When I first began to read about dolphins piloting a spaceship, I was doubtful if I would be able to maintain the suspension of belief required past the first few chapters. The tale is about how humans and their dolphin clients work to outwit their foes and make their escape so that they can deliver the details of their discovery to those who will handle it properly. The survey spaceship Streaker, with a crew of humans and uplifted dolphins, makes an unexpected discovery during its trial mission, and is then pursued by hostile aliens and forced to hide on the ocean world of Kithrup. When races reach a certain level of development, they are entitled to 'uplift' other species which are on the verge of sentience through genetic engineering. There are sentient species scattered across the Galaxy, and some believe that all life originates with the mythical Progenitors.
The premise is one of the most original I have encountered in my reading of science fiction literature. This is a hard science fiction space opera which manages to be action-packed and thought-provoking at the same time. Startide Rising won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and after reading it I am inclined to agree that it deserved them.
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