Hugo Award Best Novel Winner

A Fire Upon the Deep

by Vernor Vinge

Summary

In a galaxy divided into Zones of Thought where the laws of intelligence and technology vary by region, an awakened ancient power threatens countless worlds. Vinge tracks survivors stranded on a planet of pack minded aliens called the Tines while a desperate rescue races across the stars. The novel is celebrated for its inventive cosmology, its alien psychology, and its early imagining of galaxy spanning network communication.

Historical Context & Significance

A Fire Upon the Deep shared the 1993 Hugo Award for Best Novel with Connie Willis's Doomsday Book, a rare tie for the top prize.