Books written by: David Brin
David Brin: Startide Rising
Startide Rising is probably the best space opera ever
written. The novel Sundiver (which is not on my list but you can check it out for continuity's sake) is Brin's first book in the uplift universe (where the practice of "uplifting" near sentient species to full sentience is considered a rite of passage to full citizenship in a galactic culture, and where only humans appeared to rise to sentience on their own without a "patron" race, giving them a special status). But one does not need to have read Sundiver, a lesser novel, to read Startide Rising. Most modern SF/Fantasy series leave the reader thinking, "What a great story, I can't wait to hear the end,"... but the end may never come. Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" series comes to mind. The early books are memorable and excellent, and seem to have been written for their own sake. But the later books seem to be part of a contrived (and seemingly endless) series, and each
subsequent book becomes less and less satisfying. And don't even get me started on Frank Herbert's "Dune" series.... On the other hand, Brin leaves the reader thinking, "What a great story. Tell me another!" Startide Rising is Brin's best work, worthy of every award it has received. Read it, and you will be delighted and satisfied. But be warned: you will then want to read everything else he has written.
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David Brin: The Uplift War
If you have a revolutionary mind and cherish the triumph of the qualities of humanity over racism, stereotypes and other
prejudices - you will love this story. Continuing in the Universe of Startide Rising and Sundiver, The Uplift War is a study in the distinction between man and beast where the final consensus will surprise you. The characters that Brin has created are absolutely alive.
He has looked at the chimp personality and society and said "what if they were changed to have more intelligence and
dexterity, how would that affect them, what would they be like?".
The result is an absolutely believable society, with its own moral codes and way of looking/laughing at the world. Put that in the context of a universe full of other interesting and believable races and intergalactic politics, and throw in some teenage angst for good measure, with a couple of good plot twists, and you have a book that you can't put down.
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David Brin: The Postman
I found the Postman to be a pleasant surprise. I bought the book because I enjoyed Brin's Uplift series and his ability to generate interesting story lines. The description on the cover led me to believe that this was going to be a campy, possibly downright silly outing. True to form, Brin finds a way to generate a fresh look at a story line that has been visited before. As I read on, I was surprised to find that he had quite intrigued me. The subtle supporting details resulted in a more believable interpretation of the post-apocalyptic tale of survival than any I had previously read. The scheme initally spun by the title character slowly takes on a life of its own until he, himself, becomes the servant instead of the master. Brin solidifies his reputation as a story teller with this effort. A note on the movie: Although I, as well as many fans of this book, was dissapointed with the movie. I recently read an interview with David Brin where he states that although he wasn't consulted in the making of the movie, he was happy with the end result. I do agree with him that it was wise to stay with the first third of the book and not try to confuse the audience with the other two thirds (you really have to read the book to understand the transition). I only wish that the producers looked into some of Mr. Brin's other work first, my fear being the stigmatism of the movie doing soo poorly might make them hesitate to make a movie of oh say "Startide Rising".
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