ISBN 1-85798-002-6 (UK hbk),,, 0-812-51528-5 (US pbk),,, 1-85798-003-4 (UK trade pbk),,, 1-85798-127-8 (UK pbk)

"Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit the far reaches of space, from the superintelligent entities in the Transcend to the simple creatures and technologies that are all that can function in the Unthinking Depths.

"When scientists discover an ancient Transcend artefact, they unwittingly unleash a Blight that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all forms of intelligence. This is the story of the war against the Blight, and of the epic, multi-species fight to save the galaxy from a new dark age.

"A Fire Upon the Deep is both a vision of the far future, of a universe so enormous that one can barely conceive its size and power, and a richly inventive, gripping tale of galactic war played out on an epic scale." [jacket blurb, UK pbk, 1993]

"He has created a galaxy for the readers of the 90s to believe in... immense, ancient, dotted with wonders... (and) populated his story with some of the best-conceived aliens to appear in recent years. A tale that burns with the brazen energy of the best space operas of the Golden Age." --John Clute.

"A torrent of new ideas, a fascinating, multi-layered universe of enormous scope, and great character, human and very non-human. They add up to a big, wonderful story that you won't want to put down." --Charles Sheffield.

"This is a grand, sprawling adventure which looks back over its shoulder at both E.E.Smith and Olaf Stapledon, and then makes tracks on its own into new territory. Packed with ideas and paced to please." --Gregory Benford.

"Complex and fascinating. It's one of the best SF novels of the year." --Greg Bear.

"No one so excels at presenting awesome vistas of both space and time. Vinge is one of the great visionary writers of SF today." --David Brin.