Name: Across Realtime
ISBN: 9781857981476

Across Realtime

"The intricately plotted progress of characters from near to farfuture... on an Earth which, like an abandon playground, has long ago been left behind by an evolving humanity... human-scale action within a vast canvas." -- The Excyclopedia of Science Fiction. Encompassing time-travel, powerful mystery and the future history of humanity to its last handful of survivors, Across Realtime spans millions of years and is an utterly engrossing SF classic. "You can hardly turn the pages fast enough. As sheer entertainment, it's a winner" -- Locus

What Hacker News says

le-markMay 2026

Not quite what you’re requesting but “Across Realtime” by Vernor Vinge explores ideas around the singularity. In particular it contains the short novel “Marooned in Realtime” that is completely mind blowing imo.

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jodrellblankApr 2026

> "science fiction books that explore interesting ideas?"

I think that's a big part of being in the Sci-Fi genre and I don't really get people whinging about writing style - this isn't Chaucer, it's fun geeky ideas. I second basically any Greg Egan and Charles Stross and Arthur C. Clarke stories, and:

Vernor Vinge's trilogy: A Deepness in the Sky, A Fire Upon the Deep, Across Realtime. Ideas from "World War II on an alien planet around a variable star where the whole planet freezes every few years" to timewarp bubbles, galactic zones of thought, cyborg enhancements, semi-sentient plants.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky - what if we use genetic engineering to forcibly evolve monkeys towards human intelligence? Whoops our virus infected spiders instead.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - much lighter Hollywood popcorn-action sci-fi, a potential world-ending threat and a cool alien encounter.

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin - What if a guy's dreams could change reality, he sees a therapist who has a dream-influencing machine and wants to take over the world.

Peter F. Hamilton trilogies, much more fantasy mixed with sci-fi but has future Space Opera ideas - genetically engineered, cyborg enhanced, mind uploaded, human factions, several varieties of aliens, various future-techs.

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GMoromisatoJul 2025

For me, reading sci-fi in the 80s and 90s, my pantheon was (in no particular order):

Philip K. Dick (Man in the High Castle)

William Gibson (Neuromancer)

Neil Stephenson (Diamond Age)

Vernor Vinge (Across Realtime)

Greg Egan (Permutation City)

Robert Reed (Sister Alice)

John Varley (Eight Worlds series)

I'm sure every generation has its pantheon--I wonder what it is for Millennials and Gen Z.

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emmelaichMar 2024

'true name'?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Names

THE cyberpunk book.

Also, his later books are great but the "Across Realtime" trilogy has a special place in my heart. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/167844

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pasabagiNov 2023

Mmm, not sure those stories match your idea. The only story I can think of that involves a single change in science is Vernor Vinge's Across Realtime (which is very good).

I think an Expanse author once commented that he'd never really thought about how the fusion drive thingies were supposed to work.

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le-markDec 2021

I like to drop this link when this topic comes up and also recommend reading anything by Vernor Vinge. My favorite is Across Realtime.

https://longnow.org/seminars/02007/feb/15/what-if-the-singul...

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