Startide Rising

Startide Rising
by David Brin

Startide Rising is one of the most impressive science fiction novels I've ever read. It is the second in Brin's Uplift Saga, following Sundiver. The background and plot of Startide Rising are complex, and hard to hint at in a brief recommendation -- In the far future, an Earth space vessel crewed by uplifted dolphins, humans and chimpanzees is the first to stumble across a derelict fleet of ancient starships, presumably left behind by The Progenitors -- the oldest and most revered species in known space...the race that seeded and "uplifted" (helped to evolve) most of the other known species to space-faring capabilities. On the run from other space-faring races who would kill for access to the technologies represented by this abandoned fleet of starships, the Earthship Streaker has crashed on a water planet, trying to hide from its pursuers long enough for the crew to affect repairs to their vessel. Filled with brilliant ideas, political and military confrontations and maneuverings, and some of the most fascinating human and alien characters in genre fiction, Startide Rising won a triple crown of the three top awards the year it came out -- the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and the Locus Readers Award. It was followed by The Uplift War and then another complete trilogy set in the same universe. If you love Hard SF -- science fiction in which the extrapolations of believable science and technology form a critical element -- this is essential reading. Although the libraries don't own it, I recommend a companion volume Brin released, Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe. Brin's aliens can be quite unusual, and this guide helps to "see" them more accurately. It may also be helpful to read Sundiver -- although it is not essential to an understanding of what's going on in Startide Rising. You can order both through our InterLibrary Loan Service. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Uplift Saga page on the official David Brin web site ]

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