The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge
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Since his first published story, "Apartness," appeared in 1965, Vernor Vinge has forged a unique and awe-inspiring career in science fiction as his work has grown and matured. He is now one of the most celebrated science fiction writers in the field , having won the field's top award, the Hugo, for each of his last two novels. Now, for the first time, this illustrious author gathers all his short fiction into a single volume. This collection is truly the definitive Vinge, capturing his visionary ideas at their very best. It also contains a never-before-published novella, one that represents precisely what this collection encapsulates--bold, unique, challenging science fictional ideas brought to vivid life with compelling storytelling. Including such major pieces as "The Ungoverned" and "The Blabber," this sumptuous volume will satisfy any reader who loves the sense of wonder, and the excitement of great SF. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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3 primary books5 released booksZones of Thought
Zones of Thought is a 5-book series with 3 primary works first released in 1988 with contributions by Vernor Vinge.
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It's convenient to have most (unfortunately not all) of Vernor Vinge's short fiction together in one place, though I'd prefer to have it arranged in chronological order.
He started off as a writer of short stories, and he says himself that he had difficulty with novels, but I think it's fair to say by now that his novels are more impressive than his short stories. However, his novella “True names” (not included here!) was indeed impressive in 1981, and remains good.
The stories in this volume vary in quality but are all readable. My personal favourite is “The peddler's apprentice”, although it was co-written with his wife and isn't typical of his work; I also like “The Blabber”, in which the Tines and the Zones of Thought made their first appearance in fiction (although it turns out to be set much later in time than their other appearances!).
“The ungoverned”, “Original sin”, and “Fast times at Fairmont High” are interesting, and the latter won a Hugo award.
The rest of them are relatively minor stories, amiable enough, sometimes dated in content and style. I've read and reread them because they all come together, but I might not bother to buy them if they were sold individually.
