Startide Rising

The Uplift Saga, Book 2

By: David Brin

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

When Streaker - the first starship designed and crewed by dolphins - discovers a derelict ancient armada with evidence of the first sentient species ever, she sets off a war between dozens of galactic races eager to use the information for their own advancement.

New York Times best-selling author David Brin's novels stretch the imagination while providing action and thrills galore. Packed with exotic aliens and ancient mysteries, Startide Rising delivers breath-taking adventure in the grandest tradition of space opera.

©1983 David Brin (P)2003 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1984
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1983

"This is one of the outstanding SF novels of recent years." (Publishers Weekly)
"As the plot thickens and the relationships between the characters become more complex, Wilson's narration is a calm and steady beacon." (AudioFile)

Awesome!!!

This is a great intellectual attention grabber, the first time I read it, i could not put it down. If any Sci-fi book/series should be a movie this is it. David Brim has a brilliant imagination. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Story far fetched, performance too routined

Is there anything you would change about this book?

No Dolphins

Would you ever listen to anything by David Brin again?

Probably, or probably not, don't know.

What three words best describe George Wilson’s voice?

Routined, tends to get into a "trot" which makes it hard to get, that seriously emotional stuff is actually happening. His character voices are good though. Just the narrative is very bad.

Any additional comments?

I really didn't enjoy this. The story was boring very often, it took so long till it became interesting and then in the final part he doesn't even get all out of it or bring you down nicely.Could be the speaker though, that made it so boring...

Same universe, different story

At this point if you read the first book you should go out and get in print the book "Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe" so you can understand the different races because I had trouble with it and I assume that will help.

If you read the first book you might be expecting it to continue where that one left off but it doesn't, I was a little confused with the first book but I liked it this one is sorta the same, I was expecting something and I got something else but it was good.

There is a ship crewed by 150 uplifted dolphins, 7 Humans, and 1 uplifted Chimpanzee - they discover some 50,000 abandoned ships that probably belong to the "Progenitors" who uplifted the first race (but who uplifted them? I was always unclear about that one) and they find some old mummified body and take it along with data.

The book starts with them needing to go and get repairs and the aliens battling in orbit above the planet Kithrup because everyone wants the info they have for them selves.

Cool things happen on the planet below with the locals and some crashed ship but without giving anything away the ship Streaker gets off the planet and away with its info safe - the book jumps around lots at the end with different factions trying to either destroy, capture, or help Streaker.

I liked this book but it wasn't a perfect 5 star for me, that is because I had trouble following things at times, with all these 6 books I had the same problem but for the most part they are good and I will probably read them again in the future.

Thought provoking and engaging

I really enjoyed this book. I would say the only thing I didn’t like was the poor editing, as some times it was difficult to tell if chapters had ended, or if I had somehow missed something. The characters were wide ranging and interesting in their own right. I wish the galactics had been fleshed out a bit more in their motivations, but other than that I enjoyed it.

One of the best sci fi

I have been reading and re-reading (and now listening) to this book for many years, as has my teenage son. Along with the Dune books, Neuromancer, SevenEves, and Stranger in a Strange Land, I consider it peak sci fi. I envy the reader who comes to this book (and, to a lesser degree, Brin’s other works) for the first time.

Eco the Dolphin

Terrific story, super creative alien species, and talking Dolphins! This is a story that will always be a favorite of mine. It was great listening to it again on Audible!

engrossing Sci-Fi

This imaginative book blends hardcore science with creative speculation. As with Sundiver (which should be read first) the storyline draws you in and becomes completely believable. It is written with thoughtfulness, humor and a deep understanding of human behavior. Not to mention the psychology of clients and ETs. I wish more of this author’s novels were available on audiobooks

this delightful tale holds up well...

For those just discovering the Uplift series welcome. I have listened to it every few years. The storyline and issues at the core remain socially relevant and the story telling reminds us all how award winning stories unfold.

Great hard-sci-fi story

The story is great, and has aged surprisingly well for a sci-fi book written in the early 80s. The narration is good but if you have the volume turned up you can periodically hear the narrator clearing spit out of his mouth, something the producer should have cut out of the recording.

dolphin safe

i read this in college and loved it. this time around, i didn't enjoy it quite as much. the characters are a little flat, and they aren't really developed, but they are likeable (except for the bad ones!). having said that, startide rising is a lot better than most sci fi. the premise is very creative, and david brin makes a deep statement about taking care of our fellow mammals. i could have lived without him ACTUALLY STATING IT at the end of the book, but maybe he was afraid some of us missed it.