David Brin

The books I am interested in are David Brin’s Uplift Universe books. Humans, once they go beyond our star system, are confronted with thousands of species living in a "Five Galaxies" legal system in which the various patron species uplift to sentience client species, who will, in hundreds of thousands of years eventually become patrons to other clients. Humans are considered wolflings as they apparently uplifted themselves, although many of the species don't believe this is possible. At the beginning of the series humans have, on their own, before knowing about the other species in the galaxies, uplifted to sentients chimpanzees and dolphins. Many of the other species try to make humans and their clients into their own clients as humans are considered too weak to survive in the universe. These books deal with oxygen-breathing beings although hydrogen-breathers and machine beings are mentioned.

The Uplift Novels

1 - Sundiver (1980) Print Version

The Sundiver project is based on Mercury. Jacob Demwa, who works for uplift on earth, goes there with several other galactic species members to investigate possible sentient beings living in the sun. There is considerable fighting among the various galactic species that ends in the humans coming out looking quite good. It's a good story and gives good background, making the following stories more comprehensible. This story takes place considerably earlier than the following stories.

2 - Startide Rising (1983) Print Version

In the year 2489 the Terran spaceship Streaker, crewed by 150 uplifted dolphins, seven humans, and one uplifted chimpanzee, discovers an ancient derelict fleet of huge space ships. When they inform earth they are told to go into hiding. Many alien races want the information and fight each other for it. They find the planet Kithrup where Streaker is hiding, but it is well-hidden in the ocean. There is mutiny among some of the dolphins, and some interesting discussion of how uplift takes place and how humans are different than aliens in how they treat their clients. We meet several different species who are looking for the humans, and see their relationships with their clients/patrons. This book delves into the thinking of dolphins as uplifted beings.

3 - The Uplift War (1987) Print Version

This book goes extensively into the uplifting of chimpanzees. The planet Garth was almost destroyed in a disaster 50,000 years previously and humans were ceded the planet to help improve the ecosystem. As a matter of fact humans seem to always be given planets that need drastic improvement, but they are doing it. This story also takes place in 2489 and the nasty alien avian species called the Gubru invade Garth in order to hold it hostage in order to learn more about the discovery the dolphin spaceship Streaker made. The Gubru place all the humans in prison camps but consider the neo-chimps (uplifted chimpanzees) easy to control. However, humans have given the neo-chimps much more leeway than would other species with their clients, so that many of the neo-chimps, especially Fiben, can make decisions to fight against the Gubru without guidance from a human. One human, Robert Oneagle, and a Tymbrimi girl manage to get into the mountains to help fight against the Gubru. In the meantime we also have a side story going on with the Tymbrimi ambassador, Uthacalthing, and the Thennanin ambassador, Kault. We also are shown the complex Gubru method of rule that begins to fall apart after one of the three rulers is killed. A great part of the story is the uplift of the gorillas--great fun!

The Uplift Storm Trilogy

1 - Brightness Reef (1995) Print Version

Starting around the year 930 C.E., and continuing until the 23rd century, sooners belonging to eight patron-class races illegally plant colonies on the planet Jijo in a galaxy that was declared fallow by the Galactic Institute. The eight races are: g'Keks, Traeki (original Jophur), Glavers, Qheuen, Hoon, Tytlal (noor beast), Urs, and Human. By the beginning of the novel, the Glavers have mostly regressed to pre-sentient animals and the Tytlal have successfully disguised themselves as wildlife.

Life on Jijo has settled down to true cooperation among the various races, each contributing it's specialized skills. At the beginning of this book a badly injured stranger, who we eventually discover to be Emerson d'Anite of the Streaker, is found. Sara, a mathematician, cares for him with the help of a Traeki pharmacist. His brain has been damaged and he cannot remember who he is or what has happened, and he cannot speak. Sara has two brothers, Lark and Dwer, both of whom are main characters throughout these three books. Lark is a well-known biologist on Jijo and Dwer is master hunter. Much is discussed concerning the various religious attitudes concerned with being illegal residents of Jijo. The other main characters are the teen adventurers led by Alvin the Hoon and the Traeki High-Sage Asx. While Dwer is on a mission for the Council he rescues the savage teenage girl, Rety, who also becomes an annoying main character throught these three books.

Things start getting interesting when a starship lands, containing humans who claim they are the servants of the Rothen, secret patrons of Humanity. Eventually it is discovered that what the Rothen really want is information on the dolphin starship, Streaker, which none of the Jijo residents have have heard of and that they aren't as altruistic as they claim. That brings us to Alvin and his friends who try to help Uriel, the Urs smith, get some equipment to fight against the starship from below the sea. Their primative submarine breaks up but they are all miracelously saved by the crew of Streaker, which is hiding among discared starships in an undersea subduction zone.

Two Rothen try to use the Holy Egg, a rock-like artifact important to all the races, and which has has psi powers to cause hatred among the races on Jijo. When this is discovered fighting against the Rothen starts, resulting in the death of one and the capture of the other.