Pham Nuwen

Pham Nuwen is a character in Vernor Vinge's novels, "A Fire Upon the Deep" and "A Deepness in the Sky". He is a legendary Qeng Ho commander and Programmer-at-Arms from Canberra.

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Childhood

The great Pham Nuwen was born on Canberra, some time after the Canberran civilisation had destroyed itself with atomic bombs "The original colony [Canberra] had fallen back into savagery after a nuclear war" (Tomas Nau, podmaster), Ch. 16, "A Deepness in the Sky"] . Son of the King of Northland, Tran Nuwen, Pham grows surrounded by swords, daggers and poison in a seashore castle (At the time of his birth, Canberra is still at a level similar to Old Earth's Middle-Age).

At the age of 13, his whole life changed forever as a fleet of Qeng Ho interstellar traders arrives on his planet (their arrival at this time was actually a miscalculation as the Canberran civilization was not as technologically advanced as they had expected, therefore unable to repair and refuel all of their ships). Used by his father as a hostage for the "people from the stars", young Pham Nuwen embarks aboard the interstellar ramjet "Resumption" (the only Qeng Ho ship leaving the planet), not to come back to Canberra for centuries.

Other Names

Bidwell Ducanh

This is the name taken by Pham Nuwen when he arrives on Triland after Brisgo Gap, where he was betrayed by his fellow Qeng Ho. He arrives on the planet hoping to finance an interstellar expedition to the mysterious "OnOff Star". However, due to his distrust of the Qeng Ho (he refused to negotiate with a passing Qeng Ho ship), he lost his credibility and his fortune. He ends up stranded on Triland for about a century "-Bidwell Ducanh. Yes, now that I'm looking for the name, I remember hearing of this guy. He got quite a reputation something around sixty or a hundred years ago" (Trixia Bonsol's father), Prologue, "A Deepness in the Sky"] , until the arrival of admiral Sammy J. Park's fleet, which was making a stop on its way to the "OnOff Star", where an extra-terrestrial had begun emitting radio signals. One of the fleet's secondary mission was to find Pham Nuwen, which they did. Pham then joins the crew of the fleet's flagship "Pham Nuwen" as a programmer-at-arms.

It is interesting to note that the surname "Ducanh" happens to be that of his childhood girlfriend, Cindi Ducanh, the only person who tried to prevent his father's treachery.

Pham Trinli

This is the name used to disguise his identity to the Emergent fleet, as well as the rest of the Qeng Ho, in "A Deepness in the Sky".

Zamle Eng

References