A Deepness In The Sky

After thousands of years searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. Two human groups: the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds.The group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches. But first, both groups must wait at the aliens' very doorstep for their strange star to relight and for their planet to reawaken, as it does every tow hundred and fifty years....Then, following terrible treachery, the Qeng Ho must fight for their freedom and for the lives of the unsuspecting innocents on the planet below, while the aliens themselves play a role unsuspected by the Qeng Ho and Emergents alike.More than just a great science fiction adventure, A Deepness in the Sky is a universal drama of courage, self-discovery, and the redemptive power of love. Vernor Vinge's previous novel, A Fire Upon the Deep, received the Hugo Award, for which each of his three previous books was a finalist. His short novel True Names is widely acknowledged as a seminal cybernovel by readers and scientists alike. Vinge is also a professor of computer science at San Diego State University. Winner of the Hugo Award for Best NovelWinner of the John W. Campbell Memorial AwardWinner of the Prometheus AwardAfter thousands of years of searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. Two human groups, the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds, are dramatically opposed in their anticipation of this first contact, for the group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches. But initially, both groups must wait at the aliens' very doorstep for their strange star to relight and for their planet to reawaken, as it does every 250 years.Then, following terrible treachery, the Qeng Ho must fight for their freedom and for the lives of the unsuspecting innocents on the planet below, while the aliens themselves play a role unsuspected by the Qeng Ho and Emergents alike.A Deepness in the Sky is not only a great sci-fi novel, it is a universal drama of courage, love, and self-discovery. Huge, intricate, and ingenious, with superbly realized aliens: a chilling, spellbinding dramatization of the horrors of slavery and mind control., Kirkus ReviewsA feast of imagination. As always, Vinge satisfies with richly imagined worlds and a full-flavored story., Greg BearWonderfully engaging., Cleveland Plain DealerThis prequel to A Fire upon the Deep demonstrates Vinge's capacity for meticulously detailed culture-building and grand-scale drama., Library JournalThis long, action-packed novel should fully engage any SF reader's sense of wonder., Publishers Weekly (starred review)