from his POV and thinking, which makes the event and it's aftermath more powerful

One thing I didn't quite get was the Riders and their relationship with the Blight, Just can't quite get my head round it

aside from that very entertaining and vivid, classical image-making, IMO

 

[Anthony G Williams]

This is the review I posted on my Science Fiction & Fantasy blog a few months ago:

I re-read this last month, for the first time in 15 years. The really strange thing is that I didn't remember anything at all about it from my first reading - not a single bell was rung all the way through. This is highly unusual for me - maybe I'm becoming senile! To look on the bright side, it will save me money on new books, I'll just keep re-reading the old ones...

Anyway, I became decidedly irritated with this book during the first half, because I found it very difficult to get into. Several different story lines are set running, and the author throws in lots of beings, concepts and other names with no description or explanation as to what they are. I think it's a good idea to keep some sense of mystery-to-be-revealed-later in a book, but this one takes it to extremes. I had reached page 170 before I found a clear description and explanation for some of the key characters - the skroderiders - and the physical appearance of the heroine wasn't described until close to the end.

In fact, the characterisation was very patchy. The heroine - Johanna - never came alive for me, perhaps because of the belated description. OTOH the second character - Pham - seemed much more clearly drawn and convincing (despite not being entirely human). The pacing also varied. It was very slow at first, with lots of extraneous detail which I could have done without, and only got going about half way through. From then on it got a lot better, although the climax (with a ship being chased by a fleet, which was in turn being chased by another fleet, which was in turn being followed by another...) had an element of Keystone Cops farce about it.

Having said all of that, the concepts were powerful and imaginative and much of the latter part of the book was good, so overall it was worth reading. What I would definitely not do is recommend it to anyone who wasn't familiar with SF, because I fear it would put them off for life.

 

[clovis-man]

Anyway, I became decidedly irritated with this book during the first half, because I found it very difficult to get into. Several different story lines are set running, and the author throws in lots of beings, concepts and other names with no description or explanation as to what they are.

I've learned to just go with this sort of beginning to an SF story that has lots of detail. It makes it mysterious at the outset, but as more of the fabric of the tale is revealed, the overall effect can be quite rewarding. Somewhat reminiscent of the old Edgar Rice Burroughs "meanwhile back at the ranch" flip flops in story line. But, of course, on a more complex level.

And, yes, Pham is a good character. Good enough to carry over nicely in "Deepness in the Sky".

Jim

 

[Nightmare]

Loved this book. Loved A Deepness in the Sky twice as much. As Anthony said, Vinge can be a bit confusing when he introduces new characters/races/concepts, but the payoff is more than worth it, and I think it's an interesting way to go about it. Simply describing the Tines right off the bat would make things easier on the reader, but it would come off pretty flacid compared to the way he let us "discover." For my money, Vinge writes the best aliens, ever. Very original designs and he really fleshes out their cultures.

I read on Wikipedia that his next novel will be a sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. I absolutely cannot wait. He's at his best in the far future, in space, with aliens.

 

[jojajihisc]

It took me a while to figure out how they were communicating and then I really liked it. Probably my second favorite space opera type (behind A Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle) that I've read in the last several years.

 

[Parson]

This is a solid novel, but not great. I did like the pack based aliens a lot. And the ending cried out for another novel. "What happens when the ships finally make it traveling in slow time?"

 

[JQH]

Along with "A Deepness in the Sky" it's one of the best written by anyone in the past couple of decades. MHO only of course.

Jim

I agree

 

[J-Sun]

Loved this book. Loved A Deepness in the Sky twice as much.<snip>

I read on Wikipedia that his next novel will be a sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. I absolutely cannot wait.<snip>

Along with "A Deepness in the Sky" it's one of the best written by anyone in the past couple of decades. MHO only of course.

Jim

I agree

I ditto all that. I tend to dislike long novels yet simply ate Deepness in a couple-three sittings. Both are pretty well indispensable.

 

[BigBadBob141]

Really like this one, chock full of ideas and has two very interesting aliens.
Haven't read the prequel or sequel yet, will have to get around this one day.
All in all a 1st class read.

 

[Nick B]

I didn't like A Fire Upon the Deep, I think it was the dog-like aliens that made it bad for me. However A Deepness in The Sky is a fantastic book.

 

[Bick]

I thought A Fire Upon the Deep was excellent - highly recommended.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Ok, I'll see about adding this book to my TBR pile.

 

[YordanZh]

I didn't like A Fire Upon the Deep, I think it was the dog-like aliens that made it bad for me. However A Deepness in The Sky is a fantastic book.

Gods, thank you! I thought I was going to be the only one that didn't like it. I barely managed to force myself through it. And yes, I do read SF and yes, I did "get everything". Just didn't like it.

 

[JaimeRetief]

It was a great book IMO, a great story with a huge impact on the genre.

 

[BAYLOR]

Id love to see this as movie or Miniseries.

 

[JaimeRetief]

Id love to see this as movie or Miniseries.

I don't know, a number of things can't be dramatized all that well.
I doubt that a movie can impart the same awe where Transcended are cencerned for example.