A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought)
by Vernor Vinge
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vernor VingeEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1993-02-15
ISBN: 0812515285
Number of pages: 624
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
Book Reviews of A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought)
Book Review: "Don't judge a book by its cover" (in this instance)
Summary: 4 Stars
I was initially wary of this book, for several reasons. For one thing-though it sounds silly to admit-the cover was off-putting. The shrill graphic design (A F-I-R-E upon the D-E-E-P) and art by Boring Vallejo did not promise much payoff within. Second, science fiction by practicing scientists (as is Vinge) too often neglects character development (David Brin) or rudimentary plot cohesion (Alistair Reynolds), and also often features somewhat embarrassing symptoms of their authors' cloistered, geeky natures (an infantile sexism most typical among those faults). Add to that the fact that this novel prominently features "wolf people," and I was prepared for a long, dull ride, especially since I had just recently endured Brin's stupid talking dolphins. Well, fear not: Vinge actually avoids all those sins and puts together a novel that deserves the awards it won. Yes, as some reviewers have complained, maybe a hundred pages or so could've been edited out, but so what? If you want quick, watch Battlestar Galactica already. Vinge writes extremely well, especially for a computer scientist by trade. His characters, male and female, are believable and interesting. He has a good sense of plot pacing, and for fans of far-flung space opera, he weaves all the threads into a fairly dense tapestry of action and world-building. My biggest objection was to his whole concept of the Beyond, the Deep, and other various Zones of Thought, which, while imaginative, never quite clicked for me. Still, the space action works in spite of that, and the wolf people actually give their parts of the book something of a fantasy-genre feel, particularly since their lupine society is stuck at a medieval level. Good show, Mr. Vinge. And I'm now partway through its prequel, A Deepness in the Sky, which is thus far even better than Fire-as is its cover art design (again Vallejo), although just marginally so.
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