Then let me drop a reference to Sundiver by David Brin, which is the start of the uplift cycle. The elevator is by far the least interesting idea of these nove

Then let me drop a reference to Sundiver by David Brin, which is the start of the uplift cycle. The elevator is by far the least interesting idea of these novels which center about a future where we have uplifted (given sapience) monkeys and dolphins. We are also trying to survive in an unkind universe where Earth is a third world political power that is making religious fanatics angry.