Rating: 
Summary: A paragon of sci-fi, and of writing.
Review: This is full-throated, semi hard sci-fi. A space opera in the truest sense that does little if any hand-holding. But then, I have a soft spot for uncompromising authors. If I don't understand something, I like to assume that it's my fault, and that the author is able to comprehend things that are beyond me. It stretches my mind. You know what I'm saying?
Of course it's full of spaceships and aliens! How to avoid hokey, bleeding heart, patronizing Star Trekishness? That IS the trick. Mr. Vinge pulls it off impressively.
The strategic thought processes of medium-primitive but up-and-coming pack-mind rival tribes are well-wrought and make sense, not unlike this sentence. Their conflict, how they seek to resolve it, and how it is actually resolved are all believable, and in the early stages of the book the reader is left to decide on his or her own as to just who are the good guys and who aren't. A good writer knows what put into a book. A great writer knows what to leave out, and why, for what effect. And this is only regarding the softer, terrestrial half of the story.
The harder, galactic-scale half of the book has some original ideas that are central, but not dwelled upon. Unlike many a sci-fi book, this one is not enamored with itself.
And IMHO, what about this book that might irk some of the one-star reviewers is that, again, unlike many other in this genre, there are no cyber-punkish elements of subversion, nihilism, fatalism, cynicism, or of the noir. Don't get me wrong, I like all these things in a story that effectively uses and benefits from them. But this isn't cut from that cloth. However, it could be easily argued that what happens to "vermin" late in the book is massively nihilistic and fatalistic.
Novels as ambitious as this tend to bite off more than they can chew. And since this was one of the earlier sci-fi books I've read, maybe I was inordinately blown away by it, which would precipitate this review. If so, knock off half a star.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sci-Fi
Review: A very complex and intriguing universe and concepts make this book one of my favorites. No space empires and emperors here as we're introduced to a bustling, busy galaxy on an epic scale.
The other part of the story takes place on the Tines World, in a medieval setting and while this storyline is mostly self contained, it gives a nice counterpoint to the galactic chase, genocide and the struggle of Powers.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: Awful, plodding, too many complicated characters who don't matter. Some interesting, well thought out ideas, but at the end, I didn't care what happened, I only wanted to finish the thing and donate it to the used book fund at the library. The worst Hugo winner I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than most
Review: This book was well written, with interesting plot lines and characters. It blends computer sci, internet, space wars, feudal society, and aliens together in a fast moving, well tied together work.Some of the ideas in the nove are extrapolations of today's computer systems and networks, including virus problems, networks, and bandwidth issues. An IT professional like myself will enjoy this stretching of the mental envelope. The Tines, a race of individuals made up of groups, is an interesting concept. The author takes this idea and makes it believable, and in fact gives personalities to these alien minds. All in all, this is a better than average hard sci-fi novel. A follow-up to it would be very interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Far out!
Review: It's a good read, much better than his "A Deepness in the Sky". It takes a while to get into the characters, especially the "Tines", but the concept of a group-mind species is quite interesting. I wish the Blight was described in more detail. The ending doesn't quite explain the very beginning where the Blight comes into being in the first place. The Countermeasure part in the end was over pretty quick and I wish it was explained better too. It seems kind of unrealistic what happens with the zone shifts in the end (i.e., no real "scientific" explanation), but then I guess that's the point of Sci-Fi. What I really like is the far scope of the book, and the mind bending possibilities of the Transcend and the Beyond. I liked the character development, especially of the 'Riders. Overall, I recommend this book.
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