Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space - from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these 'zones of thought', but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artefact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence.
Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines - an alien race with a harsh medieval culture - and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue party, not entirely composed of humans, must free the children - and retrieve a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization.
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Faster-than-light travel remains impossible near Earth, deep in the galaxy's Slow Zone--but physical laws relax in the surrounding Beyond. Outside that again is the Transcend, full of unpredictable, godlike "Powers". When human meddling wakes an old Power, the Blight, this spreads like a wildfire mind virus that turns whole civilisations into its unthinking tools. And the half-mythical Countermeasure, if it exists, is lost with two human children on primitive Tines World.
Serious complications follow. One paranoid alien alliance blames humanity for the Blight and launches a genocidal strike. Pham Nuwen, the man who knows about Countermeasure, escapes this ruin in the spacecraft Out of Band--heading for more violence and treachery, with 500 warships soon in hot pursuit. On his destination world, the fascinating Tines are intelligent only in combination: named "individuals" are small packs of the dog-like aliens. Primitive doesn't mean stupid, and opposed Tine leaders wheedle the young castaways for information about guns and radios. Low-tech war looms, with elaborately nested betrayals and schemes to seize Out of Band if it ever arrives. The tension becomes extreme... while half the Beyond debates the issues on galactic Usenet.
Vinge's climax is suitably mind-boggling. This epic combines the flash and dazzle of old-style space opera with modern, polished thoughtfulness. Pham Nuwen also appears in the nifty prequel set 30,000 years earlier, A Deepness in the Sky. Both recommended. --David Langford
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Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9781473211957
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space - from super-intelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these 'zones of thought', but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artefact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence.Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines - an alien race with a harsh medieval culture - and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue party, not entirely composed of humans, must free the children - and retrieve a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization. The Hugo Award-winning masterpiece of modern space opera - a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781473211957
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 608 pages. 7.76x5.24x1.57 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __1473211956
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Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. The Hugo Award-winning masterpiece of modern space opera - a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Seller Inventory # B9781473211957
Book Description Condition: New. The Hugo Award-winning masterpiece of modern space opera - a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Series: S.F. Masterworks. Num Pages: 608 pages. BIC Classification: FL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 129. . . 2016. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9781473211957
Book Description Condition: New. The Hugo Award-winning masterpiece of modern space opera - a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Series: S.F. Masterworks. Num Pages: 608 pages. BIC Classification: FL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 129. . . 2016. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9781473211957
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