A Fire Upon the Deep

A Fire Upon the Deep (1992) is a science fiction novel written by Vernor Vinge, an award-winning space opera about superhuman intelligences, well-developed aliens, variable physics, space battles, love, betrayal, genocide, and Usenet. A Fire Upon the Deep won the Hugo Award in 1993 (tied with ''Doomsday Book'' by Connie Willis). Besides the normal print book editions, the novel was also included on a CD-ROM sold by ClariNet Communications along with the other nominees for the 1993 Hugo awards. The CD-ROM edition included numerous annotations by Vinge on his thoughts and intentions about different parts of the book. Two major plotlines exist in the Fire; both are triggered by the revival of a malevolent five billion year old quasi-Power described as a "malevolent class 2 perversion" and initially known as the "Straumli Realm Perversion" (named after those responsible for its rebirth) but known eventually, because of its cancer methods and rate of growth, as the Blight. A human... full article at wikipedia