leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter) (09/21/83)
Brin's "other book" in the same universe is "Sun Diver". Since it takes place some 200 years or so earlier, it's not surprising that there are no common characters - although the effects of some of the actions taking in Sun Diver are still apparent. (Sun Diver - actually, could be Sundiver - contains some obvious hooks for a "prequel" concerning its main character,but it doesn't (yet) exist.) I liked STARTIDE RISING, but must disagree with Mr. Lofstrom; I thought Sun Diver was better. A big part is a matter of taste for "hard" vs. "soft" sf. Sun Diver is quite "hard". The physics is worked out and discussed and seems to make sense. STARTIDE RISING doesn't even try; the oddball technologies are just "there", no explanation, no nothing. You could use it, I guess, as an example of Clark's Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguish- able from magic. Brin has published at least one short story (I'm sure there are more), "The Loom of Thessaly" (Nov. '81 Asimov's). It's excellent. (It's also unrelated to the universe of his two novels.) An author worth watching. -- Jerry decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale
smb@achilles.UUCP (09/22/83)
I have to agree with the rave review of "Startide Rising". I picked it
up solely on the basis of previous positive reviews I saw on the net;
I don't regret it at all. As soon as I finished it, I went out and picked
up his other book, "Sundiver". It wasn't nearly as good a book in many
respects, but the worst part was that I felt I was starting at the second
book of a series. ("Startide Rising" and "Sundiver" are set in the same
universe, but do not share any characters.) Were there previous works
involving the characters from "Sundiver"?keithl@tekcad.UUCP (09/27/83)
I just finished reading STARTIDE RISING by David Brin. Exciting. Thought
provoking. Well constructed. Your basic masterpiece.
Stop reading this now and go out and buy it.
Oh, so you're going to need more convincing? OK, here goes. This is NOT
a spoiler, just a taste of the frosting on top:
In Brin's universe the galaxy is populated by PATRON and CLIENT races.
Patron races find semi-sentient races, and raise them to full sentience through
genetic manipulation, education, coercion and enslavement. The Client races,
after finishing their indenture (lasting hundreds of thousands of years) are
then free to become Patrons and find their own Clients. The process has been
repeated for billions of years, back to the legendary PROGENITORS. All races
in the galaxy have developed through this process.
Except humanity. There is a debate as to whether we were abandoned by our
Patrons, or that we evolved into intelligence ourselves. The second view is
considered unlikely by the Galactics who have never seen this happen before.
We built our own starships and genetically manipulated the chimpanzees and the
dolphins into full intelligence, without apparent help. When we came in
contact with the Galactics, we were reluctantly granted Patron status, but are
relatively powerless to deal with the great competing power blocks in the
galaxy.
The human-dolphin crewed starship Streaker was sent out on a research
mission, to sample-check the accuracy of the LIBRARY, a multi-copy database
system containing recorded information from the beginning of recorded history,
for the entire galaxy (sort of a cross between the Library of Congress and the
Hitchhiker's Guide). We find discrepancies, but more importantly, we find a
vast fleet of ships that may be the Progenitors. All the religious fanatics
in the galaxy attack Streaker (but mostly each other), to find the whereabouts
of the fleet. The damaged Streaker hides in the ocean of the planet Kithrup,
with the crew planning it's escape. A battle rages overhead.
No spoilers here; this much of the plot is revealed in the first few
pages. About half-a-dozen subplots intertwine through the book, with
brilliant imagery, dolphin haiku, machiavellian alien scheming, betrayals,
personal growth, space battles, audacious plans, ad glorious infinitem.
Unless something even more marvelous happens between now and January,
this book is DEFINITELY getting my HUGO vote. Brin has written another
(only "good") book in this universe, with different characters. I hope
for many more.
A word of warning: don't pick up the book after 6 PM. You may want
to savor it's 460 pages, and you will not want to put it down. I finished
at 3 AM. Take a day off from work instead. Don't wait for the weekend.
Be COMPULSIVE!
From the tired but happy fingers of:
--
Keith Lofstrom
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