A review by stephen_coulon
Sundiver by David Brin

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This one has exactly what I like best in science fiction: cool ideas and weird aliens. While attempting to study possible life forms living within the chromosphere of the sun, a future mankind has to contend with the intrigue of galactic politics vis-a-vis the question of whether mankind has achieved sentience on their own or through the help of a more advanced civilization. Brin exhibits a few of the annoying quirks of old-school sci-fi such as a silly superfluous romance subplot, people smoking tobacco on board spacecrafts, and calling all female characters “femmes”. Nevertheless it’s solidly written, entertaining, and has just enough thematic depth to think on. Seeing as this one is considered the weakest entry in the 𝘜𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 series, I’ll definitely be picking up the sequels as soon as they're available at the library.