Vernor Vinge has won five Hugo Awards, including one for each of his last three novels, "A Fire Upon the Deep" (1992), "A Deepness in the Sky" (1999), and "Rainbow s End" (2006). Known for his rigorous hard-science approach to his science fiction, he became an iconic figure among cybernetic scientists with the publication in 1981 of his novella "True Names," which is considered a seminal, visionary work of Internet fiction. His many books also include "Marooned in Realtime" and "The Peace War". Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin and raised in Central Michigan, Vinge is the son of geographers. Fascina...