On 2024-03-22, Ted Nolan <tednolan> <ted@loft.tnolan.com> wrote:

In article <uticjg$2ffb5$3@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

On 3/21/2024 8:24 AM, James Nicoll wrote:

SF author Vernor Vinge (1944 - 2024) is reported to have died, age 79.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/03/vernor-vinge-father-of-the-tech-singularity-has-died-at-age-79/

RIP. I always thought his "Peace War" novels were his best works. And
his "Rainbows End" book was neat.

Lynn

I always remember encountering him first with a story about a mission on a floating world to save an SF magazine's archives (but there's more going
on than the protag understands).. I really liked that.

I liked the bobble stories well enough, but wasn't really motivated
to seek him out.

Both _A Fire Upon the Deep_ and _A Deepness in the Sky_ are in my list of absolute top Favorites. The novella _True Names_ is another Favorite, having
a large impact when I first read it (it was the first real introduction
of cyberspace.) All three of these fell into a rare category for me: books that upon finishing my first reading demanded an immediate re-read.

Chris

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On 3/21/2024 11:49 PM, Chris Buckley wrote:

On 2024-03-22, Ted Nolan <tednolan> <ted@loft.tnolan.com> wrote:

In article <uticjg$2ffb5$3@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

On 3/21/2024 8:24 AM, James Nicoll wrote:

SF author Vernor Vinge (1944 - 2024) is reported to have died, age 79.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/03/vernor-vinge-father-of-the-tech-singularity-has-died-at-age-79/

RIP. I always thought his "Peace War" novels were his best works. And
his "Rainbows End" book was neat.

Lynn

I always remember encountering him first with a story about a mission on a >> floating world to save an SF magazine's archives (but there's more going
on than the protag understands).. I really liked that.

I liked the bobble stories well enough, but wasn't really motivated
to seek him out.

Both _A Fire Upon the Deep_ and _A Deepness in the Sky_ are in my list of absolute top Favorites. The novella _True Names_ is another Favorite, having a large impact when I first read it (it was the first real introduction
of cyberspace.) All three of these fell into a rare category for me: books that upon finishing my first reading demanded an immediate re-read.

Chris

I also thought those were great.

Mike Glyer's site has an appreciation.

https://file770.com/vernor-vinge-1944-2024/

--
Kevin R

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com

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On Fri, 22 Mar 2024, Chris Buckley wrote:

On 2024-03-22, Ted Nolan <tednolan> <ted@loft.tnolan.com> wrote:

In article <uticjg$2ffb5$3@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

On 3/21/2024 8:24 AM, James Nicoll wrote:

SF author Vernor Vinge (1944 - 2024) is reported to have died, age 79.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/03/vernor-vinge-father-of-the-tech-singularity-has-died-at-age-79/

RIP. I always thought his "Peace War" novels were his best works. And
his "Rainbows End" book was neat.

Lynn

I always remember encountering him first with a story about a mission on a >> floating world to save an SF magazine's archives (but there's more going
on than the protag understands).. I really liked that.

I liked the bobble stories well enough, but wasn't really motivated
to seek him out.

Both _A Fire Upon the Deep_ and _A Deepness in the Sky_ are in my list of absolute top Favorites. The novella _True Names_ is another Favorite, having a large impact when I first read it (it was the first real introduction
of cyberspace.) All three of these fell into a rare category for me: books that upon finishing my first reading demanded an immediate re-read.

Chris

I read and like all three. Out of those True Names is my favourite. RIP.

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On 2024-03-21, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

SF author Vernor Vinge (1944 - 2024) is reported to have died, age 79.

I saw him at one of the conferences organized by the Extropians,
some 25 years ago. He was a very influential author in transhumanist
circles.

Of his works, I have read:

* _The Peace War_
I'm sorry to say, but that one was forgettable, other than setting
up _Marooned in Realtime_.

* _Marooned in Realtime_
Takes an idea and runs with it. Thinking at a rare scale.
Disparate people use stasis fields to travel into a future of
ever accelerating human progress... until, at some point, humanity
is gone. Disappeared. Without a trace. The befuddled time
travelers leave each other messages and eventually meet up 50
million years from now. This is a story where people need to
consider geological events. IIRC, one character killed some time
by exploring the galaxy at STL speed. If I had something like
Lynn's six-star list, this book would feature prominently there.

* _A Fire Upon the Deep_
His magnum opus. An exuberant display of ideas.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

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On Tue, 26 Mar 2024 23:46:27 +0000, Robert Carnegie
<rja.carnegie@gmail.com> wrote:

On 21/03/2024 13:24, James Nicoll wrote:

SF author Vernor Vinge (1944 - 2024) is reported to have died, age 79.

Was it news to me only that his name
is pronounced "Verner Vinjee"? Is it
in "About the Author"? I didn't think
of it until BBC radio started talking
about his work this last week or weekend -
I don't know which programme - but it
is in no real way a secret. Wikipedia
will say it on demand. Likewise, of
course, the former Mrs. Vinjee.

That is news to me also, but, looking it up on Bing, it appears that
that is correct -- and the "ng" is pronounced as in "wing". I, being
ignorant, thought it rimed with "hinge".

Old Norse appears to be involved, which may or may not explain
anything.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

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On 22/03/24 16:49, Chris Buckley wrote:
snip

Both _A Fire Upon the Deep_ and _A Deepness in the Sky_ are in my list of absolute top Favorites.

Same with me but book 3, The Children of The Sky, was just a 2 star OK.
The short stories that I read were mediocre or worse (Fast Times At...),
The Peace War series was good peaking with 4 star Marooned In Realtime
but the other 5 star book for me which hasn't been mentioned is Rainbows
End whose science may be dated already?
I have a copy but haven't yet read The Witling and probably won't read
Zones of Thought 4, After the Battle on Starship Hill.

The novella _True Names_ is another Favorite, having

a large impact when I first read it (it was the first real introduction
of cyberspace.) All three of these fell into a rare category for me: books that upon finishing my first reading demanded an immediate re-read.

Chris

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