Startide Rising, Paperback

We are not alone. Humanity's explorations have revealed galaxies inhabited by millions of intelligent species interacting under ancient traditions. Foremost among said traditions is uplift, which requires all spacefaring races to welcome newcomers into Galactic culture by breeding and genetically guiding each client species to full sapience--but at a price. Patron races demand centuries of indentured servitude from each uplifted client. But is upstart humanity a patron or a client?

The Earthship Streaker--crewed by humans and uplifted dolphins and chimpanzees--discovers a derelict armada, perhaps left by the very first patrons, the fabled Progenitors. Suddenly the Five Galaxies teeter on the brink of all-out war as fanatics hunt Streaker for the secret. With a damaged ship and hostile aliens in pursuit, the crew must band together if they hope to survive . . .

This book features a new introduction by the author.

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards

"An extraordinary achievement." --Poul Anderson, award-winning author of Tau Zero

"What a wonderful ride . . . Startide Rising is one of the books that I remember most fondly, out of all I have read, and rereading it thirty years later proved just as enjoyable as the first time. I remain amazed at how many different characters and subplots Brin juggles without a misstep, and the way he keeps the tension and suspense high throughout." --Tor.com

"This is one of the outstanding SF novels of recent years." --Publishers Weekly

"One of maybe twenty science fiction novels that deserve the label classic." --Time

About author(s):David Brin is an astrophysicist whose international-bestselling novels include Earth, Existence, Startide Rising, and The Postman, which was adapted into a film in 1998. Brin serves on several advisory boards, including NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, or NIAC, and speaks or consults on topics ranging from AI, SETI, privacy, and invention to national security. His nonfiction book about the information age, The Transparent Society, won the Freedom of Speech Award of the American Library Association. Brin's latest nonfiction works are Polemical Judo and Vivid Tomorrows: Science Fiction and Hollywood. Visit him at www.davidbrin.com.