Scan barcode
edustoryramos24's review against another edition
4.0
Space opera with dazzlingly craeative linguistic, genetic and psichosocial speculations, sort of like Finnegan´s Wake meets Lord of The Rings in Star Wars. Second installment of the Uplift saga. FIrst I read because it won the Hugo award but I now intend to read the rest
gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
I've tried to read two of the books in this series now, without either being able to hold my interest. I'm giving up.
imakandiway's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
megawhoppingcosmicbookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I love this book SO much!! It’s the 2nd book in Brin’s Uplift series and I enjoyed it even more than the 1st, and I loved that one too! This story is set centuries later with an entirely different cast of characters. A spaceship with a crew of humans, dolphins and a chimp, stumbles upon a history altering find out in space. Now it finds itself the focus of countless dangerous galactic enemies. An epic science fiction adventure follows that had me turning page after page. The multiple POVs is done really well, especially with the different species. I look forward to the next in this trilogy.
soapythebum's review against another edition
5.0
Thought it was great and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
800slim's review against another edition
3.0
second book set in the Uplift universe...
short plot description: the surveyship Streaker, manned by a mostly uplifted-dolphin crew (with one uplift-chimpanzee and a handful of humans) makes an important discovery which may well change galactic history. Unfortunately some other factions begrudge the humans this discovery and after an ambush which damages the ship the crew takes refuge on the planet Kithrup, trying to repair their damaged ship and find a way to escape the aliens. But the dangers are not only external, some members (both human and uplifted) have their own agenda and the planet itself also has some surprises in store...
my thoughts: actually quite good,the Uplift universe gets some further fleshing out with both more insights into the alien races (patrons and clients) and the human-uplifted species.
Minor gripes: the plot felt in places weighed down with too many subplots, some parts could have been cut out (maybe published as short stories ?), also the plot felt in places overly complicated and the permanent point-of-view jumping was sometimes getting on my nerves, especially when we jump, get 5 lines of text and then jump again.
The characters felt mostly believable but some felt flat and the "ultracompetent" cliche is also found.
short plot description: the surveyship Streaker, manned by a mostly uplifted-dolphin crew (with one uplift-chimpanzee and a handful of humans) makes an important discovery which may well change galactic history. Unfortunately some other factions begrudge the humans this discovery and after an ambush which damages the ship the crew takes refuge on the planet Kithrup, trying to repair their damaged ship and find a way to escape the aliens. But the dangers are not only external, some members (both human and uplifted) have their own agenda and the planet itself also has some surprises in store...
my thoughts: actually quite good,the Uplift universe gets some further fleshing out with both more insights into the alien races (patrons and clients) and the human-uplifted species.
Minor gripes: the plot felt in places weighed down with too many subplots, some parts could have been cut out (maybe published as short stories ?), also the plot felt in places overly complicated and the permanent point-of-view jumping was sometimes getting on my nerves, especially when we jump, get 5 lines of text and then jump again.
The characters felt mostly believable but some felt flat and the "ultracompetent" cliche is also found.
_ash0_'s review against another edition
3.0
Mixed feelings about this book.
What I liked:
1. World building was amazing. The author has created so many alien species, a water world planet, sentient dolphins and chimp.
2. Uplift was a great concept to read about. In this world, sentient beings can genetically modify other species and make them sentient. This is called Uplift. The uplifted beings are called clients while those who uplifted them are called patrons. Humans however do not have a patron so they claim to have evolved on their own. I loved reading about Uplift and it’s ramifications. Like racism that humans show to the species that they have uplifted etc. This was the concept that made me want to continue reading.
3. Cool science like how do you design a spacecraft where dolphins and humans can coexist? How can dolphins explore an alien planet on their own? The science was fascinating.
4. Dolphins in space. You should read this book just for this cool concept.
5. Library which has all the info collected by other galactic species. Reminded me of Encyclopedia Galactica (from Foundation series).
6. Strong female characters- for a novel written in 1980s, I was pleasantly surprised to see that many significant characters in this book were women/female dolphin.
What I did not like:
1. Writing - it was dull and boring along with haiku thrown in. It took me forever to read this book mostly because of the bad writing. I even listened to audiobook towards the end as I couldn’t read it.
2. Plot - it was almost nonexistent. Humans are stranded on an alien planet and are trying to escape from it. That’s the entire plot and it takes around 500 pages to culminate. It’s way too slow paced and hardly anything exciting happens.
3. Characters: flat. I couldn’t distinguish between the dolphins or between dolphins and humans. I had imagined some dolphins to be humans at the beginning of the book.
4. Horny dolphins and men: every male dolphin or male person is thinking about sex all the time which was something I did not like.
5. No paperback version available. I had to read from a mass market paperback, a format I loathe.
What I liked:
1. World building was amazing. The author has created so many alien species, a water world planet, sentient dolphins and chimp.
2. Uplift was a great concept to read about. In this world, sentient beings can genetically modify other species and make them sentient. This is called Uplift. The uplifted beings are called clients while those who uplifted them are called patrons. Humans however do not have a patron so they claim to have evolved on their own. I loved reading about Uplift and it’s ramifications. Like racism that humans show to the species that they have uplifted etc. This was the concept that made me want to continue reading.
3. Cool science like how do you design a spacecraft where dolphins and humans can coexist? How can dolphins explore an alien planet on their own? The science was fascinating.
4. Dolphins in space. You should read this book just for this cool concept.
5. Library which has all the info collected by other galactic species. Reminded me of Encyclopedia Galactica (from Foundation series).
6. Strong female characters- for a novel written in 1980s, I was pleasantly surprised to see that many significant characters in this book were women/female dolphin.
What I did not like:
1. Writing - it was dull and boring along with haiku thrown in. It took me forever to read this book mostly because of the bad writing. I even listened to audiobook towards the end as I couldn’t read it.
2. Plot - it was almost nonexistent. Humans are stranded on an alien planet and are trying to escape from it. That’s the entire plot and it takes around 500 pages to culminate. It’s way too slow paced and hardly anything exciting happens.
3. Characters: flat. I couldn’t distinguish between the dolphins or between dolphins and humans. I had imagined some dolphins to be humans at the beginning of the book.
4. Horny dolphins and men: every male dolphin or male person is thinking about sex all the time which was something I did not like.
5. No paperback version available. I had to read from a mass market paperback, a format I loathe.
humanignorance's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars. This book got off to a slow start, and I considered quitting early on. It also took me much longer to finish than average. Fortunately, the book picked up near the middle and sprinted to the finish in a nearly spectacular fashion. Some of the characters were subtle and well-developed; others were not given enough space. The plot was a bit hard to follow, as much was hinted at which was not revisited, but was worth the ride. I suspect I would like this book more on a reread.
jonathanpalfrey's review against another edition
3.0
My main complaint about this book is that it's an ordeal from start to finish. The human and dolphin characters are stuck on a toxic planet that's killing them slowly, while alien spacefleets fight each other nearby for the opportunity to capture and probably kill them. They also have to contend with discord and treachery amongst themselves. It's a deeply unpleasant situation to be in, and continues through the whole rather long novel, relieved only by a mostly happy though rather improbable ending.
I found at least the first half of the story rather tough to get through, and put-downable: two-star material. Later on, the story becomes exciting and gripping, so I've generously given it three stars. But I reckon to reread three-star books now and then; will I ever return to this one? I'm not sure.
Brin's universe fails to convince me: I don't believe in all these diverse alien species remaining permanently obsessed with uplift over vast spans of time. I don't believe in the Discworld, either, but the Discworld is openly fantastic; I expect science fiction to be more plausible.
I found at least the first half of the story rather tough to get through, and put-downable: two-star material. Later on, the story becomes exciting and gripping, so I've generously given it three stars. But I reckon to reread three-star books now and then; will I ever return to this one? I'm not sure.
Brin's universe fails to convince me: I don't believe in all these diverse alien species remaining permanently obsessed with uplift over vast spans of time. I don't believe in the Discworld, either, but the Discworld is openly fantastic; I expect science fiction to be more plausible.
fictionalwonder's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0