I finished Singularity Sky by Charles Stross. This is in some ways a very complexe novel, so it is complicated to review, but I certainly why A Fire Upon the Deep was an inspiration. The big difference is there is more humor in Stross' novel and more hard science as there are no "zone of thoughts".
I've read a few Stross novels, it shows that this is among his first published work. He doesn't master his writing style quite yet, but this is full of neat, big ideas. Like what a post-singularity universe is about, what space battle actually look like if you use known physics (slow, technical, not flashy, almost boring), the implication that faster than light travel means access to time travel, nanobots, etc.
Sometimes the characters, the plot and the humor are juvenile and that's ok. It is Stross early work.
I think it is must a must read for all sci-fi fans who want to learn about what space battles are about with real physics, what FTL travel implicates, what nanotech can mean (althought Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age does that too), what the singularity could bring in terms of alien mentalities and agendas, etc.