Scan barcode
A review by branch_c
A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
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.