David Brin

Started out as an action/detective novel, but got very bogged down in Part 3--in fact, I just skimmed most of that. It became boring waiting for the dittoed aspects of the detective to all get together & do whatever they were going to do. Especially boring because the "mad scientist" character kept blathering on about his theory.[return]Reading The Golem by Isaac Bashevis Singer will give you referrant background for this tale of clones made from clay.[return]Not worth keeping this book. I picked up this book because I was curious how many ways he could indicate a photocopying process without using a brand name (the jacket blurb did use 'Xerox').… (more)

One of the single most fantastic works of imagination ever put into print. Won both the Nebula and Hugo, deservedly.

The biggest thing to get past is how much the book jumps around. Rather than a single ongoing plot, there are multiple smaller, occasionally exciting, occasionally mundane, things going on at roughly the same time and the book jumps around between different viewpoint characters.

Once you get used to that, you can settle in and enjoy Brin's take on how truly alien civilizations would think and interact, how a galactic-level society would function, how humanity and earth would fit into that picture, the thought process of scientists and explorers, and how much joy there is in learning and discovery. Brin has a unique, immediately recognizable writing style, where everything is wow!!! With frequent exclamation marks!!! It's like he's a giddy kid, holding up something to you and saying "Isn't this neat? Don't you think this is cool?" His enthusiasm for science and learning and his good-natured optimism is on display full blast in the best of his books and Startide Rising is an exemplar.… (more)