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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
3.5
love that the chims use goodall instead of god as in oh my goodall etc
‘There were times when Robert actually envied his ancestors, who had lived in the dark ignorance before the twenty first century and seemed to have spent most of their time making up weird, ornate explanations of the world to fill in the yawning gaps of their ignorance. Back then, one could believe anything at all.’
‘How ironic, Uthaclathling thought. Tymbrimi lives their lives awash in the everflowing music of life, and yet he did not personally identify with this small animal. It was one of hundreds of millions, after all. Why should he care about this particular individual? Yet Kault loved the creature. Without empathy sense, without any direct being-to-being link, he cherished it entirely in abstract. He loved what the little thing represented, its potential.’
love that the chims use goodall instead of god as in oh my goodall etc
‘There were times when Robert actually envied his ancestors, who had lived in the dark ignorance before the twenty first century and seemed to have spent most of their time making up weird, ornate explanations of the world to fill in the yawning gaps of their ignorance. Back then, one could believe anything at all.’
‘How ironic, Uthaclathling thought. Tymbrimi lives their lives awash in the everflowing music of life, and yet he did not personally identify with this small animal. It was one of hundreds of millions, after all. Why should he care about this particular individual? Yet Kault loved the creature. Without empathy sense, without any direct being-to-being link, he cherished it entirely in abstract. He loved what the little thing represented, its potential.’
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
This is a 3.5 book actually. The Uplift war is a very classic SF book in the sense that the ideas and themes explored are more important than the characters and the story. All characters and all happenings in this book are means for the author to explore questions about nature, nurture and influence of biology on societal and cultural norms. Some very good ideas are explored here and this exploration also makes for very interesting aliens and alien cultures. But the focus of the story suffered from it a bit. Although I make it sound like there is no story, but that is also not true. It is just like in old fashioned SF that most characters react in a very controlled scientific way. They are very much creatures of reason. And most of the ones that are not meet a disastrous fate.
That being said Fiben is a character that I will probably remember for quite some time. This one was the best book in the Uplift saga so far for me. Not sure I want to continue since I heard that after this the series takes a turn for the worse.
That being said Fiben is a character that I will probably remember for quite some time. This one was the best book in the Uplift saga so far for me. Not sure I want to continue since I heard that after this the series takes a turn for the worse.
This is a difficult review to write. I really enjoyed the book, and couldn't put it down, but it wasn't nearly as good as Startide Rising. The pacing was great until the last 50 pages. After the main climax was resolved, I had a difficult time investing in the final climax. It didn't help that things seemed to get weirder and more contrived near the end. Too many peculiar coincidences, and things that would have been much better if they'd been fleshed out earlier in the story. I think there were a few too many threads, and not all of them were tied together satisfactorily for me.
There are some moments when you can see its age, but overall this is a great end to the series. Except I kind of want more. I wish there was more. Lots of great characters and really interesting scenarios, and plots.
Edit: read up some more on the author, unfortunately not great stuff. Will not read more.
Edit: read up some more on the author, unfortunately not great stuff. Will not read more.
I find it kind of fascinating that Brin wrote his first three Uplift novels (particularly the second and third) as obviously connected and part of the same universe, but not directly continuing the story, even when the story is obviously unfinished. The events of Startide Rising are referred to and influence the events of this story, and the same overall mystery is a major driving element of both, but they're otherwise unconnected. It's a neat way to approach a very fully realized universe. I also really enjoy the way Brin creates aliens (both extraterrestrial and terrestrial) and other intelligences; close enough to human to be relatable, but also different enough to be alien. I've really enjoyed all of his first three Uplift novels, and one of these days plan to continue on to the second trilogy.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This has to be one of my all-time favourite books. Well-written from many viewpoints (both alien and 'earth origin', incredible depth to the story, tense, at the edge of your seat with action for action junkies (myself included!). I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the previous, Startide Rising, and would recommend it to any readers.