Startide Rising (The Uplift Saga, #2) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Mar 25, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera, 2022-shelf, top-one-hundred, worldbuilding-sf

Re-Read 11/20/22:

The kids are alright. Or rather, the Wolflings. Sure, a bit of atavistic regression, but damn, what a pressure cooker they’re under. :)

Honestly, I’m still amazed at how well this book holds up. I mean, across the board, it’s so intelligent, overflowing with alien species, great worldbuilding, amazing subtext on galactic-level slavery and racism, and above all… it’s deeply, deeply fascinating. I must have read this 6 or 7 times now and I’m always shocked at how rich it is, from t ...more

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Nov 20, 2022 Trish rated it it was amazing

One of those classics of the genre that my buddy-reader said I HAVE to know. I can see why.

We are in the future. Humanity has been "uplifted" (getting smarter and better equipped, not least thanks to access to the mysterious "library") and thus spread to several different planets. Moreover, humanity eventually uplifted species themselves: chimps and dolphins.
This book is about the neo-fins (the name for the uplifted dolphins).
You see, Earth managed to build their first spaceship without using t One of those classics of the genre that my buddy-reader said I HAVE to know. I can see why.

We are in the future. Humanity has been "uplifted" (getting smarter and better equipped, not least thanks to access to the mysterious "library") and thus spread to several different planets. Moreover, humanity eventually uplifted species themselves: chimps and dolphins.
This book is about the neo-fins (the name for the uplifted dolphins).
You see, Earth managed to build their first spaceship without using tech knowledge from the library. The captain is a dolphin. Then they stumble over a relic fleet and even manage to recover a "mummy". Might this have been the fleet of the mythical Progenitors? The very first species that didn't need to be uplifted but started all the uplifting business (yes, it'S a business as the uplifted become "clients" of their uplifters)? Oh, the possibilities, the knowledge to gain, the weaponry they could have had!
That's what everyone is thinking so the ETs (yes, extra-terrestrials is the word for all uplifted species not from Earth) so they are converging on the poor Terra-ship, Steaker, wanting at least a piece of the pie and thus endangering the crew.
The rest is evasion, tactics, hide-and-seek, betrayal, discovery, ...

The most impressive thing is the novel's age. It was penned and published in the 80s but starts off with a gay couple on the Streaker. It also nicely shows very entertaining and in no way surprising futuristic racism. We get religious fanatics, purists, and an assortment of very weird species!

I'm not sure which I liked more: the characterization or the worldbuilding. Though it's probably the latter despite the fact that certain acts had me shocked and almost teary-eyed a d there have been some less riveting parts. I also commend the author on his very creative and enjoyable revenge on a certain asshole. Muhahahahahahaha!

I can see why this is one of the classics of the genre and I think there should be a (new) compendium of all the races, perhaps new editions of the books or even an adaptation. Yes, we need more good scifi and this would be the perfect starting point. ...more

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Jun 12, 2020 DivaDiane SM rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, science-fiction, sfbr-2020-tbr-challenge

I enjoyed this quite a bit and raced through it (especially given I don’t have much alone time to listen to books)!! The narrator was painful slow and deliberate, so I was able to boost the speed to 1.6x original speed.

I found that if my attention wandered I tended to miss things, like from whose POV the chapter was written. Then, as a result, I was often confused about what was going on.

This book tested my usual lack of visualization and forced me to do so, which is not necessarily a bad thin ...more

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Jul 07, 2024 Cathy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2024

I read this a few years after it was published. Back then I liked it. Sentient dolphins were a huge draw. Even then I liked everything involving the ocean.

Humanity is part of a large universe full of uplifted species. There are patron races (the uplifters) and client races (uplifted). Uplifting another race adds status, being an uplifted client race means being beholden to one‘s patrons and having to be subservient for a certain time. Eventually the client race becomes a patron race as well, is I read this a few years after it was published. Back then I liked it. Sentient dolphins were a huge draw. Even then I liked everything involving the ocean.

Humanity is part of a large universe full of uplifted species. There are patron races (the uplifters) and client races (uplifted). Uplifting another race adds status, being an uplifted client race means being beholden to one‘s patrons and having to be subservient for a certain time. Eventually the client race becomes a patron race as well, is free of its own patrons and can uplift other races. Patron races eventually evolve and disappear (ascend?).

Humans are the odd ones out. They achieved sentience on their own, without being uplifted by another race. And they in turn uplifted chimpanzees and dolphins, without strings attached. The galactic equilibrium is disturbed, as this has never happened before — all sentient races have always been uplifted by others. The greatest mystery of all remains who uplifted humankind.

So much for the backstory.

The Terran exploration vessel Streaker has crashed in the uncharted water world of Kithrup, bearing one of the most important discoveries in galactic history. Below, a handful of her human and dolphin crew battles armed rebellion and a hostile planet to safeguard her secret--the fate of the Progenitors, the fabled First Race who seeded wisdom throughout the stars.
(I felt lazy, taken from the book blurb)

I liked the development of some of the dolphin characters. The tone of the narrative felt a little dated. Some of the deaths were tragic.

Spaceships filled partially with water, because dolphins! Dolphins flying spaceships is pretty cool. I wonder what water in spaceships does to the creating of ship gravity?

Great alien races! Most of them not very nice. Fighting each other over the right to grab our crashed crew of humans, uplifted dolphins and one uplifted chimpanzee. Who in turn not only have to figure out how to survive and get off that planet, but also have to deal with a rebellion in their own ranks, that turns pretty nasty.

I did not connect emotionally to the characters or the story, mainly because of the dated tone. 🐬🐬🐬

It’s very unlikely that I will continue with this series.

Hugo Award for Best Novel (1984), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1983), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1984) ...more

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