A starship crew of humans and dolphins skirts the brink of interstellar war in this epic adventure by the New York Times –bestselling author of The Postman. 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

David Brin's Uplift novels are among the most thrilling and extraordinary science fiction ever written.  Sundiver, Startide Rising, and The Uplift War--a New York Times bestseller--together make up one of the most beloved sagas of all time.  Brin's tales are set in a future universe in which no species can reach sentience without being "uplifted" by a patron race.  But the greatest mystery of all remains unsolved: who uplifted humankind?

The Terran exploration vessel Streaker has crashed in the uncharted water world of Kithrup, bearing one of the most important discoveries in galactic history.  Below, a handful of her human and dolphin crew battles armed rebellion and a hostile planet to safeguard her secret--the fate of the Progenitors, the fabled First Race who seeded wisdom throughout the stars.

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