I liked it, quite a lot, and would easily recommend it to science fiction fans, a little more cautiously to eveyone else. Vinge throws you into the story without a whole lot of preamble or even exposition -- the reader is left to figure out the universe's technology and backstory on their own, which I found an intriguing exercise for the most part but occasionally it was a little frustrating; there are things about the science that I still don't understand. But it's a compelling story, both on the "universe in peril" level and on the "what will happen to these characters I've come to know and love?" level. It's a thoughtful look at what an interstellar society might look like several hundred thousand years from now, and it presents one of the most fascinating alien races that I've ever encountered in science fiction; I hesitate to say too much, because figuring out what was up with them was an excellent "A-ha!" moment, but if anyone else has read it and would like to discuss in comments, I'm more than game.
- Mood:
good
SpecFicChallenge #1: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
I liked it, quite a lot, and would easily recommend it to science fiction fans, a little more cautiously to eveyone else. Vinge throws you into the story without a whole lot of preamble or even exposition -- the reader is left to figure out the universe's technology and backstory on their own, which I found an intriguing exercise for the most part but occasionally it was a little frustrating; there are things about the science that I still don't understand. But it's a compelling story, both on the "universe in peril" level and on the "what will happen to these characters I've come to know and love?" level. It's a thoughtful look at what an interstellar society might look like several hundred thousand years from now, and it presents one of the most fascinating alien races that I've ever encountered in science fiction; I hesitate to say too much, because figuring out what was up with them was an excellent "A-ha!" moment, but if anyone else has read it and would like to discuss in comments, I'm more than game.
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