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richie_beamand's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
johnayliff's review
4.0
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as A Fire Upon the Deep, but it is a very different beast, with the story playing out over a large expanse of time rather than of space. I found the middle of the book to be a bit slow going, but it paid off in the last hundred pages or so which were riveting. The portrayal of the aliens, and the contrast between how they appear to themselves and how they appear to humans, was delightful.
matthewbrand's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The way he makes the sides seem so human and then at the climax start to make them feel alien is beautiful. I can't quite give it the coveted Matthew Brand 5 star rating though. But, really, any sci-fi fan should read this.
mxmlln's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic book by Vinge. The main arc dragged on a bit, but the new species and cultures were superb: specifically, Arachna and The Emergent. Thankfully, nothing in the first book is required reading. Looking to finish the series soon.
ppetropoulakis's review against another edition
5.0
Vernor Vinge’s Hugo winning novel is a quite an achievement. Complex and thought provoking, every odd page has a new concept. The first contact of future human civilizations with an intelligent alien culture is at the heart of the work. The intricacies and layers of story to reach that moment make the book a must read for sci-fi fans.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating accomplishment, and I'm glad I read it, although I have to admit I was not quite as impressed as I was with A Fire Upon the Deep, which was quite the revelation when I read it for the first time last year.
This book shares with that one a creative vision that's both grand and meticulously detailed, and introduces multiple innovative concepts, any one of which would have been enough for a book by itself. The most compelling part for me was the interesting way Vinge manages to humanize the aliens. The fact that the Spiders and their culture are initially portrayed in familiar terms makes it more significant when the reader learns more about the immersive involvement of the translators.
Meanwhile, Vinge effectively "alienizes" the Emergents (but places the blame for their villainy squarely on their leadership), and it's this crushing, uncaring oppression that infuses much of the book, making it a bit tedious and less enjoyable for me. But the secretive ingenuity of Pham shines through in the end, making some of the humans more sympathetic and leading to a somewhat satisfying conclusion.
This book shares with that one a creative vision that's both grand and meticulously detailed, and introduces multiple innovative concepts, any one of which would have been enough for a book by itself. The most compelling part for me was the interesting way Vinge manages to humanize the aliens. The fact that the Spiders and their culture are initially portrayed in familiar terms makes it more significant when the reader learns more about the immersive involvement of the translators.
Meanwhile, Vinge effectively "alienizes" the Emergents (but places the blame for their villainy squarely on their leadership), and it's this crushing, uncaring oppression that infuses much of the book, making it a bit tedious and less enjoyable for me. But the secretive ingenuity of Pham shines through in the end, making some of the humans more sympathetic and leading to a somewhat satisfying conclusion.
species10026's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
kwerle's review against another edition
5.0
This is simply a really good book.
It doesn't really matter if you read the previous book or not - there is no reference to anyone or anything from that book with the exception of the main character - which turns out to be trivial.
Thinking about it, maybe I would not recommend reading the second before the first, but I don't think that would matter, either.
My only regret is that I put off reading this because I was worried about the order.
It doesn't really matter if you read the previous book or not - there is no reference to anyone or anything from that book with the exception of the main character - which turns out to be trivial.
Thinking about it, maybe I would not recommend reading the second before the first, but I don't think that would matter, either.
My only regret is that I put off reading this because I was worried about the order.