A Deepness in the Sky

A depth in the sky ( original title: A Deepness in the Sky ) is the second novel in the series' zones of thought " by Vernor Vinge and can be assigned to the hard science fiction genre. The novel was particular in 2000 awarded the Hugo Award and nominated for the Nebula Award in 1999. The events of the novel, published in 1999, A depth in the sky play long time before the story of the first novel of the " Zones of Thought" series, A fire on the depth ( 1995).

Content

A depth in the sky told in two first parallel story lines firstly, the history of human exploration and trading expedition to the OnOff star system to another civilizational progress of spiders, a species of intelligent arachnids on the only planet in the OnOff star system - live - Arachna. The OnOff - system has the important feature that it is 250 years, a cold phase undergoes due to the abnormal movement of the star Arachna 215, during which the entire surface is covered by ice. The human expedition consists of two fleets, the trade joyful and bustling Dschöng -Ho one hand, and the autocratic climbers on the other. One of the world powers on Arachna succeeds thanks to a technological edge to end a long-standing war with a neighboring nation through acts of sabotage during the cold phase, what the researchers Sherkander Underhill and intelligence officers Victory Smith and Hrunker have Unnerby decisive role. Meanwhile, leads the competition between Dschöng - Ho and climbers, not long after their arrival in the system to a space battle in which the climber attacked the Dschöng -Ho. In the wake of this devastating battle, both sides losing such a lot of human and material resources together to survive and make their fleet with the help of the spider again for interstellar flights proficient that they are henceforth obliged. The result of this stalemate and skillful manipulations of the Movers leads to a situation in which the climber the Dschöng -Ho enslave and control by means of mental enslavement. Exposed to the constant risk of detection, nevertheless developed in the ranks of Dschöng -Ho a conspiracy under the legendary Spacemen Pham Nuwen (aka Pham Trinli ) as the target, the liberation of Dschöng -Ho. In cooperation with the spider manages this conspiracy ultimately to free themselves from the yoke of the ruling caste of the leading movers and to prevent them to coat the nations of Arachna with a nuclear mass murder.

Awards

• Hugo Award (2000)
• Prometheus Award ( 2000)
• John W. Campbell Memorial Award (2000)
• Kurd - Laßwitz Prize ( 2004)

Expenditure

• A depth in the sky. Heyne Verlag, Munich, 2003. ISBN 3-453-87063-8.
• A depth in the sky. Heyne Verlag, Munich, 2007. ISBN 3-453-52223-0.