Jlawrence's review
A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought)
by Vernor Vinge
Jlawrence's review
A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought) by Vernor Vinge
Jlawrence's review
rating:
recommended for: any science-fiction fan
The first third of this book is some of the best science-fiction I have ever read: good writing, fast pace, some breathtaking action, excellent balance between narrative and explanation, and some really, REALLY cool ideas thoroughly thought-out and implemented. Several times my brain practically crackled and I said, "wow" out loud when certain ideas Vinge had been hinting at "clicked" and became clear. Vinge is also pretty skilled at keeping the vast hard-sci-fi-space-opera scope of the book fascinating, but not letting that complexity overwhelm the characters or plot.
Unfortunately, the pace in the middle of the book flags somewhat and the writing falters there a bit too, chunks of exposition becoming more prominent. But the last third redeems it, picking up the pace again and serving a very satisfying ending. This came very close to sitting next to Dune and Book of the New Sun in my top-tier of my favorite sci-fi books, so I recommend it to any science fic
Unfortunately, the pace in the middle of the book flags somewhat and the writing falters there a bit too, chunks of exposition becoming more prominent. But the last third redeems it, picking up the pace again and serving a very satisfying ending. This came very close to sitting next to Dune and Book of the New Sun in my top-tier of my favorite sci-fi books, so I recommend it to any science fic
