Heaven's Reach

I've just finished Heaven's Reach, the final book in the second Uplift trilogy by David Brin. This is the second time I've read it and it's just as good as I remember. Better, even.





This final book follows the continuing adventures of the Streaker crew and the other characters that they met on Jijo. It brings the whole series to a conclusion, full of surprises and suspense right up until the end.

I have to admit that I liked it better this time around. The first time I read it I enjoyed the pace of the story but got a bit lost. Brin has introduced a lot of new ideas that expand the reach of his Uplift universe far beyond anything mentioned in the previous books. There were hints, but in this book he lets loose and takes us on an adventure well into a transcendental future, where evolution takes some very strange turns.

In the end, most of the loose ends are tied up although some of the big questions don't get answered. The big question about the Progenitors and their return is never really answered, but there's nothing wrong with that. Life doesn't always answer your questions, does it? Sometimes you have to live with the unknown, and that's made clear in this book. People are parted without warning at a moments notice, there is death and sorrow, but also joy and adventure.

It's a good book. A great read - as I said, I had to re-read it to really enjoy it. But it is a fitting conclusion to the Uplift series, and leaves room for further adventures in the future. I'd like to see more books set in this universe sometime in the future!