Zone Of Thought

Ever bought some electronic thing and two days later discovered it was already obsolete? Sucks. This whole idea about broken things is defined by the concept of The Singularity -- a field that Vinge is the master of. Basically this means that as civilization accelerates it is also abandoning things, ideas and people who can't keep up. And the Zones of Thought books are all about this concept. Vinge is a retired professor of mathematics, best known for his exceptional science fiction vision. His Zone of Thought series includes A Fire Upon The Deep, published in 1992 and winner of the Hugo, A Deepness In The Sky, winner of the Prometheus and The Children Of The Sky. Don't be scared by his credentials - save that for his dark vision of the singularity-driven future. Vinge explores super intelligence, artificial life forms and group minds. His novels also examine how technology accelerates human evolution in sometimes disastrous ways. All this pseudo scientific babbled aside, these books are fraking good reads. They are compelling, fascinating, and a thrill ride from start to finish. These are NOT dry old books full of visionary concepts but dull on action, plot, and characters. No, they are exciting. The first book is awesome, the second even better. The third is a let down and rumor is there will be another book coming out in the series. All in all, this is one of the very best science fiction series ever written and one of those series that you see topping all the best list charts for good reason. Bar non, the Zone of Thought books are probably the best portrayal of how a true galactic society might actually work. No other series comes close to portraying this as accurately as the 'Zone' books. The series is space opera with a twist of the hard science and dash of social science fiction sprinkled in. Asking why you should read this series is really quite stupid. You don't want to be left behind do you?