Vernor Vinge’s 1992 book Fire in the Deep it’s fun for galaxy adventure fans. Science fiction writer Mercurio D. Rivera was fascinated by the book’s portrayal of Tines’ dog-like aliens.
“What stood out in my mind when I read this book 25 years ago were the Tines, the aliens in this world, the thoughts that created these aliens,” says Rivera in Section 530 of the book. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “It hurt me so much at the time, and it’s stayed with me all these years. That’s what I was hoping for when I read it now. It’s amazing how powerful it is.”
Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy David Barr Kirtley agrees Fire in the Deep it’s a wonderful thing. The book’s central conceit, a universe whose calculations become easier the farther one travels from the center of the galaxy, creates an environment that encompasses almost every scientific concept imaginable. “It has about 10 books worth of ideas,” says Kirtley. “Every couple of pages there were amazing ideas where I was like, ‘Yeah,’ and I’m stressing about everything.”
Fire in the Deep confuses many characters and plots without being disruptive. Science fiction writer Abby Goldsmith praised the book’s carefully crafted story. “Just looking at it creatively is amazing, and creative,” he says. “The work shows. The amount of time and effort they put into thinking it through, I admire that.”
The novel imagines a galaxy in which thousands of alien races can communicate with each other through short passages of text. Science fiction writer Tobias S. Buckell said the book cleverly describes the various ways such a system could be misused. “I read all the cyberpunk books I thought prepared me for the Internet, but it turned out that the book that most prepared me for the Internet as it is today. Fire in the Deep and his ‘web of a million lies,’ and his ‘whole gang of people who want to kill people because of what they read in the millions of lies,’” he says. “I’m just like, ‘Oh my god, this book really, really, really prepared me for all of this.'”
Listen to the full interview with Mercurio D. Rivera, Abby Goldsmith, and Tobias S. Buckell in Episode 530 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy (above). And check out some of the highlights from the discussion below.
Tobias S. Buckell on Fire in the Deep:
I loved this book when I was in high school. … I even paid my sister 20 bucks to count the number of pages that were in each chapter, and I made a chart of the thoughts that were in each chapter and what happened in each chapter. And I drew the layout of the book on 10 sheets of paper that I could unfold and spread out so that I could see the layout of the book clearly, and I used different colored markers to make it stand out. This book had a huge impact on my ability to organize and think about the style of books because I divided them over and over because I just wanted to know how they did it.
Abby Goldsmith on Tines:
They are beautiful, first of all, because they are actually wolf packs. Their minds are interconnected, so there are four to eight wolves, which are called “members,” but three of them cannot make a complete person. It must be four or more. … They can’t get close to each other or they start losing hope because if they stand three or four people next to each other, they start to change their mind. And the whole point is that the pack must be together to remain a united person – and they see themselves as individuals, as a pack. Each member is not an individual. It does not think for itself. A “person” in this world is a person with four or more bodies.
Mercurio D. Rivera in preparation:
There is an interesting mix of fantasy and science fiction in both stories. In Tines World, we are dealing with these wonderful guests, but they are stuck in this wonderful world with queens and palaces. It’s a fantasy world with a strange fantasy in it. … We’ve been talking about how interesting this book is, and I agree. I had one reservation—perhaps my only reservation—and I thought that the past events in Tines World were personal. I mean, the alien characters are in libraries, drinking brandy, smoking, hanging around, and I couldn’t help but think of pictures of dogs playing poker. That was my only reservation, that the world is so, so, human.
David Barr Kirtley on world building:
Sometimes [human characters] they say things that reveal the state of their communities. … The example I wanted to mention is when they’re in this place called Harmonious Repose, and they’re talking to the aliens about fixing their ship, and the Skroderiders are arguing with the aliens, and Ravna hasn’t seen it. because they have lived in societies where everyone has enough information about everything that is right, and there is no discussion at all. “We all know this is important, so this is what the price will be.” And I thought that was a very interesting idea.
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