The Science Fiction Novel - David Brin

A nice day today. I went for my morning 1-hour walk and felt pretty good afterwards. Spent a couple of hours afterwards catching up on my reading, although I didn't finish any today. I went out later and ran a few errands and bought lunch from one of our favorite restaurants in Courtenay. I got Jo a turkey sandwich on a croissant and myself a smoked chicken on a croissant. Then we had vanilla danishes for dessert. Yum! Now I'm relaxing downstairs with Clyde, listening to Deadline: White House. Jo and Bonnie are also relaxing, just in different parts of the house. 😎

So with no books to update, I'll continue with my look at the Science Fiction novel.

The Science Fiction Novel - Glen David Brin

David Brin

I mentioned David Brin previously in my look at the Science Fiction novel, in one of my looks at the Dystopic Futures sub-genre (See this link). The Postman was probably the first book of Brin's that I read. Brin was born in 1950 in Glendale, California. He has received numerous awards for his books and The Postman was also made into a Kevin Costner movie (kind of disappointing to me, even though because I like the book, I have watched a couple of times.).

Brin's education would seem to have made him well-suited for a career in 'hard science fiction'. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy, later a Master of Science in Applied Physics, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Space Science.

His fiction is generally described as hard science fiction. About half of his novels deal with the Uplift Universe, dealing with biological uplift of planets. The Uplift War which contains the 2nd and 3rd books of the Uplift Saga is probably my favorite of his books. I've read the Uplift Saga and a couple of his other books, so let's look at those.

a. Heart of the Comet (co-written with Gregory Benford).











"Every seventy-six years, the lone wanderer called Halley’s Comet has returned to our heavens from its long journey about the sun, stirring wonder, fear, and curiosity. Heart of the Comet is the story of Halley’s next return in the middle of the twenty-first century, and of a mission to explore this ice-covered rock and to turn it into a source of life.

Exiles from a world devastated by fear and political strife, Halley’s courageous multinational crew are torn apart by the prejudices and conflicts they have brought with them from their home world. But as a deeply buried secret blooms in the comet’s long-delayed summer, the colonists must unite in a battle for their very survival.

The future of the Halley colony—and perhaps of all mankind—at last rests in the hands of three remarkable but very human people: Carl Osborn, the mission’s troubled leader, whose strength must carry them through their gravest crises. Saul Lintz, a gifted biologist who undertakes a desperate gamble to save the mission. And Virginia Kaninamanu Herbert, the woman they both love, a brilliant young cybernetics expert who dares the boundaries between artificial and human intelligence." (4 stars)

b. Sundiver (The Uplift Saga #1).

"In all the universe, no species reached for the stars without “uplift” guidance, except possibly humankind. Did some cryptic patron race begin the job long ago, then abandon us? Or did we leap all by ourselves? That question burns, yet a greater mystery looms ahead, in the furnace of a star. Under the caverns of Mercury, Expedition Sundiver prepares for the most momentous voyage in our history – into the boiling inferno of the sun, seeking our destiny in the cosmic order of life." (4 stars)

c. Earthclan (Uplift #2 & 3). This was my introduction to Brin's Uplift Saga and probably my favorite. Great characters especially Gillian Baskin, one of the strongest female protagonist I've ever read.










"David Brin's Uplift Universe portrays humanity's desperate struggle for survival in a dangerous universe... and how we may cope by taking wise partners with us on this journey. Artificial intelligence is one way that we may add diversity to our civilization. But in this series we've done it by giving a boost in intelligence to some of our fellow creatures on Planet Earth. Dolphins and apes -- especially -- seem trapped under a "glass ceiling" that limits their ability to speak, to argue, to create, to use tools, to invent and take part in Terran culture. But what if we, the first species on Earth to cross the wide gulf of sapience, were to turn around and offer a hand to others? To pass on the gift (that sometimes threatens to be a curse) of fully empowered mind?

This omnibus volume includes Startide Rising and The Uplift War." (5 stars)

The remaining books in the Uplift Saga are -
- Brightness Reef (1995)
- Infinity's Shore (1996)
- Heaven Reach (1998)

The complete listing of Brin's works are available at this link.

So there you go. We're at the mid-week, it's all downhill for you now.