Vernor Vinge has won five Hugo Awards, including one for each of his last three novels, A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), A Deepness in the Sky (1999), and Rainbow's End (2006). Known for his rigorous hard-science approach to his science fiction, he became an iconic figure among cybernetic scientists with the publication in 1981 of his novella "True Names," which is considered a seminal, visionary work of Internet fiction. His many books also include Marooned in Realtime and The Peace War.
Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin and raised in Central Michigan, Vinge is the son of geographers. Fascinated by science and particularly computers from an early age, he has a Ph.D. in computer science, and taught mathematics and computer science at San Diego State University for thirty years. He has gained a great deal of attention both here and abroad for his theory of the coming machine intelligence Singularity. Sought widely as a speaker to both business and scientific groups, he lives in San Diego, California.
"Imagine bootstrapping a fallen civilization into transcendence
using nothing but a collection of hive-mind Machiavellis, a
crippled hyperadvanced spaceship, and a pack of surly, scheming
orphaned adolescents. Oh, and then there's the vengeful god
ramscooping itself to relativistic speeds a mere thirty light years
away. Vinge's explosive imagination and deft storytelling make
epics sail past like hummingbirds--you'll steal daytime moments to
read more, and lie awake at night contemplating what you've read."
--Cory Doctorow, bestselling and award-winning author of Little
Brother"Vernor Vinge's stories and novels have always surprised and
entertained me, and The Children of the Sky carries on that grand
tradition!" --Greg Bear, bestselling author of Hull Zero Three"No
one has ever crafted a more complex, fascinating, and strangely
realistic alien race than Vernor Vinge's marvelous Tines." --David
Brin, bestselling author of The Postman and Startide Rising"This is
big-scale science fiction at its best." --The Denver Post on A Fire
Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge"With uninterrupted pacing, suspense
without contrivance, and deftly drawn aliens who can be pleasantly
comical without becoming cute, Vinge offers heart-pounding,
mind-expanding science fiction at its best." --Publishers Weekly,
Starred Review on A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge"There are
not too many novels that leave this reader screaming violently for
more. Vernor Vinge's has done so." --Locus on A Fire Upon the Deep
by Vernor Vinge"When I was young and had to write my address in a
school notebook, I would begin with my street and apartment number
and then go on through city, county, state, country and continent
in a litany of ever more grandiose place names that did not end
until I reached 'Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, The
Universe.' In those days, it thrilled me that my small corner of
the Bronx was just one part of the vastness I could see in the sky
at night. This is the feeling I got from reading A Fire Upon the
Deep by Vernor Vinge." --New York Times Book Review on A Fire Upon
the Deep by Vernor Vinge"No summary can do justice to the depth and
conviction of Vinge's ideas. The overall concept astonishes; the
aliens are developed with memorable skill and insight; the plot
twists and turns with unputdownable tension. A masterpiece of
universe-building." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review on A Fire Upon
the Deep by Vernor Vinge"Though Vinge's galaxy is huger than one
can begin to grasp, it is, at the same time, entirely seeable in
the mind's eye. To find out how he does this trick, how he has
managed to create a setting intimate enough to hold a single tale
and big enough to tell a thousand, just read the book." --John
Clute, Interzone on A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
Imagine bootstrapping a fallen civilization into transcendence
using nothing but a collection of hive-mind Machiavellis, a
crippled hyperadvanced spaceship, and a pack of surly, scheming
orphaned adolescents. Oh, and then there's the vengeful god
ramscooping itself to relativistic speeds a mere thirty light years
away. Vinge's explosive imagination and deft storytelling make
epics sail past like hummingbirds--you'll steal daytime moments to
read more, and lie awake at night contemplating what you've read.
"Cory Doctorow, bestselling and award-winning author of Little
Brother" Vernor Vinge's stories and novels have always surprised
and entertained me, and "The Children of the Sky "carries on that
grand tradition! "Greg Bear, bestselling author of Hull Zero Three"
No one has ever crafted a more complex, fascinating, and strangely
realistic alien race than Vernor Vinge's marvelous Tines. "David
Brin, bestselling author of The Postman and Startide Rising" This
is big-scale science fiction at its best. "The Denver Post on A
Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge" With uninterrupted pacing,
suspense without contrivance, and deftly drawn aliens who can be
pleasantly comical without becoming cute, Vinge offers
heart-pounding, mind-expanding science fiction at its best.
"Publishers Weekly, Starred Review on A Fire Upon the Deep by
Vernor Vinge" There are not too many novels that leave this reader
screaming violently for more. Vernor Vinge's has done so. "Locus on
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge" When I was young and had to
write my address in a school notebook, I would begin with my street
and apartment number and then go on through city, county, state,
country and continent in a litany of ever more grandiose place
names that did not end until I reached 'Earth, Solar System, Milky
Way Galaxy, The Universe.' In those days, it thrilled me that my
small corner of the Bronx was just one part of the vastness I could
see in the sky at night. This is the feeling I got from reading "A
Fire Upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge. "New York Times Book Review on
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge" No summary can do justice to
the depth and conviction of Vinge's ideas. The overall concept
astonishes; the aliens are developed with memorable skill and
insight; the plot twists and turns with unputdownable tension. A
masterpiece of universe-building. "Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
on A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge" Though Vinge's galaxy is
huger than one can begin to grasp, it is, at the same time,
entirely seeable in the mind's eye. To find out how he does this
trick, how he has managed to create a setting intimate enough to
hold a single tale and big enough to tell a thousand, just read the
book. "John Clute, Interzone on A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor
Vinge""
Advance praise for "The Children of the Sky" "Imagine bootstrapping
a fallen civilization into transcendence using nothing but a
collection of hive-mind Machiavellis, a crippled hyperadvanced
spaceship, and a pack of surly, scheming orphaned adolescents. Oh,
and then there's the vengeful god ramscooping itself to
relativistic speeds a mere thirty light years away. Vinge's
explosive imagination and deft storytelling make epics sail past
like hummingbirds--you'll steal daytime moments to read more, and
lie awake at night contemplating what you've read." --Cory
Doctorow, bestselling and award-winning author of "Little
Brother""Vernor Vinge's stories and novels have always surprised
and entertained me, and "The Children of the Sky "carries on that
grand tradition!" --Greg Bear, bestselling author of "Hull Zero
Three""No one has ever crafted a more complex, fascinating, and
strangely realistic alien race than Vernor Vinge's marvelous
Tines." --David Brin," "bestselling author of "The Postman "and
"Startide Rising"Raves for "A Fire Upon the Deep "by Vernor
Vinge"This is big-scale science fiction at its best." --"The Denver
Post""With uninterrupted pacing, suspense without contrivance, and
deftly drawn aliens who can be pleasantly comical without becoming
cute, Vinge offers heart-pounding, mind-expanding science fiction
at its best." --"Publishers Weekly, " Starred Review"There are not
too many novels that leave this reader screaming violently for
more. Vernor Vinge's has done so." --"Locus""When I was young and
had to write my address in a school notebook, I would begin with my
street and apartment number and then go on through city, county,
state, country and continent in a litany of ever more grandiose
place names that did not end until I reached 'Earth, Solar System,
Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe.' In those days, it thrilled me that
my small corner of the Bronx was just one part of the vastness I
could see in the sky at night. This is the feeling I got from
reading "A Fire Upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge." --"New York Times
Book Review""""No summary can do justice to the depth and
conviction of Vinge's ideas. The overall concept astonishes; the
aliens are developed with memorable skill and insight; the plot
twists and turns with unputdownable tension. A masterpiece of
universe-building." --"Kirkus Reviews, " Starred Review"Though
Vinge's galaxy is huger than one can begin to grasp, it is, at the
same time, entirely seeable in the mind's eye. To find out how he
does this trick, how he has managed to create a setting intimate
enough to hold a single tale and big enough to tell a thousand,
just read the book." --John Clute, "Interzone"
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