Rainbows End

Rainbows End is the most recent work of Vernor Vinge(sadly, his output is rather slow).

This is not a space opera like some of Vinge's other award winning books, instead it takes place in the not too distant future, right here on Earth.

 Vinge constructs a world where technology has progressed, and virtual reality has stepped into the real world.

  People wear lenses which are able to overlay augmented information and mix it in with what is already there.  Add any vista you want outside of your window, decorate your house in any way you wish, and even use it for a form of x-ray vision, seeing what you cannot naturally see.

 The characters and plot are solid, but not really up to the standards I'd come to expect from Vinge. It centers around a man brought back from Alzheimer disease(since a cure is now available), he enters a world quite different from the one he left and must learn to adapt.

 It did win the Hugo award, but I don't consider this one of Vinge's best works, though it does present some very good idea's as is common with Vinge.

8.5/10