Big Books of Spring
A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1)

Questions About A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1)

by Vernor Vinge

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Answered Questions (8)

This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)
Sanjai Tripathi That bothered me for a sec too, until I remembered it was briefly mentioned that Steel had learned of Johanna's use of the term and liked it, so he st…moreThat bothered me for a sec too, until I remembered it was briefly mentioned that Steel had learned of Johanna's use of the term and liked it, so he started calling his race that.(less)
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Since there's a prequel, which book should I start with?
Steven This one is fine. The prequel isn't really tied to this one by more than a single character, one that is quite different (for reasons explained in the…moreThis one is fine. The prequel isn't really tied to this one by more than a single character, one that is quite different (for reasons explained in the first book) between the two books. Nothing that happens there affects this story. It's more of a companion piece.(less)
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How important is it to thoroughly read and try to grasp all of those tedious transmissions?
Jonathan Combs It's pretty important--there is a lot going on in the messages and a lot of misinformation which has some profound effects on the narrative. I think s…moreIt's pretty important--there is a lot going on in the messages and a lot of misinformation which has some profound effects on the narrative. I think some writers use page breakers like that as a gimmick but Vinge makes good use of them here.(less)
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Is there any graphic sexual content or harsh swearing?
John Nope. I guess there is at least one instance of sex in the book, but it happens behind the scenes. I very much dislike reading about sex in my books (…moreNope. I guess there is at least one instance of sex in the book, but it happens behind the scenes. I very much dislike reading about sex in my books (I guess this makes me prudish) and nothing even hinted at it in this book.

As for swearing. Nope, nothing harsh in the book. In fact, I think there is very little profanity.(less)
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Is this book a YA novel? How is it compared to fans of The Martian by Andy Weir? (Just curious...)
Noah This book is not YA. It is hard sci-fi. It's full of truly alien races, beings and alien ways of thought. I loved The Martian but Weir's book is very …moreThis book is not YA. It is hard sci-fi. It's full of truly alien races, beings and alien ways of thought. I loved The Martian but Weir's book is very human. This book is about humans experiencing the alien.(less)
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Unanswered Questions (1)

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