Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant!
Review: I just read Startide Rising for the second time, and again I was blown away by how fantastic it really is. This book is full of the ideas that make science fiction what it is: Interesting characters who have actual personalities instead of cookie-cutter mannerisms, a premise whose most intriguing elements are revealed slowly, pulling the reader along (I hate books that read like a bad made for tv movie!), and oh, about a hundred other things that make Startide a compulsively readable joy, more than worthy of the awards it has won (in spite of what Brin's detractors may say, they don't give Hugos and Nebulas to also-rans and bad writers).The basic plot is this: The neo-dolphin-crewed Earthship, Streaker, has put down on the ocean world of Kithrup to make repairs. Streaker is being chased by a fractious, infighting consortium of galactics, who are after the potentially explosive cargo Streaker carries: possible evidence of the so-called Progenitors, who supposedly began the "Uplift" process which created all sapient beings in the known universe. (For those unfamiliar with Brin, Uplifting is the genetic engineering of presentient or near-sentient creatures, creating from basic root-stock intelligent, starfaring races. All starfaring races have uplift "patrons" -- except Terrans, which rankles the so-called galactics no end. For a more detailed explanation of all this, read the book!) Kithrup is a hostile world; its seas contain heavy mineral salts which irritate the dolphins' skin. Worse, their situation is so tense that some of the dolphins are beginning to go primal -- that is, to revert to their wild state. It is up to Streaker's command crew, plus human assistants Gillian Baskin and Tom Orley, and chimpanzee scientist Charles Dart, to effect repairs on the ship, somehow escape the vast armada battling for the right to their cargo, and make it back to Earth. That's the plot, and it seems kind of goofy on the face of it, doesn't it? Nothing could be futher from the truth, in fact! David Brin is a writer of immense skill and artistry, and turns what could have been a farce in lesser hands into a grand, fantastic, idea-rich story, a space opera worthy of the name. Startide is complex, full of plots and subplots, motives and murder, humor and heroics, and I've rarely read a better book, in any genre, in my life. As just one example, since my time is short and my space is limited, let me offer the character of Captain Creideiki, the dolphin leader of the Streaker crew. Creideiki is one of the most fascinating characters ever created in a science fiction novel. He is a strong leader, wise and brave, with a metaphysical bent that nevertheless does not interfere when practical matters need taking care of. He is as complex and well-rendered as any of the human characters in Startide -- such as the impressively-rendered Toshio, or the Terragens Council agent Tom Orley, on whose heroics everything hinges ... but back to Credeiki. It is his journey through the story that is the most compelling, and kept me flipping through page after page -- more than anything, almost more than Streaker's fate, I wanted to know what happened to Creideiki next! It is rare for me to care so much about the fate of a non-human character, and that Brin was able to pull this off speaks volumes for his abilities as a writer. I could go on and on -- one of the problems with writing about Startide is that it's SO rich in events and ideas, that it's simply impossible to cover everything I want to cover. From the incredible secret of Kithrup to the secret hidden by a select few of the Streaker dolphins, Startide Rising contains surprise after astonishing surprise, and it is no less rich the second time around than it was the first. I have little doubt that in fifty years or so, Startide (as well as the rest of the Uplift Saga) will be mentioned in the same breath as the Foundation Series, the Rama series, and the Dune saga. It's that good -- no, strike that. It's that great. (Postscript: I've learned from Brin's home page that Startide has been optioned for a film adaptation! I can't imagine how anybody could pull that off without turning it into a glorified version of Flipper -- but even though I'm sure nothing good will come of it, I'm hoping whoever makes the attempt will prove me wrong. Remain In Light -- Phrodoe.)
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: "Startide Rising" was the first book I read by David Brin (picked at random from a bookstore shelf). I hadn't even read the first book in the series but I couldn't put it down, because the idea of "Uplift" and humanity's role in this new universe just grabbed my attention. I recommend it to anyone, whether or not you have read any of Brin's other books. If you like science-fiction, I think you'd like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Sci-Fi
Review: It only gets better. I was prepare to labor thorugh this second book of this series, it would be hard to come to the mark that SUNDIVER set, Brin surpassed the mark. The array of characters, the depth of enteraction, I read it strait through. It's years later with a completely new cast not just dragging out the orginal story. Another amazing novel in Brin's universe of Uplift
Rating:
Summary: great sci fi, based on a grand scheme
Review: THis is one of the funnest sci fi books I ever read: it has good characters as well as highly imaginative conceptions of both the use of genetic science and the galactic order. It really captured my imagination and set me on a long spree of reading Brin's books. His writing is also crisp and fresh with good dialogue. Get it.
Rating:
Summary: Superb, simply the best I've read in years!
Review: Taut, exciting, well-written, all that good stuff! When you read a lot of sf you get a bit blase; there seems to be nothing new under the suns. But this book-- wow! Original concepts *and* great plotting and characterization! Hats off to David Brin for this one. (As a note: this was the first Uplift novel I read, but I had no trouble following it.)
Rating: 
Summary: The second read was great!
Review: This novel was one of the best science fiction books I have ever read, brilliant on so many different levels. Unfortunately it was also very hard to follow, and although I enjoyed it greatly the second time, if I had rated it earlier I would have given it a three. If you do not know, David Brin's Uplift universe follows a really creative concept: what if all of the alien races were uplifted to sentience, going back in terms of ancestors to a pseudo mythical race called the Progenitors? What if the earthlings don't have a sponsor race (of course we don't we are human after all!) This makes his universe rich and diversified (I still think the battle segments are my favourite part of this novel), also rather literary - the poetical influence of the dolphins, especially the captain creates a novel that actually attempts to be something higher and succeeds. Great description, sometimes great characters (although even a few of the dolphins are obviously stock characters) and a startling new vision. This novels only faults are the confusing plot and jumbled action. This is the only reason I gave it four stars (five stars is hard to manage!)
Rating:
Summary: Good, fascinating.
Review: "Startide rising" is a good book. Personally, I found it too stretched out, too long: it could have been much better without a 150 pages. And, as others reviewers said, you don't have to expect a satisfaying ending. But I read it all with moments of real fascination, expecially the underwater scenes. Although many things seem to be irrilevant to the book, and I would have cut them ( such as many poems or aliens talking about their culture or many minor storylines ), I think "Startide rising" was well worth reading. I won't read the other books of the series, though.
Rating:
Summary: A Highly Recommended Story
Review: This is one of my favorite stories. The author shows a real talent for writing a suspenseful story that is also comprehensive to a new reader. The characters are realistic, so you can relate to how they deal with their problems, but at the same time they fit into the futuristic world around them. This isn't a hard book to read, but it creates the challenge of seeing the story from each characters' point of view. The ending is a little ambiguous, but many questions I had were answered when I read the rest of the books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Irritating
Review: This book annoys me. Ok, the story is actually interesting, but the author doesn't tell the WHOLE story. This book would make indeed a very good second book in a trilogy, but the other two books in THIS trilogy do not tell the REST of this story. It's like a great epic is happening, and we are invited to look into only a brief chapter of this epic. A small spaceship and it's crew of (mostly) dolphins, a few humans and a single chimp are fleeing huge fleets of the galactic super-powers. We are told what caused said powers to do this, but not why. We are hinted at a story of valor, cleverness and mystery that we never get to see. The spaceship lands on the ocean (pun intended) of a supposedly unoccupied planet, and start exploring it, in search of materials needed for the repairs of the ship, if they are to have any chance of fleeing. Of course, first they'll have to figure out a way of leaving the planet without being captured or simply shot down by the aliens. The exploration also yields a small mystery about the planet, the importance of which is deemed purely academic by the crew (which have a share of academics, so that's not exactly a problem :). The aliens, meanwhile, give enough time for all of the above to happen by going at each other's throats for the prize of capturing the earthling ship. This story, we get told. Unfortunately, we *don't* get told how the *rest* of the voyage home goes, aside from being hinted to be every bit as adventurous as this part. The same thing goes for one of the main characters. In much the same way as in Sundiver, the character is experienced and pivotal figure in a number of other very important and seemingly interesting adventures. Which is all good, except that the author hints just a bit TOO much, getting us interested in tales that are not going to get told. If not for this "middle of the story" style, I'd rate this book four stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Strictly mediocre
Review: I figured that any Nebula winner would be a guaranteed good read, but I couldn't have been more foolish. Perhaps in 1983 it was considered innovative to prophesy about genetically engineering other animals into sentience, but this theme has been worn into cliche long ago. No new insights here. The characters are unengaging; the heroes take forever to say their lines, and the villians are either too idiotic or just plain alien to generate a strong sense of revulsion. This is not a terrible book, it's quite average, but why waste your time reading something that isn't spectacular? There is much better sci-fi out there, skip Startide Rising and anything else by David Brin. I would suggest the Dune series if you haven't read it yet, but the all-time best is Hyperion by Dan Simmons. You might also consider reading the Lord of the Rings to get ready for the upcoming movie.
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