If you read "A Deepness in the Sky" (and, perhaps not necessary but nice for the sake of story (a very good one, with its own ideas) and author's intent, his pr

If you read "A Deepness in the Sky" (and, perhaps not necessary but nice for the sake of story (a very good one, with its own ideas) and author's intent, his prior "A Fire Upon the Deep"), you'll encounter several other technological ideas -- e.g. smart "dust", biochemical mind "influence" ("focus"), etc. -- that are currently playing out in practical terms in the contemporary technological and research worlds. What can make scientists with a literary gift so interesting is that their formal position helps them sit on the cusp, looking forward, while their literary skills help them articulate what they see coming.