Rating: 
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: I read this shortly after "A Deepness In The Sky", its 'prequel'. (A note: except for the character of Pham Nuwen there is no connection between the two books; this is neither a praise, nor a critique; simply an information which might be useful if you are looking for any connection between the two.) The style is very similar: two different and initially completely distinct threads of action, one involving humans and one aliens, come together slowly to a common conclusion. One thread involves two humans (well, one not-so-human: an 'evolved' Pham Nuwen from Deepness) and a pair of aliens on a desperate quest: an all-powerful evil force is rapidly taking over parts of the galaxy and the only possible solution is aboard a ship crashed on a medieval world at the other end of the known space. The other thread takes place on the medieval world and involves two children survivors of the crashed ship and the local intelligent race, dog-like creatures who are only able to achieve consciousness in packs. I found the ideas in this book to be wonderful. The description of the pack intelligence of the dog race was completely new to me; perhaps it has been used before, but not to my knowledge (there is a short note somewhere on the first pages about a short story by somebody else who used the same idea). The possibilities deriving from this kind of civilizations are many, and the author explores them to the reader's complete satisfaction: partial awareness of one's self, what happens when only part of an individual survives, the nature of the soul, how the memories and personality of each individual play a distinct role. Also, the author explores the frigthful liberty this unique situation gives for the ones who want to create super beings, or packs with special characteristics. Another idea I enjoyed was the 'Zones of Thought': the galaxy is divided into several concentric regions in which different rules of physics apply. Coming from the center of the galaxy ('The Unthinking Depths') and going outwards to the 'Transcend', FTL travel becomes possible. What functions in one zone doesn't in another. This separation ensures the protection of the under-evolved races, making it possible for them to build their own civilizations and expand outward at their own pace. The minus of this book comes from the fact that this division is never explained in scientific terms; you just have to accept it as it is. Perhaps the author himself could not think of an explanation :). Many reviewers have complained about the description of the Net, the communication network which unites all the worlds in the more evolved regions of the galaxy, saying that it was simplistic (being only text-based). Don't forget that this book was written in 1992, when the Internet wasn't what it is now. And the issue is not so important at all to the plot, it is just collateral. The characters were nicely built; I have to admit that I cared more for the Tines (packs) than for the humans, though (the same as I cared more for the Spiders in A Deepness In The Sky). The ending was very good and not rushed, even if a little 'forky'. True, no grand epic descriptions there, but in my opinion they were not necessary at that point. What I would like now is a book that takes place before this one but after Deepness, finishing the quest suggested at the end of Deepnees and perhaps dwelling on the evolution of the human race towards the setting in Fire: how they reacted in discovering the Zone Thoughts and so on.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic sci-fi book
Review: This is definitely one of my all-time favorite science fiction book. It is hugely imaginative, with wonderfully thought-provoking concepts. The universe/travel concepts are fascinating, and the collective mind is amazing. It is a great book for teens (unlikely anything in it would be objectionable by parents). It does take some effort to get going with this book, but it is well worth it. Any serious sci-fi fan should put this at the top of their list!!
Rating:
Summary: well worth the read, one of the best I've read
Review: You have to put a little effort into this book at the beginning. As one reviewer here stated, it's tough going at the onset because many concepts are presented, and I found I occasionally had to go back and re-read a section. However, that also turns out to be one of the strengths of the book, because once you begin learning the concepts, the excitement of discovery starts to take you over. The plot is very carefully and thickly woven. The characters, the science concepts, and the plot all work together seamlessly. Not to mention that the last 200-300 pages are breathtakingly fast paced and surprising. Once they get to the planet known as Harmonious Repose, watch out! I highly recommend this book. I would say its one of the best SF books I've read.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful and boring
Review: I bought A fire Upon The Deep when it first came out in the UK - circa 1992. In the intervening nine years I have tried to get past page 20 about six times. On each occasion I have failed - primarily becuase I couldn't follow what was going on. Vinge switches focus so often, and with such abruptness, that the reader is left wondering if this book was written for the author's own amusement, rather than the enjoyment of the paying audience. I'm sure that the legion of Vinge-lovers will hate me for disliking AFUTD and will probably try to claim that I'm a bit thick. Duhhhh! Good night children.
Rating: 
Summary: A Simplistic, But Worthy Read
Review: Started a little slow for me, however about 200 pages into the book I was hooked. Dubbed a "Space Opera" this very imaginative story filled with action and adventure fell short of "masterpiece". The final 3rd of the book seemed rushed with a lot of important details and information glossed over in an effort to quickly end this long book. I definitely felt cheated. It was like an old time serial where the important action took place off screen and the aftermath was dealt with on screen. Also, it probably would have gone a long way if we understood why the blight was "evil". It was assumed evil because it toppled the powers in place. Let's face it, the only thing the blight appeared to be guilty of was destroying an elistist, egocentric group, who basically treated the other races as little more than pets. We never really got a good picture of the effects of the blight on civilization other than the Skroderiders (and even here only a small skirmish) and some "news reel type communication". Interesting in today's climate, you did get the definite feeling that fear of the blight (the destruction of Sjandra Kei) is driving the civilizations into a downward spiral much faster than the blight itself. I also saw some parallels in the Tines battles with today's international climate. I'm sure this was not the authors intent, however, it's interesting how the study of human nature incorporated into a science fiction novel can have one draw such parallels. In the Westernized World, we tend to see good vs. evil as a basic tenant of life. Obviously Vinge is no exception and weaved this philosophy throughout this novel. Blight... Bad, Countermeasure... good (even though it plunged the known universe into a new "dark age"). Mr Steel... Bad, Woodcarver... good (even though she experimented on herself, her own people and offspring; and was singularly responsible for the creation of every Tine antagonist in the book). The book does simplify complex issues and minimizes the importance of understanding the end results and responsibilities of any and all these actions. While it touched on some interesting concepts, the writing was cut short (truncated), unfinished. The science was very imaginative. The fiction... a little cookie cutter. All in all a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Broad scope and big ideas
Review: I just finished this following a reading of A Deepness in the Sky, prequel to this work. Both remind me of Asimov's Foundation series in scope, writing style and scientific credibility. Deepness is a better crafted story, with stronger characterizations and plot rendering. Fire is still a great story. In fact, the promise of exploring some fascinating notions of mind, time and space really drew me in at first, but kind of got stalled as characters were focused on the adventure of the novel rather than the intellectual aspects. Vinge made up for that in Deepness, with some passages of dialog equal to what you might expect of great literature.
Rating:
Summary: fun uses for technology
Review: This book is the only far future sci-fi novel I've personally seen which makes use of the type of network communication we've become accustomed to in the last 10 years. Quite an enjoyable story to go with it. I hope other sci-fi writers start picking up on how communication is, has been, and possibly will be changing.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Hugo winner for 1991. Another fantastic work from Vinge (and a very similarly threaded story). The goings on in this novel are on such a galactic scale, and so believable, that it actually freaked me out. I felt really bad about all the things that were happening and seriously worried about stopping the "Blight". Like Deepness...this one gives us an intimate knowledge of a fairly complicated and truly alien species. Also, like Deepness, it gets a little tiring at times. None-the-less this book is a page turner and at 613 pages, you better have some free time available when you start.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous book!---but one flaw.
Review: This is a wonderful story with the most imaginative aliens ever! One cannot put this book down as our 4 heroes race to rescue a boy ,who is marooned on a medieval planet populated with dog like creatures ,who only have human like conciousnesses if they live as packs. The heroes race to rescue this boy and the Galaxy!! It is wonderful how the author brings together this medival word and the greater world of the outer Galaxy! Although this is an excellent novel, there is one draw back. The story is interwoven with messages from the "Net". The problem is this "Net" is just like the Internet as it was when the book was published in 1992. The messages from the net are just like Newsgroups that are on the Internet and where probably the latest thing in 1992. The Internet has changed so much since 1992 and it's really hard to believe that in the future this "Net" would resemble so much this "1992ish" Internet. I can't understand why the author couldn't come up with something more inovative for a galactic-type Internet.
Rating:
Summary: Grand space opera and some fascinating aliens
Review: Grand space opera at its finest. Vinge creates one of the most interesting alien races I've ever come across in sci-fi, whose intelligence arises only from the interaction between individuals. Furthermore, the whole thing is set in a universe where the level of technology (including faster than light travel) a civilization can attain depends on its position within the galaxy. Deep stuff, but at heart a great adventure story.
| 
