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Cover of A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

Book · Fantasy and science fiction

A Fire Upon the Deep

by Vernor Vinge

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start A Fire Upon the Deep, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
742
Reading time
≈ 13 h 30 min
Checkpoints
21
Genre
Fantasy, SF
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How long does it take to read A Fire Upon the Deep?

At 742 pages, A Fire Upon the Deep is a doorstopper. Expect about 13 hours 30 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 27 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 11 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day27 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)11 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 21 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 35
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 71
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 106
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 141
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 177
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 212
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 247
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 283
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 318
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 353
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 389
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 424
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 459
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 495
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 530
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 565
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 601
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 636
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 671
  20. Checkpoint 20, page 707
  21. Checkpoint 21, page 742

In Vread, A Fire Upon the Deep is split into 21 checkpoints, one every 35 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 21 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/21pp. 1–35

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from A Fire Upon the Deep: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is A Fire Upon the Deep?
The edition listed on Vread has 742 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read A Fire Upon the Deep?
About 13 hours 30 minutes of reading, or 27 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on A Fire Upon the Deep?
Yes: the Vread app has 21 reading questions on A Fire Upon the Deep, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of A Fire Upon the Deep?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

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Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).