# A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

28 Hacker News commenters recommended A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend this science fiction novel for its ideas about alien intelligence, software and communication, and for being worth rereading.

## Why people recommend it

- Ideas on software systems and security (4 comments): "in the book certain protocols for information communication can not be deterministic so if someone is too smart you get hacked" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48091892)) "If you like sci-fi takes on software systems, check out Vernor Vinge "A Fire upon the deep" and sequels." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48038015)) "Vernor Vinge hits on pretty much exactly this in A Fire Upon the Deep" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49091687))
- Conceptualizes truly alien intelligence (3 comments): "I feel this is one of the reasons I liked Fire upon the Deep with the group mind based Tines" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46671754)) "Fire Upon the Deep are really good for conceptualizing truly alien intelligence" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49427905)) "balances the truly alien with the familiar just right" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47269239))
- Admired as a rare, special writer (3 comments): "I respect Vinge more and more based on how well he seems to understand human tendencies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47270093)) "Vinge didn't write much, but what he did write I think is very special indeed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900665)) "not every year gives us a Dune or A Fire Upon the Deep" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48929980))
- Enjoyable to reread again and again (2 comments): "It's one of those books I can pull off the shelf every few years and enjoy from beginning to end." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903732)) "It's very short and from one of my favorite books." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47267941))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir](https://hackerapproved.com/p/project-hail-mary.md): 117 recommend
- [There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm](https://hackerapproved.com/p/there-is-no-antimemetics-division.md): 98 recommend
- [Blindsight by Peter Watts](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blindsight.md): 96 recommend
- [Dune by Frank Herbert](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dune.md): 82 recommend
- [Accelerando by Charles Stross](https://hackerapproved.com/p/accelerando.md): 71 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250237750?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781250237750) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge", https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-fire-upon-the-deep/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).