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396th out of 945 books
—
986 voters
Heaven's Reach (Uplift Storm Trilogy #3)
by
David Brin (Goodreads Author)
Winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards, David Brin brings his bestselling Uplift series to a magnificent conclusion with his most imaginative and powerful novel to date--the shattering epic of a universe poised on the brink of revelation...or annihilation.
The brutal enemy that has relentlessly pursued them for centuries has arrived. Now the fugitive settlers of Jijo--both hu...more
The brutal enemy that has relentlessly pursued them for centuries has arrived. Now the fugitive settlers of Jijo--both hu...more
Paperback, 576 pages
Published
May 11th 1999
by Spectra
(first published 1996)
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The six book series finally comes to an end. The Streaker has made a desperate bid to escape Jijo, drawing the Jophur ship away from the hidden world, hoping to destroy it and themselves in the new transfer point opening in space, taking Sara of Jijo with them. However, ships already there give them another chance to flee and attempt once more to get their information out to the galaxies. Trapped aboard the Jophur ship, Lark finds unlikely allies, while Dwer has to use his hunters skills in the...more
Originally published on my blog here in January 2003.
On a science fiction newsgroup recently, there was a post with the subject, "When did David Brin start to suck?" It rather crudely overstates the reality, but there can be no doubt that this novel (the only recent one of his that I have read) is less good than his early work. It comes at the end of the second Uplift trilogy, and not reading the first two (because of Cambridgeshire libraries' random acquisition policy) may mean I am being too h...more
On a science fiction newsgroup recently, there was a post with the subject, "When did David Brin start to suck?" It rather crudely overstates the reality, but there can be no doubt that this novel (the only recent one of his that I have read) is less good than his early work. It comes at the end of the second Uplift trilogy, and not reading the first two (because of Cambridgeshire libraries' random acquisition policy) may mean I am being too h...more
So I've finished the second Uplift trilogy and I'm still a bit underwhelmed. First, what was good: Mr. Brin delves into some interesting concepts regarding the nature of sapience and ecological stewardship. He also investigates questions of tradition versus innovation in a long-term galactic civilization. Mr. Brin tries to portray a billion-year-old galactic civilization with an all-encompassing Galactic Library that believes that there is nothing new under the many suns. To his credit, he does...more
After reading all 6 novels and the follow-up story from Brins Uplift universe "temptation" (All in a row!), I've come to the conclusion that Brin is not that great of a SF author as some people claim he is.
The only thing that kept me reading his Uplift books was his creation of this fantastic universe. His notion of clans, uplifting species and the terran ("wolfling")clan surrounded by hostility had so much potential to begin with ... but alas, it was never meant to be.
((WARNING some SPOILERS))...more
The only thing that kept me reading his Uplift books was his creation of this fantastic universe. His notion of clans, uplifting species and the terran ("wolfling")clan surrounded by hostility had so much potential to begin with ... but alas, it was never meant to be.
((WARNING some SPOILERS))...more
This isnt the worst thing I ever read, but again, as with the other books in this series, it just didnt do much for me.
Those crazy kids from Jijo are off on another unlikely adventure. They go places, do things, and in the long tradition of over-matched "good guys" in literature and film - they manage to overcome overwhelming odds and win the day, kind of. Sound like 1,000's of other things you have read? Yeah, me too...
There is so much in the whole trilogy and this book included, that just doe...more
Those crazy kids from Jijo are off on another unlikely adventure. They go places, do things, and in the long tradition of over-matched "good guys" in literature and film - they manage to overcome overwhelming odds and win the day, kind of. Sound like 1,000's of other things you have read? Yeah, me too...
There is so much in the whole trilogy and this book included, that just doe...more
I consider David Brin one of the three best genre writers among those who started writing after 1970 (the other two are Lawrence Watt-Evans and Steven Brust; Barry Longyear might be on that list except I think he started writing before 1970, and I haven't seen anything new from him in quite a while. Barry Hughart would be on that list if he hadn't had to give up writing due to his idiotic publishers).
I'm a huge fan of a lot of his work. His original Uplift trilogy is a favorite of mine. But I wa...more
I'm a huge fan of a lot of his work. His original Uplift trilogy is a favorite of mine. But I wa...more
David Brin picks up the strands of his story and follows his characters off the surface of the planet Jijo and into the cosmos. The crew of the Streaker, pursued relentlessly by a powerful Jophur dreadnought, searches for someone that can be trusted with the terrible secret they have uncovered. This desperate adventure coincides with the prophesied Time of Changes, a suitably cataclysmic event that answers most of the questions raised in the series and leaves a pleasant sense of ambiguity surrou...more
This was by far the WORST book of the new uplift trilogy. It's not that the story is bad, but the way it was told, the characters development and the book/series finale is downright awful.
It seems like that this book was not about the characters, but about space and the hyper-space. If you look at this book as a philosophical book about space and hyper-space and travel in them, sprinkled with some story about some alien races, then it will be sort of ok. However, since this is a final book of a...more
It seems like that this book was not about the characters, but about space and the hyper-space. If you look at this book as a philosophical book about space and hyper-space and travel in them, sprinkled with some story about some alien races, then it will be sort of ok. However, since this is a final book of a...more
The whole second "uplift" series by Brin, and especially this book, showcases both the inspiration and disappointment of sci fi. The imagination here is staggering -- he's actually created a whole Galactic sociology that kind of makes sense, a technically realistic way the universe could be full of life that all talks and interacts. I've read this book time and again for its scope -- hydrogen breathers, "transcendent" beings diving into black holes, etc.
But the way it's written is a big disappoi...more
But the way it's written is a big disappoi...more
May 31, 2011
Rusty
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves science fiction and fantasy. This is a wonderful adventure.
Shelves:
fantasy,
science-fiction
This is a wonderful read. Travel across space with Gillian Baskin who captains an exploring spacecraft after her husband and many of her shipmates disappear. She and her crew guard a precious cargo of relics that is to be shared among all species who live in space while each wants it only for itself. Meet Harry, a talking and thinking chimp whose travels in E space are exploratory, funny and exciting. Then there are the lovers, Lark and Ling, whose love for each other transcends all else. Lark w...more
This is a weird one, more a juvenile fantasy in some ways.
However, the language theory parts are really intriguing.
And, I love the bio mimetic products that actually use a live animal by genetically modifying it instead of just duplicating it with artificial technology--like sunglasses that are alive--so fun these little details.
Honestly, I read Brin for those little imaginative asides and inventions more than for plot. The uplift concept is completely brilliant, but some of the characters ar...more
However, the language theory parts are really intriguing.
And, I love the bio mimetic products that actually use a live animal by genetically modifying it instead of just duplicating it with artificial technology--like sunglasses that are alive--so fun these little details.
Honestly, I read Brin for those little imaginative asides and inventions more than for plot. The uplift concept is completely brilliant, but some of the characters ar...more
Winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards, David Brin brings his bestselling Uplift series to a magnificent conclusion with his most imaginative and powerful novel to date--the shattering epic of a universe poised on the brink of revelation...or annihilation.
The brutal enemy that has relentlessly pursued them for centuries has arrived. Now the fugitive settlers of Jijo--both human and alien--brace for a final confrontation. The Jijoans' only hope is the Earthship Streaker, crewed by uplifted dolphi
I had loved the first Uplift books when I had read them 15 years ago. While reading this series I reread Startide Rising and realized it wasn't as good as I remembered. Brin just isn't that good of a writer. His ideas are often interesting and occasionally brilliant/fascinating. His plotting is only okay. His story arcs are interesting but his telling of them have so many holes and he often leads up to an event and then it happens "off- stage", as it were, and we are only told of it after the fa...more
The final book in this 6 book story is epic. Like most long space epics, the plot and ramifications grow and grow. The expectation for the eventual resolution grows in parallel. Usually this all deflates with a whimper instead of a good resolution. Heaven's reach does a great job of bringing the main plot to a truly epic conclusion with implications not just for one galaxy but for lots of them. Great book.
Brin throws in a zoo of alien civilizations, many as the initial narrators. I was fascinated by the questions of environmental ethics throughout the series and they really take front stage in the second trilogy. In total, a top-notch work of modern sci-fi: if the Grand Masters were about physics (rocketships and space), Uplift is about biology and ecology, with smatterings of quantum, probability, and psychology.
This wraps up the trilogy as well as a lot of loose ends from the previous trilogy. As always I find this universe an imaginative and well thought out place. The basic story line is fun.
However it wasn't a perfect book. There are so many story lines that the author feels the need to recap what was happening with this group last time we saw them. When a given group may only be followed for two pages that means are recapping every two pages. I find this incredibly boring.
Also and this is a problem...more
However it wasn't a perfect book. There are so many story lines that the author feels the need to recap what was happening with this group last time we saw them. When a given group may only be followed for two pages that means are recapping every two pages. I find this incredibly boring.
Also and this is a problem...more
Nice to actually see something that looks like a resolution in the series (though still lots of loose ends). On the con side, there was a lot of repeating the plot back to the reader (as if they had forgotten what was happening between chapters) and a bunch of "mumbo jumbo" writing to try and provide a structure of pseudo-plausibility. That being said it was enjoyable ;)
{While reading} HEY! Looking about GoodReads.com and realized I went from the Uplift Saga #3 to Uplift Storm Trilogy #3 (this book). Several chapters in and do not feel lost or that there is a hick-up in the story line. Will see if when I am done there is a feeling to return to UST 1&2 to fill in gaps.
Finished and not disappointed! David tells and excellent story that even without reading Uplift Saga #1 & #2 had me vested in the characters and the outcome.
Finished and not disappointed! David tells and excellent story that even without reading Uplift Saga #1 & #2 had me vested in the characters and the outcome.
Mar 09, 2012
Jon
added it
For someone who has been savoring this series (the original Uplift Trilogy and this second trilogy) for over ten years - I can say honestly that I was not disappointed in the least with this action-stuffed ending. Some loose ends are floating lazily out of sight like strings of buckyballs in the void, Tom Orley's fate for example - but I ended up sincerely not caring! The over-arching epic space opera is so mind-bending and fun that I'm inclined to forgive a rushed feeling in this novel due to t...more
Conclusion to the Uplift trilogy. The ending (spoiler) always struck me as sad and bittersweet. The Streaker makes it home, but part of their crew, who escaped the events in Startide Rising in a separate ship, is still out there, lost in the Wilderness of the Galaxies. I hope Brin takes up that part of the story and concludes it.
This book was great in many ways, but overall disappointing. It reminds me very much of Uplift War in that I developed emotional attachments to characters and plot threads that ended up getting changed in what feels like an arbitrary manner, which is wholly unsatisfying.
For as much as I enjoyed the Streaker's story and crew, all of E-space seemed unnecessary, and the hydrogen entities and pretty much the entire story on the Jophur ship seemed to go on forever without adding much to the overall...more
For as much as I enjoyed the Streaker's story and crew, all of E-space seemed unnecessary, and the hydrogen entities and pretty much the entire story on the Jophur ship seemed to go on forever without adding much to the overall...more
I enjoyed this entire trilogy. Interesting pictures of alien races, some suspense and action, and a lot of cross-culture politics and diplomacy. Altogether fun.
I can't remember whether I liked one of the books more than the others, so I'm just giving them all a 4 for being great reads.
I can't remember whether I liked one of the books more than the others, so I'm just giving them all a 4 for being great reads.
Nice wrap-up to the series, but I think it was a bit silly towards the end. It was like a Russian doll set in reverse, every small problem kept being swallowed by an even bigger problem, followed by an even BIGGER problem. After a whole book of that, it was a bit implausible and exhausting.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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An excellent ending to a challenging series. Leaves things open for more stories if Brin ever wanted to revisit all these years later. The concepts are mind-blowing while still grounding much of the story in characterization even when -- or, perhaps, especially -- dealing with interspecies relations. Enjoyed the ride!
The conclusion to the Uplift trilogies. The build-up to the finale was nice and the expansion/evolution of the universe interesting. I found the story good and Brin's Uplift universe to be a great place to "visit".
This book has an amazing breadth and yet it still manages to tie up most of the loose ends of the trilogy.
I enjoyed the discussion and interplay of the various orders of life forms - oxygen, hydrogen, mechanical, memetic, retired, and transcendent...
A very satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy.
I enjoyed the discussion and interplay of the various orders of life forms - oxygen, hydrogen, mechanical, memetic, retired, and transcendent...
A very satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy.
It's a good thing I never really cared about any of the characters, because if I had, the giant pile of unresolved plot threads might've been upsetting.
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David Brin is a scientist, speaker, and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages.
Existence, his latest novel, offers an unusual scenario for first contact. His ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends...more
More about David Brin...
Existence, his latest novel, offers an unusual scenario for first contact. His ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends...more
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