Download or read book The Best of David Brin written by David Brin and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-31 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One doesn't have to know the world perfectly, in order to know it better. That lesson--first taught by Galileo--dwells at the core of both science and science fiction, according to legendary author David Brin. Dangers and great challenges confront the characters of his stories and award-winning novels such as The Uplift War and The Postman. But even when the odds are steep and disaster looms, there remain possibilities... ...such as when a hero climbs an impossible mountain to confront Fate itself, in "The Loom of Thessaly," or when world powers battle over a Vegas magician's knack for prediction, in "The Tell," or uncovering ancient terrors long-buried under an urban landfill ("Detritus Affected"), or when a mother in labor fights to save her child from an invention gone-wrong ("Dr. Pak's Preschool"). Brin has thrilled readers in almost thirty languages by presenting vastly imaginative--and well-grounded--challenges set in times that might yet come...along with a sometimes razor-thin hope we'll persevere. In this major retrospective collection of shorter work, gathered from across an extraordinary career spanning decades, you'll find wonder via David Brin's unparalleled talent at imagination, extrapolation, hard headed optimism, and plain old fun. Here, you will find "The Crystal Spheres," the Hugo Award winning short story that first brought Brin wide acclaim, posing one more--colorfully strange--answer to: "Are we alone in the universe?" Before The Postman won awards as a novel and became a major motion picture, that tale of a storyteller reviving dreams of a better world originated in the Hugo-nominated novella that's included here. Confronting one of the oldest challenges in modern SF--"What if the Nazis won?"--Brin presents an unexpected answer in "Thor Meets Captain America." And his penchant for offering I-hadn't-thought-of-that! answers, as well as questions, erupts in "Stones of Significance," a post-Singularity world where human identity can and will survive technological evolution. Writing of that last story, Brin says that "Ideas are like fruit, watered with patience and observation--but pollinated by surprise!" Here, in more than twenty stories representing the best work of a masterful writer, readers will find an entire orchard of ideas, rooted in guarded optimism and stretching skyward towards a multitude of possible worlds.
Download or read book Glory Season written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2011-08-31 with total page 786 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hugo and Nebula award-winning author David Brin is one of the most eloquent, imaginative voices in science fiction. Now he returns with a new novel rich in texture, universal in theme, monumental in scope--pushing the genre to new heights. Young Maia is fast approaching a turning point in her life. As a half-caste var, she must leave the clan home of her privileged half sisters and seek her fortune in the world. With her twin sister, Leie, she searches the docks of Port Sanger for an apprenticeship aboard the vessels that sail the trade routes of the Stratoin oceans. On her far-reaching, perilous journey of discovery, Maia will endure hardship and hunger, imprisonment and loneliness, bloody battles with pirates and separation from her twin. And along the way, she will meet a traveler who has come an unimaginable distance--and who threatens the delicate balance of the Stratoins' carefully maintained, perfect society.... Both exciting and insightful, Glory Season is a major novel, a transcendent saga of the human spirit.
Download or read book The Practice Effect written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 1984 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Physicist Dennis Nuel, the first human to probe the alternate universes of the anomal worlds, joins forces with a beautiful woman with strange powers to battle a mysterious warlord.
Download or read book Sundiver written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2010-07-21 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Uplift books are as compulsive reading as anything ever published in the genre.”—The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction In all the universe, no species has ever reached for the stars without the guidance of a patron—except perhaps mankind. Did some mysterious race begin the uplift of humanity aeons ago? And if so, why did they abandon us? Circling the sun, under the caverns of Mercury, Expedition Sundiver prepares for the most momentous voyage in our history. A journey into the boiling inferno of the sun . . . to seek our destiny in the cosmic order of life. 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. . . . “Superb”—Science Fiction Times
Download or read book Brightness Reef written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2010-01-27 with total page 679 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Brin’s Uplift novels—Sundiver, Hugo award winner The Uplift War, and Hugo and Nebula winner Startide Rising—are among the most thrilling and extraordinary science fiction tales ever written. Now David Brin returns to this future universe for a new Uplift trilogy, packed with adventure, passion and wit. The planet Jijo is forbidden to settlers, its ecology protected by guardians of the Five Galaxies. But over the centuries it has been resettled, populated by refugees of six intelligent races. Together they have woven a new society in the wilderness, drawn together by their fear of Judgment Day, when the Five Galaxies will discover their illegal colony. Then a strange starship arrives on Jijo. Does it bring the long-dreaded judgment, or worse—a band of criminals willing to destroy the six races of Jijo in order to cover their own crimes?
Download or read book Existence written by Peter van Inwagen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-10 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problem of the nature of being was central to ancient and medieval philosophy, and continues to be relevant today. In this collection of thirteen recent essays, Peter van Inwagen applies the techniques of analytical philosophy to a wide variety of problems in ontology and meta-ontology. Topics discussed include the nature of being, the meaning of the existential quantifier, ontological commitment, recent attacks on metaphysics and ontology, the concept of ontological structure, fictional entities, mereological sums, and the ontology of mental states. Van Inwagen adopts a generally 'Quinean' position in meta-ontology, yet reaches ontological conclusions very different from Quine's. The volume includes two previously unpublished essays, one of which is an introductory essay where van Inwagen explains his conception of the relation between the language of 'the ordinary business of life' and that of 'the ontology room'. The volume will be an important collection for students and scholars of metaphysics.
Download or read book Heaven s Reach written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2009-12-30 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 dolphins and commanded by an untested human. Yet more than just the fate of Jijo hangs in the balance. For Streaker carries a cargo of ancient artifacts that may unlock the secret of those who first brought intelligent life to the Galaxies. Many believe a dire prophecy has come to pass: an age of terrifying changes that could end Galactic civilization. As dozens of white dwarf stars stand ready to explode, the survival of sentient life in the universe rests on the most improbable dream of all--that age-old antagonists of different races can at last recognize the unity of all consciousness.
Download or read book The Uplift War written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2009-12-16 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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? As galactic armadas clash in quest of the ancient fleet of the Progenitors, a brutal alien race seizes the dying planet of Garth. The various uplifted inhabitants of Garth must battle their overlords or face ultimate extinction. At stake is the existence of Terran society and Earth, and the fate of the entire Five Galaxies. Sweeping, brilliantly crafted, inventive and dramatic, The Uplift War is an unforgettable story of adventure and wonder from one of today's science fiction greats.
Download or read book Kiln People written by David Brin and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2003-01-20 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a perilous future where disposable duplicate bodies fulfill every legal and illicit whim of their decadent masters, life is cheap. No one knows that better than Albert Morris, a brash investigator with a knack for trouble, who has sent his own duplicates into deadly peril more times than he cares to remember. But when Morris takes on a ring of bootleggers making illegal copies of a famous actress, he stumbles upon a secret so explosive it has incited open warfare on the streets of Dittotown. Dr. Yosil Maharal, a brilliant researcher in artificial intelligence, has suddenly vanished, just as he is on the verge of a revolutionary scientific breakthrough. Maharal's daughter, Ritu, believes he has been kidnapped-or worse. Aeneas Polom, a reclusive trillionaire who appears in public only through his high-priced platinum duplicates, offers Morris unlimited resources to locate Maharal before his awesome discovery falls into the wrong hands. To uncover the truth, Morris must enter a shadowy, nightmare world of ghosts and golems where nothing -and no one-is what they seem, memory itself is suspect, and the line between life and death may no longer exist. David Brin's Kiln People is a 2003 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Download or read book Infinity s Shore written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2010-01-13 with total page 689 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nebula and Hugo award-winning author David Brin continues his bestselling Uplift series in this second novel of a bold new trilogy. Imaginative, inventive, and filled with Brin's trademark mix of adventure, passion, and wit, Infinity's Shore carries us further than ever before into the heart of the most beloved and extraordinary science fiction sagas ever written. For the fugitive settlers of Jijo, it is truly the beginning of the end. As starships fill the skies, the threat of genocide hangs over the planet that once peacefully sheltered six bands of sapient beings. Now the human settlers of Jijo and their alien neighbors must make heroic--and terrifying--choices. A scientist must rally believers for a cause he never shared. And four youngsters find that what started as a simple adventure--imitating exploits in Earthling books by Verne and Twain--leads them to the dark abyss of mystery. Meanwhile, the Streaker, with her fugitive dolphin crew, arrives at last on Jijo in a desperate search for refuge. Yet what the crew finds instead is a secret hidden since the galaxies first spawned intelligence--a secret that could mean salvation for the planet and its inhabitants...or their ultimate annihilation.
Download or read book The Transparent Society written by David Brin and published by Perseus (for Hbg). This book was released on 1999-05-07 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that the privacy of individuals actually hampers accountability, which is the foundation of any civilized society and that openness is far more liberating than secrecy
Download or read book The Postman written by David Brin and published by Spectra. This book was released on 2011-04-06 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • “A moving experience . . . a powerful cautionary tale.”—Whitley Strieber He was a survivor—a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war. Fate touches him one chill winter’s day when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker to protect himself from the cold. The old, worn uniform still has power as a symbol of hope, and with it he begins to weave his greatest tale, of a nation on the road to recovery. This is the story of a lie that became the most powerful kind of truth. A timeless novel as urgently compelling as War Day or Alas, Babylon, David Brin’s The Postman is the dramatically moving saga of a man who rekindled the spirit of America through the power of a dream, from a modern master of science fiction. “The Postman will keep you engrossed until you’ve finished the last page.”—Chicago Tribune
Download or read book Earth written by David Brin and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2011-12-30 with total page 768 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: TIME IS RUNNING OUT Decades from now, an artificial black hole has fallen into the Earth's core. As scientists frantically work to prevent the ultimate disaster, they discover that the entire planet could be destroyed within a year. But while they look for an answer, some claim that the only way to save Earth is to let its human inhabitants become extinct: to reset the evolutionary clock and start over. Earth is the Hugo and Locus Award-nominated novel that, with countless accurate predictions, earned David Brin his reputation as a visionary futurologist.
Download or read book Earthclan written by David Brin and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 1008 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Omnibus edition of the second and third novels in the "Uplift" series: "Startide Rising" (winner, 1983 Nebula Award, 1984 Hugo Award, 1984 Locus Poll Award) and "The Uplift War" (winner, 1988 Hugo, 1988 Locus Poll Award). These novels were preceded by" Sundiver" (1980).
Download or read book Otherness written by David Brin and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-04-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Hugo and Nebula winning author David Brin comes this extraordinary collection of tales and essays about the near and distant future, as humans and other intelligences encounter the secrets of the cosmos - and of their own existence. In The Giving Plague, a virus, transmitted by blood donation, begins to change humanity. In Dr. Pak's Preschool, a woman discovers that her baby has been called to work while still in the womb. In Natulife, a married couple finds their relationship threatened by the wonders of virtual reality. In Sshhh... the arrival of benevolent aliens on Earth leads to frenzied madness as humans rush to conceal their secret 'talent.' In Bubbles, a sentient starcraft reaches the limits of the universe - and dares to go beyond. What happens when an urban archaeologist discovers a terrible secret under the landfills of Los Angeles? Will there still be a purpose for "biologicals" when cybernetic humans become mighty and smart? Come explore these and another dozen startling and provocative tomorrows with a modern master of science fiction. Table of Contents The Giving Plague Myth Number 21 Dr. Pak's Preschool Detritus Affected The Dogma of Otherness Piecework Natulife Science vs. Magic Sshhh... Those Eyes What to Say to a UFO Bonding to Genji The Warm Space Whose Millennium? Bubbles Ambiguity What Continues...And What Fails... The New Meme
Download or read book River of Time written by David Brin and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-12-05 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The River of Time brings together twelve of David Brin's finest stories, including "The Crystal Spheres," which won the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Short Story in 1985. Here are powerful tales of heroism and humanity, playful excursions into realms of fancy, and profound meditations on time, memory, and our place in the universe. Who guides our fate? And can we ever hope to wrest control for ourselves? "The Crystal Spheres" offers a fantastic explanation for the Great Silence. Instead of being latecomers, might humanity have come upon the scene too early? "The Loom of Thessaly" merges classical mythology with impudent modern spirit in a science-fiction classic that speculates on the nature of reality. "Thor Meets Captain America" offers an alternate history exploring a chilling scenario behind the Holocaust. In this parallel world, the Nazis narrowly avoid defeat in World War II when they are championed by the gods of the Norse Pantheon. Sample these and other speculations into the future of humanity in The River of Time. Table of Contents: "The Crystal Spheres" "The Loom of Thessaly" "The Fourth Vocation of George Gustaf" "Senses Three and Six" "Toujours Voir" "A Stage of Memory" "Just a Hint" "Tank Farm Dynamo" "Thor Meets Captain America" "Lungfish" "News from 2025" "The River of Time"
Download or read book Heart of the Comet written by Gregory Benford and published by . This book was released on 2012-06 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A group of men and women, from a shattered society, ride a ball of ice through the solar system in search of a future.
