A Deepness in the Sky: 2 (Zones of Thought) - Softcover

Vinge, Vernor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812536355 ISBN 13: 9780812536355

Publisher: St Martin's Press, 2000

Synopsis

After thousands of years searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. Two human groups: the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds. The group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches. But first, both groups must wait at the aliens' very doorstep for their strange star to relight and for their planet to reawaken, as it does every two hundred and fifty years.... Then, following terrible treachery, the Qeng Ho must fight for their freedom and for the lives of the unsuspecting innocents on the planet below, while the aliens themselves play a role unsuspected by the Qeng Ho and Emergents alike. More than just a great science fiction adventure, A Deepness in the Sky is a universal drama of courage, self-discovery, and the redemptive power of love. A Deepness in the Sky is a 1999 Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel and the winner of the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

About this title

Review:

This hefty novel returns to the universe of Vernor Vinge's 1973 Hugo winner A Fire Upon the Deep--but 30,000 years earlier. It has the same sense of epic vastness despite happening mostly in one isolated solar system. Here there's a world of intelligent spider- creatures who traditionally hibernate through the "Deepest Darkness" of their strange variable sun's long "off" periods, when even the atmosphere freezes. Now science offers them an alternative. Meanwhile, attracted by spider radio transmissions, two human starfleets come exploring: merchants hoping for customers, and tyrants who want slaves. Their inevitable clash leaves only crippled remnants of both fleets, with power in the wrong hands, leading to a long wait in space until the spiders develop exploitable technology. Over the years Vinge builds compelling tension through multiple storylines and characters. In the sky, hopes of rebellion against tyranny continue despite soothing lies, brutal repression and a mental bondage that can convert people into literal tools. Down below, the engagingly sympathetic spiders have their own problems. In flashback, we see the grandiose ideals and ultimate betrayal of the merchant culture's founder, now among the human contingent and pretending to be a senile buffoon while plotting, plotting. Major revelations, ironies and payoffs follow. A powerful story in the grandest SF tradition. -- David Langford

Review:

"Huge, intricate, and ingenious, with superbly realized aliens: a chilling spellbinding dramatization of the horrors of slavery and mind control." --Kirkus Reviews (pointer review)

"A feast of imagination. As always, Vinge satisfies with richly imagined worlds and a full-flavored story." --Greg Bear

"Wonderfully engaging!" --Cleveland Plain Dealer

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0812536355
• ISBN 13: 9780812536355
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 792