What I like about both of them, is how deeply alien the aliens feel _at the end of the book_, after characters from the separate story lines start interacting m

What I like about both of them, is how deeply alien the aliens feel _at the end of the book_, after characters from the separate story lines start interacting more directly. The differences are mentioned early, but the alien’s point of view is told by narrators who, for various reasons, are subtly unreliable. Rereading these books is especially rewarding. But I do agree with you that A Deepness in the Sky is better in many ways. It’s a much more subtle book.