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A review by branch_c
The Uplift War by David Brin
3.0
Well, I can at least say that I did like this book more than the previous two in the series, but still not enough to raise it to four stars, in my humble opinion.
Brin is clearly a master at imagining and developing science fictional concepts, and his writing is certainly polished and professional. The aliens are particularly well-drawn here, with each race being given its own unique character - some stranger than others - and this goes a long way toward clarifying why the Galactics are apparently constantly at war - something that was left too vague for me in Startide Rising.
The idea of uplift is still the central factor, of course, and this book does bring that concept to a solid maturity, and fills in many of the details that were sketchy in the earlier volumes. And there are some additional SF ideas that would be enough to form the core of a simpler book, but here serve as throwaway ideas that add to the richness of the world building.
The actual story, however, I found strangely tedious, and given the length of this book, it’s a particularly extended tedium. All the elements of a decent story are here, but for me they just unspooled painfully slowly. The sense of tension when moving from one sub-plot to another - something that goes unnoticed when it’s done well - is largely lacking.
Some characters are pleasantly complex - Fiben and Gailet in particular were interesting and fun to sympathize with. And the Gubru had a consistent note of bizarre otherness that made them at least intriguing, if also villainous. Others were less well-developed though, in particular Robert, who I found flat and uninteresting.
Overall, it was enjoyable enough for the nicely done SF elements, but I was less impressed with the story construction and pace, and I found it longer than it needed to be.
Brin is clearly a master at imagining and developing science fictional concepts, and his writing is certainly polished and professional. The aliens are particularly well-drawn here, with each race being given its own unique character - some stranger than others - and this goes a long way toward clarifying why the Galactics are apparently constantly at war - something that was left too vague for me in Startide Rising.
The idea of uplift is still the central factor, of course, and this book does bring that concept to a solid maturity, and fills in many of the details that were sketchy in the earlier volumes. And there are some additional SF ideas that would be enough to form the core of a simpler book, but here serve as throwaway ideas that add to the richness of the world building.
The actual story, however, I found strangely tedious, and given the length of this book, it’s a particularly extended tedium. All the elements of a decent story are here, but for me they just unspooled painfully slowly. The sense of tension when moving from one sub-plot to another - something that goes unnoticed when it’s done well - is largely lacking.
Some characters are pleasantly complex - Fiben and Gailet in particular were interesting and fun to sympathize with. And the Gubru had a consistent note of bizarre otherness that made them at least intriguing, if also villainous. Others were less well-developed though, in particular Robert, who I found flat and uninteresting.
Overall, it was enjoyable enough for the nicely done SF elements, but I was less impressed with the story construction and pace, and I found it longer than it needed to be.