A Fire Upon the Deep

Vernor Vinge

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

Heart-pounding, mind-expanding science fiction at its best.

'He has created a galaxy to believe in... immense, ancient, dotted with wonders... with some of the best-conceived aliens to appear in recent years. A tale that burns with the brazen energy of the best space operas of the Golden Age'

'Complex and fascinating. It's one of the best SF novels of the year'

'No one so excels at presenting awesome vistas of both space and time. Vinge is one of the great visionary writers of SF today'

'No summary can do justice to the depth and conviction of Vinge's ideas. The overall concept astonishes, the aliens are developed with memorable skill and insight; the plot twists and turns with unputdownable tension. A masterpiece'

Review by Nigel (310701) Rating (8/10)

Review by Nigel
Rating 8/10
This novel is vast in its scale, a true epic of sweeping proportions and grandeur. It makes you contemplate the scale of the Universe and the future possibilities for mankind. The galaxy created is vast, populated by a mixture of aliens and humanity, some technologically advanced while others have regressed to medieval societies, fallen colony worlds where technology is just a legend.

An ancient evil is resurrected from the ruins of a data archive from the distant past. At first it is thought to be a malevolent power, beings that have transcended to a higher level, beyond the comprehension of man, but are still limited. However, as more and more civilisations are destroyed, panic spreads throughout the galaxy that some evil from the deepest past has been awakened.

Two children, who may hold the key to the power's destruction, are stranded on a planet in the slow zone. However, the medieval world is in turmoil following the arrival of the children's spacecraft and the various factions are close to war.

A rescue mission is planned but just as it is about to set off the solar system is attacked and destroyed by the power. It is seeking something...

A great read that any science fiction fan will love... highly recommended.

Note
If anyone reading this plays the online game Planetarion they will see many parallels... this is Planetarion made flesh... the planets, the fleets, the alliances...
Nigel (31st July 2001)