I tore though Fire Upon the Deep. If I had skipped the prologue, which hooked me hard, I probably would've bailed though.  

I already have all the context loaded, a kind of sunk cost, and I enjoyed the first two books a lot, so I want to finish the series. The third book was printed in low volumes apparently.

I'm impressed you've stuck with the Vernor Vinge kick for so long. Fire Upon the Deep was fun, but took me two tries. 

Scoresby

Stacker Saloon

saloon

My copy of *The Children of the Sky* got lost in the mail so I’m reading *Walkaway* by Doctorow on @itsrealfake’s recommendation and it’s superb.