Hi FF,
I am familiar with Brin's uplift world. I compare/contrast this to Asimov's Foundation/Empire series. Asimov translates a typical human empire into outer space and zooms it up. It makes a good yarn, but it is only a fantasy - like a musical comedy. In the Brin world, we go "out there" and find a situation nothing like anything in human history. That's what I like about Brin - it's not just space opera - it has some substance. Here's a Wiki on Brin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brin Now, Banks is worth a read. He has several very interesting novels. This is especially true of his "Culture" novels. There is a Wiki on him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_M._Banks I enjoy the more thoughtful writers as opposed to the ones that are grinding out space opera pulp.
Dr. R.
