Rating: 
Summary: Book 2 of a Great Saga
Review: Currently, there are six books in Brin's Uplift saga. It's kind of hard to categorize these books as elements of a series, though. The first three books in the saga, "Sundiver," "Startide Rising," and "The Uplift War," are not really a trilogy or a series in the normal sense. Instead, "Sundiver" relates to the rest of the saga as Tolkien's "The Hobbit" relates to his "Lord of the Rings:" it sets the stage for all the rest of the books in the saga. "Startide Rising" and "The Uplift War" describe completely different plotlines originating from the same event far distant, time wise and space wise, from "Sundiver". In a pinch, you could read these books in any order and not really miss anything. They describe different points in time and space of the same Universe. Of course, the best order is the one listed, above.
Unlike the first three books in the saga, the second three books DO form a series. The first of this trilogy, "Brightness Reef," picks up with yet another totally independent plotline and brand new characters. However, it does contain a central character who ties the first three books into this set. Unfortunately, Brin doesn't say, specifically, who that character is until the very end of the book. Even worse, the last time the character was used was so far back in the saga that it's hard to remember anything about him. The remaining two books, "Infinity's Shore" and "Heaven's Reach," continue sequentially from the first and form a tightly knit trilogy with no breaks in time.
None of these books is "happy" or "light reading." For the most part, they're all intense, heavily detailed and fully characterized books. "Sundiver" is the least "heavy" and most lacking in the realistic feel of the rest of the books. But, for the most part, if you like "Sundiver," you'll definitely want to continue with the rest of the saga. Even if you don't like "Sundiver," I highly recommend you read at least "Startide Rising:" it has an entirely different feel to it and might be more to your liking. This saga is just too important to miss out on. As a whole, it's one of the great works of science fiction and one of the few pieces of science fiction that belong in the class of true literature.
The following are some comments on the individual books:
Sundiver: Somewhat different from the other books in the saga in that it's more of a science fiction mystery than a science fiction drama. This book sets the stage for the rest of the saga as it chronicles events that happen several hundred years before what happens in the other books. About the only thing negative I can come up with is that I wish Brin had written several prequels to it so we could read about the earlier adventures of Jacob Demwa that are referenced in this book.
Startide Rising: This book focuses on the group that starts all the other events noted in the remaining books of the saga. Though the main characters start off in a very bad way, Brin does a good job of moving them forward, and upward, throughout the book.
The Uplift War: The events in this book start from the same event that kicks off "Startide Rising." But, other than that, the two books are totally independent. Like "Startide Rising," Brin produced a gripping plot, great character development, and a good progression towards a positive goal.
Brightness Reef: This is definitely not a happy book. It starts out with many non-pleasant activities and fights its way forward from there. The biggest problem I have with it is that it's very hard to see how anything good or positive is going to happen to the main characters, no matter how much they try.
Infinity's Shore: First, the negative: once this book starts, it's very apparent that a whole lot of relevant stuff has been happening elsewhere that we missed. Essentially, there's at least one entire book that sounds extremely interesting that's missing from the saga. Brin fills in most of this back-story during this book and "Heaven's Reach." But, I'd sure like to have read that missing book. On the positive side, this book re-introduces us to old friends and subtly changes the focus to them. Everything's still happening in the same place with mostly the same characters, but the attitude changes and becomes more can-do.
Heaven's Reach: One difficulty with this book is due to how it continues from the previous book. It's merely a change of venue instead of a new set of adventures. A quote from one of the main characters near the end of this book sort of sums up my feelings about it: "...what will one more worry matter? I've long passed the point where I stopped counting them." Essentially, by the time this book and saga starts winding down (and even at the point of that quotation, it really hasn't started that yet), the reader is totally fatigued by never-ending problems. I really like these works, but the lack of a tie-up between "Infinity's Shore" and this book is grinding.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a fine Science Fiction Book
Review: I picked this book up while deployed in Kosovo and have to say that it was far better than I expected. In respects to the last reviewer - Rowling and Pullman are *brilliant* - (particularly Pullman) - but if you enjoy their style of Fantasy - you'll likely have a more difficult time with Brin's harder edged and more mature science fiction. The story of the Streaker and it's mixed dolphin and human crew is one that combines grand space opera themes, genetic uplift, terraforming, an ancient progenitor race, and a mysterious armada of giant space craft lost for millenia.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have rediscovered Brin as an excellent novelist and futurist. The guy has a PHD in Astrophysics (and it shows) - and can write with amazing fluency. If you like hard-sci-fi - you likely already know Brin. If you're a infrequent sci-fi reader and tend to lean toward fantasy - you might not get into Brin's stuff - that's too bad, as Startide Rising is a jewel.
Rating: 
Summary: I read this for the 2nd time and did not enjoy it very much
Review: I read this book when I was a kid in junior high and thought that it was about as interesting as can be. I guess that as you age your tastes change and the need for solid prose becomes stronger. If you have a kid and are looking for a book to give them oriented in science fiction, I still believe that this would meet your criteria. But it still does not meet the standards of other fantasy writers who have come along over the last few years producing masterpieces for children that also engage adults. Rowling and Phillip Pullman both achieve very readable and very adult oriented works that surpass `Startide Rising.' Heinlein would be an author that I would throw out for someone who has yet to discover the joys of Science Fiction. I think that it is becoming difficult to find authors that transcend just plain bad writing and produce an engrossing work of SF. The last couple of generations have not produced many good writers in this regard. Brin is not one of these writers. As bad as `Startide Rising' was as an adult writer, it still surpasses his other work that won't allow for a reader to get past a few painful chapters before putting the book aside. This book does have an interesting take or two that alows for one to imagine, which is the key ingredient to SF in my opinion, but it is overshadowed by plain bad writing.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: An action packed, intriguing space opera (in the very best sense). A starship crewed by uplifted dolphins and humans stumbles upon an important discovery and gets stranded on a water world with half the galaxy's genocidal monsters after its secrets.
Imaginative aliens, suspense on every level. Highly recommended. If you like this book, I also recommend A Fire Upon the Deep.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Compelling Sci-Fi
Review: In 'Startide Rising,' David Brin imagines a vast universe full of extra terrestrials and rich histories. The human and dolphin protagonists of the novel find themselves caught within a galactic war, but the plot focuses on the more intimate struggles of the starship crew and their exploration of a mysterious water world. Mr. Brin infuses his book with a motley cast of likeable characters, interesting plot twists, and some genuinely tense fight scenes. This excellent combination makes 'Startide Rising,' if not a real classic, a fun and fast-paced adventure novel well worth reading. The novel's ending, however, leaves several major plot points hanging (no doubt concluded in subsequent novels) and diminishes the intelligence of the villains in favor of a happy ending. Despite these minor flaws, 'Startide Rising' remains a compelling and enjoyable read -- especially if you're looking for a good sci-fi novel to relax with at the beach.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great ones!
Review: Reading Startide Rising was as much fun as I have had with a Science Fiction novel. It is fast paced as well as epic in scope, with interesting charactors. I won't try to summarize the plot here, many of the other reviews have done this already.
It can certainly be read as a stand alone novel, however both Uplift Trilogies are worth reading (the only average book in the series was Sundiver - the first, which takes place generations before the rest of the novels).
I loved this book when I was 16 and I love it now that I am slugging through my mid thirties!
Rating:
Summary: Keeps getting better and better as it progresses
Review: David Brin has invented an interesting universe in which to set his "Uplift" (also known as "Earthclan") series. It is a crowded universe - sort of Star Wars-esque in its level of weird and wonderful inhabitants. The variety arises from a tradition of Uplift, wherein a sentient species genetically modifies another species so it can attain sentience as well. The uplifted species' debt: 100,000 years of indentured servitude! The added wrinkle: every species that is currently uplifting others was itself uplifted in the distant past. This is an ancient universe where innovation consists solely of hunting through the galactic library looking for forgotten information. Humanity enters this universe with two distinct differences: an abhorance of slavery, and a skill at innovation that is alarming to the pompous patron races of the galaxy. Mankind has uplifted two species: dolphins and chimps. They have set them free as equals (instead of demanding the 100,000 years of slavery), further appalling the elder races. However, all of this information is background - it's a testament to Brin's skill that he weaves all this background into the story (along with the introduction of numerous extraterrestrial races) without specifically devoting long passages to it. The main plot - a dolphin-crewed ship (along with a few human overseers) has discovered a derelict fleet. As they try to head back to Earth with the info, they are ambushed by many E.T.'s intent on stealing their find. The ship seeks refuge on a water-covered planet as the crew tries to make repairs and escape their pursuers (who battle each other in space overhead). This is just the start of the adventure, however, and Brin's great skill in this book is to take a very complex universe, and keep adding more and more layers of complexity - the refuge planet is not all it seems, for example, nor are all the dolpihin crewmembers, many of whom start to crack under the pressure. It's hard to describe why this book is so good without going into technical details. Therefore, I'll just say it's a great science fiction achievement, and well-deserving of all the awards it's received.
Rating:
Summary: Topnotch escapism, but don't expect anything more
Review: This is the second volume of Brin's Uplift Trilogy. The first volume, Sundiver, is only notable for introducing the concept of the Uplift - the idea that a scientifically advanced race will eventually learn enough about genetic engineering that they'll be able to "uplift" other species to higher levels of intelligence. An entire galactic civilization is presented wherein uplift is a common practice, and a species' status is based on the number of "client" races they have successfully uplifted. Startide Rising features a spaceship crewed primarily by dolphins, although there are some men and a chimpanzee scientist also on board. This particular crew has accidentally stumbled upon an ancient secret that will shake galactic politics to its foundations, although they don't really understand the implications themselves. What is clear is that a wild assortment of alien races are after this ship, and have forced it to land on an out of the way planet in order to take what they want. Unlike Sundiver, which stood pretty much on its own, this book is explicitly part of a larger series. Lots of questions about an overall galactic conflict are never resolved in this novel and while a complete story is told, there is no shortage of loose ends that could be picked up in further sequels, notably volume three, The Uplift War. Perhaps the greatest shortcoming of this installment is that Brin seems satisfied to develop the ideas introduced in Sundiver, rather than present more exciting new concepts. And while Brin's ideas and imagination are exceptional, the same can't be said about his writing, which still shows flaws in this, only his second novel. In particular, his tendency to overcomplicate gets away from him here, causing him to create too many characters and lose focus on the essential pieces of his story. He tries to control this problem through the technique of breaking the novel into over 100 subchapters, each named after the character whose point of view we are seeing. This not only helps us keep track of the different plot threads that each character is pursuing, but also keeps this longish novel engaging even through the long middle section. But the characters themselves are not very memorable - perhaps one should give Brin credit for being able to give a dolphin any personality at all, and never mind a two-dimensional one. And let's be honest, if you want character-driven literature, you're probably not reading sci-fi/fantasy anyway. Still, while this book is recommended as topnotch escapism, don't let its awards fool you into expecting anything more from it.
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