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A Fire Upon the Deep Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Vernor Vinge (Author), Peter Larkin (Narrator), Macmillan Audio (Publisher)
4.4 out of 5 stars 4,535 ratings

A Fire Upon the Deep is the big, breakout book that fulfills the promise of Vinge's career to date: a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function.

Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought", but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence.

Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue mission, not entirely composed of humans, must rescue the children-and a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization.

A Fire upon the Deep, which began the Zones of Thought series, is the winner of the 1993 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

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  1. Listening Length
    21 hours and 37 minutes
  2. Author
    Vernor Vinge
  3. Narrator
    Peter Larkin
  4. Audible release date
    January 19, 2010
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Macmillan Audio
  7. ASIN
    B00355AR4Q
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 21 hours and 37 minutes
Author Vernor Vinge
Narrator Peter Larkin
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 19, 2010
Publisher Macmillan Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00355AR4Q
Best Sellers Rank #7,097 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#27 in Space Exploration Science Fiction
#46 in First Contact Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#61 in Hard Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4,535 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book's innovative ideas and fascinating universe, particularly appreciating its incredible aliens and concepts. The characters are well-developed and three-dimensional, and customers find it a pleasant read that keeps them turning pages. The readability and pacing receive mixed reviews - while the prose is good, some find it hard to understand, and though the story is generally fast-paced, others say it's slow to start. The book's length receives criticism for being overly long.

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242 customers mention "Creativity"214 positive28 negative

Customers praise the book's creativity, highlighting its innovative ideas and clever plot devices that pull readers into the story.

"...This novel has an impressive set of ideas that are fascinating. This is a book you have to read if you are a fan of science fiction." Read more

"...me tell you this monster book, clocking at nearly 600 pages, does have adventure, medieval civilizations, a bit of romance and has its dark side as..." Read more

"...Also, the author explores the frigthful liberty this unique situation gives for the ones who want to create super beings, or packs with special..." Read more

"...An especially interesting feature is that this book contains two parallel stories; one of the interstellar effort to rescue two children who crash..." Read more

177 customers mention "Thought provoking"142 positive35 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, particularly praising its incredible concept of zones of thought and immense scope of the universe.

"...This novel has an impressive set of ideas that are fascinating. This is a book you have to read if you are a fan of science fiction." Read more

"...Great space battle here. World Building and The Internet:..." Read more

"...explores them to the reader's complete satisfaction: partial awareness of one's self, what happens when only part of an individual survives, the..." Read more

"...Also, a large amount of time is spent explaining bizarre and diverse alien species..." Read more

154 customers mention "Enjoyment"154 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and pleasant to read, with several describing it as an absolute gem and the best novel of its kind.

"This is a masterpiece of a book, deservedly considered a classic...." Read more

"...Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep" and let me tell you this monster book, clocking at nearly 600 pages, does have adventure, medieval..." Read more

"...It's a good read overall if you want some fairly light sci-fi action-adventure, but it's also an artifact of the 1990's." Read more

"...Its answer to the Fermi Paradox is enjoyably mind-bending, the universe it sketches out is one I'd be excited to live in, and the pack minds thing..." Read more

73 customers mention "Character development"54 positive19 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting that they are three-dimensional and range from heroes to villains.

"...The characters were nicely built; I have to admit that I cared more for the Tines (packs) than for the humans, though..." Read more

"...However, there is also a large amount of great character drama within the book...." Read more

"...The two plotlines are very linear, and there is a long 150 page section of character development where no much happens at all in either plotline...." Read more

"...universe, but also has a strong grasp of dramatic tension and character development...." Read more

119 customers mention "Readability"75 positive44 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some praising its good prose and amazing coherent details, while others find it extremely hard to understand and follow.

"...This is a very interesting idea, and Vinge develops it beautifully and in great detail...." Read more

"...World Building and The Internet: The author dwells too long on detail and I felt the reader spends a long, long time on the chatter of..." Read more

"...It's extremely well thought out. However, there is also a large amount of great character drama within the book...." Read more

"...He also has enough writing chops to keep the prose flowing without ever becoming stilted, which by itself would be enough to make him stand out in..." Read more

46 customers mention "Pacing"19 positive27 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it well-paced and fast-moving, while others say it's not very well paced and slow to start.

"...Parts of the book do drag and the author might have been in need of an editor, but overall not a bad space tale...." Read more

"...The ending was very good and not rushed, even if a little 'forky'...." Read more

"...There's no shortage of villains, but they are a bit comically evil and one should not overthink their strange behavior and reactions to..." Read more

"...movie that leaves you wondering "What just happened", but at a steady pace that gradually builds intensity towards a conclusion you hope for but..." Read more

20 customers mention "Reading pace"10 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the reading pace of the book, with some saying it kept them turning pages while others found it boring at times.

"...All the characters are unique and continued to draw me in. The plot is extremely well crafted, every page leads us deeper into an exciting story...." Read more

"...two hyperlinks to end notes per page which break up the text and are annoying...." Read more

"...You will feel joy, sadness and many other emotions evoked by them and their adventures and misadventures...." Read more

"...an effective or interesting picture; the characters are poorly emoted, cliche...." Read more

15 customers mention "Length"0 positive15 negative

Customers find the book overly long, with one customer noting it doesn't honor font size preferences.

"...The author dwells too long on detail and I felt the reader spends a long, long time on the chatter of the 'Net, which can be annoying as you just..." Read more

"...It's a long book, and I skipped over entire pages...." Read more

"The book is unnecessarily long. Concepts such as the Transcend and the Slow Zone need further development. How did these come into being?..." Read more

"...Yes, it's long and descriptive and technical, but it's well done; I was never tempted not to finish it...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Dana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2002
    Verified Purchase
    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.
    29 people found this helpful
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  • Critic's Corner
    4.0 out of 5 stars Of Pham's Revenge & The Net of a Million Lies!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Pham's Revenge & The Net of a Million Lies

    First Impressions:

    I finished Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep" and let me tell you this monster book, clocking at nearly 600 pages, does have adventure, medieval civilizations, a bit of romance and has its dark side as well. Parts of the book do drag and the author might have been in need of an editor, but overall not a bad space tale.

    Basic Premise, Some Comments:

    In this universe we have 'zones of thought' that are linked through a subspace network, similar to our Internet which is colloquially called the "Net of a Million Lies." Would make a great advertisement for Wikipedia and the World Wide Web of today! The book was written in the 90s and so the pattern is of the Usenet groups of that time.

    The book is broken down into several areas - the release of the "Blight", a malignant force that destroys all who oppose it, a family that discovers the "Countermeasure" but crash on a planet of dog-like aliens that only communicate in groups (a "pack" can think and respond only in a group, not singly), Ravna's planet, her job at "Relay" (as a librarian) and her relationship with a human (put together from parts by "The Old One," a superior being from "The Beyond", and their adventures together.

    These parts don't always fit well. Each is expanded on (such as in the dog-like alien world, "Tine's World") and that's where the story tends to drag. We get involved in the intrigue, the castles, the battles and traitors of their race. The man and woman mentioned earlier crash-land and are immediately killed by this race. The brother and sister (Jefri and Joanna) are separated and each thinks the other is dead. The warring factions take advantage of this misunderstanding and slowly leech out technology that these children may know for their own advantages.

    Interest:

    I did enjoy the clash between factions in this alien society and the imaginative way they built "packs" where you would take different skills from each "dog" and they would somehow think together. With the invention of radio, thanks to the humans, the Tines discovered that they could radio to each others' brains! This was interesting but never expanded upon to include the whole race, but just one pack.

    Other aspects of the story: The warring factions clash near the last 100 pages of the book which I found fascinating, how each faction used the children as pawns and at one point wanting to kill them to gain advantage.

    The part where each discovers that the other is alive is heartwarming but also comes with the price of a life. That was the best part of the book.

    Romance: There is a bit of this, between Ravna and Pham (at least before she discovers he's not all man - oops!). Also camaraderie and loyalty between starship captains as they attempt to rescue Ravna from "the Blight." Great space battle here.

    World Building and The Internet:

    The author dwells too long on detail and I felt the reader spends a long, long time on the chatter of the 'Net, which can be annoying as you just want to story to move along, and the extraordinary time we spend on the Tines' World. There's not a lot of explanation of the "Beyond" and how and what that's all about - just hints of superior beings and we as humans or lesser aliens are their pawns, and only in the lower levels are we safe from them.

    Finally, it's a tough book to put down and wait awhile and pick up again. You have to reread a few sections to refresh your memory on what's going on. As well, Vernor Vinge tends to make up words without explanation and leaves it up to the reader to figure out, as well as not fully explaining what's going on. For example it took quite awhile into the book before discovering that the alien "packs" communicated as groups not as individuals.

    Final Thoughts:

    Overall, a decent read. Set aside some time and give Vinge your full cooperation. May not be as good as the amazing space operas of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, but it is a worthy, if dragged-out read. Recommended.

    Vernor Vinge's Other Novels:

    The Children of the Sky
    Marooned in Realtime
    The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge
    A Deepness in the Sky [Sequel to "Fire."]
    17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Carlos E. Budde
    5.0 out of 5 stars Teologia applicata
    Reviewed in Italy on August 24, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Sarebbe tropo ambizioso come libro, se non fosse che il Vinge ci dimostra - ogni volta - la sua capacità d'immaginare un universo meraviglioso, coerente... e possibile! Tutto ciò col rigore della fantascienza dura.
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  • Timothy Atwood
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well done sci-fi
    Reviewed in Canada on January 14, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent. Well realized alien races and a unique view of the galaxy. Plenty of tension and suspense. Believable characters. Good character development. Just about everything a lover of science fiction could want.
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  • Luisa
    4.0 out of 5 stars Confusing names, wonderful story
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This was a definetly wacky book. I really loved the pack characters, they were quite amusing, especially Peregrine. The whole concept of the zones of thought took a little getting used to, but after I got it and got used to the crazy names used in this book, I was really into the story! I'm excited for the next book :)
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Slow to start but worth it
    Reviewed in Australia on December 24, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I really struggled to get through the first third or so, while the settings and characters are very original, the story took a while to gain momentum. That said, once it took off, it was a thrilling ride. Very worth the read.
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  • Gaffin redet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wenn eine Künstliche Intelligenz "künstliche" Informationen produziert
    Reviewed in Germany on August 17, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Vince setzt seiner Studie der technischen Singularität fort. Interessant ist das Zusammenleben zwischen den intelligenten Lebewesen (die Menschen sind dabei nur noch eine kleine Gruppe am Rand) und diese künstlichen Intelligenzen. Sie werden nicht mehr als eine reine Gefahr oder mindestens eine Diskussionsthema über ihre Freilassung oder nicht. Nein, sie gehören der Welt, spielen ihre Rolle in der Gesellschaft, sind gut, böse (oder mit undefinierter Absicht), entwickeln sich und sogar sterben, genauso wie andere Lebewesen.

    Ein weiteres Visionäraspekt, das Vinge in die Liga der Großen bestätigt, ist die Problematik der Informationqualität und deren Wirkung auf die Welt. Information, Desinformation, rafinierte Manipulation ... Was stimmt denn noch? Was stimmt definitiv nicht? Kann man der Quelle vertrauen? Versteht man überhaupt noch die Mendung richtig?
    Das Thema ist leider keine SciFic, sondern unser Alltag. Wenn Trump lesen könnte, glaubte man fast, dass er Vinge gelesen hat.Bei diesem Werk könnte man den Name der Kunsttechnik "Mise en abyme" aus zwei Gründen fast wortwörtlich nehmen.

    1) "Abyme" bedeutet Abgrund, also "deep" in english. Die Inszenirung des Kontrasts zwischen dem "Beyond", wo eine künstliche Intellingenz eine Art Bürgerkrieg auslöst (denken Sie an Terminator, es ist sehr ähnlich) und viele Welte zerstören lässt oder "ins Feuer setzt", und dem "Slow Zone", wo nur noch unter der Lichtgeschwindigkeit eine Reise denkbar ist und von "oben" wie einen geheimnisvollen Abgrund wahrgenommen wird, ist eine litterale "Mise en abyme".
    2) Ja, die anderen Rezensionen haben recht. Vinge Kreativität ist sehr beeindruckend (Beispiel: Spezies wie die Rudel von Wolfen, die ein Vernetzes Wesen durch die Synchronisierung ihrer Gehirne gestalten) und sein Buch hat die Dimension eines Space Operas. Und ja, sie haben auch recht: Vinge geht oft nicht ins Detail. Wir bekommen nur Bruchteile der Themen mit. Als würden wir den Trailer einer Oper zuschauen. Insofern spürt der Leser die potenzielle Tiefe der erschaffenen Welt, doch ohne dorthin zugelangen. Auch wird es dem Leser schwindelig, sich "den Abgrund" (oder die Tiefe) dieser Geschichte vorzustellen, ohne hinrunter zu fallen.

    Eine echte Mise en Abyme (nach der Definition) könnte man so sehen:
    Eine Künstliche Intelligenz produziert künstliche Informationen

    Für Beispiele von Mise en Abyme empfehle ich "Ubik" oder "The Man in the high Castle" von P.K Dick zu lesen. Es gibt extrem viel Werke, die die Technik nutzen. Die Wikipedia Artikel listen nur einen Burchteil davon auf.
    In meinem Buch (3939044466) finden Sie sowohl eine technichen Singularität als auch eine Vorführung in der Technik der Mise en Abyme. Und eine Desinformation fehlt im Inventar nicht.
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