A Fire Upon the Deep

[Moggle]

I'm on page 62 of the paperback right and I feel like I've made a horrible mistake. So far it's readable, but barely coherent in it's storytelling, and it's losing me. Level with me here, it doesn't get better does it? How is A Deepness in the Sky in comparison?

 

[clovis-man]

They are both (Fire/Deepness) great space operas and I think you just need to keep reading. I find that I am often confused at the start of a complex tale, to eventually discover that everything will fall into place. The wolfish beings are a little hard to get used to, but are ultimately a fascinating part of the story. No guarantees. Vinge may not be your type of author in that he weaves multiple story lines into a single novel. But it works for me.

 

[Montero]

I remember my brain bouncing off the dog packs to start with, then all of a sudden it clicked. Someone I know who read it before me and likes dogs, found the opening sections fine as he was interested in dogs, and possibly had more understanding than I do of how dogs and dog packs think and interact.

I found both Fire in the Deep and Deepness in the Sky awesome. I don't often use that word, but especially Deepness in the Sky, I was thinking just how does he manage to think of all this, put it across, keep the story running. They are a sort-of series, so I would try to keep going with Fire in the Deep.

Both on my "must re-read when I have a week to spare list". Don't want to re-read when I am tired, but when I can really absorb not just the stories, but how he does it, and sit there for hours at a time reading them.

 

[williamjm]

I really liked A Fire Upon The Deep. It maybe isn't the easiest book to get into, so I think it is worth persisting with it. The plotline on the Tines' planet is excellent, but it does take a while to figure out how the alien society works, I think one of the most interesting features of the book is the aliens who are very different from humans. Some of the other parts of the book in the Beyond felt a bit more fragmented, sometimes I felt the interstellar civilisation wasn't developed in enough detail.

Much as I like A Fire Upon The Deep, I do think that A Deepness in the Sky is better.

 

[gully_foyle]

I read Fire Upon The Deep a few years back and found it hard going in parts, but I seemed to have enjoyed it. Curiously I can't find my copy of it anymore. Must read it again and try A Deepness in the Sky.

 

[Rodders]

I've seen these as an omnibus in my local waterstones. It's worth getting then?

 

[Montero]

I think it they are both great books. If you are into large scale space opera then go for it.

(From memory which could be wrong, I seem to remember that while there are multiple plot threads, there are fewer plot threads than say Peter Hamilton Reality Disfunction.)

 

[clovis-man]

I think it they are both great books. If you are into large scale space opera then go for it.

(From memory which could be wrong, I seem to remember that while there are multiple plot threads, there are fewer plot threads than say Peter Hamilton Reality Disfunction.)

Compared to slogging through Hamilton's Byzantine creations, Vinge's tales are a walk in the park.

It might help to know that Deepness is a prequel to Fire and has one common character in Pham Nguyen. But any order of reading you choose will not represent an issue in that both stories are stand-alones, for all intents and purposes.

 

[Moggle]

Is Deepness a much easier read than Fire Upon the Deep?

 

[clovis-man]

Is Deepness a much easier read than Fire Upon the Deep?

It's been some time since I read them, so I don't recall one being more difficult than the other (the multiple wolf personalities notwithstanding). Having said that, I do remember that once I had read Fire, I couldn't wait to read Deepness.