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.