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andreashappe's review
2.0
I loved "seaquest DSV" as kid.. so I thought I'd give "Startide Rising" a read after "sundiver"... The whole Uplift Saga has good reviews, so while I was a bit disappointed about sundiver I had high hopes for this one.
At least it is not as overly "women are only props"-ly as in the prior one, but still so very cliche'd that's it's a mix between annoying and cringe-worthy. I assume that this is just a sign that the book was written in the 80s. Might be a relic of its time but that aspect has not aged well.
Dolphin binary might be interesting to many but I rather found it tedious and not helping the story-line at all. Speaking of which, I do like the world-building but the whole plot could have been summarized in 2-3 pages.
I did not like the first half of the book and stopped to read frequently (normally I'd given a book like this a week tops.. but it took me almost a three weeks to get through the first parts). Got better at the end though.
At least it is not as overly "women are only props"-ly as in the prior one, but still so very cliche'd that's it's a mix between annoying and cringe-worthy. I assume that this is just a sign that the book was written in the 80s. Might be a relic of its time but that aspect has not aged well.
Dolphin binary might be interesting to many but I rather found it tedious and not helping the story-line at all. Speaking of which, I do like the world-building but the whole plot could have been summarized in 2-3 pages.
I did not like the first half of the book and stopped to read frequently (normally I'd given a book like this a week tops.. but it took me almost a three weeks to get through the first parts). Got better at the end though.
neglet's review
Still enjoyable some 20 years after I first read it. Essentially it's an escape story: Earthlings on the run from galactics because they've discovered something valuable. What makes it stand out is the "uplift" angle--most of the Earthling crew are intelligent dolphins, with a few human helpers and one very single-minded chimp scientist thrown in the mix. Brin's depiction of cetacean philosophy and poetry adds depth and interest to the characters.
dejahentendu's review against another edition
3.0
Not nearly as good as the first book. It was still good. I'd forgotten how much psy was interwoven in the era's SciFi. Also... the casual sexism of "crazy female ideas" creating engineering issues. The story is quite male dominated, with the only matrilineal species being cold and cruel. And the only LGBTQ+ reference was inherently bad.
The story itself? Too many threads. I love me a good tapestry of a story, but this was not well done. It was too all over the place, and too little time spent on some storylines in particular chapters made it hard to connect. I'm sure he was trying for fast-paced and suspenseful. I didn't feel it. Still, I'll try the next book, as the first one held enough promise.
The story itself? Too many threads. I love me a good tapestry of a story, but this was not well done. It was too all over the place, and too little time spent on some storylines in particular chapters made it hard to connect. I'm sure he was trying for fast-paced and suspenseful. I didn't feel it. Still, I'll try the next book, as the first one held enough promise.
morcades's review
3.0
La verdad es que me ha gustado más que el primero. Este me lo he leído del tirón, cosa que con Sundiver no pasó.
joestewart's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I didn’t really care for it. Partly because of the frequent short poems, partly because of the complicated character names, but mostly because I didn’t relate to the characters.
johnazoidberg's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
alexanderp's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was honestly--so much fun. Dated and very much "of its time," I still found it to be so imaginative and full of the stuff that makes science fiction the very best. Cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
aaronreadabook's review against another edition
4.0
Space dolphins? Yes please. A space opera with some real depth, the way it looks at language and communication is especially interesting. The concept of 'uplifting' another species is great and I really hope that one day it happens so I can talk to dogs.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
This is such an improvement over Sundiver. I'm just going to pretend that book doesn't exist and that this is actually the first book.