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Across Realtime #1
Quando scoppiò la pace
Paul Hoehler, un brillante ricercatore, scopre qualcosa in grado di cambiare il mondo: le "bolle", ossia campi di forza sferici capaci di impedire l'ingresso o l'uscita di qualsiasi cosa essi racchiudano. I guai iniziano quando i suoi datori di lavoro ai Laboratori Elettronici Livermore approfittano di questa incredibile scoperta per impadronirsi del mondo intero. I centri governativi, le basi militari, tutto viene racchiuso in "bolle"... e nasce l'Ente Pace che si propone di dare una nuova stabilità al mondo. Ma perché i nuovi pacificatori proibiscono ogni genere di ricerca scientifica, mantengono un esercito bene armato e considerano Paul Hoehler il loro peggiore nemico?
Copertina di Karel Thole
Copertina di Karel Thole
212 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
222 people are currently reading
5338 people want to read
About the author
Vernor Vinge
121 books2,617 followersVernor Steffen Vinge is a retired San Diego State University Professor of Mathematics, computer scientist, and science fiction author. He is best known for his Hugo Award-winning novels
A Fire Upon The Deep
(1992),
A Deepness in the Sky
(1999) and
Rainbows End
(2006), his Hugo Award-winning novellas
Fast Times at Fairmont High
(2002) and The Cookie Monster (2004), as well as for his 1993 essay "The Coming Technological Singularity", in which he argues that exponential growth in technology will reach a point beyond which we cannot even speculate about the consequences.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/vernor...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/vernor...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
September 1, 2015
I almost pushed this one down to a three star rating on my reread, but by the end I got over the mildly racist overtones against hispanics and blacks and got into the actual war effort.
Honestly, even though this is definitely SF with all its discussion of high-tech versus slightly lower-tech population, it actually reads like an OLD STYLE fantasy, complete with old wizard and an underprivileged apprentice siding with the underdog portion of society, the "Tinkers", against the Peace Authority, who holds the high tech "bobbles". I didn't like that so much. It was old had, but this did get released back in 1984, so it might be just dated in my own head.
I liked the idea behind the "bobbles". Stasis bubbles, impenetrable force fields that can capture nuclear blasts as they happen and protect the populace. This is what brings our civilization to its knees, oddly enough. Unfortunately, I felt like I had to slog through half the novel before we got to the revolution overthrowing the Peace Authority. That was just fine. Lots of action and battles, heroic deeds and whatnot.
If it hadn't been for the slower pace of the beginning, I would have thought this would have been pretty rip-roaring fun.
It is, unfortunately, my least favorite of Mr. Vinge's works, and because of such high expectations, I wanted to judge this novel on his subsequent delights.
That would be very unfortunate, though, and I will therefore back-off and let this novel stand on its own.
It isn't fantastic, but it is worth reading for the ideas, if not for the somewhat mediocre story.
Honestly, even though this is definitely SF with all its discussion of high-tech versus slightly lower-tech population, it actually reads like an OLD STYLE fantasy, complete with old wizard and an underprivileged apprentice siding with the underdog portion of society, the "Tinkers", against the Peace Authority, who holds the high tech "bobbles". I didn't like that so much. It was old had, but this did get released back in 1984, so it might be just dated in my own head.
I liked the idea behind the "bobbles". Stasis bubbles, impenetrable force fields that can capture nuclear blasts as they happen and protect the populace. This is what brings our civilization to its knees, oddly enough. Unfortunately, I felt like I had to slog through half the novel before we got to the revolution overthrowing the Peace Authority. That was just fine. Lots of action and battles, heroic deeds and whatnot.
If it hadn't been for the slower pace of the beginning, I would have thought this would have been pretty rip-roaring fun.
It is, unfortunately, my least favorite of Mr. Vinge's works, and because of such high expectations, I wanted to judge this novel on his subsequent delights.
That would be very unfortunate, though, and I will therefore back-off and let this novel stand on its own.
It isn't fantastic, but it is worth reading for the ideas, if not for the somewhat mediocre story.
April 30, 2024
The Peace War doesn’t find peace in removing technology. As the title of the novel suggests, the attempt to remove technology simply led to a war to bring it back, almost leading us again to the conclusion that violence is inherent to Man. However, Vinge’s characters believe in the potential of technology and that peace is possible only if it is used correctly and put in the right hands. What “correct” use is and whose hands should be in control remains unexplained, adding to the intrigue of the dystopic world Vinge created.
May 31, 2013
Where to begin. I love Vernor Vinge. Fire Upon The Deep, Deepness In The Sky, I'm not going to say they are masterpieces, but they deliver such great ideas that whatever problems the stories had mechanically (2 dimensional characters, wonky plots, horrible dialogue), just got buried under the scope and wonder. Not so much with The Peace War.
First, it's pretty laughable that his set up is that a bunch of administrators from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, what he calls the Lawrence Enclave, a bunch of bureaucrats on a government contract conspire to take over the world. I mean, why? They've already taken over the world with red-tape, and even if there was such a cabal, the decision to overthrow the government would die in committee. They'd need receipts and billable hours just to devise a plan. Where do you charge conspiracy?
Second, once overthrown, how exactly is it easier for these directors to control the world in such large swaths? There's a director that controls Africa and Europe and another who controls all of Asia. Really? Seriously? One dude? And an administrator with a bobble generator? Ever hear of suicide bomber Vinge? People have blown themselves up for less. He hints that the original Avery might have been more of a dictator, which I find easier to swallow than a bunch of admins arguing over a conference table about how to divide up with world. There'd be about 10,000 vice-president/deputy administrators choking the system by the time the story started. That might have been an interesting read.
Third, and most infuriating, the blackmail story between Della Lu and Mike Rosas, pretty much the plot of middle of the book, was complete bullshit. There were ample opportunities for Mike and Wili to get rid of Della, pretty much whenever they wanted. Wili could have just bobbled her right when he saw her the second time. Kill her and be done with it! It was painful to read, and Mike's explanation of why he was complicit (cause his dad knew who created the plagues he betrays his friends???) just didn't make any sort of sense.
There's some interesting stuff with the bobbles and time travel (the scene at Mission Pass was smooth), though their allegory to nuclear weapons is pretty brittle. Also, would the bobbles really float? Yes, they might be filled with air, but time stops inside, which means particle interaction stops inside the bobble, which means particles stop "working", moving, unable to transfer heat. They are effectively frozen, though, since they can't transfer heat, the bobbles wouldn't feel cold, perhaps even ambiently warm. Therefore, they couldn't really be more warm than environment that surrounds them or buoyant in the cool evening air. The real question is how mass, frozen in time, acts in gravity. We know black holes still have gravity... or is it just the accretion disk at the event horizon that has gravitational pull? No, I believe they have gravitation. Any physicists out there?
Franky, the last half of the book was painful to read. I was boggled by the characters actions that only seemed generated to further the plot and the end really doesn't pay off. Must of have been pretty slim pickin's in 1984, the year it was nominated for a Nebula, though not surprising it lost to William Gibson's Neuromancer. It's an interesting point in the history of Science Fiction: Vinge's the Peace War, which Bruce Sterling competently argued was a continuation of military/Strategic Defense Initiative authoritative centered Science Fiction associated with Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (even when centralized power is corrupted, as in the "Peace War"); and the near future dystopia of Gibson's Neuromancer" which posited a future dominated by greed and megacorps (corruption here is replace with outright greed), and people trying to make their way, though still with a grand scope.
There's some hints of libertarianism in the Peace War, but it was just window dressing. I wonder what Vinge thinks of Michael Swanwick's "Libertarian Russia"?
First, it's pretty laughable that his set up is that a bunch of administrators from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, what he calls the Lawrence Enclave, a bunch of bureaucrats on a government contract conspire to take over the world. I mean, why? They've already taken over the world with red-tape, and even if there was such a cabal, the decision to overthrow the government would die in committee. They'd need receipts and billable hours just to devise a plan. Where do you charge conspiracy?
Second, once overthrown, how exactly is it easier for these directors to control the world in such large swaths? There's a director that controls Africa and Europe and another who controls all of Asia. Really? Seriously? One dude? And an administrator with a bobble generator? Ever hear of suicide bomber Vinge? People have blown themselves up for less. He hints that the original Avery might have been more of a dictator, which I find easier to swallow than a bunch of admins arguing over a conference table about how to divide up with world. There'd be about 10,000 vice-president/deputy administrators choking the system by the time the story started. That might have been an interesting read.
Third, and most infuriating, the blackmail story between Della Lu and Mike Rosas, pretty much the plot of middle of the book, was complete bullshit. There were ample opportunities for Mike and Wili to get rid of Della, pretty much whenever they wanted. Wili could have just bobbled her right when he saw her the second time. Kill her and be done with it! It was painful to read, and Mike's explanation of why he was complicit (cause his dad knew who created the plagues he betrays his friends???) just didn't make any sort of sense.
There's some interesting stuff with the bobbles and time travel (the scene at Mission Pass was smooth), though their allegory to nuclear weapons is pretty brittle. Also, would the bobbles really float? Yes, they might be filled with air, but time stops inside, which means particle interaction stops inside the bobble, which means particles stop "working", moving, unable to transfer heat. They are effectively frozen, though, since they can't transfer heat, the bobbles wouldn't feel cold, perhaps even ambiently warm. Therefore, they couldn't really be more warm than environment that surrounds them or buoyant in the cool evening air. The real question is how mass, frozen in time, acts in gravity. We know black holes still have gravity... or is it just the accretion disk at the event horizon that has gravitational pull? No, I believe they have gravitation. Any physicists out there?
Franky, the last half of the book was painful to read. I was boggled by the characters actions that only seemed generated to further the plot and the end really doesn't pay off. Must of have been pretty slim pickin's in 1984, the year it was nominated for a Nebula, though not surprising it lost to William Gibson's Neuromancer. It's an interesting point in the history of Science Fiction: Vinge's the Peace War, which Bruce Sterling competently argued was a continuation of military/Strategic Defense Initiative authoritative centered Science Fiction associated with Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (even when centralized power is corrupted, as in the "Peace War"); and the near future dystopia of Gibson's Neuromancer" which posited a future dominated by greed and megacorps (corruption here is replace with outright greed), and people trying to make their way, though still with a grand scope.
There's some hints of libertarianism in the Peace War, but it was just window dressing. I wonder what Vinge thinks of Michael Swanwick's "Libertarian Russia"?
June 28, 2009
Solid science fiction novel with both post-apocalyptic and dystopia themes. Vinge crafts a compelling, tyrannical "post-war" society based in California where self-appointed peace keepers use absolute power to repress development and use of weapons technology. Written during the cold war, the novel explores the logical conclusion of US imperial designs - a benign empire that uses power only for the good of humanity (e.g., spread of democracy, development of pre-capitlist economies, etc.). The U.S. is actually a victim in the novel, with the self-appointed Peace Authority arising from the ranks of scientists and technocrats working for Livermore labs (in the Bay Area), only to use the ultimate weapon ("the bobble") on its own government, along with other war-making states around the globe.
The most interesting theme of the book is how use of power, whatever the goals, ultimately corrupts the user and propagates conflict. The Peace Authority, smug in its rationalization of cruelty and oppression, cannot relent in its use of absolute power, no matter the consequences. And the oppressed will always rise up to throw off their yoke (or simply try to reverse positions to enjoy the fruits of power themselves). Vinge adroitly exposes the hypocrisy of "hawks" who use the language of achieving peace and democracy through bigger and better weapons.
Yet, Vinge doesn't let peaceniks off the hook. The technology used by the Authority to oppress is very contained - creation of a sphere around the target that places the contents into an utterly opaque prison, essentially removing it from this reality (a "bobble"). Very little collateral damage. If peaceniks had such a device (I being a card carrying member), wouldn't it be a logical conclusion for them to take the worst of the weapons out of the game? Render the warmongers impotent? And, hey, lets bobble the warmongers, too. Vinge shows that the consequences of this path is a slippery slope, but makes the moral dilemma compelling.
Alright, now the not so good. Vinge admirably tries to tackle issues of sexism and racism in his post-war society. People of color - Latinos and Blacks - end up segregated from white people in Southern CA and oppressing themselves in a feudalistic society. North of Santa Barbara, white people live in essentially an anarchist's dream, with loosely networked and self-governed collectives trading amongst themselves. Hmmmmm. I guess his point is that race inequality is so deeply embedded in global power structures that even when super powers are neutralized, third-world/first world relationships endure. But, I am only guessing, as he does not give this the same air time he devotes to the peace/war paradigm. The post-apocalyptic "Watts" image of LA ends up pretty two-dimensional. In the end, it can even come across as subtly racist, despite the fact that the main protagonist is a young black man.
He equally fails in exploring how patriarchy so easily becomes the backbone of a tyrannical society. I can understand how the Peace Authority could devolve to male dominated power, but why would the anarchist collectives also oppress women? Why not contrast the Peace Authority with other forms of self-governance where women are equal? Again, the book can come across as subtly sexist, even though the other main protagonist is a very powerful female character.
Overlooking these flaws, I found his world well crafted and interesting. The book is more about ideas than characters. The plot moves quickly and makes for a good action/adventure read. If he could have teased more out of his other themes, I would have given it five stars.
The most interesting theme of the book is how use of power, whatever the goals, ultimately corrupts the user and propagates conflict. The Peace Authority, smug in its rationalization of cruelty and oppression, cannot relent in its use of absolute power, no matter the consequences. And the oppressed will always rise up to throw off their yoke (or simply try to reverse positions to enjoy the fruits of power themselves). Vinge adroitly exposes the hypocrisy of "hawks" who use the language of achieving peace and democracy through bigger and better weapons.
Yet, Vinge doesn't let peaceniks off the hook. The technology used by the Authority to oppress is very contained - creation of a sphere around the target that places the contents into an utterly opaque prison, essentially removing it from this reality (a "bobble"). Very little collateral damage. If peaceniks had such a device (I being a card carrying member), wouldn't it be a logical conclusion for them to take the worst of the weapons out of the game? Render the warmongers impotent? And, hey, lets bobble the warmongers, too. Vinge shows that the consequences of this path is a slippery slope, but makes the moral dilemma compelling.
Alright, now the not so good. Vinge admirably tries to tackle issues of sexism and racism in his post-war society. People of color - Latinos and Blacks - end up segregated from white people in Southern CA and oppressing themselves in a feudalistic society. North of Santa Barbara, white people live in essentially an anarchist's dream, with loosely networked and self-governed collectives trading amongst themselves. Hmmmmm. I guess his point is that race inequality is so deeply embedded in global power structures that even when super powers are neutralized, third-world/first world relationships endure. But, I am only guessing, as he does not give this the same air time he devotes to the peace/war paradigm. The post-apocalyptic "Watts" image of LA ends up pretty two-dimensional. In the end, it can even come across as subtly racist, despite the fact that the main protagonist is a young black man.
He equally fails in exploring how patriarchy so easily becomes the backbone of a tyrannical society. I can understand how the Peace Authority could devolve to male dominated power, but why would the anarchist collectives also oppress women? Why not contrast the Peace Authority with other forms of self-governance where women are equal? Again, the book can come across as subtly sexist, even though the other main protagonist is a very powerful female character.
Overlooking these flaws, I found his world well crafted and interesting. The book is more about ideas than characters. The plot moves quickly and makes for a good action/adventure read. If he could have teased more out of his other themes, I would have given it five stars.
December 8, 2023
I thought this was a great novel with some cool concepts and a fun, fast-paced plot. The idea of bobbles was brilliant as was all the action and suspense. Character development was clearly secondary in Vinge's process here, but the story and the execution are strong enough to keep readers engaged and questioning the implications of technological disparities and the suicidal tendencies of human nature that Vinge goes on to explain further in Marooned in Realtime
Fino Reviews of Joan and Vernor Vinge Books:
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fino Reviews of Joan and Vernor Vinge Books:
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
: Fino Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 29, 2015
Un libro que sigue el mismo esquema que "Al final del arcoiris" en la historia. Los débiles contra los grandes terminando con una batalla final épica.
Evidentemente el libro no puede simplificarse en una frase, puesto que si algo bueno tiene este autor es la capacidad de ponerte en un futuro que se puede considerar plausible. Deja ver ideas geniales y una vez que te haces con los personajes y con la visión en conjunto de la historia se disfruta mucho.
Quizá la pega que se le pueda poner es que por momentos se hace espeso. Cuesta conectar mucho con los personajes y los diálogos se hacen un poco simplistas.
Disfruté mucho más con "Al final del arcoiris", quizá porque estaba más cargado de ideas especulativas que este, no obstante me ha mantenido enganchado y lo mejor de todo: en tensión.
Por cierto ¿qué narices tiene que ver la portada de NOVA con el libro? Yo creo que esta editorial escoge las portadas de forma aleatoria sinceramente.
Evidentemente el libro no puede simplificarse en una frase, puesto que si algo bueno tiene este autor es la capacidad de ponerte en un futuro que se puede considerar plausible. Deja ver ideas geniales y una vez que te haces con los personajes y con la visión en conjunto de la historia se disfruta mucho.
Quizá la pega que se le pueda poner es que por momentos se hace espeso. Cuesta conectar mucho con los personajes y los diálogos se hacen un poco simplistas.
Disfruté mucho más con "Al final del arcoiris", quizá porque estaba más cargado de ideas especulativas que este, no obstante me ha mantenido enganchado y lo mejor de todo: en tensión.
Por cierto ¿qué narices tiene que ver la portada de NOVA con el libro? Yo creo que esta editorial escoge las portadas de forma aleatoria sinceramente.
August 13, 2016
While not Vinge's most impressive novel (I'll give ‘A Fire Upon the Deep' that designation), The Peace War is a very competent, effective post-apocalyptic/science fiction novel.
Some years ago, at the outbreak of international war, someone invented the ‘bobble' – spherical containment fields which could eliminate threats by creating an unbreakable barrier around a weapon, or battalion...
The war was terribly destructive anyway, and now a level of reduced technology is enforced by mob-style governments. However, a technological underground resistance exists – including the brilliant scientist who invented this field. When he finds a ghetto urchin who may be a natural math genius, he finally agrees to take on an apprentice.
But the situation is becoming more hazardous for the underground, because it seems that someone else has discovered the secret of the bobble.
Some years ago, at the outbreak of international war, someone invented the ‘bobble' – spherical containment fields which could eliminate threats by creating an unbreakable barrier around a weapon, or battalion...
The war was terribly destructive anyway, and now a level of reduced technology is enforced by mob-style governments. However, a technological underground resistance exists – including the brilliant scientist who invented this field. When he finds a ghetto urchin who may be a natural math genius, he finally agrees to take on an apprentice.
But the situation is becoming more hazardous for the underground, because it seems that someone else has discovered the secret of the bobble.
September 13, 2011
I liked this even better than the Zones of Thought series. Strange, mind blowing post-apocalyptic world, great characters and a fascinating exploration of what it means to control time and technology.
July 7, 2015
Easy, linear, plotted formula, this milSF thriller type tale of generic style actually kept my attention better than most easy, linear, formula SF novels. I must have been in the right mood for it.
September 11, 2017
Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 5/5
This was an entertaining read on multiple levels. The highlight of the book is definitely in the area of creativity. This was an imaginative and original future that was a delight to explore. This was done through an engaging worldbuilding reveal, and Vinge was adept with this technique. I personally like tales like this, where events and circumstances are alien and unfamiliar, with clues indicating that the world is different from the one you know. Those differences and their significance build up into something novel. Tales of this sort are easily spoiled as well. There was real pleasure in the reveal itself, thus summaries or descriptions telling you what the book is about or what kind of world it is rob the reader of some of the best this story has to offer.
It reminds me of books that had superb starting ideas - contexts, backgrounds, or technologies that were original and wondrous - but which settled into fairly generic action-adventure tales thereafter. The Peace War read like it was made for season one of a better-than-average television show. Though it did consolidate a handful of characters into overly broad roles and rely too heavily on character twists, this was mostly free of dumb plot developments and unbelievable action scenes. Vinge seems to have thought a lot about plotholes and generally provided rationale to think it all plausible. That was done, in part, by simply failing to explain a lot of the technology and background. Thus it was broader than it was deep in its worldbuilding; it can certainly be criticized for unrealized potential. I especially liked, however, some of the ideas and commentary on the trajectory of and conditions for science and technology. This also must have been a pretty neat mental picture when contrasted with the 1984 Cold War in which it was written. What an intriguing alternative to then terrifying bipolar nuclear status quo. Good, but not great science fiction. Passable, but not quality writing. I would have selected this over the 1985 Hugo and Nebula award-winning Neuromancer.
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 5/5
This was an entertaining read on multiple levels. The highlight of the book is definitely in the area of creativity. This was an imaginative and original future that was a delight to explore. This was done through an engaging worldbuilding reveal, and Vinge was adept with this technique. I personally like tales like this, where events and circumstances are alien and unfamiliar, with clues indicating that the world is different from the one you know. Those differences and their significance build up into something novel. Tales of this sort are easily spoiled as well. There was real pleasure in the reveal itself, thus summaries or descriptions telling you what the book is about or what kind of world it is rob the reader of some of the best this story has to offer.
It reminds me of books that had superb starting ideas - contexts, backgrounds, or technologies that were original and wondrous - but which settled into fairly generic action-adventure tales thereafter. The Peace War read like it was made for season one of a better-than-average television show. Though it did consolidate a handful of characters into overly broad roles and rely too heavily on character twists, this was mostly free of dumb plot developments and unbelievable action scenes. Vinge seems to have thought a lot about plotholes and generally provided rationale to think it all plausible. That was done, in part, by simply failing to explain a lot of the technology and background. Thus it was broader than it was deep in its worldbuilding; it can certainly be criticized for unrealized potential. I especially liked, however, some of the ideas and commentary on the trajectory of and conditions for science and technology. This also must have been a pretty neat mental picture when contrasted with the 1984 Cold War in which it was written. What an intriguing alternative to then terrifying bipolar nuclear status quo. Good, but not great science fiction. Passable, but not quality writing. I would have selected this over the 1985 Hugo and Nebula award-winning Neuromancer.
December 24, 2016
Maybe 2 stars is too harsh for a Hugo Nominated Classic of Science-Fiction, but I'm getting sick of books of good ideas by authors that can't write a character to save their Hugo Nominated lives.
I'm coming off a string of "good books" including 'Ready Player One', Justin Cronin's 'Passage" and Hugh Howley's 'Wool' that each fall into the category of great idea, mediocre execution (in the case of 'Ready Player One' absolutely dreadful execution). None of these authors knows how to make one character sound different than the other. No one knows how to truly give a character an individual personality. Too many Mary Sue-ish characters to push the plot forward.
Coming at the end of this miserable string of books, 'The Peace War' gets the brunt of my horribly terrible wrath. I've read both 'A Fire Upon the Deep' and 'A Deepness in the Sky'; maybe he couldn't write believable characters in these books as well and I just didn't notice.
I would comment on the plot of 'The Peace War' but I only got about 1/3 of the way through before throwing it against the wall (although not really, it's on m Nook). Something about an inexplicable chess game played by the World's Smartest Kid and I was done.
To conclude this pointless review, I'll probably read Vinge's newer stuff but only after my terrible wrath has subsided.
I'm coming off a string of "good books" including 'Ready Player One', Justin Cronin's 'Passage" and Hugh Howley's 'Wool' that each fall into the category of great idea, mediocre execution (in the case of 'Ready Player One' absolutely dreadful execution). None of these authors knows how to make one character sound different than the other. No one knows how to truly give a character an individual personality. Too many Mary Sue-ish characters to push the plot forward.
Coming at the end of this miserable string of books, 'The Peace War' gets the brunt of my horribly terrible wrath. I've read both 'A Fire Upon the Deep' and 'A Deepness in the Sky'; maybe he couldn't write believable characters in these books as well and I just didn't notice.
I would comment on the plot of 'The Peace War' but I only got about 1/3 of the way through before throwing it against the wall (although not really, it's on m Nook). Something about an inexplicable chess game played by the World's Smartest Kid and I was done.
To conclude this pointless review, I'll probably read Vinge's newer stuff but only after my terrible wrath has subsided.
October 15, 2017
This is the first Vinge book I've read. He is reputed as being a talented writer and am looking forward to exploring his work. I first heard of him when I saw this novel in the hands of a co-worker many years ago. I had just gotten bitten by the SF book bug at the time and though I had immersed myself deeply in the Astounding Golden Age greats such as Heinlein, van Vogt, Asimov and such, and felt not quite ready for the more current writers of the genre. All I recalled of his comments on the novel was the word "Bobble". Now having finally read the novel for myself, I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed. There is no doubt that Vinge is a talented writer. There are no clumsy sentences, the flow and pace is perfectly fine and there are several cool ideas within the pages... The problem for me is that this story was not very engaging and just so unlikely. There was very little going on overall. Some of the characters were fine, "Willi" for one. But for the length of the novel, there just too little.
I will consider that this is a relatively early work and I have collected more of his work (including the sequel "Marooned in Realtime", perhaps it will redeem it) and I am looking forward to experiencing these writing skills applied to better scenarios such as his Hugo winning "A Fire Upon the Deep" and his collection of short stories.
I will consider that this is a relatively early work and I have collected more of his work (including the sequel "Marooned in Realtime", perhaps it will redeem it) and I am looking forward to experiencing these writing skills applied to better scenarios such as his Hugo winning "A Fire Upon the Deep" and his collection of short stories.
March 12, 2021
It's surprising how many shreds of DNA this shares with Armageddon 2419 AD: A Balkanized North America with surprisingly advanced "gangs" operating in secret with technologies born of resource constraints; an enemy that is prolific and powerful but far more frail than it lets on; racial or gender depictions or social assumptions that would get people talking.
It was a mindblower for me back in the day, though less so now. Still, it's interesting to consider the little pieces that were considered. The bobbles themselves, though preeminent on the covers, are only approached obliquely in the story until we get a character who could say "what the hell is THAT?" and even then there are discussions on their effects on weather patterns and agriculture. This is a very carefully-considered conceit that Vinge only starts to explore.
It was a mindblower for me back in the day, though less so now. Still, it's interesting to consider the little pieces that were considered. The bobbles themselves, though preeminent on the covers, are only approached obliquely in the story until we get a character who could say "what the hell is THAT?" and even then there are discussions on their effects on weather patterns and agriculture. This is a very carefully-considered conceit that Vinge only starts to explore.
October 10, 2012
I recently read the fantastic A Deepness in the Sky and the very good A Fire upon the Deep, both science fiction novels of breathtaking vision and imagination, and maybe that's to blame for The Peace War leaving me so underwhelmed. I was most definitely not sufficiently whelmed.
That isn't to say that The Peace War is a bad story or uninteresting in its ideas. Most people tend to focus on the central "bobble" force-field technology, which a conspiracy of bureaucrats used to usurp all world governments and enforce a tyrannical "peace." But what I found most interesting was the way hobbyist technology, continued on by "Tinkers" under the nose of the Peace Authority, evolved in the absence of a capitalist industrial economy, with only a few million humans left on Earth to contribute to it. The Peace has banned high-energy technology or restricted it to its own exclusive use, so things like cars and jets or even diesel tractors are right out. On the other hand, computer technology has continued its downward slide towards zero power consumption, nano-scale, and networked ubiquity. It's the Singularity, delivered very slowly because it was starved of energy and manpower, and it's actually pretty plausible in its details. It's worth reading just for this strangely compelling agrarian-techno future powered by solar panels.
Sadly, the rest is kind of a wash. The characters aren't terribly likable or well developed, and the plot wasn't engaging enough to keep me turning pages after bedtime. Again, maybe this is just in contrast to Vinge's two Hugo winners, but color me disappointed.
That isn't to say that The Peace War is a bad story or uninteresting in its ideas. Most people tend to focus on the central "bobble" force-field technology, which a conspiracy of bureaucrats used to usurp all world governments and enforce a tyrannical "peace." But what I found most interesting was the way hobbyist technology, continued on by "Tinkers" under the nose of the Peace Authority, evolved in the absence of a capitalist industrial economy, with only a few million humans left on Earth to contribute to it. The Peace has banned high-energy technology or restricted it to its own exclusive use, so things like cars and jets or even diesel tractors are right out. On the other hand, computer technology has continued its downward slide towards zero power consumption, nano-scale, and networked ubiquity. It's the Singularity, delivered very slowly because it was starved of energy and manpower, and it's actually pretty plausible in its details. It's worth reading just for this strangely compelling agrarian-techno future powered by solar panels.
Sadly, the rest is kind of a wash. The characters aren't terribly likable or well developed, and the plot wasn't engaging enough to keep me turning pages after bedtime. Again, maybe this is just in contrast to Vinge's two Hugo winners, but color me disappointed.
August 4, 2020
Cool underlying plot vehicle. Neat story. Liked the book
November 21, 2018
This is the second novel I've read from Vernor Vinge (after the much superior Fire Upon the Deep), and like in that previous book, the story really takes a while to get going. While in Fire Upon the Deep the story finally becomes engaging after about a 100 pages, here it never really gelled for me, even when all the pieces were in place. The main conceit is interesting - Vinge strength is obviously in his concepts and ideas - but I remained mostly cold towards the characters and their plight. The protagonists are on a mission to topple a sort of righteous bureaucratic autocracy that declares itself "The Peace Authority", and encloses large portions of the world population in impenetrable force fields. It's an interesting depiction of a dictatorship since it doesn't involve many scenes of active subjugation. We are mostly shown the aftermath: the "Bobbles", and the feudalistic states and cultural and technological regression which started after the war. And once again, like in Fire Upon the Deep, the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of one young man which possess unique, invaluable talents. While Vinge writes Hard SF, it's amusing to me to what degree his plots feel like fantasy. This one has shades of Campbells' Hero's Journey as Will is the Chosen One who is supposed to bring balance the world, and he comes complete with an old mentor. At some point in the final stretch of the novel even the author acknowledges this by likening the final act to Lord of the Rings (albeit as a movie made by George Lucas (!), this was written in 1984). This same LOTR trope is also strongly evident in Fire Upon the Deep. I also have to admit that at many points during the novel I did not fully understand what was going on, as the techno talk became really thick and things moved very fast, maybe this could be blamed on me being tired while reading, but the fact remains it went over my head. Only towards the end do things start to make more sense, and the novel ends on a satisfying note (which makes me interested in reading the sequel). I didn't dislike it, but I can't say I liked it either. I would probably give it 2.5 stars if there were any half-stars in Goodreads.
December 29, 2018
6/10. Media de los 2 libros leídos del autor : 6/10
July 28, 2013
I used to read a lot of science fiction, then I got tired of reading bad science fiction and it soured me on the genre for a while. About five years ago, I picked up John Scalzi's Old Man's War, and that got me interested in the genre again. A friend recommended Alastair Reynolds' "Revelation Space" books, and I tore through those. That led me to Vernor Vinge's "Zones of Thought" books: A Fire Upon the Deep and its sequel A Deepness in the Sky, and I loved them.
Perhaps because Reynolds' writing in Revelation Space was so wobbly, and because I had ten years of steady work as an editor to make me less forgiving of clumsy language, I liked Vinge's work immediately. It felt more solid and sure. I also liked the scope and span of his work, loved that he proposed a far future where space-faring traders still have to cope with the UNIX epoch, and really liked his knack for writing alien POV.
I picked up The Peace War knowing it wasn't going to be a story on the same scale as the "Zones of Thought" books, but it felt flat and limited all the same.
The premise of the book is that a secretive group of scientists discover a technology that allows them to create "bobbles," spheres that put whatever's inside them in stasis. The scientists promptly "bobble" the world's militaries, usher in years of plague and destruction, then set up "the Peace Authority" to rule over the tiny provincial governments that remain. The Authority drastically curtails access to high-density energy sources to limit the sorts of technology that can be used by its subjects.
The heroes of the book are "Tinkers," people who have managed to work within the limitations of these prohibitions to build advanced technology that rivals or exceeds that of the Authority.
This book isn't as sophisticated as Vinge's Zones of Thought books, which is disappointing. In much the same way Scalzi's Old Man's War was a humanizing homage to Starship Troopers, The Peace War calls back to Have Spacesuit, Will Travel: Math, gumption, and a gifted juvenile protagonist will carry the day. Scalzi, however, brought a modern sensibility to his work Vinge doesn't manage. The book bears some of the same burdens classic pulp-era SF bears: The story is a bit pat, character development takes place in punctuated spurts that read the way a poorly edited movie watches, and Vinge misses the opportunity to create sympathetic villains. It's mechanically competent, but a hard piece of work to warm up to.
Three stars because it's relatively solidly executed with some interesting ideas, but not a book I was fond of.
More recommended in this vein:
More recommended by this author:
Perhaps because Reynolds' writing in Revelation Space was so wobbly, and because I had ten years of steady work as an editor to make me less forgiving of clumsy language, I liked Vinge's work immediately. It felt more solid and sure. I also liked the scope and span of his work, loved that he proposed a far future where space-faring traders still have to cope with the UNIX epoch, and really liked his knack for writing alien POV.
I picked up The Peace War knowing it wasn't going to be a story on the same scale as the "Zones of Thought" books, but it felt flat and limited all the same.
The premise of the book is that a secretive group of scientists discover a technology that allows them to create "bobbles," spheres that put whatever's inside them in stasis. The scientists promptly "bobble" the world's militaries, usher in years of plague and destruction, then set up "the Peace Authority" to rule over the tiny provincial governments that remain. The Authority drastically curtails access to high-density energy sources to limit the sorts of technology that can be used by its subjects.
The heroes of the book are "Tinkers," people who have managed to work within the limitations of these prohibitions to build advanced technology that rivals or exceeds that of the Authority.
This book isn't as sophisticated as Vinge's Zones of Thought books, which is disappointing. In much the same way Scalzi's Old Man's War was a humanizing homage to Starship Troopers, The Peace War calls back to Have Spacesuit, Will Travel: Math, gumption, and a gifted juvenile protagonist will carry the day. Scalzi, however, brought a modern sensibility to his work Vinge doesn't manage. The book bears some of the same burdens classic pulp-era SF bears: The story is a bit pat, character development takes place in punctuated spurts that read the way a poorly edited movie watches, and Vinge misses the opportunity to create sympathetic villains. It's mechanically competent, but a hard piece of work to warm up to.
Three stars because it's relatively solidly executed with some interesting ideas, but not a book I was fond of.
More recommended in this vein:
More recommended by this author:
August 14, 2022
A solid sci-fi with good stakes, realistic characters, and a story that develops at just the right pace to keep you turning pages.
Now for light spoilers.
I had seen some reviews mentioning racism and sexism in this book, so I went into it with that in mind. Vinge definitely draws a lot of attention to the race and gender of the characters in the book, but I honestly appreciated that the young genius was a black Spanish-speaking kid. There were two strong female characters as well. Vinge is far from perfect in his treatment of these minorities, but he puts them in positions of authority, respect, and value and other characters react to this. Of course it's not a great look that the black kid is a thief and the female government agent is shrugged off or uses her gender to infiltrate a group with less suspicion. But there is redemption too and the existence of these characters as more than stereotypes is something I appreciate when reading a slightly older sci-fi novel. His comments on the treatment of women in the society didn't seem like praise for their second-rate citizenship, especially since Allison and Della Lu .
As for a review of the novel in general, I love hard sci-fi and enjoyed it. The Peace Authority was an empathetic antagonist with good intentions. The post "apocalypse" setting with its mixture of high tech and medieval, while not a new concept, was an interesting world to experience. The fact that the underdogs had managed to created a nice tension where it truly felt like either side could come out victorious.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Now for light spoilers.
I had seen some reviews mentioning racism and sexism in this book, so I went into it with that in mind. Vinge definitely draws a lot of attention to the race and gender of the characters in the book, but I honestly appreciated that the young genius was a black Spanish-speaking kid. There were two strong female characters as well. Vinge is far from perfect in his treatment of these minorities, but he puts them in positions of authority, respect, and value and other characters react to this. Of course it's not a great look that the black kid is a thief and the female government agent is shrugged off or uses her gender to infiltrate a group with less suspicion. But there is redemption too and the existence of these characters as more than stereotypes is something I appreciate when reading a slightly older sci-fi novel. His comments on the treatment of women in the society didn't seem like praise for their second-rate citizenship, especially since Allison and Della Lu .
As for a review of the novel in general, I love hard sci-fi and enjoyed it. The Peace Authority was an empathetic antagonist with good intentions. The post "apocalypse" setting with its mixture of high tech and medieval, while not a new concept, was an interesting world to experience. The fact that the underdogs had managed to created a nice tension where it truly felt like either side could come out victorious.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.
March 8, 2018
A quick read, this novel reveals the setting slowly, and I won't spoil that here. Suffice to say it is set in the area of California in an authoritarian near future. The tale is told from the perspectives of multiple characters, each also developed slowly. Very much a case of a rebellion against the authority.
It also has other aspects of Campbell's hero quest - the kid, the mentor, mundane vs special worlds, etc. One of the main characters is a young minority, the other a strong female pilot. Written in 1984, it also has aspects of cyberpunk. So what's not to like?
Institutionalized sexism and overt segregation, neither with a reason in the plot, are unnecessary baggage here. The extortion between Della and Michael doesn't really make sense. Technology is used in too-convenient ways - farmers have television and play old shows (on a local network?) in the evening together, but later in the book the authoritarians use this same method to broadcast propaganda.
This story finishes with "End Book I", and it is followed by a short story and another novel. Both this book and the short story stand alone fine; the two novels were collected in one book later on. It seems familiar enough that I read it in high school, but not memorable enough that I am sure. Overall a 3 star rating.
I liked this quote, a good fit for our increasingly authoritarian present. “To think that some lousy contractors could have brought down the greatest nation in history!”
It also has other aspects of Campbell's hero quest - the kid, the mentor, mundane vs special worlds, etc. One of the main characters is a young minority, the other a strong female pilot. Written in 1984, it also has aspects of cyberpunk. So what's not to like?
Institutionalized sexism and overt segregation, neither with a reason in the plot, are unnecessary baggage here. The extortion between Della and Michael doesn't really make sense. Technology is used in too-convenient ways - farmers have television and play old shows (on a local network?) in the evening together, but later in the book the authoritarians use this same method to broadcast propaganda.
This story finishes with "End Book I", and it is followed by a short story and another novel. Both this book and the short story stand alone fine; the two novels were collected in one book later on. It seems familiar enough that I read it in high school, but not memorable enough that I am sure. Overall a 3 star rating.
I liked this quote, a good fit for our increasingly authoritarian present. “To think that some lousy contractors could have brought down the greatest nation in history!”
December 3, 2017
I've enjoyed all of the Vernor Vinge books I've read. They are always a bit different, and very imaginative. But he manages to draw me in and make the stories seem real, even when they are about dog-like people who can only exist as groups forming a single entity.
This one, the first of a series of 2 or 3 (evidently, the 2nd is not really an important part of the series) was a bit more conventional, but still very interesting. It's a post-apocalyptical story of a world that is politically very different from ours. We don't know exactly what happened, or even who the bad guys are in some ways, but it seems that science is mostly blamed for the problem, so people are now controlled fairly strictly, and forbidden to have many modern conveniences.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book; I think I will skip the middle "interlude" for now, and perhaps read it later.
This one, the first of a series of 2 or 3 (evidently, the 2nd is not really an important part of the series) was a bit more conventional, but still very interesting. It's a post-apocalyptical story of a world that is politically very different from ours. We don't know exactly what happened, or even who the bad guys are in some ways, but it seems that science is mostly blamed for the problem, so people are now controlled fairly strictly, and forbidden to have many modern conveniences.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book; I think I will skip the middle "interlude" for now, and perhaps read it later.
August 14, 2021
There are some very interesting ideas extrapolating a Cold War mentality to a distant future using time, withholding technology and enforceable isolation as a weapon. But the result is shockingly boring and tedious. I lost track of the number of times a female character was described as intelligent despite being a woman. And the racial politics, hoo boy. I’m pretty sure this was poorly aged when it was written. I’ll keep the faith with Vinge but this was a struggle.
July 10, 2021
Good book. Am interesting idea, well explored. I found the last section a little hard to follow, and it spent too much of the last pages teeing up for a sequel, but those are minor complaints in the context of a very engaging read. I found it more accessible than some of vinges other work.
February 26, 2020
Bobbles? Bobbles?! Bobbles, bobbles, bobbles!
November 10, 2021
Very Vernor, enjoyed this one.
February 28, 2025
I enjoy the Fiction written by Vernor Vinge. I believe that due to his education in computer science his ability to imagine how we will interact with computers in the future is very realistic and in some cases predictive of what actually did happen. This is what makes a truly visionary SF author. I was sad to have learned that he passed away in March of 2024.
This book occurs in a post apocalyptic US, in California. A group of scientists use technology to stop the horrific events occurring in the world, created plagues and wars. But doing this has caused mankind to live in a partially 19th century manner. 50 years later one scientist starts a resistance fight to remove the stifling effect of the "peace". He is a member of a group called the tinkers. They have continued to progress technology mostly hidden to the Peace authorities.
The tale is action packed, full of twists and turns and unexpected events. Well worth reading.
This book occurs in a post apocalyptic US, in California. A group of scientists use technology to stop the horrific events occurring in the world, created plagues and wars. But doing this has caused mankind to live in a partially 19th century manner. 50 years later one scientist starts a resistance fight to remove the stifling effect of the "peace". He is a member of a group called the tinkers. They have continued to progress technology mostly hidden to the Peace authorities.
The tale is action packed, full of twists and turns and unexpected events. Well worth reading.
April 4, 2010
The eighties was a great time for apocalyptic fiction. Reagan came to office in 1981 and was definitely a sabre-rattler. Scifi writers looked at his tough guy act and gazed into their crystal balls at the possible outcomes. Peace breaks out? Meh, not too interesting. But WW3 certainly had possibilities for drama, didn't it?
In The Peace War, Vinge looks at a variation on WW3. Instead of nuclear Armageddon, he has a defense contract discover a miracle technology that effectively gives them ultimate power.
The technology is the "bobble" (think "bottled up in a bubble"). The new masters of the universe can create massive silvery force-field bubbles to seal off any trouble spot — as small as an aircraft or as large as a city — and the problem is gone: poof, and suddenly there's a sphere that is impermeable and irreversible, reflecting all radiation and all force.
Of course, the ante bellum powers-that-be don't want this transfer of control, so the result is still apocalyptic, but with some interesting twists. One is that the trauma causes the population to crash to the extent that the new rulers never get the chance to really set up an all-encompassing administrative state. Some areas are carefully controlled, but others are left effectively outside of any control.
Central coastal California is one of these zones, and it is here that a relic scientist, still dreaming of the old technological glory days and wanting to fight The Authority, stumbles on a child prodigy that might become his apprentice and successor in the fight.
This book is pretty good for its post-semi-apocalypse. Vinge gave some serious thought to which parts of our society's technology would collapse and which stood a chance of surviving. Anyone can question his conclusion, but I like his blend. Cars are gone, since horses can do most of the same stuff with less economic infrastructure. Light bulbs can be replaced by candles and gas lamps. But the highest of the high-tech has no good fallback, and is still useful, right? So you get the curious suggestion that "tinkers" will be creating very advanced electronics and then hauling their products to their customers in a horse-drawn carriage.
Vinge does his usual job of coming up with middling-to-very innovative social and technological conditions for us to ponder. He also does his usual mediocre job of creating his cast of characters. His people are always complex and sympathetic enough to keep us from snickering too loud, but he really doesn't have the chops to develop fully realized humans. The heroes are just too clever and far too lucky, the villains are usually simplistically single-minded and arrogant instead of purely evil, and somehow just the right cast of characters happens to all be in the same place at the same time.
Definitely a fun and pretty quick read, but mostly forgettable. The "bobble" is certainly a memorable scifi concept, though. Proof? I was well over half the way through this book before I hit a scene that made me realize I read it way back when. (I remembered precisely how a character had two fingertips cut off, and how that event would later assist one of the other characters with closure.) The "bobbles" had stuck in my mind, but when I started this re-read I'd simply assumed they'd been use several times as a standard scifi trope.
Finally, this is something of a prequel and companion to both the novella The Ungoverned (available here) and Marooned in Realtime. Both take place in Vinge’s “bobble” universe; the latter book borrows one of the characters from The Peace War and one from The Ungoverned. Among the three works, however, The Peace War is the better book.
This was the book selection for the Hard SciFi group (aka the Yahoo hardsf group) for the month of February, 2010.
In The Peace War, Vinge looks at a variation on WW3. Instead of nuclear Armageddon, he has a defense contract discover a miracle technology that effectively gives them ultimate power.
The technology is the "bobble" (think "bottled up in a bubble"). The new masters of the universe can create massive silvery force-field bubbles to seal off any trouble spot — as small as an aircraft or as large as a city — and the problem is gone: poof, and suddenly there's a sphere that is impermeable and irreversible, reflecting all radiation and all force.
Of course, the ante bellum powers-that-be don't want this transfer of control, so the result is still apocalyptic, but with some interesting twists. One is that the trauma causes the population to crash to the extent that the new rulers never get the chance to really set up an all-encompassing administrative state. Some areas are carefully controlled, but others are left effectively outside of any control.
Central coastal California is one of these zones, and it is here that a relic scientist, still dreaming of the old technological glory days and wanting to fight The Authority, stumbles on a child prodigy that might become his apprentice and successor in the fight.
This book is pretty good for its post-semi-apocalypse. Vinge gave some serious thought to which parts of our society's technology would collapse and which stood a chance of surviving. Anyone can question his conclusion, but I like his blend. Cars are gone, since horses can do most of the same stuff with less economic infrastructure. Light bulbs can be replaced by candles and gas lamps. But the highest of the high-tech has no good fallback, and is still useful, right? So you get the curious suggestion that "tinkers" will be creating very advanced electronics and then hauling their products to their customers in a horse-drawn carriage.
Vinge does his usual job of coming up with middling-to-very innovative social and technological conditions for us to ponder. He also does his usual mediocre job of creating his cast of characters. His people are always complex and sympathetic enough to keep us from snickering too loud, but he really doesn't have the chops to develop fully realized humans. The heroes are just too clever and far too lucky, the villains are usually simplistically single-minded and arrogant instead of purely evil, and somehow just the right cast of characters happens to all be in the same place at the same time.
Definitely a fun and pretty quick read, but mostly forgettable. The "bobble" is certainly a memorable scifi concept, though. Proof? I was well over half the way through this book before I hit a scene that made me realize I read it way back when. (I remembered precisely how a character had two fingertips cut off, and how that event would later assist one of the other characters with closure.) The "bobbles" had stuck in my mind, but when I started this re-read I'd simply assumed they'd been use several times as a standard scifi trope.
Finally, this is something of a prequel and companion to both the novella The Ungoverned (available here) and Marooned in Realtime. Both take place in Vinge’s “bobble” universe; the latter book borrows one of the characters from The Peace War and one from The Ungoverned. Among the three works, however, The Peace War is the better book.
This was the book selection for the Hard SciFi group (aka the Yahoo hardsf group) for the month of February, 2010.
December 21, 2015
The Peace War was a book. A Vernor Vinge book, no less. It was well written of course, and touched on quite a few of my favorite themes: revolution, techno-anarchy, and . But I just don't think it matches up to the quality Vinge's other novels, such as A Deepness in the Sky.
Before I get into the reasons, a little summary: Teenage delinquent Wili becomes an apprentice to the elderly but famous Tinker (inventor) Paul, with whom he learns highly advanced math, computer science, and how to not steal stuff anymore. The Tinkers are a small faction of scientists, builders, and assorted geniuses creating technology in defiance of their world government, called the Peace Authority. I'm sure you can guess what the Peace Authority are all about. The central technology of the book is an isolating sphere, called a "bobble", that can be generated to close off a particular area. Most of the key areas as well as weapons and other modern technology have been bobbled by the Peace Authority. As it turns out, however, the bobbles don't last forever. This has a lot to do with how our other plucky main character Allison appears. Wili, Paul, Allison, and their AI program, Jill, lead the Tinker revolution against the Peace Authority. Will they take back their homeland and their right to invent stuff as they please? You'd have to read the book to find out...or make the obvious guess, I suppose.
Things that were awesome about The Peace War:
- The main characters are all nerds. Anarchist nerds. They spend time studying and inventing algorithms for fun, not to mention attending a chess tournament and collaborating with an artificial intelligence.
- The course of technology in this dystopian setting is compelling; most of the devices the Tinkers invent are subtle and low-powered, and some of their surveillance tech seems oddly realistic in the modern era.
- The theme of technology as both oppressive and subversive is one I like, and it's well done here.
Things that were less than awesome about The Peace War:
- The plot was very linear. The sideplots are more like minor branches off the main plot, and they aren't explored too much. Perhaps it made the book more of a page-turner, but it doesn't feel like you're immersed in an alien world, like Vinge's other novels do.
- I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters. When Wili , I was at most mildly concerned. When his buddy Jeremy , I really couldn't care too much. And at the end when Paul decides to , I figured it seemed like he was going to do that all along, so...IDK. There just weren't any heartstring-pulling moments.
- None of the revelations really hit me hard. The Peace Authority, not that into peace after all? Well, blow me down! And they actually have a ? Hmm...pretty predictable as well.
- The actual technology behind the bobble wasn't explored at all. So it's an unbreakable sphere, reflecting all light, etc. Why does it work that way? How are they actually generated? (Other than "with a bobble generator," which is mentioned an awful lot of times and never described.) And why exactly does inside a bobble? Since it's used as the major "sciency plot device" in a science fiction novel, I think the reader deserves a little more explanation.
Anyway, I don't mean to make it sound like I hated this book, because I enjoyed it-- I was just expecting more. 4*
Before I get into the reasons, a little summary: Teenage delinquent Wili becomes an apprentice to the elderly but famous Tinker (inventor) Paul, with whom he learns highly advanced math, computer science, and how to not steal stuff anymore. The Tinkers are a small faction of scientists, builders, and assorted geniuses creating technology in defiance of their world government, called the Peace Authority. I'm sure you can guess what the Peace Authority are all about. The central technology of the book is an isolating sphere, called a "bobble", that can be generated to close off a particular area. Most of the key areas as well as weapons and other modern technology have been bobbled by the Peace Authority. As it turns out, however, the bobbles don't last forever. This has a lot to do with how our other plucky main character Allison appears. Wili, Paul, Allison, and their AI program, Jill, lead the Tinker revolution against the Peace Authority. Will they take back their homeland and their right to invent stuff as they please? You'd have to read the book to find out...or make the obvious guess, I suppose.
Things that were awesome about The Peace War:
- The main characters are all nerds. Anarchist nerds. They spend time studying and inventing algorithms for fun, not to mention attending a chess tournament and collaborating with an artificial intelligence.
- The course of technology in this dystopian setting is compelling; most of the devices the Tinkers invent are subtle and low-powered, and some of their surveillance tech seems oddly realistic in the modern era.
- The theme of technology as both oppressive and subversive is one I like, and it's well done here.
Things that were less than awesome about The Peace War:
- The plot was very linear. The sideplots are more like minor branches off the main plot, and they aren't explored too much. Perhaps it made the book more of a page-turner, but it doesn't feel like you're immersed in an alien world, like Vinge's other novels do.
- I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters. When Wili , I was at most mildly concerned. When his buddy Jeremy , I really couldn't care too much. And at the end when Paul decides to , I figured it seemed like he was going to do that all along, so...IDK. There just weren't any heartstring-pulling moments.
- None of the revelations really hit me hard. The Peace Authority, not that into peace after all? Well, blow me down! And they actually have a ? Hmm...pretty predictable as well.
- The actual technology behind the bobble wasn't explored at all. So it's an unbreakable sphere, reflecting all light, etc. Why does it work that way? How are they actually generated? (Other than "with a bobble generator," which is mentioned an awful lot of times and never described.) And why exactly does inside a bobble? Since it's used as the major "sciency plot device" in a science fiction novel, I think the reader deserves a little more explanation.
Anyway, I don't mean to make it sound like I hated this book, because I enjoyed it-- I was just expecting more. 4*
February 25, 2023
I’ve read almost everything by Vernor Vinge, but this book and its sequel remain my favourites. It’s both an exciting story and a fascinating vision of an imaginary near future (2048); a few flashbacks visit 1997, which was the future at the time of writing, but is the past by now.
The characters aren’t the main attraction, but they’re varied and quite well drawn.
Science fiction usually dates quite fast, especially when written about the not-too-distant future. What impresses about this 1984 publication is that I don’t notice it dating at all. The future technology still seems exciting, futuristic, and no more improbable than it was in 1984.
The whole concept of the bobble is scientific fantasy, and I don’t expect it to happen; but it’s a great idea and a lot of fun. Basically similar to Larry Niven’s stasis field, but there’s so much more you can do with it. All the other future technology mentioned here is still speculative, but perhaps more plausible now than it was in 1984.
The various different semi-anarchistic societies described in the story are also interesting and colourful, although they’re not true anarchies because the Peace Authority rules loosely over all.
The sequel to this book, Marooned in Realtime, is an even more wondrous vision of an imaginary future, in which the possible uses of the bobble are further explored and Vinge’s idea of the Singularity is dramatized. But it’s a little less successful as fiction: the story is not quite as exciting and gripping.
Vinge is most popular for his novels of the 1990s and 2000s, which won awards, and they’re good and worth reading, but I’m not completely satisfied with them; I remain most impressed by these two novels of the 1980s. (His earlier fiction is also worth reading, although somewhat less good.)
The characters aren’t the main attraction, but they’re varied and quite well drawn.
Science fiction usually dates quite fast, especially when written about the not-too-distant future. What impresses about this 1984 publication is that I don’t notice it dating at all. The future technology still seems exciting, futuristic, and no more improbable than it was in 1984.
The whole concept of the bobble is scientific fantasy, and I don’t expect it to happen; but it’s a great idea and a lot of fun. Basically similar to Larry Niven’s stasis field, but there’s so much more you can do with it. All the other future technology mentioned here is still speculative, but perhaps more plausible now than it was in 1984.
The various different semi-anarchistic societies described in the story are also interesting and colourful, although they’re not true anarchies because the Peace Authority rules loosely over all.
The sequel to this book, Marooned in Realtime, is an even more wondrous vision of an imaginary future, in which the possible uses of the bobble are further explored and Vinge’s idea of the Singularity is dramatized. But it’s a little less successful as fiction: the story is not quite as exciting and gripping.
Vinge is most popular for his novels of the 1990s and 2000s, which won awards, and they’re good and worth reading, but I’m not completely satisfied with them; I remain most impressed by these two novels of the 1980s. (His earlier fiction is also worth reading, although somewhat less good.)
June 1, 2013
The premise of "The Peace War" seemed to have a lot of potential -- the Peace Authority government entity, the bobble weapon, the Tinkers -- but Venor Vinge's delivery failed to live up to that potential.
Vinge effectively bobbled any character development. Paul should have been the most interesting, rounded, studied character in the story (considering he was integral to the bobble technology), but the reader is left with scant few details of his life, which surely must have been pretty amazing.
Wili, who is likely considered the main character, was equally short-shifted. I never felt any connection to him, his past, his motivations. His transformation from an uneducated, bottom-of-the-food-chain delinquent to technical genius was remarkably fast and unbelievable.
The secondary characters received even less attention to development than Paul and Wili, so they were thin at best.
I felt Vinge's writing in "The Peace War" to be haphazard, never clearly expressing actions and never building appropriate momentum. The book has stylistic issues as well: Miguel Rosas was interchangeably referred to as "Miguel", "Mike", and "Rosas" for no apparent reason other than to just mix it up. With a plethora of minor-minor characters mentioned only once or twice, using three variations of a secondary character's name was confusing and unnecessary.
The plot -- a band of Tinkers attempting to overthrow the powerful Peace Authority and their bobble weapon -- sounds good...when summarized. But Vinge's lack of character development and his writing style left me feeling cheated by a promise never fulfilled.
My rating is actually 1.5 stars, but since I can't put 1/2 stars here, I rounded up to 2, giving a bonus for the story's concept, though poorly implemented.
Vinge effectively bobbled any character development. Paul should have been the most interesting, rounded, studied character in the story (considering he was integral to the bobble technology), but the reader is left with scant few details of his life, which surely must have been pretty amazing.
Wili, who is likely considered the main character, was equally short-shifted. I never felt any connection to him, his past, his motivations. His transformation from an uneducated, bottom-of-the-food-chain delinquent to technical genius was remarkably fast and unbelievable.
The secondary characters received even less attention to development than Paul and Wili, so they were thin at best.
I felt Vinge's writing in "The Peace War" to be haphazard, never clearly expressing actions and never building appropriate momentum. The book has stylistic issues as well: Miguel Rosas was interchangeably referred to as "Miguel", "Mike", and "Rosas" for no apparent reason other than to just mix it up. With a plethora of minor-minor characters mentioned only once or twice, using three variations of a secondary character's name was confusing and unnecessary.
The plot -- a band of Tinkers attempting to overthrow the powerful Peace Authority and their bobble weapon -- sounds good...when summarized. But Vinge's lack of character development and his writing style left me feeling cheated by a promise never fulfilled.
My rating is actually 1.5 stars, but since I can't put 1/2 stars here, I rounded up to 2, giving a bonus for the story's concept, though poorly implemented.
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