444 pages
English language
Published Dec. 14, 2011 by Tor Books.
"Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them. While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them--and among the humans--who seek power...and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed. On a world of fascinating wonders and terrifying dangers, Vernor Vinge has created a powerful novel of adventure and discovery that will entrance the many readers of A Fire Upon the Deep. Filled with the inventiveness, excitement, and human drama that have become hallmarks of his work, this new novel …
"Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them. While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them--and among the humans--who seek power...and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed. On a world of fascinating wonders and terrifying dangers, Vernor Vinge has created a powerful novel of adventure and discovery that will entrance the many readers of A Fire Upon the Deep. Filled with the inventiveness, excitement, and human drama that have become hallmarks of his work, this new novel is sure to become another great milestone in Vinge's already stellar career. "--
A Deepness in the Sky was so much better. This one was even slower, with way too much exposition. In the end, I couldn't even finish it, because I kept zoning out, even though the aliens and the premise were interesting.
On the plus side: it was interesting to see what happens when a High Beyond / near-Transcendent civilization wakes up to find itself embedded in the Slow Zone. It was good to see what had become of Ravna Bergsndot, Johanna, Jefri, Amdiranifani, and all the Tines, not to mention all the now-thawed children.
On the minus side: Quite plainly this was a setup for another sequel. By its very nature, this novel was missing the intrigue of the Beyond, which was what I really loved about its progenitor, [b:A Fire Upon the Deep|77711|A Fire Upon the Deep|Vernor Vinge|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316727696s/77711.jpg|1253374].
This is the sequel to "A Fire Upon the Deep" and should definitely be read in that order. It continues the story of the Tines world as the stranded human children grow up over the next 20 years or so. There's less high tech coolness (since they're still stranded in the slow zone after all) but still plenty of interesting characters, political scheming, and of course the Tines pack minds are as fascinating and well described as ever.
I found the book a little slow to get into, but by the time I reached half way I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Unfortunately there are still some questions unanswered at the end, so I hope another sequel is on the way soon...
Nowhere near the fun of A Fire Upon the Deep or subtlety of A Deepness in the Sky. Took the least interesting part of AFUtD, the part that drags for me most when I read it, and expanded it to a whole book. Also added lots of airships, presumably because steampunk sells these days.
Disappointing, but I do hope the obvious sequel is written.
