panguitch's Full Review: David Brin - Startide Rising
When I first heard about Startide Rising it sounded kind of hokey. Humans alter dolphins and turn them into a fully-sentient species that can keep them company as they explore the galaxy? With all due respect to the cetaceans of the world, the thought of dolphins piloting flying saucers seemed outlandish. How are they supposed to hold their ray guns?
I hate to say it, but this skepticism about Brin’s Uplift novels isn't even the stupidest thing I’ve said or done or thought. (Don’t ask what is.) But it ranks.
The Setup
The universe of Startide Rising is one where humans have “uplifted” chimpanzees and dolphins to be our equals through genetic manipulation. Not long after, we encounter extraterrestrials and are introduced to the vast and ancient galactic culture. Uplift is a central fact of that culture, and humans stand alone as a species that achieved sentience and space exploration without being given a leg up by a patron species. Earth’s new place in this culture is uneasy, and humans are spared being adopted by a senior species as "clients" only because we’ve already uplifted two client species of our own. Certain prestigious species resent us as upstarts.
A central tension of the preceding novel ( Sundiver: http://www.epinions.com/content_88587341444 ) was whether Earth would use the Galactic Library’s resources to jumpstart itself and catch up to the other species, or whether it would learn its lessons the hard way and maintain greater independence. In the 200 years since Sundiver, humans and their clients have taken the harder path, proud and independent. This has only caused more resentment among galactic conservatives.
The Spark
Then a dolphin manned starship and its handful of human advisors and token chimp make the biggest discovery in millennia. A fleet of ancient, giant, lifeless starships. Fanatical factions throughout the five galaxies speculate the discovery has something to do with the fabled Progenitors—the first species that started the tradition of uplift. Everyone wants to lay claim to this prize, and numerous armadas are sent to wrest information from the dolphin ship.
Damaged, the Earthlings hideout at a remote water planet named Kithrup to make repairs. Soon the galactics will trace them there, and fight for the right to take them prisoner. In the meantime, Kithrup has some secrets of its own, some that could shake the foundation of galactic tradition. The Earthlings must find a way to escape their enemies and bring their knowledge home.
The Cast
Creideiki, a dolphin, is captain of the Earth ship, and a good example of Brin’s excellent characterization of the dolphins. He bears the burden of leadership seriously, but has a playful and romantic side around his consort and third-in-command Hikahi. He also fills a somewhat mystical/spiritual/philosophical role as he teaches his ‘fens’ keneenk, a hybrid school of thought combining human logic and cetacean philosophy. One of his great challenges is keeping the dolphins from reverting to animalistic behaviors under the stress of the situation.
Tom Orley is an agent of the Terragens Council. He’s one of the humans accompanying the dolphins in an advisory role. Of course, when things get rough the dolphins tend to look to their patrons for leadership. Tom and his wife, Gillian Baskin, have been genetically enhanced and enjoy some psi capability. Gillian is a doctor and scientist, and the more believable of the two characters. Tom is similar to the Jacob Demwa character of Sundiver in that he takes a beating but keeps on ticking—like any good secret agent should. His activities are exciting, but stretch credibility.
Takkata-Jim, Creideiki’s second, is a dolphin enhanced with Stenos gene grafts. Bigger, more temperamental. He and the other Stenos dolphins begin to crack under the pressure, causing much contention among the crew. Takkata-Jim is a well-developed character with credible motives. But there are a few moustache-twirling moments (as hist would say) that remind us who we’re rooting against. K’tha-jon serves as Takkata-Jim’s heavy, and there’s no question what we’re supposed to feel about him. There’s a surprise in his family tree too.
Toshio Iwashika, human, is a young midshipman whose character allows us to explore informal human-dolphin relations. He also experiences a well-done coming of age, and before long falls in love with Dennie Sudman, a somewhat naïve exobiologist. Dennie has her own problems, a Stenos dolphin named Sah’ot is strangely, provocatively amorous around her. Don’t go into the water, Dennie!
Overall, the crew is well-written. There’s a strong sense of teamwork, in a combination of civilian and new-recruit military styles. Intrigues among them are believable and drive the story forward along multiple plot threads. The dolphin characters are very successful. They’re motivations are understandable, and the reader can identify with them as realistic people. At the same time, they have their own quirks and differences in thought processes that keep them from being thinly masked humans. Their languages are interesting, one a kind of modified haiku, though the way they’re laid out on the page is sometimes ineffective, especially when unexplained symbols proliferate.
Unfortunately, the aliens (eatees) are not individuated to the degree they were in Sundiver. Instead, alien characters serve as representatives of their races and any characterization colors their species for the reader, not that specific character. Their role being distant for the most part, this is understandable. And as far as alien creation goes, there’s some great ones here, fraught with politics and social strata. Of course, they’re all bug-eyed fanatics. The more moderate aliens aren’t chasing these poor dolphins around the universe. As an aside, I do think the Niss, Tom’s alien computer with a personality of its own, should have been an actual alien instead of a computer.
The Meat
The ideas behind the Uplift universe are wonderful. It’s an old notion that humanity may have been secretly guided along by aliens. Brin extrapolates interestingly from this theory. What would be an alien’s motives for doing such a thing? From this question he creates a galactic culture where species uplift potential sapients who then serve a long period of indenture. A rigid, hierarchical society is the result. And no one bothers uplifting anyone without responsibly sticking around to mentor their clients. So it seems humanity may have achieved sapience without patrons after all.
The reactions of the galaxy to this upstart, “wolfling” species are credible, and humanity’s dilemma of finding a place for itself is rich. Yet somehow this particular theme seems less developed here than in Sundiver. While the essential elements are present, Startide Rising is much more a character driven novel. In this sense, it shows maturation in Brin’s skills, and is a better crafted work than Sundiver, its consistency of vision not being the least reason why.
The pace is pie-eating contest fast. But it leaves you with a sated feeling more in line with Thanksgiving dinner than with flakey crust and creamy filling. The aftertaste leaves a hint of dissatisfaction. No important protagonists actually die, but the book ends without resolving the fate of a large number. Similarly, the presence of a pro-Earth eatee amidst the space battles seems to serve little purpose.
But these are minor complaints. The more serious flaws of Sundiver are avoided. This is a brilliant work, well deserving of its Nebula, Hugo and Locus awards. The next in the series, The Uplift War is shaping up equally well—keep an eye out for the coming review.
Should one read Sundiver or start with the superior Startide Rising? Despite its weaknesses, I would recommend Sundiver. In addition to being a worthwhile read, it establishes the ongoing themes of the series well, and familiarity with it adds a depth to the issues involved in the succeeding novels. Can Startide Rising be read without it? Definitely. There are no connections between the two as far as plot or character goes.
You should read both. But make no mistake about it. Startide Rising is a capital g Great Book. I’d compare it favorably on all levels with Niven and Pournelle’s The Mote in God’s Eye. And the scope and depth of the created universe rivals classics like Herbert’s Dune and Asimov’s Foundation. The novelty of the idea bears more fruit than Niven’s Ringworld, and the characterization approaches Card’s Ender’s Game. I unstintingly give it my highest recommendation.
Muze: Copyright 1995 - 2008 Muze Inc. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.