# A Fire Upon The Deep versus A Deepness In The Sky **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429 "2008-07-22T23:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gnagtcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@gnagtcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnagtcha)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/1 "2008-07-22T23:25:58Z")
Ok, I bought both books at the same time and I wasn’t really sure which one I should start first. I know that AFUTD was written before ADITS, but ADITS is a prequel to AFUTD. Would it have enhanced my understanding of that universe if I had read the prequel first or did it really matter. ( By the way, I did start with AFUTD, am halfway through and loving it. Just curious ) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/2 "2008-07-22T23:54:48Z")
You don’t need to read _Fire_ to understand _Deepness_ but reading _Fire_ first will illuminate certain aspects of _Deepness_. You wouldn’t know you were missing something since the strange aspects of _Deepness_ can just be thought of as “space opera stuff”. It’s just an added layer. Conversely reading _Deepness_ first means that you’ll know the answer to one bit of character mystery in _Fire_ which doesn’t get resolved until the end. It’s a minor thing so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’d say you’re doing it right. My rule is always in publication order since even if the author went back and filled in blanks I would be getting the same experience that readers initially did. Oh and when you finish _Deepness_ if you like it then I strongly recommend Vinge’s _Rainbows End_ (no apostrophe). It has similar themes of what happens when we can process vast quantities of information. ---
**Author:** ![gnagtcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@gnagtcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnagtcha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/3 "2008-07-23T01:37:31Z")
Much appreciated and Rainbows End will be read right after A Deepness In The Sky. ---
**Author:** ![beowulf573](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@beowulf573](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulf573)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/4 "2008-07-23T02:58:26Z")
Vinge is one my favorite writers, I only wish he wrote faster. Still, I’d rather have a great book every seven years than a so-so one every three. I’d also suggest “The Peace War” and “Marooned in Realtime” plus his short story collections. All are great. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/5 "2008-07-23T03:30:26Z")
All I have to add is thank you. I wasn’t aware of Deepness so I’ll need to add it to my to-read pile. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/6 "2008-07-23T04:00:04Z")
In The Beyond: Ravna and friends would kick Queng Ho’s butt. In the Slowness: No contest – the Emergents would be supreme. I’d bet Focused Tines would be pretty formidable. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/7 "2008-07-23T04:19:54Z")
I thought both were outstanding, but I preferred the ending of \*Deepness \* more. BTW, be prepared to be hugely confused for the first 100 pages at least. Vinge’s books having a steep learning curve. It took me at least that many pages before I picked up all the lingo. ---
**Author:** ![gnagtcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@gnagtcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnagtcha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/8 "2008-07-23T05:26:36Z")
Cainxinth, sounds like you and have the same reading skills. It did take a bit to figure things out, but once everything kinda clicked it’s a great read. I’m hoping everything I’m learning in this book bleeds over to A Deepness In The Sky so I don’t have to relearn a whole new universe. But, don’t tell me, I want to be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/9 "2008-07-23T07:04:49Z")
This is cool! I took two CS classes from Dr. Vinge when I was at San Diego State, and we knew each other well enough to say hi when we met for years after that. I’ve read the “The Peace War” and “Marooned in Real Time”, and I liked them both. I haven’t read any of his others yet, but now I’m inspired to give them a try. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/10 "2008-07-23T15:44:32Z")
[QUOTE=beowulf573] Vinge is one my favorite writers, I only wish he wrote faster. Still, I’d rather have a great book every seven years than a so-so one every three. I’d also suggest “The Peace War” and “Marooned in Realtime” plus his short story collections. All are great. [/QUOTE] Both are excellent and the only reason I didn’t mention them first is that I was sticking to theme. 🙂 > [@cainxinth](#): > > I thought both were outstanding, but I preferred the ending of Deepness more. BTW, be prepared to be hugely confused for the first 100 pages at least. Vinge’s books having a steep learning curve. It took me at least that many pages before I picked up all the lingo. I’ll agree that _Deepness_ had a better conclusion but I thought that the over all arc of _Fire_ held together more thoroughly. It seemed to me like _Deepness_ could have been focused better. That’s part of the reason why I liked _Rainbows End_ more as well; a more smoothly integrated setting and plot. ---
**Author:** ![gnagtcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@gnagtcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnagtcha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/11 "2008-07-23T23:03:30Z")
Was there ever a digested version of Marooned in Realtime in Analog Magazine. I used to have a shitload of those from years ago and that title just sounds so familiar. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fire-upon-the-deep-versus-a-deepness-in-the-sky/457429/12 "2008-07-24T08:10:14Z")
Yep, Marooned was [published in Analog](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marooned_in_Realtime#Publication). I’ve been a fan of both Vernor and Joan D. Vinge since I was a kid. His ex-wife is the better writer, technically, but he comes up with ideas and plots that are absolutely incredible. I read those two books in publication order, but both are so stand-alone that it really doesn’t matter much. There are just a few supporting ideas that benefit from being fleshed out, but nothing you’d have trouble following the story without.