Zones of thought question

chlorine · 09-30-2009, 02:16 PM

First, I want to thank all of you who have recommended A fire upon the deep. Though I like to read science-fiction a lot, I had never heard about this book before hearing it praised here. I'm currently reading it now, and, wow, what a book! It had been a long time since I'd been enthralled by a book to this extent.

My question is, is A deepness in the sky a direct sequel of the first book (i.e., taking place just after the end of the first book or shortly after, involving the same characters, etc.), or is it more a book set in the same universe, but not directly a sequel?

I'm asking because in the first case I'll read it very quickly in order to remember accurately the details of the first book, but if it's just a book set in the same universe, I'll probably read a few books before reading this one, to return to this universe with a fresh eye.

(PS: Please don't post spoilers about the first book, as I'm not done reading it yet.)

queentess · 09-30-2009, 02:39 PM

I read Fire, but not Deepness... my understanding of it is that Deepness is more of a prequel. It's set 30,000 years in the past and follows the Qeng Ho.

DixieGal · 09-30-2009, 02:49 PM

Oh Fun! Those are 2 of my all time faves! Book 2 is absolutely different, with the only thing really in common is the universe. It won't hurt to wait a while before Deepness, but don't wait too long - you will just make yourself delay the pleasure of reading a wonderful story!

And they both are even better the 2nd time you read them. Too much to absorb in one reading. Enjoy!

leandroide · 09-30-2009, 04:36 PM

Yes... "A Deepness..." is a prequel, that happens before the events in "A Fire...". 20.000 years earlier.

It is as good as the other one. Very different, though.

L.

ardeegee · 09-30-2009, 05:35 PM

Since you are reading Vinge, you should toss Marooned in Realtime on the stack.

igorsk · 10-01-2009, 07:23 AM

There's also a short story The Blabber, included in The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge.

wayspooled · 10-01-2009, 08:29 AM

Same universe but a different story set much earlier. You'll feel some slightly comfortable familiarity.

Glad you like Fire Upon The Deep! Agree with the previous poster, Vinge's Marooned in Realtime and The Peace War are not too shabby either. It's on my list of personal favorite sci-fi. Which in case you're interested since you sound as excited about Fire as I was, lessee if I can find it...
*copy and paste*

My personal favorite sci/fi, not supposed to be the most influential or most important or "the best" which really should always vary by a reader's taste, just to my taste.

Gateway - Pohl
Fire Upon The Deep - Vinge
Rendezvous With Rama - Clarke
Downbelow Station - Cherryh
Startide Rising - Brin
The Uplift War - Brin
Deepness In The Sky - Vinge
The Pride of Chanur and followup trilogy - Cherryh
The Mote In God's Eye - Niven
Titan - Varley
Ringworld - Niven
Foundation Trilogy - Asimov
Beyond The Blue Event Horizon - Pohl
Dune - Herbert
Ender's Game - Card
Speaker For The Dead - Card
1st 5 or 6 books of Zelazny's Amber series
The Forever War - Haldeman
Forever Peace - Haldeman
The Forbidden Tower - Bradley
Hyperion - Simmons
Barrayar - Bujold
The Many-Colored Land - May
Jem - Pohl

bill_mchale · 10-01-2009, 10:18 AM

I enjoyed A Fire on the Deep very much. The concept of Zones of thought is a fascinating one... though I think Vinge missed the fact that Political Centers seem to be gateways into the unthinking depths

.

--
Bill

DixieGal · 10-01-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

I enjoyed A Fire on the Deep very much. The concept of Zones of thought is a fascinating one... though I think Vinge missed the fact that Political Centers seem to be gateways into the unthinking depths

.

--
Bill

Penforhire · 10-01-2009, 12:28 PM

I don't see any reason to read in one order or the other. They don't depend on each other in any way. It was neat seeing the Qeng Ho fleshed out in the second but it was more a feeling of familiarity, as noted above, than a necessary plot to know.

chlorine · 10-01-2009, 02:39 PM

Thanks for the answers!

I'll definitely read A deepness in the sky and other books by Vinge mentioned in this thread, but I'll let some time pass to be sure to appreciate them fully (I tend to 'overdose' on some authors if I rush and read too many of their books too fast).

wayspooled, among the books you cite some are also from my favorite:
Ender's Game, the first five books of the Amber series, and Hyperion.
Others I've read I found enjoyable but not terrific (except for the Bujold books which I didn't enjoy very much).
I'll check out the others.

Other of my favorite sci-fi books include
Songmasters - Card
Red Mars - Robinson
The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - Adams
The face of the waters - Silverberg
Les guerriers du silence - Bordge ('The silence warriors', French book, don't know if it's been translated to English).

wayspooled · 10-02-2009, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chlorine

wayspooled, among the books you cite some are also from my favorite:
Ender's Game, the first five books of the Amber series, and Hyperion.
Others I've read I found enjoyable but not terrific (except for the Bujold books which I didn't enjoy very much).
I'll check out the others.

I ran out of steam on the Bujold books after a few. The one I liked the most was Barrayar, which was the story of the mother of the main character of the rest of the books. I found that very interesting. I didn't dislike the later ones and honestly I haven't read the last 3, but Barrayar stood out, for me anyway. I thought she was a very good writer, I just couldn't get quite as enthusiastic about Cordelia's son as I was about her.

bill_mchale · 10-02-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayspooled

I ran out of steam on the Bujold books after a few. The one I liked the most was Barrayar, which was the story of the mother of the main character of the rest of the books. I found that very interesting. I didn't dislike the later ones and honestly I haven't read the last 3, but Barrayar stood out, for me anyway. I thought she was a very good writer, I just couldn't get quite as enthusiastic about Cordelia's son as I was about her.

Well I think the tone of the two books centered on Cordelia is a bit different: the first one is very much a straight up romance novel with Science Fiction Elements. The second one is rather serious.

The Miles books on the other hand are... well all over the map. Some are practically farces, others are mysteries, others war stories... even a comedy of manners in there. I have enjoyed all of the books, but I have to admit, you never know what you are going to get until you pick it up.

--
Bill

AlexBell · 10-03-2009, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chlorine

Thanks for the answers!

except for the Bujold books which I didn't enjoy very much

She's also written two other series (The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt; and Beguiled, Legacy, Passage, and Horizon) which are more fantasy than SF. I prefer them to the Vorkosigan series and am reading through the second series for the fourth or fifth time.

There is also the Spirit Ring which is more a young adult fantasy, which I didn't like quite as much.

Regards, Alex

chlorine · 10-03-2009, 10:56 AM

Yes, I learned recently about her fantasy series, and they seem like they might be more interesting to me than the Vorkosigan books (which are the only books by her I've read).
I think I'll check these out in some time (once I'm out of other interesting books to read, bwahaha

09-30-2009, 02:16 PM	#1
chlorine Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle paperwhite 2	Zones of thought question First, I want to thank all of you who have recommended A fire upon the deep. Though I like to read science-fiction a lot, I had never heard about this book before hearing it praised here. I'm currently reading it now, and, wow, what a book! It had been a long time since I'd been enthralled by a book to this extent. My question is, is A deepness in the sky a direct sequel of the first book (i.e., taking place just after the end of the first book or shortly after, involving the same characters, etc.), or is it more a book set in the same universe, but not directly a sequel? I'm asking because in the first case I'll read it very quickly in order to remember accurately the details of the first book, but if it's just a book set in the same universe, I'll probably read a few books before reading this one, to return to this universe with a fresh eye. (PS: Please don't post spoilers about the first book, as I'm not done reading it yet.)

10-01-2009, 08:29 AM	#7
wayspooled Crab In The Dark Posts: 486 Karma: 2328180 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Device: Tablet PC until a 10" comes out that I like	Same universe but a different story set much earlier. You'll feel some slightly comfortable familiarity. Glad you like Fire Upon The Deep! Agree with the previous poster, Vinge's Marooned in Realtime and The Peace War are not too shabby either. It's on my list of personal favorite sci-fi. Which in case you're interested since you sound as excited about Fire as I was, lessee if I can find it... copy and paste My personal favorite sci/fi, not supposed to be the most influential or most important or "the best" which really should always vary by a reader's taste, just to my taste. Gateway - Pohl Fire Upon The Deep - Vinge Rendezvous With Rama - Clarke Downbelow Station - Cherryh Startide Rising - Brin The Uplift War - Brin Deepness In The Sky - Vinge The Pride of Chanur and followup trilogy - Cherryh The Mote In God's Eye - Niven Titan - Varley Ringworld - Niven Foundation Trilogy - Asimov Beyond The Blue Event Horizon - Pohl Dune - Herbert Ender's Game - Card Speaker For The Dead - Card 1st 5 or 6 books of Zelazny's Amber series The Forever War - Haldeman Forever Peace - Haldeman The Forbidden Tower - Bradley Hyperion - Simmons Barrayar - Bujold The Many-Colored Land - May Jem - Pohl Last edited by wayspooled; 10-01-2009 at 08:51 AM.

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09-30-2009, 02:39 PM	#2
queentess Reading is sexy Posts: 1,303 Karma: 544517 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: none	I read Fire, but not Deepness... my understanding of it is that Deepness is more of a prequel. It's set 30,000 years in the past and follows the Qeng Ho.

09-30-2009, 02:49 PM	#3
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Oh Fun! Those are 2 of my all time faves! Book 2 is absolutely different, with the only thing really in common is the universe. It won't hurt to wait a while before Deepness, but don't wait too long - you will just make yourself delay the pleasure of reading a wonderful story! And they both are even better the 2nd time you read them. Too much to absorb in one reading. Enjoy!

09-30-2009, 04:36 PM	#4
leandroide Zealot Posts: 144 Karma: 92 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Vigo, Spain Device: Papyre 6.1 (Hanlin V3)	Yes... "A Deepness..." is a prequel, that happens before the events in "A Fire...". 20.000 years earlier. It is as good as the other one. Very different, though. L.

09-30-2009, 05:35 PM	#5
ardeegee Maratus speciosus butt Posts: 3,292 Karma: 1162698 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-350	Since you are reading Vinge, you should toss Marooned in Realtime on the stack.

10-01-2009, 07:23 AM	#6
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	There's also a short story The Blabber, included in The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge.

10-01-2009, 10:18 AM	#8
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	I enjoyed A Fire on the Deep very much. The concept of Zones of thought is a fascinating one... though I think Vinge missed the fact that Political Centers seem to be gateways into the unthinking depths . -- Bill

10-01-2009, 12:28 PM	#10
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	I don't see any reason to read in one order or the other. They don't depend on each other in any way. It was neat seeing the Qeng Ho fleshed out in the second but it was more a feeling of familiarity, as noted above, than a necessary plot to know.

10-01-2009, 02:39 PM	#11
chlorine Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle paperwhite 2	Thanks for the answers! I'll definitely read A deepness in the sky and other books by Vinge mentioned in this thread, but I'll let some time pass to be sure to appreciate them fully (I tend to 'overdose' on some authors if I rush and read too many of their books too fast). wayspooled, among the books you cite some are also from my favorite: Ender's Game, the first five books of the Amber series, and Hyperion. Others I've read I found enjoyable but not terrific (except for the Bujold books which I didn't enjoy very much). I'll check out the others. Other of my favorite sci-fi books include Songmasters - Card Red Mars - Robinson The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - Adams The face of the waters - Silverberg Les guerriers du silence - Bordge ('The silence warriors', French book, don't know if it's been translated to English).

10-03-2009, 10:56 AM	#15
chlorine Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle paperwhite 2	Yes, I learned recently about her fantasy series, and they seem like they might be more interesting to me than the Vorkosigan books (which are the only books by her I've read). I think I'll check these out in some time (once I'm out of other interesting books to read, bwahaha

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