Rating: 
Summary: Complexity out of control
Review: Heaven's Reach is a must-read for any fan of David Brin: an enjoyable, fast-paced novel that manages to explain many mysteries introduced earlier in the series.However, the complexity and inventiveness of the Uplift Universe finally overwhelms author David Brin. So many characters, story lines and mysteries enrich this world, yet they confound Brin's attempts to tie any more than a handful of many loose ends. Many questions are answered, certainly, but this "concluding" work ends with as many cliffhanging elements as any other book in the series. One is left to wonder whether Brin has ever fully outlined the story, or if he is rather writing from the seat of his pants. If the latter, he pays for this creative freedom by sacrificing the opportunity to bring his tale to a fully satisfying conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: The weakest in the series
Review: I could not get enough of this series, and eagerly looked forward to each new book as it was published. Then this one was released and the whole story seemed to fall apart. It just didn't fit for me - I should have stopped at book 5. Brin seems to have rushed through the later parts of this book, and not taken the time or attention to detail that the earlier books had. Perhaps if it had been spread out into two books, it would have been a more fullfilling read.
Rating: 
Summary: A fitting finale to a brilliant series.
Review: In the first five books of the Uplift series David Brin treated us to the multitude of races populating the five galaxies. But these were all oxy races, the oxygen breathers. He has alluded to other races in previous books, but always kept them on the fringes. In this thrilling finale to the Uplift series we are treated by introduction to the Hydrogen breathers, the Mechanoid life forms, members of the retired order from the Fractal world, Memetic life forms of folded space, and we are given a glimpse into the transcendant order of life. In doing so Brin demonstrates the wonderful symmetry of the universe he has created. He shows us that the universe is constantly in transition and is not the fixed system of the previous books. The core tale of Streker and her cargo of progenitor relics, and the inhabitants of the Sooner Colony on Jijo is continued to a gripping conclusion. The Siege of Earth, political squabbles, the outbreaks of religious fundamentalism and the fate of a small group of earthlings and jijoans are all resolved in this final offering. At this stage all I can say is that this was a daunting project from the beginning for the reader. I can only imagine what it was like for the Author. It came off brilliantly and must stand in the annals of great science fiction. Well Done David Brin! (Applause Applause, Bravo!)
Rating:
Summary: A Couple Stars Short of a Nebula
Review: Dr. Brin is simply one of the best SF writers around--and the Uplift Series ranks right up there with the Foundation Series. But unfortunately Heaven's Reach doesn't reach the level of the other books in the series. It feels like he took one long novel and split it in thirds, and thus lost some of the story's momentum. Also, Heaven's Reach seems rushed in places, almost like Brin was tired of this story and wanted to get it over so he could tell another yarn in this vast tapestry of sapient evolution. And the Gaia-concept of co-mingled evolution has been done to death, starting with the Good Doctor's (Asimov) own take on it in his add-ons to the original Foundation Series. But for all the flaws in the storytelling, the story *does* imbue with reader with a sense of awe and wonder, in Brin's tantalizing glimpse into the final stages of evolution, the "Embrace of Tides." And we finally reach a resolution of the Streaker saga, though it's clear that a couple of loose threads are going to be picked-up and woven into new stories in upcoming novels. All in all, a moderately satisfying experience. Which is a shame, really, because we've come to expect so much more from Dr. Brin.
Rating:
Summary: Not what was promised
Review: I didn't want the answers to life, the universe and everything from this book. I wanted a meaningful conclusion to the story threads that had been introduced in proceeding books. I didn't get it, and some of the time I wasn't terribly clear on what was happening. "Infinity's Shore" showed that Brin is capable of writing a good, small-scale story that is based around characters, not galactic-scale events and mind-blowing concepts. That's where he should have stayed.
Rating: 
Summary: Highlights and Umbrage
Review: This is a great conclusion to the Uplift Saga. It is great not because of its writing style or technique or any other mechanical aspect. It is great because of the values expressed throughout the 2 trilogies and culminated at the ending of Heaven's Reach. The Terrans value what we value, the self made Clan. The Terrans value hard work and refuse to believe that all they have gained is due to the charity, the pity, and the fumbling of others. Whether they now exist or not in the 5 galaxies will be by their own grace and power, not the slave chains of any other clan. Heaven's Reach will explore the mysteries of the order of the Five Galaxies, and will further delve into an immense galactic history that has been covered up by the Institutes. The Streaker has been through the fires of stars and the ice of space, and they of all have more than deserved rest and reward. You must have empathy to know what the crew of the Streaker feel. And if you have the required empathy, you will find great satisfaction in the ending. Human ingenuity, determination, and will shall be pitted against the gigantic alliance of enemy Clans. And the Streaker will finally meet, in open battle, her tormentors. Jijo is like a paradise, a paradise where there is no racial hate, no open wars of extermination, and no contest for resources and worlds. Jijo is a place of cooperation, where the total is more than the sum of its races. The enemy clans favor brutality and loyalty to their fanaticism. Earth favors respect for their clients and individual will.
Rating:
Summary: Be thankful we got THIS much...
Review: This final book in the Uplift Storm trilogy picks up where the story left off: fugitives on the run, asking for help from an unlikely ally. Where it ends I will not reveal, but suffice to say if you have read the companion to the Uplift universe (Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe) you will already have a bit too much information. Still, the culmunation of themes plus the new realm opened up (E Space) makes for entertaining reading. Of course, not everything is revealed, leaving some room for further story expansion. If you came this far, you should go all the way. Who knows, you may need the information someday...
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but not nearly as good as the first Uplift trilogy
Review: I read the entire second Uplift trilogy, but only because I have a completion compulsion. This made good commuter-train reading, but it was a disappointment after the first Uplift trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Brin's reach exceeds his grasp.
Review: Do not expect anything like a resolution to the events of StarTide Rising here. Brilliant, up-to-date space opera that unfortunately suffers from the Too Much Of A Good Thing syndrome that has bedeviled an awful lot of SF since Frank Herbert set the sequel-itis meme loose big time. In other words: bloat. Heaven's Reach would have benefitted more by including less -- less of repetition, less of dizzying detail, less of all that impressive multi-dimensional, multi-species, multi-incident "dross" that only frustrates the story's impetus and, sadly, obscures our interest in its characters. This novel is a mind-boggler, no doubt about that. Chock full of wonderful, awesome, cosmic ideas. But...get ready for the NEXT Uplift trilogy, no doubt cooking on Mr. Brin's already overheated word processor right now. And let's hope for the best from the rest!
Rating:
Summary: Sadly it all falls apart
Review: This entire book suffers from David Brin's worst fault. In my opinion David Brin is a fantastic author, who creates vivid, new ideas or tweaks old ones in a new way. His only fault, in my humble opinion, is his tendency to end a book very quickly. This novel I believe is the ending to a series and has a long line of events that make little to no sense. The book moves away from the planet Jijo and into outer space. Although being back with the Streaker again from "Startide Rising" is fantastic, its confused wanderings across the cosmos have little purpose. Additionally the characters that once illicited interest both on the Streaker and from Jijo are suddenly uninteresting. Overall I found this an unexciting conclusion to a series that had great premise - the conflict arising on Jijo seemed truly thrilling. All of Brin's other books I have read are truly worthy works, this is just a sad failing.
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