I'd argue that the setting doesn't make "A Fire On The Deep" anything close to a fantasy. The Tines are a non-human species at a certain stage of development th

I'd argue that the setting doesn't make "A Fire On The Deep" anything close to a fantasy. The Tines are a non-human species at a certain stage of development that's similar to humanity's medieval period. There's no more fantasy there than Michael Crichton's "Timeline."