--- product_id: 8662964 title: "A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, 2)" price: "VT1475" currency: VUV in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/8662964-a-deepness-in-the-sky-zones-of-thought-2 store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, 2) **Price:** VT1475 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, 2) - **How much does it cost?** VT1475 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/8662964-a-deepness-in-the-sky-zones-of-thought-2) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, 2): 9780812536355: Vinge, Vernor: Books Review: "Let the Bad Guys Win Every Once in a While" - Set twenty thousand years earlier than A Fire Upon The Deep , Vernor Vinge's second book in the Zones of Thought universe shares little and requires nothing of its companion volume. It's action alternates between the inhabitants of an alien world and human observers concealed in orbit above. The Spiders have developed pre-space flight technology and struggle with the 250-year freeze-and-thaw cycle of their planet's On/Off variable star. The orbiting humans consist of two factions. The Qeng Ho have goals of trade and communication. The Emergents have the more direct agenda of conquest and domination. As the book proceeds, we watch the Spiders develop technically and socially. Simultaneously, the more advanced Emergents and Qeng Ho intrigue, fight, integrate, intrigue and fight. It all works out much better than it should. Like Vinge's other fiction, this book is host to a number of "big ideas" that take the stage along with the actions and inactions of the characters. They include: An alien species--the Spiders--that seems far less alien than they really should. What seems like bad writing through much of the book is given a reasonable explanation in the end. These creatures are interesting and even--heaven help me--cute. A variable star turns on and off at regular intervals. The possible explanations are intriguing as are its effects on the evolution of life on its planets. A tailored "mindrot" virus produces various neurological effects, including an exaggerated ability to concentrate called "Focus." The virus is both a disease and an altered state that makes workers diligent, productive and savant-like. It has uses and abuses, not always easy to distinguish. A flexible, self-organizing network technology constructed of large numbers of simple processors massively interconnected. The security and flexibility of the resulting "mesh networks" are explored by their Qeng Ho and Emergent users. If you plan to also read A Fire Upon The Deep , then read it first for the most enjoyable experience. That said, this book can stand on its own and is good, enjoyable space opera. The story has its darker elements, but is well-worth a persistent reading. With good justification, it is considered one of science fiction's classics. Review: Excellent story, but what about the other zones? - *Spoilers* It's a bit disappointing that a book in the Zones of Thought series takes place entirely in the Slow Zone. The other zones are not directly referenced even once in this book, as the characters simply do not know they exist. There are some things that the reader can draw conclusions from, having read A Fire Upon the Deep. We know why the "limitations" exist, why the Failed Dreams were never realized, and it's because they live in a region of the galaxy where they aren't possible. And some of the amazing discoveries on Arachna... well they probably didn't originate in the Slow Zone. Vernor Vinge does not spoon feed his readers, you've got to figure some things out on your own. Which is nice if you enjoy that, and I do. I was also initially kind of baffled at the book centering around Pham Nuwen's past. In AFUtD he was an "okay" character; I didn't find him hugely compelling. He was kind of two dimensional, though his role as the godshatter was interesting, but I didn't really care about his past. When I first realized the book was about his Slow Zone days, I admit I rolled my eyes. Let me tell you that changed. I had no interest in Pham Nuwen's past, and I was wrong. His character is really fleshed out in this book, much beyond what I expected, and it's very well done. For the most part, the book is very well written. The characters are smart, complex, and for the most part aren't just massive cliches. Some of Vinge's libertarianism comes through a bit heavy-handed though. One of the trader good guys' ships is called the Invisible Hand, one of the space communist bad guys' ships is called the Common Good. As soon as I realized this I groaned. But it doesn't come up often enough to be obnoxious or really detract from the story. There is plenty of "trade is good, excessive government is bad" stuff throughout, though, if that kind of thing rubs you the wrong way. It is much more reasonably presented than say, a frothy Fox News pundit, and not as in your face as an Ayn Rand book, but it's there. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #721,562 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #176 in Hard Science Fiction (Books) #533 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction #736 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,320 Reviews | ## Images ![A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought, 2) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81SKH5vmTdL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Let the Bad Guys Win Every Once in a While" *by J***D on March 15, 2010* Set twenty thousand years earlier than A Fire Upon The Deep , Vernor Vinge's second book in the Zones of Thought universe shares little and requires nothing of its companion volume. It's action alternates between the inhabitants of an alien world and human observers concealed in orbit above. The Spiders have developed pre-space flight technology and struggle with the 250-year freeze-and-thaw cycle of their planet's On/Off variable star. The orbiting humans consist of two factions. The Qeng Ho have goals of trade and communication. The Emergents have the more direct agenda of conquest and domination. As the book proceeds, we watch the Spiders develop technically and socially. Simultaneously, the more advanced Emergents and Qeng Ho intrigue, fight, integrate, intrigue and fight. It all works out much better than it should. Like Vinge's other fiction, this book is host to a number of "big ideas" that take the stage along with the actions and inactions of the characters. They include: An alien species--the Spiders--that seems far less alien than they really should. What seems like bad writing through much of the book is given a reasonable explanation in the end. These creatures are interesting and even--heaven help me--cute. A variable star turns on and off at regular intervals. The possible explanations are intriguing as are its effects on the evolution of life on its planets. A tailored "mindrot" virus produces various neurological effects, including an exaggerated ability to concentrate called "Focus." The virus is both a disease and an altered state that makes workers diligent, productive and savant-like. It has uses and abuses, not always easy to distinguish. A flexible, self-organizing network technology constructed of large numbers of simple processors massively interconnected. The security and flexibility of the resulting "mesh networks" are explored by their Qeng Ho and Emergent users. If you plan to also read A Fire Upon The Deep , then read it first for the most enjoyable experience. That said, this book can stand on its own and is good, enjoyable space opera. The story has its darker elements, but is well-worth a persistent reading. With good justification, it is considered one of science fiction's classics. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent story, but what about the other zones? *by A***R on September 22, 2014* *Spoilers* It's a bit disappointing that a book in the Zones of Thought series takes place entirely in the Slow Zone. The other zones are not directly referenced even once in this book, as the characters simply do not know they exist. There are some things that the reader can draw conclusions from, having read A Fire Upon the Deep. We know why the "limitations" exist, why the Failed Dreams were never realized, and it's because they live in a region of the galaxy where they aren't possible. And some of the amazing discoveries on Arachna... well they probably didn't originate in the Slow Zone. Vernor Vinge does not spoon feed his readers, you've got to figure some things out on your own. Which is nice if you enjoy that, and I do. I was also initially kind of baffled at the book centering around Pham Nuwen's past. In AFUtD he was an "okay" character; I didn't find him hugely compelling. He was kind of two dimensional, though his role as the godshatter was interesting, but I didn't really care about his past. When I first realized the book was about his Slow Zone days, I admit I rolled my eyes. Let me tell you that changed. I had no interest in Pham Nuwen's past, and I was wrong. His character is really fleshed out in this book, much beyond what I expected, and it's very well done. For the most part, the book is very well written. The characters are smart, complex, and for the most part aren't just massive cliches. Some of Vinge's libertarianism comes through a bit heavy-handed though. One of the trader good guys' ships is called the Invisible Hand, one of the space communist bad guys' ships is called the Common Good. As soon as I realized this I groaned. But it doesn't come up often enough to be obnoxious or really detract from the story. There is plenty of "trade is good, excessive government is bad" stuff throughout, though, if that kind of thing rubs you the wrong way. It is much more reasonably presented than say, a frothy Fox News pundit, and not as in your face as an Ayn Rand book, but it's there. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best Hard SF book I've read in a long time, if not ever *by R***L on May 29, 2011* I've always loved SF, I grew up on Asimov, having finished all the Foundation books by age 14, and am still re-reading the Hitchhiker books at least once a year. Not to mention Clark, Heinlein etc. Sometime in the past 10 years I stopped reading SF and went to pure science and a lot of history. Then I came back to SF and for about 2 years have been searching for some book to fall into again. Then I found Vernor Vinge. I first read A Fire Upon the Deep and it was good. Very good. The physics of the universe Vinge creates, and the role of information flow and societal structures was really amazing to me and I was sorry he didn't delve deeper into those issues, but focused almost completely on the plot, which I felt wasn't that great. But this book is completely different. The plot is thick, and a lot is going on, but for me it was secondary. Vernor Vinge has managed to create a completely believable universe millions and millions of years from now, which is just incredible to me. SF seemed to me to always be split into two - Those that had Faster-Than-Light travel and galactic empires (by making up some new physics), and those that were centered on our star-system and were all about nano-tech, gene-tech etc. But here, Mr. Vinge is able to span Galaxies while still remaining in the constraints of non-FTL physics. The implications of galactic civilizations that are for all intents and purposes completely detached from one another are dealt with marvelously in this book. The idea of a traders guild that is the only real link between thousands of civilizations, and its having undergone thousands of years of technological evolution to the point where technological archeologists are necessary to de-bug systems, is ingenious in my opinion. Of course I've said nothing about the great characters and the interesting plot. This is a truly remarkable book, and I cant wait for more Pham Nuwen. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/8662964-a-deepness-in-the-sky-zones-of-thought-2](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/8662964-a-deepness-in-the-sky-zones-of-thought-2) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-02*