by Erich Rosenberger M.D.

Created on: January 19, 2010

Although mankind may be the dominant intelligent species on the planet, there are certainly other species that are quite capable in their own ways. So what if dolphins and chimpanzees were able to fly starships? That's the premise of David Brin's Startide Rising. Startide Rising is a science fiction novel written in 1983. It was a rare winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards and put David Brin on the map with some of the best sci-fi authors in the last 25 years.

Startide Rising is the second book in the "Uplift" series by David Brin. The first book in this Universe was Sundiver, and Brin continues to write about events in this Universe for a total of six novels. Having mentioned that, it is quite possible to read Startide Rising without having read Sundiver - the events are quite separate and not linear in storyline.

The plot of Startide Rising revolves around a starship called The Streaker. The Streaker found a fleet of ancient alien starships, and consequently was told by Earth to go in to hiding. They find themselves being chased by just about every mean and depraved alien species in the Galaxy, and boy are there a lot of those.

The Streaker crash lands on an alien planet and attempts to hide from those that are trying to capture it so the secret of the lost fleet can be revealed. Oh, and did I mention that a good portion of the crew of The Streaker are genetically enhanced dolphins and chimpanzees? In the world created by Brin, species "Uplift" pre-sentient species such as dolphins (Brin calls them NeoFins). That's just the way of the Universe.

Brin is a masterful storyteller. The neo-dolphins and neo-chimps are fascinating characters, and quite hard to pull off successfully. Brin does a great job making the reader understand that the way these creatures think is not quite the same as humans. They have very different ways of looking at the world - adding a fair amount of depth and texture to the universe of Startide Rising.

The plot of Startide Rising moves along at a good pace. The novel is not overly long, but it does take it's time to tell a compelling story. At no point will a fan of good science fiction find themselves bored with the action. Besides, where else can you find a book that has dolphins with laser beams attached to their heads chasing each other around an alien ocean. Not many places I suspect.

I wholeheartedly recommend Startide Rising for fans of epic science fiction. There is a little of everything in this book - large space battles, aliens galore, and great characters who you will come to know quite well. Give it a read and enjoy the ride!

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