Threats and Other Promises

This book might have a mixed bag of stories, but there's no real clunkers in it: I disagree with the previous reviewer... most of the stories are at the very least "good", and I would recommend this and its companion "True Names and Other Dangers" to any Vinge fan. The "singularity" is also a background element in more of the stories than is immediately obvious. One other thing to keep in mind, as you read "The Blabber" - Vinge has said it's not intended as a sequel to "A Fire Upon the Deep", the names of the characters notwithstanding.