ES I am some dude named David Brin who is hell is that ROFL
Brin is a remarkably uneven writer. Some of his stuff is great and some is atrocious.
A lot like Orson Scott Card in that respect.
He wrote "The Postman" on which the Kevin Costner film is based.
David Brin is one of the greatest living Science Fiction authors. If you haven't read his work then you are really missing something.