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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Not as cool as -AFUtD- but still great. Could have dropped 100 pages but I can't think of a part that was really boring. Couple of excellent big ideas: Focus, Qeng Ho culture, on/off star etc...
Fun book. Almost skipped it because of Fire upon the deep, and this being a character from there, which I think was somewhat of an unnecessary connection, although the humans acceptance of limitations may be a reason these need to exist at all in the same universe. a bit of an explanation of some flaws in the last book or something.
The authors schtick seems to be to develop alien races interestingly, which is ok every now and then, although if I knew the literary term for leading the reader through the history of technological development, it may be applicable here.
Long book. At some points I could only read so much at a stretch. Some cool ideas, but nothing mind blowing.
The authors schtick seems to be to develop alien races interestingly, which is ok every now and then, although if I knew the literary term for leading the reader through the history of technological development, it may be applicable here.
Long book. At some points I could only read so much at a stretch. Some cool ideas, but nothing mind blowing.
This was a 700 page plus space opera and I loved every minute of it. There were so many interesting characters and really good villains. Lots of suspense and spying.
My first Vernor Vinge read was a "WOW!". I chose this book as it is a prequel to A Fire Upon The Deep, which I intend to read fairly soon. Deepness drew me along relentlessly. This in spite of my incredulity at such an anthropomorphic invention of an alien race of intelligent spiders.
Reread this book again after 20 years. Stands up well. Superb read and pacing, and its rendering of slippery fascists in space, echoing atrocities of the 20th century in particular, still feels all too relevant - perhaps more than when I first read it.
A great companion to "A Fire Upon the Deep." (The other, very belated 3rd book in the series was interesting but not as powerful. Maybe one day we might see a 4th?)
A great companion to "A Fire Upon the Deep." (The other, very belated 3rd book in the series was interesting but not as powerful. Maybe one day we might see a 4th?)
Yet another really awesome space story from Vinge. He's got another cool and alien life form and lots of information about the Qeng Ho civilization. Great plot and characters as well.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fantastic book. Vinge does a great job with creating believable non-human characters and cultures.
It has been long enough since I originally read this story that I had forgotten exactly what happens, which is great. This is an amazing example of world building (galaxy building?). The characters are well constructed and the story is intricate, intense and engaging. It is a long book, but it moves well. It gives new meaning to the phrase "Winter is coming."