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The Children of the Sky

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The Children of the Sky

By: Vernor Vinge
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
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After nearly twenty years, Vernor Vinge has produced an enthralling sequel to his memorable bestselling novel A Fire Upon the Deep, the third in the Zones of Thought series.

Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them.

While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them—and among the humans—who seek power…and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed.
On a world of fascinating wonders and terrifying dangers, Vernor Vinge has created a powerful novel of adventure and discovery that will entrance the many readers of A Fire Upon the Deep. Filled with the inventiveness, excitement, and human drama that have become hallmarks of his work, this new novel is sure to become another great milestone in Vinge's already stellar career.

Children of the Sky is one of Library Journal's Best SF/Fantasy Books of 2011

 Fantasy First Contact Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Exploration
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This is the third book in a series entitled Queng Ho; the first two having been written in the 1990s. It is a novel that can be enjoyed stand-alone; pretty much the situation for me as I had read the other two way back when they were published. The storyline is planet-bound, situated in one of the author’s galactic “zones” where only very basic technology will function. It recounts the interactions of a native intelligent species and a group of refugee humans that crash-landed there a decade earlier (that crash-landing being part of the plot from the earlier books).

What Vernor Vinge has created here is a masterpiece. His development of the planet’s indigenous species is utterly superb. The ecology of the planet itself is richly described. The various relationships between humans and natives are complex. The underlying story is intriguing and full of twisting plots. On top of this is a first-class narration from someone who fully understands what he is reading. I can report no flaws whatsoever and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

As brilliant as every other Vernor Vinge novel

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loved the last Vinge opus I read. found this difficult to get into and never felt like I couldn't wait to listen to next chapter.

so disappointing

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Really struggled to finish. Loved the first two. this however was so drawn out and padded with political corruption and vanity, those parts get so boring! i found myself skipping foreward more and more frequently looking for an end of an scene. If i want politics ill watch the news. Only upside: decent narration. verdict: ask for a refund.

Just disappoonting

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really enjoyed a deepness in the sky but this was hard to love. long rambling story with no thrills or deep issues to ponder. dog lover's perfect sci fi though I expect. and narration was really difficult to listen to, as if he was reading the words not the meaning. the last word in every phrase ends with a kind of up down up sing song. it's no substitute for proper phrasing, varied pace, an effortful embrace of the story.

Far too long and tedious listen

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