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Startide Rising by David Brin
"Adrift among the stars, a ship crewed by uplifted dolphins navigates a perilous galaxy where intelligence comes in many forms—and trust is the rarest treasure. Brimming with wonder, alien mystery, and high-stakes discovery, Startide Rising is space opera that sings."
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In Startide Rising, did you enjoy ...
... truly alien civilizations with mind-bending biology and culture—and the galactic-scale scramble after a dangerous discovery?
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
If what gripped you in Startide Rising was the sheer variety of nonhuman minds—from the dolphin crew of the Streaker to the fractious Galactic clans converging after the Progenitor find—Vinge’s classic delivers in spades. You’ll meet the pack-minded Tines and a host of other species, all caught up in the fallout from an unleashed power that pulls fleets and factions into conflict, much like the armadas circling Kithrup while Captain Creideiki’s people try to survive.
... a tight-knit starship crew whose chemistry and conflicts carry the adventure?
The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Loved the way Streaker’s mixed crew (dolphins and humans alike) felt like a real, quarrelsome, loyal family under pressure on Kithrup? You’ll click with the Wayfarer’s motley team. The book leans into friendships, found family, and cross-species camaraderie, echoing the interpersonal warmth and frictions that kept Creideiki’s crew together while the galaxy closed in.
... a stranded crew’s fight to endure and adapt when their ship is swept far from home?
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
If the tense, on-the-brink survival of Streaker marooned on Kithrup had you turning pages, this delivers that same white-knuckle vibe. When an ice-mining ship pursues an alien object and is flung into the unknown, the crew scrambles for resources, makes brutal calls, and navigates shifting loyalties—mirroring the desperate ingenuity and hard choices Streaker’s people face while enemy fleets lurk overhead.
... sweeping, layered galactic history and cultures that feel lived-in and immense?
The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks
If you were fascinated by Brin’s deep lore—the ancient derelicts, the tangled politics of Galactic patrons and clients, and the textured ecology of Kithrup—Banks unveils a cosmos just as rich. The Dwellers’ vast, eccentric civilization and the labyrinthine politics around a hidden data trove echo the tantalizing mysteries and power plays that spiral out from Streaker’s Progenitor discovery.
... the moral stakes of uplift and the unintended consequences of engineering intelligence?
Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
If the ethical puzzles in Startide Rising—humans uplifting dolphins, the responsibilities of patrons, and the galaxy’s obsession with the Progenitors—stuck with you, this is a perfect next step. Watching an uplifted species evolve across centuries forces the same questions Brin poses: who gets to shape a people’s destiny, and what debts are owed once you do?
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