Sundiver (Mass Market Paperback)

The driving plot line deals with the discovery of mysterious "beings" in our Sun and the controversy surrounding their existence. Are they the hidden driving force behind our rise to sapiency, are they simply a newly discovered species, or are they imposters, part of a larger scheme?

I must admit that I greatly enjoyed this novel. There is an old fashioned feeling to the novel. One reviewer complained that it read like 1950s fiction. I think that to the extent that this observation is true, it is one of the strengths of the story. In a way, this novel, of all the Uplift saga novels, is the most identifiable to us. It starts with a brief world history between today and the start of the novel. We see consternation amongst parts of humanity as we try to grapple with the idea of not only not being alone in the cosmos, but also owing our intelligence to an unknown third party. The world of tomorrow is not so different than our own. Into this steps the idea that another alien species will lay claim to us, will take credit for all our accomplishments. This is not only troubling but also humiliating. The humans are uncertain in this story. Before the story begins, the protagonist has suffered a traumatising personal event and that makes him doubt himself, even though he has all the characteristics we could wish for in our heroes. He acts for all of us here. He is humanity writ small. Like him, humanity doubts itself. Should it be proud of it's heritage or merely grateful and fearful of what its history means for its future.

In the end, despite the awesome technical advances of the alien species we meet, it is some good old-fashioned human ingenuity and technical know-how that saves the day. This novel is pivotal, because it helps to explain some of the confidence and fighting spirit evident in the human characters in the other books.

The mystery is also entertaining and we are given enough clues to figure it out, which can't be said of many mystery novels. In the end, the choice to start this saga with a mystery as opposed to the bombastic action of the later novels allows humanity to gain the confidence in their own intelligence and makes it more believable.

No, Sundiver, does not have the epic scope of the rest of the saga, but it is a very solid and enjoyable start to it all.

In Brin's story, humanity has made contact with other races throughout the Universe, and found that they are a rare breed: a race which seemed to have developed on its own. Most of the other races they have met can credit their evolution to another race helping them along, a process known as Uplift. Humanity, however, is something of an oddity: an "orphaned" race whose origins are unknown. That doesn't stop them from taking part in Uplift, however. As we learn early on, the human race has undertaken the charge of Uplifting two other Earth races: dolphins and chimpanzees. In the course of the novel, the reader meets examples of both races which have been helped along by humans.

The story centers around a ship called "Sundiver." As its name suggests, the ship's main purpose is to explore the sun. Early on we learn that it has discovered a form of life living within Sol's chromosphere, something which also seems to be previously undocumented elsewhere in the Universe. The question of humanity's Patrons is raised, and many anicent alien races seem at least a little chagrined that this upstart race is discovering more than their collected knowledge can reveal.

When a crew member of Sundiver is killed, however, the story picks up on a different angle, and it becomes critical to not only find out who killed him, but why. The fate of humanity's status among the stars is at risk, and the twists and turns of the story from that point are dramatic, to say the least.

I enjoyed Brin's imaginative story and what he did with it. By framing the mystery aspect of the story in a classic Agatha Christie format of a closed group of possible suspects (including several aliens), he opened up the possibilities of the science-fiction aspect of the story. The question of "who?" could only be answered by first answering the question of "how?" The path that leads to the final answer is long and winding, but in the end it is worth the journey. The final revelation is not shocking in a "Usual Suspects" sense, but it definitely makes the reader re-think some of the conclusions they mave have drawn early on about the characters and their motivations. As in any good murder mystery, all is not as it first appears.

The passages in "Sundiver" which describe the exploration of the Sun itself are worth mentioning as well. They are detailed but not overdone, expressive of majesty but not exaggerated. In short, I really got a sense for what it might be like to travel into that forbidden inferno, what it might look like and how it would feel. That in itself was an impressive acheivement.

"Sundiver" dragged briefly in a few places, but overall it was an entertaining book, and a pretty clever one to boot. A compelling beginning to an idea that has a lot of potential. It makes me curious to read the other books of the Uplift series.