Vernor Vinge's 1999 sf novel A Deepness in the Sky is a prequel to his 1993 tour de force A Fire Upon the Deep. It's a plot-driven romp reminiscent of Keith Laumer at his best (though without Laumer's tongue-in-cheek humor) and Hal Clement (though with less of a physical-science foundation). The aliens are entertainingly different, though not terribly "alien" in their psychology. The big theme — the evil of slavery — echoes Richard Adams's Shardik. Thoughtful, readable, distractingly improbable ... and far too much hang-by-a-thread save-the-universe by luck to be fully satisfying. But nevertheless, a fun read.

_{(cf. VernorVinge (2001-09-17), CountermeasureAndGodshatter (2004-10-30), ...) - ^z - 2009-10-21}