| Vernor Vinge may not be the most prolific writer, but he has certainly established himself as one of the genre's top authors. Vinge is certainly not a newcomer to the field, but didn't really gain notice until the early 90's with his first Hugo award-winning novel, A Fire Upon the Deep. Vinge's most recent novel, A Deepness in the Sky, is billed as a prequel to A Fire Upon the Deep and also garnered the prestigious Hugo Award.
Deepness is set in the same universe as Fire, but takes place some 30,000 years earlier and bears only a tenuous connection to the earlier book through the common character of Pham Nuwen. These two books are quite different thematically and it is not necessary to have read Fire first in order to appreciate Deepness. While Fire is set against a fantastic backdrop with numerous alien species, Deepness is much narrower in scope and takes place within an isolated solar system.
The action in Deepness is centered around an astronomical oddity known as the "On-Off" star. As the name suggests, the star esentially oscillates between two states, one where it shines like a normal star and another where nuclear fusion shuts down and the star basically becomes a brown dwarf. The star shines normally for 15 years and then lays dormant for the next 235 years. What really makes this star interesting is that a technological civilization is detected on system's lone planet and this is what draws the attention of two particular expeditions.
The story revolves around two groups that arrive at the On-Off system, both vying to make contact with the alien "Spider" civilization and both with different agendas. The first group are the Qeng Ho, a group of interstellar traders who see potential customers in the Spiders. The other group is the Emergents, an oppressive culture who utilize a form of mind control called "Focus" to create slave workers. Both groups come into contact and form a tenuous alliance to explore the Spider's planet.
Neither group wastes much time in attempting to betray one another and the inevitable clash leaves the Emergents in control. However, their victory has a high price and they are forced to enlist the help and cooperation of the surviving Qeng Ho. Both groups are forced to rely on each other, but the Qeng Ho secretly plot to take back control of the mission.
Vinge skillfully compares and contrasts the two different cultures and much of the novel's appeal comes from the interplay between this two distinct groups. The characters are well-drawn, with sufficient background given to truly appreciate their motivations and goals within the framework of the novel.
Vinge also provides plenty of background information on the Qeng Ho and particularly Pham Nuwen, both of which should be familiar to readers of Fire. I especially enjoyed learning more about Pham Nuwen and how he came to be a part of the Qeng Ho. Vinge clearly put a great deal of effort into developing his character and it really pays off.
Along the way, we are introduced to the Spider civilization. Vinge's description of the Spiders initially appears to be rather prosaic and unimaginative. An explanation for this is later given and I quickly realized that it made the novel more accessible. Also it provides a greater impact when we actually see the Spiders as they are at the end of the novel.
Throughout the novel, Vinge hints at greater things and a more complicated universe that we know exists from our reading of Fire. If you recall, in the earlier novel Vinge speculates that our galaxy is stratified into "Zones of Thought", where the laws of physic vary as you move farter from the galactic core. Most of the action in Fire takes place in the Beyond, where faster-then-light travel and true artificial intelligence is possible.
In contrast, Deepness is set in the "Slow Zone", where the laws of physics are as we know them. In fact, the characters have no idea that other "Zones" even exist. This brings up the question regarding what order the books should be read in. I personally feel it is best to have read Fire, before attempting Deepness. Having read Deepness first removes some of the mystery surrounding Pham Nuwen's character in Fire and really fails to add anything significant beyond that to the story.
I found Deepness to be fascinating on many different levels and therein lies its success. As a hard SF novel, it is unexceptionable with wonderful speculation and visions of a universe even more interesting then we can imagine. The physics of the On-Off star was fascinating and its effect on the evolution of the Spider civilization was well explored. What really hooked me were those moments in the book where the characters take a step back and try to imagine all the possibilites our universe holds. My favorite such moment is the basis for the book's title, where the main Spider protagonist proclaims "There is a Deepness in the sky and it extends forever". Taken out of context of the book, it is difficult to appreciate its evocative power, but trust me it was particularly moving.
Above all, Deepness is an exceptional example of antropological science fiction. Vinge's contrast of the Qeng Ho with the Emergents is especially edifying and brings up various ethical and sociological questions that humanity may very well have to face out among the stars.
To summarize, A Deepness in the Sky is a well-written and provocative novel that should be read by any serious science fiction fan. |
