Brightness Reef

The Uplift Trilogy, Book 1

By: David Brin

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 25 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

David Brin, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Sundiver, crafts Brightness Reef, a luminous gem of science-fiction literature.

Persecuted refugees from six separate alien races have migrated to the idyllic planet Jijo. And despite their incredible diversity, the inhabitants live together in blissful harmony. However, settlement on Jijo is illegal - and it's only a matter of time before the residents of this forbidden paradise are discovered by the galactic powers-that-be.

©1995 David Brin (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Immensely appealing, leaving readers hungry for more." ( Publishers Weekly)

very slow

I loved Brin's second & third Uplift books, but this one was just too long and slow to finish. As other reviewers have mentioned, the narrator tries, but this book is just too slow in getting anywhere.

Children folklore disguised as science fiction

What would have made Brightness Reef better?

Kept waiting for a story that did not happened

What could David Brin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Stick to one main story that mattered

What three words best describe George Wilson’s voice?

Very good narration, the only thing that was good about the book

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Brightness Reef?

All the children school adventure and useless characters that did nothing that mattered to the book.

Any additional comments?

Waste of money.

Save your credits for something listenable...

This is the first review I've written even though I've listened to many many scifi books. The narrator should be commended for trying to make a listenable performance out of goobly gook.

A bit too poetic for a Sci-fi book

It's a decent Scifi book. Long, but just as the action would start the author takes you on this poetic dialog of the Asks. After awhile you get lost with a lot of words that don't help the story out.

Flat or annoying. Could not finish.

The story involves at least 6 distinct species right off, and four of them are presented in breathless, annoying verbal fashion; the "our gang" gimmick gets really old, really fast; and the plot doesn't really develop even after the first hour. No empathy for anyone in the first hour at all.

Given that, I'll pass on the rest.

In Brin's other books, there was a fair amount of world building and conflict development. Plus the characters were interesting. Here the conflicts are telegraphed, the world building is non existent, and it would fall flat without an annoying audio performance on top to render it unbearable instead.

not much of sci-fi

loved the first 2 books. really tried to get into this one but it's just too slow and backwards. the exploration of interspecies dynamics is all fine but the focus on post technological world is rather a let down for a sci-fi fan.

B-O-R-I-N-G

I'm sure some people have wondered what would happen if you stranded several diverse alien species on a planet with preindustrial technology, but I am not one of them. This book was boring! And there is so little action. It just goes on and on with the antics of people living without electricity. The actual plot points are buried deep under manusia. I also don't like kids, so the Alvin plot line really got on my nerves. In my opinion, this book is not worth listening to. Just read the summary on Wikipedia.

Author tries to hard to create a different world.

The readers tone is dragging... the book is slow. the characters are confusing.... Author tries too hard to create a different world with several different species that even after hearing the whole book, I still can't tell which is which...

Had to force myself to listen

I tried to like this one. I really did. I made it thru the first three hours before I just had to stop.

The naration is horrible - the voice characterizations are annoying and frustrating - like listening to someone try to talk with a mouth full of honey.

The story wasn't any better. Plodding, fractured, and going no where.

Returning This

I recently finished Brin's "Existence" and loved it! I really thought I was going to like this one as well. The summary sounded interesting and the good reviews were encouraging. I'm really bummed that I can't get into it. You just get thrown into a world without a proper explanation. The aliens are just too weird and hard to picture. Characters and sub stories jump around a lot. It's just super hard to follow and doesn't flow very well. Narration is cringey. I was confused the entire 8 hours I spent listening. I just can't get through it.