Vernor Vinge (1944-2024) - File 770
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Vernor Vinge, author of many influential hard science fiction works, died March 20 at the age of 79. Vinge sold his first science-fiction story in 1964, "Apartness", which appeared in the June 1965 issue of New Worlds. In 1971, he received a PhD (Math) from UCSD, and the next year began teaching at San Diego

He passed on March 20. One of the greatest “hard” science fiction writers, author of True Names, A Fire Upon The Deep, and other cyberspace classics. Link is to his death notice in the old school fanzine File 770. Moment of silence please. RIP.

  • Crackhappy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    9 months ago

    Oh. My. God. No… I am really upset.

    The Peace War was my first introduction to his works, and I have read all of his works. The science fiction community has lost another luminary to the vestiges of time.

    Vernor, you were the best. I remember your writings and musings fondly.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    6·
    9 months ago

    Out of all of his work, I only read A Fire Upon the Deep. I don’t remember it very well at this point because I read it decades ago, but I do remember it being very good. And as it says, he was very influential. 79 isn’t super long, but it isn’t a short life either. And it was clearly a good one.

    • ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works
      3·
      9 months ago

      If you enjoyed A Fire Upon the Deep, you should definitely check out the other 2 books. The Children of the Sky is a straightforward sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep, more fun with the pack intelligences of the Tines. I really liked the idea of a pack intelligence surviving longer than an individual member in those books. A Deepness in the Sky has a hibernating technological spider civilization and human savants exploited and enslaved as basically hyper focused biological automatons. Also there are inflatable space ships. Working my memory to type this, I realize that I kinda want to read them again.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        1·
        9 months ago

        I’d have to re-read the first one again. I think I read it in high school and I graduated high school in 1995.