Everyone loves dolphins. And chimps. And everyone loves spaceships. And adventures. So, in the mid-1980s, when David Brin put dolphins, chimps, and humans in spaceships, and dropped them into the middle of a rip-snorting adventure, I (and a lot of other people) immediately jumped on board. And what a wonderful ride it was.
I have loved dolphins for a long time. My first encounter with them, outside of pictures in books, was on the TV show Flipper, which aired in the mid-1960s. My first real-life encounter with dolphins was at the Florida Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. And when I served in the Coast Guard, nothing made a day at sea better than when a pod of them would approach the cutter and dance on the bow wave. Dolphins often look like they are unfettered by gravity as they cut through the seas or launch themselves into the air—so picturing dolphins in space is not hard at all. I don’t know how or where David Brin first encountered dolphins (although I imagine, as a Californian, he had opportunities to do so). But his science fiction influences are clear. After reading Startide Rising, I suspected that Brin, like me, grew up reading all sorts of Golden Age science fiction, books by folks like Clarke, Asimov, Anderson, Bester, Wells, Blish, and Heinlein, something I recently confirmed by poking around on his website. Few books written in the 1980s did as good a job as Brin’s work of recreating the good old “sense of wonder” that I remember from my youth.
About the Author
David Brin (born Glen David Brin in 1950) is a California-based scientist and futurist, following in the footsteps of the many science fiction authors who not only speculate about the future, but help shape it. He works as a consultant for a wide variety of governmental and private organizations.
He burst onto the science fiction scene in the 1980s and was quickly seen as one of the leading voices in the field. Among his first, and most influential, works were the Uplift series, which started with Sundiver in 1980, Startide Rising in 1983, and The Uplift War in 1987. The latter two books won the Hugo Award. This was followed by a trilogy consisting of Brightness Reef in 1995, Infinity’s Shore in 1996, and Heaven’s Reach in 1998. His 1985 post-apocalyptic novel The Postman became widely known outside the science fiction field when Kevin Costner made a movie based on the book. The movie was not well received by the critics and was a financial failure, but was praised for its positive tone and uplifting message about people working together. One of my favorite Brin books is Earth (1990), which I remember kept me up most of the night in a barracks room during a reserve weekend. His output has become less prolific in recent years, which is our loss.
Brin was one of three writers popular in the latter decades of the 20th Century (the other two are Gregory Benford and Greg Bear) who because of their ubiquity and the first letters of their names gained the nickname “Killer B’s.” Since 2004, Brin has written a blog, Contrary Brin, where he shares information on scientific developments, and offers political commentary as well, some of it quite passionate.
The Uplift Universe
In Brin’s future history, as humans begin to reach beyond Earth, they also begin to experiment with other species on the planet to encourage them to sapience. This includes dolphins and chimpanzees. Mankind then finds that the stars are filled with sentient races, races whose histories sometimes stretch back billions of years. The human race, however, represents an immediate mystery to these Galactic aliens. Throughout history, senior patron races have been ‘uplifting’ other races to sapience, and those junior races then serve them through a kind of indenture system. This is similar to what humans have been doing with dolphins and chimpanzees, although while the humans try to treat their junior races as equals, some Galactics treat the junior races as little more than slaves. While uplifting other species confers the humans status as a patron race, there is no sign that the human race has a patron of its own. This makes humans a ‘wolfling’ race, and without patrons, the humans are at a disadvantage in the chaotic civilization that spans the stars.
The Galactic organization called the Five Galaxies makes the Earth’s somewhat ineffective United Nations look like a well-oiled machine by comparison. Its bureaucracies, or Institutes, set parameters for interaction between races, but war and other conflicts are common. As often as not, rather than laws guiding actions, might makes its own right. Many races rely upon the Library, a gigantic collection of ancient knowledge, rather than engaging in scientific research or experimentation. There are legends of a race called the Progenitors, who first developed the process of uplifting, but little is known about them. The emergence of humans has created new conflict among the Five Galaxies, with some races favoring the humans, while others see them either as an abomination or as liars who for some reason are concealing their true patrons. The challenges the races of Earth face are further complicated by the fact that extra-sensory powers are not only possible, but have been refined by some of the races that oppose them.
Partnering with dolphins and chimpanzees, humans are reaching out to the stars, and rather than depending on the Library, they are using research ships to explore the universe and verify the information they have been given. And there is some reason to believe that not all the information is accurate, or has been corrupted with malicious intent. The humans resist simply using existing technologies developed by others, and have made some new discoveries thanks to their efforts—which marks them as either creative innovators, or disruptors of the status quo, depending on the perspective of the races that are observing them.
Streaker, one of Earth’s research vessels, is a mix of Galactic and human technologies, modified with some interesting adaptations in order to best serve its various crewmembers. While dolphins normally live in water and breath air, because of the difficulties posed by keeping air and water separated in zero gravity, many compartments are filled with a highly oxygenated water that can be ‘breathed’ by the dolphins. And while gravity control is possible, the humans have also designed the ship with internal centrifugal wheels that can simulate gravity in a more low-tech manner. The ship is armed, as are most vessels in the anarchic Five Galaxies, but is not a military vessel.
Startide Rising
Like many of the best adventure stories, we enter the story in mid-stream, with our heroes in peril and the action in progress. The narrative also jumps from viewpoint to viewpoint, building tension as we wonder what is happening to characters who are offstage while we’re spending time with others. These viewpoints are numerous, as Brin throws a dizzying variety of characters and races into the mix. We meet the crew of Earth ship Streaker on the run and hiding in the seas of the planet Kithrup. The first character we meet is human Gillian Baskin, an agent of the human Terragens Council. She and her fellow human agent Thomas Orley are charged to provide advice and guidance to the dolphin crew, led by Captain Creideiki.
Streaker has sent out exploration crews, including one led by Keepiru, their best pilot, accompanied by Toshio, a human midshipman. This mission is intended to find out more about their hiding place, but also seems to an instinctive reaction of the explorers upon landing on a new world. Following the interactions of the team, we learn more about the dolphins, their language, their relationship with the humans, their attitudes and ways of thinking. We find that the humans have discovered an ancient lost fleet, which may have been the fabled Progenitors. When Streaker had sent word to Earth, the reply had been simple, “Go into hiding. Await orders. Do not reply.” But somehow, the Galactics found out about the discovery, and soon Streaker was ambushed, damaged, on the run, and in need of repairs. In orbit around Kithrup, Galactic forces are clashing and at the same time searching for the human ship—among them are Tandu forces, seething in their hatred of the humans and their junior races.
The reader is introduced to Takkata-Jim, newly promoted to Vice Captain after his predecessor was killed in action, and not quite up to the challenges of his new position. We learn that Tom Orley is able to consult with an artificial intelligence that was provided by the Tymbrimi, a Galactic race sympathetic to the humans. In contrast to the Tymbrimi, we meet the Soro, Jophur, Thennanin, other races that have no love for humans. We’re introduced to another human crew member, Doctor Metz, an arrogant geneticist who has helped breed many of the dolphin crew members, and who has been experimenting in ways that will have disastrous consequences. The explorers find that the planet, which is strange in ways they can’t explain, is inhabited by a species that has reached the hunter-gatherer state of developing, seemingly ripe for uplift by some patron race. We also meet Charles Dart, a chimpanzee member of Streaker’s crew so focused on his science that he wants to use nuclear charges to measure the seismic impacts, disregarding the fact that Streaker is in hiding.
The crew of Streaker, divided into exploration teams, is also riven by internal conflicts, and breaking into factions. Some want to support the Captain, who is determined to stay true to their orders, while others are willing to cut deals with some faction of the Galactics in order to survive. Humanity, eager not to treat the other races like slaves, has pushed the dolphins to think and act for themselves, but they had not counted on the incredible stresses Streaker’s crew is under, and not counted on the fact that Doctor Metz had been experimenting by mixing the genes of other species with those of dolphins. Captain Creideiki and Thomas Orley come up with a plan to encase Streaker in the shell of a downed Galactic ship, but this is a desperate stratagem with little chance of success.
Before the book ends, the crew of Streaker will have to uncover the mysteries of the planet Kithrup, fight the aliens trying to capture them, and overcome internal strife as well. They will need every bit of their skill and ingenuity, and will be lucky if even a few of them can survive the challenges that face them.
Final Thoughts
Startide Rising is one of the books that I remember most fondly, out of all I have read, and rereading it thirty years later proved just as enjoyable as the first time. I remain amazed at how many different characters and subplots Brin juggles without a misstep, and the way he keeps the tension and suspense high throughout. His portrayal of dolphins not only fits our current knowledge of the species, but extrapolated their uplifted sentience in a believable and compelling manner. Their thought processes are portrayed as delightfully alien to our way of thinking, and I enjoyed seeing how those differences helps Streaker face its many challenges. Brin’s Uplift universe is a harsh and unforgiving place, full of danger and hostile aliens, but also an excellent setting for adventure.
And now, as always, it’s time for you to chime in. What are your thoughts on Startide Rising? I couldn’t find much to complain about in the book, but perhaps some of you don’t have as fond an opinion. And what are your thoughts on The Uplift War, Brightness Reef, Infinity’s Shore and Heaven’s Reach, the other books in the Uplift universe? Are you, like me, hoping that Brin will revisit the setting at some point?
Alan Brown has been a science fiction fan for over five decades, especially fiction that deals with science, military matters, exploration and adventure.
I appreciated the “Killer B’s” work to reboot 80’s Hard SF and would consider Earth to be Brin’s most substantial work, though I agree that the Uplift trilogy is good fun. It has been a few years since I read them but recall liking the ambivalent handling of the obligatory Analog human exceptionalism. (Is “wolfling” a deliberate Gordon R. Dickson reference? It seems likely…)
The May 25 1981 Analog contained “The Tides of Kithrup”:
The uplift series is also one of my favorites. Not entirely sure that uplift would even be possible, or ethical, but it might happen as remediation for victims of illegal research.
There’s some fine stuff in Startide Rising, but I think the sexual-harassment subplot is going to seem even creepier now than it did at the time. (In my probably-imperfect recollection, one of the women characters is subject to continuous sexual harassment which everyone ignores because “she doesn’t realise the subtle ways she’s encouraging him” by showing signs of distress when it happens. Eventually she gets a boyfriend, which somehow causes the harassment to stop and spontaneously transforms the harasser into a trusted friend.)
@3 Your memory of a sexual harassment subplot are correct, and yes, it does read differently than it did in the past–a lot of people see what is going on, and the behavior is treated even by senior personnel as humorous, and not challenged the way it should be.
The neo-dolphins are often rough and tumble in their interactions with their fellows and the humans, which fits current dolphin behavior. Right from the start, dolphin pilot Keepiru continually harasses young human Toshio. And human biologist Dennie Sudman faces harassment from neo-dolphin anthropologist Sah’ot which is expressed by touching and teasing of a sexual nature.
In both cases, the harassment ends as everyone works together to survive, and gain respect for, and trust in, each other. While Toshio and Dennie become involved with each other, I don’t see that as what ends the harassment.
There’s quite an interesting connection between the “Killer Bs.” All of them were in San Diego together during part of this mini-renaissance they were part of. Bear grew up here and still lives here. Benford and Brin attended UCSD at the same time (Benford as a Physics PhD student, Brin as an undergrad). Brin’s Practice Effect starts off in the old Physics building at UCSD, and Benford uses “UC La Jolla” in several of his books. The science fiction book club at UCSD, Darkstar, had many future authors as members and was quite active at that time. While I was a student (much later) at UCSD, most of this was already receding into myth and legend. I later got to do some work with Benford (I’m a physicist) and he confirmed that these guys all met in San Diego, and doubled-down on Southern California in general being a premier location for collaboration (scientifically and creatively).
I’d forgotten about the harassment plot line in Startide. Given the through-the-grapevine stories I’ve heard about Brin’s behavior toward women at cons, he’s not someone I’d be highlighting in this day and age. I’ve specifically been told of two separate incidents of where women dumped drinks on him following inappropriate comments and/or touches. He’s someone on my mental ‘missing stair’ list.
I remember enjoying Startide Rising and the Uplift War quite a bit, and then going back to read Sundiver, which was also fun. It was exactly what I was in the mood for at the time — galaxy-spanning space opera with enough of a veneer of hard SF to keep it kind of respectable … (Much like, as it happens, the middle couple books of Benford’s Galactic Center series.)
@1 I don’t think I ever heard it called “human exceptionalism” before, but that is a good phrase to describe the Campbellian tendency to portray humans as more clever and adaptable than the aliens they encounter.
Alan, I’m posting here just to let you know that your reviews have become my booklist guide. So far I’ve immediately read at least 3 of your suggestions, and enjoyed them thoroughly, warts and all. Thank you for taking on this series of reviews.
@9 Thanks so much for the feedback. Glad to be able to assist you in finding good books!
@9: Which ones? Thinking back, the books I have read specifically because of this column include Sleeping Planet, The Forlorn Hope, The Best of Eric Frank Russell and Callahan’s Crazy Crosstime Bar.
@5: Benford and Brin weren’t at UCSD at the same time. Benford took his PhD in 1967, when Brin was all of 15, and was at Irvine by 1971. Brin also got his BS at Caltech. The author he overlapped at UCSD was Kim Stanley Robinson. I know that because Brin dropped in at an outdoor barbecue at my freshmen orientation to hand-sell Sundiver to a bunch of incoming freshmen and KSR was my freshman writing instructor.
@11; Not as many for me (yet), but they include today’s post as well as the last one (Agent of Change) and the first bi-monthly one (A Deepness in the Sky).
I still think the original Uplift trilogy is one of the finest examples of a broad-based universe with multiple alien races, perhaps right up there with Cherryh. I loved Startide Rising when I first read it in the 80s, went back and read Sundiver and then read The Uplift War when it came out. The last became one of my favorite books of all time for its interactions and humor, and the only book I’ve ever read which used 7 words I’d never encountered before. The first book of the second trilogy was a good continuation, but imho Brin jumped the shark after that, especially in the last book where he used a gigantic deus ex machina to resolve the plot–I was so disappointed because the first trilogy had led me to expect great things.
Also greatly enjoyed Earth. Also a big Liaden fan.
@3 There is a line that goes something like this:
“Nor did disapproving clicks over his pursuit of Dennie Sudman bother him. Long before uplift male dolphins had been fresh with women researchers. Its a long-standing tradition, he rationalized. Whatever was good enough for horny old Flipper is good enough for his brainy descendant.”
I would guess that Brin was basing Sah’ot on the behavior of real captive dolphins.
“Humanity, eager not to treat their patrons like slaves…”
Sorry to be a nit picker but the word you want to be using there is “clients”. We inherit the words and the concept behind them from the Romans. The patron was the superior, his clients his inferiors. The relationship was complex. It involved a balancing act of status, honor, support in political and other contexts and the exchange of gifts and favors.
@16 You are absolutely correct. That was an error on my part.
Remember, don’t piss off the Karrank%. That’ll be painful.
@16 and @17: I’ve reworded that sentence to fit a little better–thanks!
The Patron/Client relationship in Uplift reminds me of academia – particularly the advisor/doctoral candidate relationship.
20, except you start even before Kindergarten.
@15
There’s also this, which bothered me even as an unenlightened teenager when I first read the book:
“Also, there was this strange sexual game between Sah’ot and Dennie… Apparently Dennie wasn’t even aware of the subtle ways she was encouraging Sah’ot.”
The “subtle encouragement” consists of being visibly distressed and repeatedly telling Sah’ot to stop. The “correct” thing to do, according to the way the sub-plot is resolved, is not to react at all and continue as if the harassment isn’t happening. The more I think about what kind of people that attitude serves the less I like it.
I should say, by the way, that I remember all this because I like the novel. The dolphins are a bit twee, as fictional dolphins so often are, and Tom Orley is basically unbearable but the aliens are excellent and it’s nice piece of space opera overall. But it does no one any good to pretend there’s nothing wrong with it or to try to excuse the things that are wrong.
I didn’t re-read, but going on my memory of having read these books a long time back…..I remember thoroughly enjoying Sundiver, finding Startide Rising odd, but still interesting, and loathing Uplift War. My own personal opinion, as I remember it, is that Brin spent so much time and effort in showing us alien races as widely different from humanity as possible (hydrogen-based life forms as the culmination, I believe), that the story suffered under the scientific exploration he was performing in creating these races. The upshot is, I had a hard time caring for many of the characters, most especially in the last book of the series.
Though that is likely personal preference; I find hard sci fi sometimes difficult to enjoy, if the science in the book seems to take precedence to the story.
@22 What do you mean “things that are wrong.” The dolphin is morally wrong, the characters responding to him are morally wrong, or the book is morally wrong?
If working with dolphins really is like that (I wouldn’t know) a book about them should presumably reflect that.
I’m still waiting for James Cameron to direct the movies. Can someone please get on that?
In the discussion of the dolphin behavior in this book, it should perhaps be noted that this sort of sexual aggression had recently entered the general public consciousness. Swimming with the dolphins was just starting to be a thing, and there were reports of male dolphins “extending the finger of friendship” to women swimming with them. Carl Hiaasen even worked it into one of his early books, where a dolphin that was so aggressive he had to be isolated wound up killing a secondary bad guy by drowning the guy while essentially raping him.
@24, @26
I think the indifference of everybody in the novel to the obvious distress of a victim of sexual harassment is disturbing, in a way that I think reflects badly on the character of the author.
I’m not sure why you’re so stuck on the question of whether dolphins “really behave like that”. These are fictional talking dolphins and only one of them behaves like that. My point is that the novel treats harassment in a way I found odd at the time it was published and positively creepy now.
Now I’m reminded of kiniwullun, the Tymbrimi glyph for “boys will do what boys will do.” Even as a teenager reading The Uplift War, I thought it was used in a weird context. That said, I love the Uplift universe, and there’s female gems scattered across the entire series, from Gillian to Sara to Athaclena.
Since I review books from decades gone by, I sometimes find books that contain material, including things like racist and sexist attitudes, that might be offensive to modern readers. When I find that, I put a disclaimer into the review to warn folks. And the norms of society can change very quickly at times; even a few decades can make a big difference in attitudes. It is obvious to me in hindsight that such a statement should have been included in this review.
29, even more interesting is the “smoke breaks” that one finds in quite a few works, and some older books that include actual advertisements for them.
It’s worth pointing out that this line which disturbs many readers –
“Also, there was this strange sexual game between Sah’ot and Dennie… Apparently Dennie wasn’t even aware of the subtle ways she was encouraging Sah’ot.”
– is intended to be disturbing. It reflects the perspective of Dr. Ignacio Metz, a genetics researcher on the starship Streaker who tends to view other people in a way that is utilitarian at best and regressive at worst. He’s not a good guy and this line shows that, hinting at some other revelations about him that the reader and the rest of the crew slowly become aware of.
I happen to like the changes in what were deemed appropriate behaviour by men toward women, and in what were deemed correct responses to deviations from such, but that as this universe is amoral I don’t expect those changes to be permanent either. I will not impoverish myself by denying myself otherwise worthy art or craft whose execution or executors excite my disapprobation, I will take what were good and stay alert to what were bad or foul.
(Yes, that includes Lovecraft, Wagner, Riefenstahl.)
That being said, The Uplift War disappointed me greatly, in particular an human male being said to be unable do ‘sex’ with a female alien who but a paragraph back was said to have grown lips and breasts for their kissing and ‘petting’*, and a {three hundred}-page† tangent on humans’ supposèd evolution to run-down prey that is likely there only because D.B. wants you to know it.
*That’s likely squicky for some, but I’ve grown bits of my personality for my wife’s sexual sake, and would gladly grow any body parts she wanted if I could—see the old song “—and That’s My Weakness Now”, the Ukukele Ike and Helen Kane versions are, as of this writing, on YouTube®, at least as served to the U.S. .
†(subjective)