Literature: Sundiver
I finished David Brin's Sundiver (The Uplift Saga: Book One) last night. After our move, I just wanted some fluff to read, taking a short break from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
I really like Brin's writing style and his vision of "the future". My husband has more of the Uplift Saga and a few other books by this author, which I hope to read in time.
Unlike Heinlein, Brin writes pleasantly quirky characters, though realistically so. His female characters are varied, but stay true to who they are presented. If they are independent and strong before being involved with a man, they still are during and after. That's not to say that they don't have layers, both strength and fragility.
The descriptions were very well done, especially given some of the imagery he was trying (successfully) to bestow to his readers.
The story basically takes place in the future (as most Sci-Fi stories do), after contact was made between humans and the Galactics (other races in the galaxy). Humans are one of the few "wolfling" races that were possibly not "uplifted" but actually evolved to sophont status. This, of course, causes some controversy both among the Galactics, as well as the humans on Earth; the two factions of belief among the humans bein divided into Shirts and Skins. The Shirts believe that Man was uplifted, though possibly abandoned by their Patrons early in development. The Skins believe that Man evolved and that their accomplishments are purely their own. Jacob Demwa is the main character and hesitantly joins the Sundiver project, which is based on Mercury. The story blooms from there. I'd even say that the book didn't really pull me in until Jacob sees Mercury as they approach.
The ending was a bit... wordy for me. A little anti-climatic, though completely understandable. Unlike some other books (like Lucky where the overly wordy and explanative ending nearly killed the book for me), I don't feel this slightly heavy handed ending was too much of a detriment.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, especially to people with even a mild interest in Sci-fi novels.
Is it a favorite? That's hard to say... but I'm thinking I might add it to my favorite list. I don't love the book, but I enjoyed it quite a bit more than just "like".
Would I read it again? Yes.