Product Description

This is science fiction on the grandest of scales - a cast of thousands set across hundreds of years and in the farthest reaches of Human Space. A prequel to his earlier novel A Fire Upon the Deep, this new novel is epic in scope and a thoroughly riveting read. A Deepness In the Sky is the story of Pham Nuwen, a small cog in the interstellar trading fleet of the Queng Ho. Both they and the Emergents are orbiting Arachna, a dormant planet which will shortly wake up when it's On/Off star relights after decades of darkness. Both groups hope to exploit the coming age of technology and commerce on Arachna. But while the Queng Ho seek only to trade aggressively, the Emergents plans are far more sinister, amounting to little short of genocide . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220708 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 704 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
This hefty novel returns to the Universe of Vernor Vinge's 1973 Hugo win ner A Fire Upon the Deep--but 30,000 years earlier. It has the same sense of epic vastness despite happening mostly in one isolated solar system. Here there's a world of intelligent spider- creatures who traditionally hibernate through the "Deepest Darkness" of their strange variable sun's long "off" periods, when even the atmosphere freezes. Now science offers them an alternative. Meanwhile, attracted by spider radio transmissions, two human starfleets come exploring: merchants hoping for customers, and tyrants who want slaves. Their inevitable clash leaves only crippled remnants of both fleets, with power in the wrong hands, leading to a long wait in space until the spiders develop exploitable technology. Over the years Vinge builds compelling tension through multiple story lines and characters. In the sky, hopes of rebellion against tyranny continue despite soothing lies, brutal repression and a mental bondage that can convert people into literal tools. Down below, the engagingly sympathetic spiders have their own problems. In flashback, we see the grandiose ideals and ultimate betrayal of the merchant culture's founder, now among the human contingent and pretending to be a senile buffoon while plotting, plotting. Major revelations, ironies and payoffs follow. A powerful story in the grandest SF tradition. -- David Langford

About the Author
SALES POINTS * Millennium Lead Title * Epic space opera in the grand tradition from the Hugo Award winning author of A FIRE UPON THE DEEP * 'Revelatory space opera, galaxy spanning story...the book's immensity puts Vinge in the Golden New Age of Arthur C Clarke and Greg Bear' - The Times * 'Vinge has done it again. A Deepness in the Sky is vivid, suspenseful, [and] realistic. Vinge's villains are chillingly believable, and so is his vision of a hopeful tomorrow." - David Brin *'Vernor Vinge's latest novel is a triumph, continuing the most visionary, intelligent deep-space adventure of our time. Reason to cheer, indeed--and a great, long read it is." - Gregory Benford * 'The sort of epic take on a first-contact scenario that you would expect from a writer of Vernor Vinge's quality' - Peter F. Hamilton

Customer Reviews

Excellent!
I found this book impossible to put down. The development of the characters, the evil podmasters, Pham Nuwen, the Spider society - it was all fascinating. I've read many sci-fi books and this is one I highly recommend. Gotta say, the podmasters ethics seem strangely familiar - Reminds me of some of the politicians these days! Overall, if you like a real sweeping epic, this is the book for you.

Gripping and absorbing
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I found this book almost impossible to put down - I certainly enjoyed it more than Across Realtime, and possibly more than A Fire Upon the Deep.

The storylines about the humans are all the more enthralling because these are characters you come to care about, and they're in a very sticky situation indeed. The way that the bad guys mess with their victims' minds and literally integrate them into their computer systems is chilling and memorable...

The spider-beings are another example of Vinge's greatness at inventing aliens. It's true that their society and actions are couched in human terms, but that made them all the more understandable without glossing over their alienness.

It did take a fair few pages to get me hooked, though. If you're looking for something that will grip you from page one, this might not be for you...

Accomplished and absorbing.
This is another example of Vernor Vinge's imaginative exploration of alternative alien psyche, while at the same time investigating the darkness of "human" interactions and exploitation on a grand scale. I found both plots gripping to the end.

Perhaps it was a mistake to market this as related to A Fire Upon the Deep in any way; there are only tenuous cross-references and a reader hoping to "learn more" from this prequel will be disappointed. Rather, the story should be treated as an excellent - and involving - yarn in its own right.

The spider-analog aliens do have particularly human emotions. I thought that was the point. In the course of reading this you will develop genuine empathy for creatures most would find otherwise physically repugnant.

The plot follows a complex path alternating between human and spider-analog themes and the competition of rival factions within each. The crescendo is the final coming-together. Personally I found the development and conclusion highly imaginative and very rewarding.