The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 6 books · 1984 to 2011

Vernor Vinge

Crime and mysteryScience fictionPolice proceduralSpace operaCyberpunkHard science fiction

Vernor Vinge popularised the idea of the technological Singularity. His Zones of Thought novels imagine a galaxy divided into regions where thought itself runs at different speeds, with superhuman powers in the outer Transcend.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip.

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Who appears in which book

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LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Vernor Vinge books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Zones of Thought

3 books · Set in space · story order differsSpace operaHard science fiction
  1. 1A Fire Upon the Deep1992With Ravna BergsndotBuy on Amazon
  2. 2A Deepness in the Sky1999With Pham NuwenBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Children of the Sky2011With Ravna BergsndotBuy on Amazon

Realtime

2 books · Set in spaceHard science fictionPolice procedural
  1. 1The Peace War1984With Wili WachendonBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Marooned in Realtime1986With Wil BriersonBuy on Amazon

Standalone

1 book · Set in spaceCyberpunk
  1. 1Rainbows End2006With Robert GuBuy on Amazon

Characters

9 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Zones of Thought

Realtime

Standalone leads