The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge

Zones of Thought

by Vernor Vinge

A career-spanning collection of science fiction from one of the field's most highly regarded writers, The Collected Stories contains all of Vinge's published short fiction with the exception of two stories--almost 40 years of work including his first professional sale and his most recent novella (published here for the first time). It's a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable review of his career, made richer by the addition of forewords and afterwords to the individual stories in which he discusses everything from the ideas that drove the story to insights on his own writing process.

Vinge's writing is characterized by a clear love of science and an empathy for human needs and feelings. He's intensely curious about what happens when people and science collide. His stories explore the legacies of racism and xenophobia, the pros and cons of anarchy, alien contact, and the sometimes even more difficult contact between humans. He's a master of big ideas, epic settings, and stories well told. --Roz Genessee

Contents:
"Bookworm, Run!" (1966)
The Accomplice (1967)
The Peddler's Apprentice (1975) with Joan D. Vinge
The Ungoverned (1985)
Long Shot (1972)
Apartness (1965)
Conquest by Default (1968)
The Whirligig of Time (1974)
Bomb Scare (1970)
The Science Fair (1971)
Gemstone (1983)
Just Peace (1971) with William L. Rupp
Original Sin (1972)
The Blabber (1988)
Win a Nobel Prize! (2000)
The Barbarian Princess (1986)
Fast Times at Fairmont High (2001)

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Collections, Anthologies, Short Story Collection, Speculative Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Vernor Steffen Vinge is a retired San Diego State University Professor of Mathematics, computer scientist, and science fiction author. He is best known for his Hugo Award-winning novels A Fire Upon The Deep (1992), A Deepness in the Sky (1999) and Rainbows End (2006), his Hugo Award-winning novellas Fast Times at Fairmont High (2002) and The Cookie Monster (2004), as well as for his 1993 essay "The Coming Technological Singularity", in which he argues that exponential growth in technology will reach a point beyond which we cannot even speculate about the consequences.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/vernor...

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm having a lot of fun with my early 2023 reread. In particular, "The Blabber" is an AMAZING story! Published in 1988, this short novella is actually a sequel to both "A Fire Upon the Deep" (1992) and "A Deepness in the Sky" (1999). A remarkable time-travel achievement! Though one that, as Vinge remarks in his afterword, prevented him from expanding the novella into a full novel. Our loss! Regardless, an easy 5-star story. Likely my favorite here. Note that the entire book is available as a $1 Kindle. Deal of the century!

• Win a Nobel Prize! • (2000). Vignette at Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/35037684
4 stars!
• The Barbarian Princess • [Tatja Grimm] • (1986) • novelette. Tatja Grimm is hired as an actress to play the part of the heroine of a long-running story series in Fantasie, a 700-year-old[!] SF/F magazine. Easy 4 stars, remarkably convincing science-fantasy.
• The Peddler's Apprentice • (1975) • novelette by Joan D. Vinge and Vernor Vinge. 4.5 stars! See the review below for a reasonably spoiler-free synopsis. Great story. You will get your $1 worth right here!
• Just Peace • (1971) • novelette by William Rupp and Vernor Vinge. A good Singularity story, and a crackling good old-fashioned SF adventure. This was Vinge's last sale to Campbell's Analog: JWC died a few months later. 4+ stars, not online.

Collection TOC and story histories: https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?37313
What a pity Dr. Vinge has fallen silent since his early retirement! His many fans hoped he would seize the moment to produce more great space operas! Or Something Else? Nope. Nothing new since 2017, per ISFDB. Darn. Maybe the well ran dry? Happens . . .

The best review of the collection I saw online: http://www.thealexandrian.net/reviews...
With bonus links to two later, first-rate stories! Updated from dead links there. Both are recommended reading:
"Synthetic Serendipity" (2004)
https://cse.buffalo.edu/~demirbas/syn...
"The Cookie Monster" (Novella, 2003). Archived copy, formerly online at Analog. On my reread list!
https://www.ida.liu.se/~tompe44/lsff-...

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of shorter works (from short story to novella size, mostly the later) of award-winning SF author Vernor Vinge. I’ve read it after I enjoyed his Hugo-winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky. The collection contains almost all his smaller works written between the mid-60s and 2001. Moreover, each work had his preface and afterthought, which makes it even more interesting.

Here is a list of titles with short synapses with minimum of spoilers:
"Bookworm, Run!” a chimpanzee linked to ability-enhancing computer escapes the military base
"The Accomplice” it is 1993 (written in 1967) and someone stole computer time to do something artistic
"The Peddler's Apprentice”, written with his then-wife Joan D. Vinge, the story of a mysterious trader and a young band planning to full him. I’d say quite a lot of the ideas (from free trade vs. totalitarian, to methods of control) were later re-introduced in A Deepness in the Sky.
"The Ungoverned” an ode to anarcho-capitalism and its better protection against armed invasion, clearly showing his libertarian views
"Long Shot” a smallest possible viable interstellar colony written as a log of the delivery ship
"Apartness” after nuclear war, the Earth is governed by former smaller nations and one old group is found on the Antarctica
"Conquest by Default” the same setting as in the previous story but now human-like aliens from another planet invade the Earth. Problem of who prevents forming a strong group withing libertarian society to oppress others is thought out.
"The Whirligig of Time” another nuclear war and the revenge of the defeated
"Bomb Scare” during a war between to civilizations, the third group appears that can destroy both. A bit silly piece
"The Science Fair” a scientist ought to present something new on a regular fair…
"Gemstone” a granddaughter stays for a summer with her grandma to find out her secrets.
"Just Peace” an investigator from post-singularity Earth is rayed on a failed colony
"Original Sin” a reverse of ‘wise eternal aliens vs short-lived angry humans” trope with aliens that are even shorter living and more aggressive
"The Blabber” an addition to A Fire Upon the Deep
"Win A Nobel Prize!” short humorous letter
"The Barbarian Princess” a strange world, where editor and publisher of fantasy pulps like Rad Sonya travels on a sea-ship with some semi-circus semi-science crew
"Fast Times at Fairmont High” teenagers do their school project in the near future with ubiquitous internet access

[Guy Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the shorter jottings of multiple award-winning Vinge gathered together in on place.

Vernor Vinge is an important novelist, an alumnus of Analog magazine. His work was published by John W Campbell alongside that of Asimov and Clarke, so he is one of those authors who bridge the period between the ‘Golden Age’ and modern SF.

He is not renowned for his short stories, simply because he doesn’t write many of them (see this interview for more on this). Still, there’s plenty to read in this collection, bringing together as it does all of his published short-form fiction from his 42 year career, bar ‘The Cookie Monster’, which was printed after this book’s initial American release in 2001. Though he’s not the world’s most prolific author, Vinge has a good ratio of plaudits to output, he is perhaps one of the most lauded of all hard SF writers, and these stories mark his quality well. Science always stands brooding behind the shoulder of Vinge’s muse. A great strength in this kind of fiction, and his science is visionary and feasible. But in his earlier work, the ‘What if?’ is often the theme rather than the motivator for the theme, giving the tales that peculiar clockwork feel scientist SF can exhibit, of ideas clicking toward an inevitable conclusion. However, Vinge developed as he progressed in his career, and his characters begin to live and breathe more in his possible possibles. The result is science fiction of the most refined brand, rich with canny prediction.

For a man who talks about the Singularity so much, this is rarely used as his agent of narrative change. Though it lurks at the edges of our peripheral vision, don’t come expecting machine wars or transcendental technological utopias, instead we have a man who loves to write stories about aliens and alternative governments, all as well considered as his science.

Each story has a commentary topping and tailing it wherein Vinge talks about the genesis and the intended effect of each story. These are very brief, but they are charming nonetheless.

Vinge is a solid writer, but he’s no Harlon Ellison-esque prose poet. Though his writing only sometimes takes you completely out of yourself, his ideas always fascinate. This collection will not disappoint.

The Stories

I’ve not rated these, as they were written across a lifetime. Though all good, the older ones aren’t quite as polished as the newer ones, so it simply wouldn’t be that sporting.

Bookworm, Run!
1966

Enhanced chimp makes a break from a base so secret its owners can’t find their way round it. Even Vinge’s first story is a foreshadowing of the Singularity, concerned as it is with the man/machine interface.

The Accomplice
1967

Computer animation transforms entertainment and makes everyone a potential artist. Amazingly prescient tale that is quaint in its prognostications. Though, of course, we can only say that in hindsight because it came true…

The Peddler’s Apprentice
1975

Mysterious peddler arrives in a medieval future and kickstarts civilisation’s cycle of progress and fall, frozen by a tyrannical government for 10,000 years. An odd tale in that it has both great characters and a fine idea, but the two don’t quite square against one another. Written with Vinge’s ex-wife, the writer Joan Vinge.

The Ungoverned
1985

Story set in Vinge’s ‘Realtime’ universe. The New Mexican government attempt to invade the anarchist centre of the ex-USA. A bit hard to get into but ultimately rewarding. One of Vinge’s occasional dabblings with anarchist themes.

Long Shot
1972

Traditional SF yarn, with a far-fetched “What if?” that seeks to engross by hokily having mankind’s robotic saviour forget its mission, so we can have a twist. But he just about pulls it off.

Apartness
1965

A more human story this, a commentary on apartheid and the lessons, and punishments, of history.

Conquest by Default
1968

Set in the same world as ‘Apartness’, ‘Conquest by Default’ deals with the colonisation of Earth by aliens. An extreme experiment in anarchy, as the aliens have a totally decentralised government and a free way of living. Great ideas and well-thought out societies combined to good effect.

The Whirligig of Time
1974

Somewhat daft Cold War yarn that seems only to exist to demonstrate the mathematics of escape velocities and the indomitability of the human spirit.

Bomb Scare
1970

The only story that expressly deals with a post-singularity situation, in which god-powered kids attempt to detonate an entire galaxy for a giggle.

The Science Fair
1971

This is one where the science really does make the story creak. Also, would aliens that lived on a world that was so cold really develop infravision if it made them mostly blind? The least of the stories.

Gemstone

1983

Unusually, ‘Gemstone’ is primarily about relationship; that between a girl and her grandmother. The science bit – that in the dead grandfather’s collection of rocks is a tele-empathic alien – takes a back seat. Almost Stephen King-ian.

Just Peace

1971

An envoy from Earth must help save a devastated colony from a core collapse. But the surviving inhabitants have split into two diametrically opposed nation states. Powerful, post-singularity technology (obliquely referenced here), odd governmental systems and an apocalyptic scenario – a trio of Vinge’s favourites in one tale. Written with William Rupp, this is one of only two collaborations. He avoids them usually because they are “a good way to work just as hard as ever – but only get paid half as much”.

Original Sin
1972

Mankind is faced by the Shimans, an alien race that is even more vicious and intelligent than we are. Should these short-lived monsters be helped in extending their pitifully short lifespan? Such violent creatures would probably not be able to develop any kind of society, but it’s otherwise a cracking adventure.

The Blabber
1988

Vinge’s first venture into the Zones of Thought. A boy living at the very edge of the Slow Zone is tempted by an offer from an entity in the Beyond to leave his world. But it comes at the cost of giving up his beloved pet, The Blabber, an alien animal with the uncanny ability to mimic human speech. The first appearance of the hive-minded Tines features here.

Win a Nobel Prize!
2000

A scientifically dense, very short 900 word piece originally run in Nature magazine about a modern-day Mephistophelean bargain. The technology featured, which enables certain aspects of the human mind to be permanently altered, plays a major part in A Deepness in the Sky.

The Barbarian Princess
1986

Weird metal-poor world where a magazine publishing company, based on a barge, sails the world, buying stories as it goes. They hire a seemingly unintelligent woman to play the role of Hrala, a Red Sonja-like character, popular with the boys. Entertaining low-tech SF, musing on the nature of fiction.

Fast Times at Fairmont High
2001

Hugo Award winner in 2002, and the same world Vinge used later in his novel Rainbow’s End. The novella follows students from an academy whose motto is “Trying Hard not to Become Obsolete”. As part of their exams, the kids have to complete one assignment offline, and they discover strange goings on… A peek at a near future of super-high bandwidth networking.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Vinge's stories since the mid-80's and this is a really nice compendium of (almost) all of them -- most notably lacking his most famous, "True Names", which apparently the publisher wants to sell on its own for $10.

It's fun to see the short stories that later grew into some of his novels or somehow exist in the same universe: "The Ungoverned" in the world of The Peace War & Marooned in Realtime, "The Blabber" in the Zones of Thought universe ( A Fire Upon the Deep, A Deepness in the Sky), "Barbarian Princess" ( Tatja Grimm's World), and "Fast Times at Fairmont High" ( Rainbow's End), and to witness Vinge's development as an author.

Personally, I found his early stories, while highly uneven and not as polished as the later ones, to be generally more fun -- or maybe it's because so many of the later stories are tied to books, and are (in hindsight) early explorations into those worlds, so they tend to feel lacking.

In summary, if you like Vinge's novels, read this book. If you didn't, but you thought he had some neat ideas, read this book. If you don't know Vinge, I don't think this is the right place to start.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

More playful and miscellaneous than I was expecting. As always with him, there are grand gears turning in the background of his stories: there's more to his worlds than we see, and reasons beyond what the characters reason. But overall not as stunning as his novels, even accounting for scale. This is not surprising when you realise that the earliest of these was written when he was a teenager. He really hits his stride halfway through this, 1980.

The main intellectual success is his depiction of anarchism, as stable, unstable, predatory, kind, natural, or requiring unnatural underpinning.

I loved his forewords to each story:

"The quality of the writing is about average for what I could manage in the 1960s... And the ideas? Ah, there's the problem. To date, "The Accomplice" is the most irritating combination of embarrassing gaffes and neat insights that I have ever created."

Great fun but not as mind-bending as Egan or Chiang or Borges or Vinge.

Ranked:
1. 'The Ungoverned'. How could anarchism resist invasion?: By being too expensive to conquer.
2. The Peddlar's Apprentice'. Neat post-post-apocalypse. The control group are the good guys.
3. 'Long Shot'.
4. 'The Blabber'.
5. 'Fast Times at Fairmont High'.
6. 'Just Peace'.
7. 'Conquest by Default'. Yet another anarchism, but with true aliens this time. Patches the gap in nonaggression with religious dogma: all obey the anti-monopoly priests. Colonialist anarchists!!
8. 'Original Sin'.
9. 'Bomb Scare'.
10. 'Apartness'.
11. 'The Whirligig of Time'. Tries too hard to be lyrical about nuclear holocaust. Rare depiction of winners of a nuclear war! Monarchy returns to post-apocalypse Russia, and then somehow they get to super advanced tech despite authoritarian thought control. You can feel the actual physical model straining underneath the prose and morals.
12. 'Win a Nobel Prize!'.
13. 'Run, Bookworm!'.
14. 'The Science Fair'.
15. 'Gemstone'.
16. 'The Accomplice'.

[Tim Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of most of Vinge's short stories and novellas (there are only two omissions, _True Names_ and _Grimm's Story_, the latter of which became the core of one of his novels, _Tatja Grimm's World_, at least as far as I know). The short stories range in dates from the first stories he ever had published, such as _Bookworm, Run!_, copyright 1966 and written while Vinge was a senior in high school, to one written just for this collection, _Fast Times at Fairmont High_, copyright 2001, one that is clearly a prequel to his _Rainbows End_. They range in length from the 900 word story _Win a Nobel Prize!_ to the novella length _Blabber_ (set in the Zones of Thought universe of _A Fire Upon the Deep_), though most range somewhere in between. All told there are seventeen stories in this collection, two of which were collaborations (_The Peddler's Apprentice_ was written with Joan D. Vinge and _Just Peace_ was a joint effort with William Rupp).

I enjoyed the collection, there weren't any stories that I disliked and some were extremely good. His earlier stories, notably _Bookworm, Run!_, were a bit rougher around the edges, not as well polished as later stories (which is understandable) but even those I generally liked.

There were several themes explored in his stories, many of them noted by Vinge himself in a foreword and in several cases an afterword accompanied each story, where Vinge discussed where he was in his writing career at that time, inspirations for the story, earlier versions of the story, how well he felt that tale has held up to the test of time, and whether or nor he planned (or plans) to further develop the characters or the setting. He revealed for instance in his commentary on _The Blabber_ that that story was both the sequel to the novels _A Fire Upon the Deep_ and _A Deepness in the Sky_ and at the same time a prequel, as he wrote _The Blabber_ first. Of interest I think to any Vinge fan and I think the overall story comments would be of interest to any aspiring science fiction writer.

Several of the stories were a bit dated, dealing with computer technology that has since become obsolete or with Cold War situations (or with post-World War III scenarios, which one can debate whether or not these settings are obsolete), though they were nonetheless well done fiction and interesting from a historical point of view.

One of the themes explored by Vinge was the concept of the Singularity, (as far back as in the story _Bookworm, Run!_). Vinge felt that eventually thanks to biological evolution and to advances in technology future humanity will surpass current humans in terms of intellectual ability. Such superbeings would be nearly impossible to write about or to be in their shoes so to speak, that at that point human history will have reached a point that is impossible for modern humans to imagine, a "place where extrapolation" breaks down, a world that will be beyond our understanding. Such superbeings should be kept off stage, hinted at, perhaps only dealt with when they are children or otherwise weakened if at all. His coming to terms with the Singularity was behind the development of the various galactic zones of mental abilities and technologies (the Zones of Thought) in his _A Fire Upon the Deep_ and _A Deepness in the Sky_ and in this volume _The Blabber_, behind the concept of the Slow Zone, a region of the galaxy where faster than light travel for instance was not possible and where superhuman intelligences could not function at greater than human levels, a region where one could set far future stories, have superhuman intelligences hinted at, but avoid going into realms that were "overtly science-fictional" or even fantasy. I was never sure how realistic such a concept was (I suspect not) but it does make for interesting stories.

Another concept that Vinge explored was the idea of anarchy, as both a model of future human society and as one that alien beings might follow. _Conquest by Default_ examined how an anarchical system might exist within an alien society (and what would happen when this technologically and numerically superior civilization arrived on Earth) while _The Ungoverned_ (a short story set between two other novels of his, _The Peace War_ and _Marooned in Realtime_, all of which can be found together by the way in the book _Across Realtime_) looked at how such a (largely peaceful) system might arise in a post World War III America. In both stories Vinge explored what set of assumptions exist for why the participants cooperate at all in such a system as well as what exists to prevent the formation of power groups that would be large enough to in effect constitute a government. While I don't agree with anarchy in any form, both stories were entertaining, with the aliens in _Conquest by Default_ quite alien indeed. I wonder if Vinge is a libertarian....

Several stories obviously focused on aliens, ranging from the anarchic Mikin in _Conquest by Default_ to the charming, funny, titular creature in _The Blabber_ to the frightening super race known as the Shimans in _Original Sin_. Vinge has always done a great job with aliens and here he does not disappoint.

A very good book. I don't usually like anthologies but I really enjoyed this one.

[Austin Beeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATED 82% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 3.8 OF 5
17 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 1 DNF

When I heard that Vernor Vinge had died in March of 2024, I realized that although I’d read some of his major novels (A Fire Upon the Deep & A Deepness in the Sky) I couldn’t recall reading any of his short fiction. I found only about 21 stories in his entry of the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Most of them are in this collection.

Vinge was a master of science fiction, but I didn’t find The Collected Stories to be masterful. The author’s technological expertise is on display in nearly every story and there are some great ones, but also a few that fell very flat.

Unfortunately the major idea that Vernor Vinge brought to science fiction (and the world) is The Singularity and isn’t really present in this work. The Singularity is the idea that technological advance will create superhuman intelligences that are beyond what we can understand. Vinge believed they were coming soon and would transform all of human life.

But what’s in the book?

There are long discussions in the best of these stories about technological ethics. What are we doing and why might we want to reconsider or slow down? Like many authors of his era, Vernor Vinge seemed to obsess over apocalyptic situations post war and more than a few stories deal with this concept.

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Even in my least favorite stories, Vernor Vinge does something only science fiction does well. He starts in the science of his day and intentionally extrapolates to the future. It is rare to see him reaching for sci-fi tropes. He’s always writing science fiction, and when it hits, it hits really well.

Four of these stories join my All-Time Great List:
https://www.shortsf.com/beststories

"Bookworm, Run!" • (1966) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

Norman - a chimpanzee with enhanced intelligence from a brain-to-computer interface escapes from a secret facility in Michigan. 1960s Soviet spies, plane crashes, lots of suspense. An exciting romp of a story coupled with a smart examination of the ethical implication of enhancing intelligence with technology.

Long Shot • (1972) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Ilyse, an advanced AI probe, is sent into deep space to try to find a new home for humanity’s genetic material. Vinge does an amazing job of meticulously detailing the vastness of space and the decisions of deep space travel. Masterful hard sci-fi.

Gemstone • (1983) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

A superb story of non-sentient first contact. A teenage girl goes to spend time with her wealthy widowed grandmother. The house is full of memorabilia and collectibles from a lifetime of exploration and travel. One stone seems to have a power that the others do not.

Fast Times at Fairmont High • (2001) • novella by Vernor Vinge

In the near future of 2004, education has been radically changed by technology. Communication is entirely through a series of nodes that provide communication, overlays, recording, and much more. Juan is an 8th grade student who is has to take two graduation test projects, one “unlimited” using any resource he can find and one “local” which must be done in person with limited technology. The main plot is about the local project, but the richness of the world and great character interactions make this a YA story of the highest quality.

THE COLLECTED STORIES OF VERNOR VINGE
17 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 1 DNF

"Bookworm, Run!" • (1966) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

Great. Norman - a chimpanzee with enhanced intelligence from a brain-to-computer interface escapes from a secret facility in Michigan. 1960s Soviet spies, plane crashes, lots of suspense. An exciting romp of a story coupled with a smart examination of the ethical implication of enhancing intelligence with technology.

The Accomplice • (1967) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Average. This one hasn’t aged well due to increase in the use of digital technology to create entertainment and there isn’t much here other than the gimmick. In the world of Royce Technology, Inc., a significant embezzlement of computer time worth millions is discovered. Bob Royce and his security officer, Arnold Su, suspect a trusted senior employee, Howard Prentice, of the theft.

The Peddler's Apprentice • (1975) • novelette by Joan D. Vinge and Vernor Vinge

Average. In a post apocalyptic society that has rebuilt itself into a feudal system, a young man from Highland becomes the apprentice of a mysterious peddler.

The Ungoverned • [Realtime] • (1985) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

Good. Rip roaring action war story set in a future where a catastrophic war has reshaped society into a mix of high-tech enclaves and anarchic territories. The story takes place primarily in the ungoverned lands of the Midwest, a region characterized by its lack of formal government and reliance on private protection services. Speaks to anarcho-captialism and how technology can empower individuals against governments.

Long Shot • (1972) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Great. Ilyse, an advanced AI probe, is sent into deep space to try to find a new home for humanity’s genetic material. Vinge does an amazing job of meticulously detailing the vastness of space and the decisions of deep space travel. Masterful hard sci-fi.

Apartness • (1965) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Good. The North World War has left most of the northern hemisphere uninhabitable. On a mission to Anartica, a smart group of surviving human is discovered. A discovery than leads to violence.

Conquest by Default • (1968) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

Good. Earth is being colonized by the technologically superior Mikin who have a deep religious connection to antitrust ideas and even have Umpires to make it fair.

The Whirligig of Time • (1974) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Good. A story in two parts. 1. The last days of a brutal war which culminates in a nuclear attack. 2. A future space cruiser discovers a still-armed ballistic antimissile device, but the leadership of the vessel are oblivious of the danger and what to bring it onboard.

Bomb Scare • (1970) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Good. Brutal rulers, trying to subjugate the Mush-Faces, decide to obliterate their enemy’s home planet. Then they discover an even more powerful race who can destroy entire stars.

The Science Fair • (1971) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Good. The questions of who should own scientific ideas is at the heart of this story about attempted assassinations at the science fair.

Gemstone • (1983) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

Great. A superb story of non-sentient first contact. A teenage girl goes to spend time with her wealthy widowed grandmother. The house is full of memorabilia and collectibles from a lifetime of exploration and travel. One stone seems to have a power that the others do not.

Just Peace • (1971) • novelette by William Rupp and Vernor Vinge

Good. Good old-fashioned adventure story. Vicente "Chente" Quintero is sent to the distant colony of New Canada by duplicative transport to investigate the collapse of the planet's core and reestablish contact with the inhabitants. The colony has fractured into warring states and Chente must navigate political intrigue, technological remnants, romance, and the planet's unstable environment to unify the colony against a looming existential threat.

Original Sin • (1972) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

Good. On Shima, the indigenous race has achieved human-level civilization in a mere two centuries. There are also an extremely violent race as a byproduct of a brutal fight for survival among newborn Shimian, of which very few survive. The story deals with a moral quandary of giving such a brilliant and violent race the ability to survive longer and dominate everything. Action packed. Almost Hollywood action-horror vibes.

The Blabber • [Zones of Thought] • (1988) • novella by Vernor Vinge

Good. On the planet Middle America, a young man finds himself in peril when aliens want to take from him his pet Blabber, a semi-sentient alien from deep space.

Win a Nobel Prize! • (2000) • short story by Vernor Vinge

Poor. Cheesy story about a disgruntled scientist who is offered a sketchy chance to get unlimited funding and maybe win a Nobel Prize.

The Barbarian Princess • [Tatja Grimm] • (1986) • novelette by Vernor Vinge

DNF. An editor of a fantasy magazine on a floating publishing house uses a woman who looks like a character in their magazine to fight terminate people. Inside baseball and pretty stupid.

Fast Times at Fairmont High • (2001) • novella by Vernor Vinge

Great. In the near future of 2004, education has been radically changed by technology. Communication is entirely through a series of nodes that provide communication, overlays, recording, and much more. Juan is an 8th grade student who is has to take two graduation test projects, one “unlimited” using any resource he can find and one “local” which must be done in person with limited technology. The main plot is about the local project, but the richness of the world and great character interactions make this a YA story of the highest quality.

[Astroretro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly mixed collection of stories that I found quite captivating. Vinge is richly imaginative without losing sight of scientific possibility. In each story he tests the boundaries of scientific extrapolation and comes up with some surprising visions of what might lie in our future.

Prior to this collection I had only read "A Fire Upon The Deep" which I enjoyed but had some minor quibbles with. It inspired me however to seek more of his work so I though I might try this one. This book covers a diverse collection of themes written over a long period of Vinge's writing history so I felt it would give me a good insight into his style and ideas. I came away impressed and am now inspired to read more of his work. Definitely a recommended read.

[Jonathan Palfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s convenient to have most (unfortunately not all) of Vernor Vinge’s short fiction together in one place, though I’d prefer to have it arranged in chronological order.

He started off as a writer of short stories, and he says himself that he had difficulty with novels, but I think it’s fair to say by now that his novels are more impressive than his short stories. However, his novella “True names” (not included here!) was indeed impressive in 1981, and remains good.

Most collections of short stories are a very mixed bag; this one is less mixed than usual, in that all of the 17 stories are quite agreeable to read and reread, while none of them are great classics. They often involve interesting and original ideas.

My personal favourites here are “The peddler’s apprentice” and “The Blabber”, followed by “The ungoverned”, “Fast times at Fairmont High” (which won a Hugo Award), and “Bookworm, run!”.

“The Blabber” introduces the Zones of Thought universe that was further developed in three subsequent novels, while “Fast times at Fairmont High” introduces the near-future world that was further developed in the novel Rainbows End. “The ungoverned” is set in the same world as The Peace War and Marooned in Real Time, and takes place in between those two novels.

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge fan of True Names; just finished reading an earlier collection (True Names... and Other Dangers). This volume contains all of that, minus True Names itself. Stories later expanded to novels are mixed in with true short stories, and it was a fun read.

"Fast Times at Fairmont High" didn't work for me, but I still intend to read the novel (Rainbows End) at some point. I believe my favorite story from the collection was "Gemstone".

[Ishmael Soledad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I've enjoyed Vernor Vinge's novels, why didn't this grab me?

I found it tough going at times; not that the writing is difficult or the concepts hard, it just didn't light a fire under me. I think it's about the authors' strength; he's 100% a novel writer, the short stories are undercooked or underdeveloped. And he says as much in the Foreword.

Just not to my taste I'm afraid.

[Vincent Hernot · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's something really interesting about this volume: the consistency with which Vinge stuck to his ideas and theories.
Fair enough, he did the selecting so obviously that was his objective, but still.
Apart from that, well, Vinge is no stylist really: it's not bad or dull but not very flowing or alive. He clearly is a writer who sees the story as a vehicle for a grander thing: Art at the service of theory, as it were.
So, obviously, the reading can be tough going at times.

[John Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vinge's stories about an approaching singularity are thought provoking, dramatic, and even pretty funny.

[Edward Champion · Rating 1 out of 5]

So Vernor Vinge passed away recently and -- since I had never read him before -- I figured I would give him a whirl. Unfortunately, this was a complete disappointment.

"Chente, you don't realize what a ruthless, hedonistic crew the Ontarian rulers are. Until they're eliminated, New Providence will go on bleeding, so that no steps can be taken to protect us from the next Cataclysm."

NOBODY talks like this. NOBODY. Bad expositional dialogue along these lines runs rampant with dull and unremarkable prose, no real auctorial voice, veneer-thin characters, and some not especially interesting riffs on anarcho-capitalism and technology (at least as perceived from the late 20th century). Vinge falls in with other mediocre and talentless SFF writers of his generation (and a little later) who cannot write but who mimic Heinlein's hubris: David Brin, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, John Scalzi -- you know, insufferable bloviators like that who think they're hot shit. Vinge doesn't QUITE have their ego, but he cannot write either. The Mikin culture in "Conquest by Default" is without any real invention. "The Science Fair" is groan-inducing nostalgia. "The Blabber" is stupid for the wrong reasons. The Hugo Award-winning novella "Fast Times at Fairmont High" starts off with SOME promise, but is ultimately more of the same bland "Hey I'm going to pretend to be smarter than you" nonsense.

Sorry, but I just can't get behind these libertarian blowhards who lack the capacity for plot and characterization, much less lack the ability to tell a good yarn.

A friend of mine tells me that "True Names" is worth reading. And I WILL give that a shot at some later point. I'm sorry that those who loved Vinge lost this guy so recently, but literature needs to operate at the level of literature. And Vinge just isn't up to the task.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this to remember the great man. Starred stories were ones I originally purchased this collection for. His tales show how he always had fantastic ideas, and a wonderful ability to develop interesting aliens. His storytelling clearly improved over time.

Bookworm Run! - 3 stars, good ideas, but a bit clunky in execution.
The Accomplice - 3 stars, nice idea that was way ahead of its time.
The Peddler’s Apprentice - 3 stars started slow, improved (once Joan took over) but then landed rather flat.
*The Ungoverned - 3 stars some great action but a little incoherent at times as well. I like the references to the bobbles. Part of "Peace War" Universe.
Long shot - 4 stars - I do love an extended chronology non-ftl space tale.
Apartness - 2 stars - An interesting idea in there but not much else.
Conquest by default - 2 stars - the good ideas were not the central ones and the overall plot was a bit meh.
Bomb Scare - 4 Stars - clever little tale with some nice scope.
The science fair - 3 Stars - the plot isn’t that great but it does showcase Vinge’s ability to create interesting aliens.
Gemstone - 3 stars - nice idea, plot a bit loose.
Original Sin - 4 Stars - Using original aliens to ask tough questions of humanity, strong stuff.
*The Blabber - 3 stars - this was what caused me to come back to this book as this story is set in “Fire on the Deep” universe, but it largely missed the mark, still loved some parts near the end, plus the “Earth as renaissance fair” vibe.
The barbarian princess - 4 stars - good fun and an interesting setting.
*Fast times at Fairmont High - 4 Stars - best I’ve read here so far, especially as the ideas are so relevant right now (remote workers becoming commuters of people) and the execution was a bit stronger.

[Lars Dradrach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vinge is always interesting, even though he can be dry at places and probably needs the Novel format to really Excel and expand his ideas, this collection of most of his short stories shows off his amazing imagination and knowledge of cultures and technology.

It also has an introduction by Vinge to each story giving some interesting background.

Highlights

"The Peddler's Apprentice" - A small fantasy story about a Peddler who act as a guardian angel over the millennia

"Long Shot" a story about survival of the race

"Conquest by Default" a Scary story of cultural assimilation

"Just Peace" A depressing story about the only way to ensure peace

"original Sin" an amazing tale of really fast evolving race - very similar to the Moties in The Mote in God's Eye

""Fast times at Fairmount High" A disturbingly realistic tale of the near future, with AI's and Enhanced Reality

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story collections are like sampler plates: you don't have the same full-flavored appreciation that comes with an entrée platter or a multi-course meal, but you get a little taste of a wide variety of things -- some of which are inevitably going to resonate with you more than others. I've always loved short stories, and after reading "A Fire Upon the Deep" and "A Deepness in the Sky" I enjoyed turning to see a wider range of Vinge's work.

Other reviewers are correct that overall, Vinger's longer work is stronger overall. I can't say any particular story of the collection floored me or stuck in my mind, but I enjoyed them all to varying degrees, and it was fun to see hints of nascent themes and inchoate ideas that would be fleshed out in longer, later works.

Definitely recommend for anyone who has a soft spot for hard science fiction short stories from an old school writer.

[Jjohn_galt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice feature of this anthology is the author's comments on each story - something about the themes he was exploring or the process of writing. The stories themselves are hit or miss. The best are those that are part of (or were the genesis of) his better novels - "The Ungoverned" as an interlude within the series "Across Realtime" or "The Blabber" fitting within the "Fire Upon the Deep" series. Others are disappointing, particularly "The Science Fair" and "Original Sin". Overall, though a decent collection.

[Brian Cloutier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously not all brilliant writers started brilliant, it takes a lot of hard work to become as good as Vinge is. In this collection you get to watch him evolve as, over a few decades, he slowly finds and refines his own voice.

Four stars because the final few stories are quite good indeed, I did not find the first half of the book particularly compelling and would almost recommend skipping them (notable exceptions: The Peddler's Apprentice & Long Shot are great!) but you might disagree.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of these stories had at the least an interesting kernel of and idea to them - Vinge was a great thinker. Heck, some of them are lousy with interesting ideas. But at least for me, those ideas didn't all transition to interesting stories. "Fast Times at Fairmont High" for example is a nice ode to education where he is throwing out crazy ideas like they are nothing, but while I can see the appeal, it didn't really do anything for me.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had to describe this in one word: Uneven. I got a little impatient with the stories that were big on ideas but low on character development. However, I liked several stories a lot. My favorites were "The Gemstone", "The Peddler's Apprentice" (co-written with his ex-wife Joan Vinge), "The Blabber" and "The Barbarian Princess."

[Christopher Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to rate, because the collection ranged from two-star stories to four-star stories. The stories are arranged in chronological order of writing, so the ones near the end of the book are, not surprisingly, much better than the ones near the beginning. I say read the last three or so, and forget the rest.

[Ryan Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Vinge's novels A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, but I got about halfway through this and finally gave up. It was all just... boring. The best story that I read in this collection was one where he said that most of it was written by his wife Joan Vinge. I guess I should check out her books.

[Rob Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not disappoint. Vinge is one of the best ever Scifi writers held back only by the small number of books written

[Darron Huntzinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

P

[solo · Rating 3 out of 5]

mixed bag. overall fairly imaginative, but few truly stand-out stories to remember. a couple - quite prescient, though... ;)

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read "The Blabber" - cool to see some of the ideas of A Fire Upon The Deep in less developed stage - the gap between Children Of The Sky and this novella are hinted at.

[Jan-Olof Stromberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sämsta bok jag någonsin läst. Orkade bara med hälften, ca 300 sidor innan jag gav upp!

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were only 1-2 stories that lost my interest, and most kept me highly engaged.

Blabber, ungoverned, Fairmont high, princess barbarian being highlights for sure.

[Steve Scanlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid. Almost every story is a 10/10