A Deepness in the Sky

Story and Plot

Rating: 5/5

In the distant future, humanity has spread across the stars. Bound by the speed of light, each system inhabited by humans is effectively an island unto itself. On these islands, civilizations rise and just as often, fall, going through cycles of profound technological achievement followed by either annihilation or reduction back to a primitive state. Plying the gap between inhabited systems, a loose association of traders known as Qeng Ho journey in search of profit as they crawl at sub-light speeds between their customer civilizations, trading in knowledge, technology and biological diversity. 

For as long as humanity has observed the cosmos, it has been fascinated by the so-called ‘OnOff’ star. This sun, which blazes for around 50 years before dimming and going cold for two centuries, has captivated generations of observers and astronomers. Located far from human settled space, no group has ever set out to investigate the phenomenon, until radio signals indicative of intelligent life start emanating from the system. Motivated as ever by discovery, and thus potential profit, one group of Qeng Ho finances an expedition to the OnOff system, a voyage that will put them on a head on collision with a mysterious resurgent human power in the region.

Arriving on the heels of the Qeng Ho, the fleet of the Emergent civilization makes friendly overtures to the traders. Each faction has its strengths and weaknesses, and the two groups realize that working together, they can accomplish more than either party in isolation. To the Qeng Ho, the Emergents seem somewhat brutish and hierarchical, but not noticeably deviant from other civilizations they’ve encountered before. Together, they set out to explore the one habitable world in orbit of the OnOff system in hopes of learning about its spider-like inhabitants. The ‘spiders’, who hibernate during the centuries of the OnOff stars ‘off’ phase, are on the verge of entering the information age. Intriguingly, the spiders may not be the first sentient life to emerge on the planet, and Emergents and Qeng Ho alike hope to benefit by trading or exploiting spiders as well as by discovering ancient technologies and secrets hidden on this mysterious world.

Surprising all but a few, a betrayal shatters the tenuous alliance between the spacefaring groups. Greatly depleted, the remnants of the two fleets realize they have lost much of their resources and capabilities. Reforged into a single fleet, Qeng Ho and Emergent alike must cooperate to ensure the survival and ultimate success of their now combined expedition. Along the way, the Qeng Ho crew must unravel the shocking and dark secrets that lie at the heart of Emergent society to save themselves along with the spiders and their nascent civilization.

A Deepness in the Sky has an engaging and driving story that will keep a listener hooked from start to finish. A novel with so many sci fi concepts and such plot complexity could easily get bogged down, dragging due to excessive exposition or self indulgence. Vernor Vinge, though, masterfully steers the listener through both story and universe, excelling at building his characters at a personal level just as well as he builds the world around them. 

Worldbuilding

Rating: 5/5

Though part of the broader Zones of Thought series, A Deepness in the Sky works well as a stand-alone novel, with plenty of world building that provides more than enough context for the story to unfold in. While the overall series takes place in a galaxy that is not strictly bound by the speed of light, A Deepness in the Sky thoroughly qualifies as hard sci fi, limited as it is by the constraints of luminal velocity. First listening to it over a decade ago, this novel may even have been my first exposure to hard sci fi, a subset of science fiction that I’ve come to appreciate more and more over the years.

Genre considerations aside, Vinge does an amazing job of crafting a world that feels deep and well thought out. Though often relying on exposition (not a bad thing for me), Vinge does so in a way that is layered thoughtfully throughout the novel. The exposition usually parallels the particular character featured in a scene, and while not explicitly presented as such, could very well be the internal monologue of that character. Furthermore, the details of the world are gradually revealed, making the listener feel rewarded as they delve deeper into the narrative. 

Narration

Rating: 5/5

A Deepness in the Sky is narrated by Peter Larkin, whose excellent performance enriches an already great story. His characterizations are distinct enough to help differentiate between multiple characters in a given scene, but not so over the top as to be cartoonish or annoying. Larkin’s reading is vigorous and lively without being hyperactive. I think the only non-positive thing I have to say about it, is that if you like to listen to audiobooks while trying to fall asleep, this book might not be the best choice. While Larkin narrates some other works by Vinge, I wish he showed up more often as a narrator for other sci fi audiobooks.

Value

Rating: 5/5

Clocking in at 28 hours, A Deepness in the Sky is a great use of an audible credit. Not only that, it makes excellent use of that respectable run time. The worldbuilding is immersive, the story rarely drags and the performance is engaging. This is an audiobook I found myself binging each time I listened to it (three times at present count).

Final Thoughts

Every now and then, an audiobook comes along that makes you wish you could forget it, so that you could listen again for the first time. For me, A Deepness in the Sky is such a work. Not only is it excellent regardless of genre, but its portrayal of hard sci fi gave me my first appreciation for this underrated subset of the science fiction genre. Whether you’re new to sci fi or a well-versed enthusiast, do yourself a favor and give this audiobook a listen; you won’t regret it.