<p> Two of my favorite SF novels are <em>A Fire Upon the Deep</em> and <em>A Deepness in the Sky</em>, by Vernor Vinge. So when I heard several months ago that there was a sequel to the first being released this month, I felt both excitement and deep trepidation.</p> <p> My experience of the book, <em>Children of the Sky</em>, falls somewhere in the middle.</p> <p> In a way, I guess you could say the scope of all three books has been narrowing–<em>A Fire Upon the Deep</em> being a no-holds-barred Space Opera, <em>A Deepness in the Sky</em> being a first-contact novel, while <em>Children of the Sky</em> is a political thriller that happens to have aliens. It does a good job at what it is, but I found myself missing the sense of wonder that the first two books provoke in me even after numerous readings.</p>