Review: Sundiver (David Brin)
Series: The Uplift Saga #1
Publisher: Bantam Spectra (2010 - first edition 1980)
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Edition read was the following: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
I'll do a proper review later on, maybe, but I am disappointed in this first installment.
The premise is amazing: Humanity made contact with other oxygen-breathing species from all over the Galaxy. Humanity is considered a strange case, since they don't seem to have "patrons" that have evolved them to sencience; apparently we did this without the aid of another species (by natural evolution) and, as such, don't have the Client-Patron relationship that most species throughout the Galaxy have.
So, Humanity is special and there is that mystery: did we really have a Patron? Did we evolve on our own?
At the same time, Earth is preparing to go on an expedition to the Sun, using a mix of human and galactic tech. And we do find what seems to be life on the Sun! Who are these life-forms? Can they be Humanity's long lost Patrons?
All fascinating right? But we never get answers because this book is about the protagonist solving a mystery on board the Sunship. Apparently some crafty aliens don't want Humankind to succeed.
The mystery was so stale and presented in such an illogical way (we only knew something was happening because suddenly the main character would say "aha! Conspiracy" and proceed to explain what alien A or B had done to sabotage the enterprise) that it had very little interest.
The characters had no developement and were very stereotypical. And the fascinating premise was never explored!
Overall, a weak first book. Let's see what happens in books 2 and 3.