The novel "A Fire Upon the Deep" written by
Vernor Vinge was published in
1991. It combimes superhuman intelligences, really alien
aliens, spine-tingling space battles, love, loss,
Usenet, and more into a galloping
space opera.
Professor Vinge has been deeply concerned about The Singularity which makes writing comprehensible and realistic SF novels nearly impossible. To sidestep the issue, he creates the "Zones of Thought", where near the center of the galaxy, only simple machines and animal-like intelligences are possible; ranging out to the outer edges of the galaxy, where superhuman intelligences, nanotechnology, and Faster-than-light (FTL) travel are possible.