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Rifters #1
Starfish
A huge international corporation has developed a facility along the Juan de Fuca Ridge at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to exploit geothermal power. They send a bio-engineered crew--people who have been altered to withstand the pressure and breathe the seawater--down to live and work in this weird, fertile undersea darkness.
Unfortunately the only people suitable for long-term employment in these experimental power stations are crazy, some of them in unpleasant ways. How many of them can survive, or will be allowed to survive, while worldwide disaster approaches from below?
Unfortunately the only people suitable for long-term employment in these experimental power stations are crazy, some of them in unpleasant ways. How many of them can survive, or will be allowed to survive, while worldwide disaster approaches from below?
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 860 reviews
September 23, 2021
For the first half of the book, Starfish was shaping up to be one of my best sci-fi reads since Leviathan Wakes. Combining remote, hazardous deep sea environment with a larger mystery and character study was riveting, and if that at all sounds appealing, I suggest you try it. In the second half, Watts loses a bit of focus as he brings in larger issues of both physical change and a dystopian mystery.
"Beebe Station floats tethered above the seabed, a gunmetal-gray planet ringed by a belt of equatorial floodlights. There's an airlock for divers at the south pole and a docking hatch for 'scaphes at the north. In between there are girders and anchor lines, conduits and cables, metal armor and Lenie Clark."
Starfish begins with some of the best stuff of science fiction, pushing the boundaries of what we know about our environment; humanity living on the edge. Deep in the abyss of the sea, on the Juan de Fuca Rift where two tetonic plates come together, the GA corporation has built Beebe, an outpost for farming geothermals. Only their scientists have found that it takes an unusual sort of person to tolerate living at the bottom of the ocean. Oh, there's the physical modifications, of course--removing the left lung to make room for adaptive equipment, a little gene-splicing to help human enzymes adapt--but more important are the psychological traits that allow some people to cope.
"'I'm fine.' She isn't, but she's getting there. This anger is nowhere near critical mass; it's just a reflex, really, a spark budded off from the main reservoir. It decays exponentially with elapsed time. By the time she reaches her cubby she's feeling almost sorry for Fischer."
The writing is solid, integrating scientific concepts and world-building with excellent description. The information is very much in the moment and character-focused, so there isn't a great deal of backstory. While this makes sense from one perspective (why would a character think much about the structure of the national government or an energy corporation?), it means that some of the mystery is just from lack of understanding, not actually conspiracy, so it makes the plot actually less dramatic than it could. I loved the setting, with vivid descriptions of a barely-familiar world that make the extreme underwater environment come alive.
"In a few places, the rift is almost gentle. Usually the heat stabs up in boiling muddy pillars or jagged bolts of superheated liquid. Steam never gets a chance to form at three hundred atmospheres, but thermal distortion turns the water into a column of writing liquid prisms, hotter than molten glass. Not here, though. In this one spot, nestled between lava pillows and safe from Beebe's prying ears, the heat wafts up through the mud like a soft breeze. The underlying bedrock must be porous. She comes here when she can, keeping to the bottom en route to foil Beebe's sonar."
There's perhaps three problems here. One challenging issue is that history of abuse/abusers figures strongly into some of the character profiles, including our lead female, Lenie Clarke. Watts tries to integrate some chemical and behavioral issues surrounding abuse into the story with only moderate success. I think there is enough subtlety in the writing to make it acceptable, but I can see where the discussion around abuse might be problematic for some readers.
More significantly for me was how the dual overarching issues were integrated in the second half of the book; plot-wise, they could have benefited from more transition and detail. Instead, we have choppy new viewpoints introduced from one of the very early and peripherally involved scientists and from a chopper flier. I understand what Watts was trying to do, so it is successful enough in that sense, but as a reader, I think it could have been more powerful with more detail. I don't know if I dare say it, but it almost made me wish Neal Stephenson was co-writing. I'll add further thoughts under spoilers.
The last, and most significant problem is that while it can technically be said there's a resolution to Lenie's character arc, the overarching plot threads are left dangling. I think it was resolved reasonably well; as a reader, I didn't really feel cheated. It did make me interested enough in book two that I checked out both reviews and Watt's website, where he has his work available for free. Sadly, the second book is extremely choppy and has trouble developing both a coherent narrative as well as maintaining character focus. I skimmed to maybe a third before I decided I was wasting time. But I think that says something for the conception and plot that it intrigued me that far. Or it might imply that I have book OCD.
There's flavors here that reminded me of Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes, Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep, James Corey's Leviathan Wakes and, believe it or not, Resident Evil. That is an almost irresistible combination, and there aren't really good reasons to do so. Recommended for sci-fi fans, with caveats for reader preferences and themes, but for me, a very solid four stars.
"Beebe Station floats tethered above the seabed, a gunmetal-gray planet ringed by a belt of equatorial floodlights. There's an airlock for divers at the south pole and a docking hatch for 'scaphes at the north. In between there are girders and anchor lines, conduits and cables, metal armor and Lenie Clark."
Starfish begins with some of the best stuff of science fiction, pushing the boundaries of what we know about our environment; humanity living on the edge. Deep in the abyss of the sea, on the Juan de Fuca Rift where two tetonic plates come together, the GA corporation has built Beebe, an outpost for farming geothermals. Only their scientists have found that it takes an unusual sort of person to tolerate living at the bottom of the ocean. Oh, there's the physical modifications, of course--removing the left lung to make room for adaptive equipment, a little gene-splicing to help human enzymes adapt--but more important are the psychological traits that allow some people to cope.
"'I'm fine.' She isn't, but she's getting there. This anger is nowhere near critical mass; it's just a reflex, really, a spark budded off from the main reservoir. It decays exponentially with elapsed time. By the time she reaches her cubby she's feeling almost sorry for Fischer."
The writing is solid, integrating scientific concepts and world-building with excellent description. The information is very much in the moment and character-focused, so there isn't a great deal of backstory. While this makes sense from one perspective (why would a character think much about the structure of the national government or an energy corporation?), it means that some of the mystery is just from lack of understanding, not actually conspiracy, so it makes the plot actually less dramatic than it could. I loved the setting, with vivid descriptions of a barely-familiar world that make the extreme underwater environment come alive.
"In a few places, the rift is almost gentle. Usually the heat stabs up in boiling muddy pillars or jagged bolts of superheated liquid. Steam never gets a chance to form at three hundred atmospheres, but thermal distortion turns the water into a column of writing liquid prisms, hotter than molten glass. Not here, though. In this one spot, nestled between lava pillows and safe from Beebe's prying ears, the heat wafts up through the mud like a soft breeze. The underlying bedrock must be porous. She comes here when she can, keeping to the bottom en route to foil Beebe's sonar."
There's perhaps three problems here. One challenging issue is that history of abuse/abusers figures strongly into some of the character profiles, including our lead female, Lenie Clarke. Watts tries to integrate some chemical and behavioral issues surrounding abuse into the story with only moderate success. I think there is enough subtlety in the writing to make it acceptable, but I can see where the discussion around abuse might be problematic for some readers.
More significantly for me was how the dual overarching issues were integrated in the second half of the book; plot-wise, they could have benefited from more transition and detail. Instead, we have choppy new viewpoints introduced from one of the very early and peripherally involved scientists and from a chopper flier. I understand what Watts was trying to do, so it is successful enough in that sense, but as a reader, I think it could have been more powerful with more detail. I don't know if I dare say it, but it almost made me wish Neal Stephenson was co-writing. I'll add further thoughts under spoilers.
The last, and most significant problem is that while it can technically be said there's a resolution to Lenie's character arc, the overarching plot threads are left dangling. I think it was resolved reasonably well; as a reader, I didn't really feel cheated. It did make me interested enough in book two that I checked out both reviews and Watt's website, where he has his work available for free. Sadly, the second book is extremely choppy and has trouble developing both a coherent narrative as well as maintaining character focus. I skimmed to maybe a third before I decided I was wasting time. But I think that says something for the conception and plot that it intrigued me that far. Or it might imply that I have book OCD.
There's flavors here that reminded me of Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes, Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep, James Corey's Leviathan Wakes and, believe it or not, Resident Evil. That is an almost irresistible combination, and there aren't really good reasons to do so. Recommended for sci-fi fans, with caveats for reader preferences and themes, but for me, a very solid four stars.
July 6, 2024
What Peter Watts does exceptionally well is combining a suffocatingly creepy setting and a bunch of genuinely unpleasant transhuman characters forced together by circumstances, needing to coexist despite inner twisted psychological issues and the pressure from the outside.
And that was the part I loved — the strangeness of the surroundings, the changes they bring to already damaged minds, the claustrophobia that doesn’t ease up even with the immensity of the ocean outside the cramped underwater station, the tension that is always on the verge of painfully snapping, and the uneasiness of learning to fit into all that, and finding strange beauty even among the monsters.
But then Watts shifts the focus from the underwater to the outside, the “bigger picture” dystopia, and the spell of the ocean is broken. It gets a bit unfocused, a bit scattered, like a completely different book made it’s entrance — and the ending makes the rest of the story feel a bit pointless (but of course that may be just that Watts took the story in a very different direction from what I was hoping).
The style here is usual Watts, “hard” science fiction with dry narration and a barrage of cool dense science concepts that just keep coming, with some musings on consciousness and even the appearance of “vampires” (even if those “vampires” bring Echopraxia to mind and I shudder). It moves slowly (other than the very end that went off the rails a bit), lingering on characters and interactions between them and the environment and quite a bit of heavy psychological stuff. If you like his other works, you’ll enjoy this as well. If it’s the first Watts you choose, then it’s not a bad start.
4 stars despite the weaker second half, as the delightful atmospheric creepiness of the beginning outweighs all the negatives.
———
Buddy read with Alexander Peterhans.
“It’s really kind of… well, beautiful, in a way. Even the monsters, once you get to know ‘em. We’re all beautiful.”In this case the claustrophobic dark setting is an ocean floor rift a few miles underwater, with a few humans modified so that they can withstand the immense pressures, darkness and underwater breathing. And the humans chosen (or maybe punished) for this insanity are those already deeply damaged and hurt and ready to do the same to others. The ones that do not fit. And some find the deep sense of belonging to the genuinely alien place and find themselves changing even more.
“Something bent, not broken. Something that fits into cracks too twisted for the rest of us.”
“She can still feel the memory of what it was to be fully human, and mistake that ghost for honest sensation.”
And that was the part I loved — the strangeness of the surroundings, the changes they bring to already damaged minds, the claustrophobia that doesn’t ease up even with the immensity of the ocean outside the cramped underwater station, the tension that is always on the verge of painfully snapping, and the uneasiness of learning to fit into all that, and finding strange beauty even among the monsters.
“And she almost laughs as she realizes, three thousand meters from the nearest sunlight, that it’s only dark when the lights are on.”
But then Watts shifts the focus from the underwater to the outside, the “bigger picture” dystopia, and the spell of the ocean is broken. It gets a bit unfocused, a bit scattered, like a completely different book made it’s entrance — and the ending makes the rest of the story feel a bit pointless (but of course that may be just that Watts took the story in a very different direction from what I was hoping).
The style here is usual Watts, “hard” science fiction with dry narration and a barrage of cool dense science concepts that just keep coming, with some musings on consciousness and even the appearance of “vampires” (even if those “vampires” bring Echopraxia to mind and I shudder). It moves slowly (other than the very end that went off the rails a bit), lingering on characters and interactions between them and the environment and quite a bit of heavy psychological stuff. If you like his other works, you’ll enjoy this as well. If it’s the first Watts you choose, then it’s not a bad start.
4 stars despite the weaker second half, as the delightful atmospheric creepiness of the beginning outweighs all the negatives.
———
Buddy read with Alexander Peterhans.
August 11, 2018
This is definitely not my first reading of Peter Watts and it sure as hell won't be my last. He's rapidly becoming my total absolute favorite hard SF author. Maybe not quite my top top top choice, yet, but he's getting close enough to kick Alaistair Reynolds off his perch and he makes Stephen Baxter definitely run for his money.
More than anything, I'm in love with the quality. He's wild with the hard SF explorations. Transhumanism and what it means to be human at all in the face of the alien or the alien within us is merely a huge part of his novels but it is not the end. He drives so many of his characters forward with an amazing array of psychology and depravity and simply focused survival.
These guys were transformed to survive 400 pressures in one of the deepest trenches in the ocean, to live on the local life, to supply energy to the rest of the world. So who would go down there, fully transformed with biological computers, on their own free will?
Ah, there's the rub. They get marginalized survivors, abuse victims, pedophiles, maladjusted driven iconoclasts.
It makes perfect sense. Send the strongest people we have, the ones we can also sacrifice, and let them do what they do best. Survive at all costs.
Of course, between the psychological pressures, insane real pressure, and creeping maladjustments, you might think this was already a great psychological thriller with enough transformed humanity to keep any SF fan thrilled... but he goes a bit further and gives us the basis and an amazing exploration of a clearly superior and truly alien life form taking up residence down in the trench.
Watts does aliens AWESOME. He gets the concept that alien is probably going to be VERY alien. No blue suit humans, but thoroughly alien across the board.
I LOVE this stuff. Original, well-written, pushing all the boundaries, and it's even full of heart.
To think it's FREE, too! On the author's website!
We really ought to re-think our concepts about popular fiction. Just because it sells super well doesn't mean it's good and just because a book is free doesn't mean it's not brilliant. Popularity is capricious.
This is the kind of novel that blows me away on even the science and species level, not just story or characters. He knows his marine life and even offers up a long biography at the end. Gotta love it. :)
More than anything, I'm in love with the quality. He's wild with the hard SF explorations. Transhumanism and what it means to be human at all in the face of the alien or the alien within us is merely a huge part of his novels but it is not the end. He drives so many of his characters forward with an amazing array of psychology and depravity and simply focused survival.
These guys were transformed to survive 400 pressures in one of the deepest trenches in the ocean, to live on the local life, to supply energy to the rest of the world. So who would go down there, fully transformed with biological computers, on their own free will?
Ah, there's the rub. They get marginalized survivors, abuse victims, pedophiles, maladjusted driven iconoclasts.
It makes perfect sense. Send the strongest people we have, the ones we can also sacrifice, and let them do what they do best. Survive at all costs.
Of course, between the psychological pressures, insane real pressure, and creeping maladjustments, you might think this was already a great psychological thriller with enough transformed humanity to keep any SF fan thrilled... but he goes a bit further and gives us the basis and an amazing exploration of a clearly superior and truly alien life form taking up residence down in the trench.
Watts does aliens AWESOME. He gets the concept that alien is probably going to be VERY alien. No blue suit humans, but thoroughly alien across the board.
I LOVE this stuff. Original, well-written, pushing all the boundaries, and it's even full of heart.
To think it's FREE, too! On the author's website!
We really ought to re-think our concepts about popular fiction. Just because it sells super well doesn't mean it's good and just because a book is free doesn't mean it's not brilliant. Popularity is capricious.
This is the kind of novel that blows me away on even the science and species level, not just story or characters. He knows his marine life and even offers up a long biography at the end. Gotta love it. :)
March 7, 2024
3,5/5
September 24, 2022
4.0 stars
This is a grim, dark claustrophobic novel written by one of my favourite sci fi authors. The deep water setting created an incredible atmosphere. The characters were purposely very unlikeable as this story explored the dark side of humanity. All the content warnings for abuse in this book. I really liked this novel, even though it paled in comparison to Blindsight. I am excited to read further into the Rifters series.
This is a grim, dark claustrophobic novel written by one of my favourite sci fi authors. The deep water setting created an incredible atmosphere. The characters were purposely very unlikeable as this story explored the dark side of humanity. All the content warnings for abuse in this book. I really liked this novel, even though it paled in comparison to Blindsight. I am excited to read further into the Rifters series.
August 8, 2018
A really interesting near future SF with an awesome setting deep underwater. Starfish is for the most part a taut psychological thriller rather than an alien contact or monster story, and it definitely keeps up the level of tension pretty much throughout the book.
It was my first book by Canadian author Peter Watts, but won't be my last. While I wouldn't say the ending here was a cliffhanger exactly, it did end in such a way that I feel invested in continuing on to the next book.
As an added bonus, Watts distributes this book and others through his website under a Creative Commons license, so you can download and read Starfish and the two sequels for free.
http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm
It was my first book by Canadian author Peter Watts, but won't be my last. While I wouldn't say the ending here was a cliffhanger exactly, it did end in such a way that I feel invested in continuing on to the next book.
As an added bonus, Watts distributes this book and others through his website under a Creative Commons license, so you can download and read Starfish and the two sequels for free.
http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm
May 20, 2020
Good book.
Not at all what I had expected, though. Because I simply refuse to read the blurb before I start reading a book, I thought this would be about a group of people encountering gigantic monsters in the deep sea and subsequently struggling for survival, with lots of action and/or suspense.
Well, yes, most of this takes place in and around a deep sea station. And there are monsters. Though the most terrifying ones might be within those people. They are bioengineered humans, made to survive in that harsh environment. Equally as important as their altered bodies are their psychological profiles, though. We end up with rapists, pedophiles, borderline psychotics, and victims of same. You would be surprised how much the author makes you care for (nearly) all of them by the end of the book.
Why are they down there in the first place? To help provide energy to our near future society. We’re not at the point yet where this can be achieved fully automated. A human presence is still necessary. And the company mandated to provide safe, reliable energy to its consumers opted for Something bent, not broken. Something that fits into cracks too twisted for the rest of us. They’re speaking of our „heroes“ here.
So, what about action and/or suspense and battles with gigantic fish? Well, here’s where my anti-blurb-reading strategy failed me. What unfolds instead is an interesting psychological thriller, often taking place in close quarters (or only in the characters‘ minds?), and one that is generally a very slow read. Or maybe it’s just me and my wrong expectations?!
I’m actually rather happy, though, that I didn’t read the blurb. Because this book holds quite a few surprises, especially towards the end, when it all becomes rather big and scary and, yes, about survival. And the blurb here on Goodreads does give a few things away, that I’m glad I didn’t know.
I can sense this review becoming all wishy-washy now. So let me just say that it is a well-written and well-constructed book that concerns itself with psychological and transhumanist questions, survival (of the body and the mind), and something much bigger that comes as a rather nasty twist towards the end.
The reader is thrown from one character to the next and back again and therefore often has a kind of limited view on what’s really going on. Making assumptions, just like the characters do. But I actually enjoyed being left in the dark for substantial parts of the book. There are also some pretty sciencey parts that, even though integrated in what felt like a natural way, sometimes are a little dense. And, to be honest, I didn’t understand all of it. So you might want to keep that in mind. As well as the abuse the main character had to endure (off page), if you are sensitive to such topics.
Overall, well-earned four stars. I have a feeling it might get the fifth one upon a re-read.
The book is free to read or download on the author’s website, btw: https://rifters.com/real/STARFISH.htm
Pretty cool! :)
Not at all what I had expected, though. Because I simply refuse to read the blurb before I start reading a book, I thought this would be about a group of people encountering gigantic monsters in the deep sea and subsequently struggling for survival, with lots of action and/or suspense.
Well, yes, most of this takes place in and around a deep sea station. And there are monsters. Though the most terrifying ones might be within those people. They are bioengineered humans, made to survive in that harsh environment. Equally as important as their altered bodies are their psychological profiles, though. We end up with rapists, pedophiles, borderline psychotics, and victims of same. You would be surprised how much the author makes you care for (nearly) all of them by the end of the book.
Why are they down there in the first place? To help provide energy to our near future society. We’re not at the point yet where this can be achieved fully automated. A human presence is still necessary. And the company mandated to provide safe, reliable energy to its consumers opted for Something bent, not broken. Something that fits into cracks too twisted for the rest of us. They’re speaking of our „heroes“ here.
So, what about action and/or suspense and battles with gigantic fish? Well, here’s where my anti-blurb-reading strategy failed me. What unfolds instead is an interesting psychological thriller, often taking place in close quarters (or only in the characters‘ minds?), and one that is generally a very slow read. Or maybe it’s just me and my wrong expectations?!
I’m actually rather happy, though, that I didn’t read the blurb. Because this book holds quite a few surprises, especially towards the end, when it all becomes rather big and scary and, yes, about survival. And the blurb here on Goodreads does give a few things away, that I’m glad I didn’t know.
I can sense this review becoming all wishy-washy now. So let me just say that it is a well-written and well-constructed book that concerns itself with psychological and transhumanist questions, survival (of the body and the mind), and something much bigger that comes as a rather nasty twist towards the end.
The reader is thrown from one character to the next and back again and therefore often has a kind of limited view on what’s really going on. Making assumptions, just like the characters do. But I actually enjoyed being left in the dark for substantial parts of the book. There are also some pretty sciencey parts that, even though integrated in what felt like a natural way, sometimes are a little dense. And, to be honest, I didn’t understand all of it. So you might want to keep that in mind. As well as the abuse the main character had to endure (off page), if you are sensitive to such topics.
Overall, well-earned four stars. I have a feeling it might get the fifth one upon a re-read.
The book is free to read or download on the author’s website, btw: https://rifters.com/real/STARFISH.htm
Pretty cool! :)
July 22, 2019
A very entertaining SF novel.
Reminiscent of William Gibson and Paolo Bacigalupi and with tones of Frederik Pohl’s brilliant 1976 novel Man Plus, writer Peter Watts serves up a heaping order of WAY COOL with this psychological thriller set in a deep ocean rift.
This also made me think of Arthur C. Clarke’s 1957 classic The Deep Range because of the ocean setting. SF writers are quick to go into outer space or explore cybernetic themes, but the deep ocean is a fecundity of SF stories and I wonder why more writers don’t try their hand at something watery. Watts is a marine biologist and all-around smart person so I can see the connection here as he makes great use of his hard science background to make this sponge worthy.
A future (not too far though) corporation has built DEEP stations on the ocean floor to take advantage of geothermal energy and some other benefits. To man the outposts they have bio-engineered people to be able to breathe underwater and to sustain the pressure and cold. Psychologists have learned that normal people will go insane because of the conditions and so good candidates are found in the population of people who are already dealing with heavy issues.
** See Robin Williams’ great line at the end of Death to Smoochy for a succinct explanation.
All’s going well except that the operators begin to go native way down there and develop some unexpected side effects and behavioral traits. A less competent writer would not be able to pull this part of the story off, but this becomes one of the strongest elements of the narrative and kudos to Watts for putting this together so well. We end up with a hard science story with psychological and philosophical questions. And there is some alien stuff and some microbiological creepiness that would make Michael Crichton grow a couple more inches.
This was my first introduction to Watts’ fine work and I will be back for more.
Highly recommended.
Reminiscent of William Gibson and Paolo Bacigalupi and with tones of Frederik Pohl’s brilliant 1976 novel Man Plus, writer Peter Watts serves up a heaping order of WAY COOL with this psychological thriller set in a deep ocean rift.
This also made me think of Arthur C. Clarke’s 1957 classic The Deep Range because of the ocean setting. SF writers are quick to go into outer space or explore cybernetic themes, but the deep ocean is a fecundity of SF stories and I wonder why more writers don’t try their hand at something watery. Watts is a marine biologist and all-around smart person so I can see the connection here as he makes great use of his hard science background to make this sponge worthy.
A future (not too far though) corporation has built DEEP stations on the ocean floor to take advantage of geothermal energy and some other benefits. To man the outposts they have bio-engineered people to be able to breathe underwater and to sustain the pressure and cold. Psychologists have learned that normal people will go insane because of the conditions and so good candidates are found in the population of people who are already dealing with heavy issues.
** See Robin Williams’ great line at the end of Death to Smoochy for a succinct explanation.
All’s going well except that the operators begin to go native way down there and develop some unexpected side effects and behavioral traits. A less competent writer would not be able to pull this part of the story off, but this becomes one of the strongest elements of the narrative and kudos to Watts for putting this together so well. We end up with a hard science story with psychological and philosophical questions. And there is some alien stuff and some microbiological creepiness that would make Michael Crichton grow a couple more inches.
This was my first introduction to Watts’ fine work and I will be back for more.
Highly recommended.
February 23, 2024
Moja talassofobia dostała talassofobii. A poza tym to lekkie rozczarowanie, spodziewałem się więcej.
Są momenty, są fajne pomysły, ale za mało tego jak dla mnie.
P.S. Tak, będę kontynuował.
Są momenty, są fajne pomysły, ale za mało tego jak dla mnie.
P.S. Tak, będę kontynuował.
January 5, 2019
"For there is something special about this tiny part of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, something unexplained.[…] "We don't know the secret of the Channer Vent. We don't know how it creates its strange and fascinating giants." The program's visual display goes dark. "We only know that here, on the shoulder of the Axial Volcano, we have finally tracked the monsters to their lair."
Monsters, human and abyss(m)al alike. This is Peter Watts’ world inhabitants. This is their story.
“Take a dozen children, any children. Beat and mix thoroughly until some lumps remain. Simmer for two to three decades; bring to a slow, rolling boil. Skim off the full-blown psychotics, the schizoaffectives, the multiple personalities, and discard. […]
Let cool. Serve with dopamine garnish.
What do you get? Something bent, not broken. Something that fits into cracks too twisted for the rest of us.”
The book is brimming with info on geology, biology and genetics. As the author says at the end, there is very little he made up in this book. Almost all details about the environment (3000 km under the surface of Pacific Ocean) are facts: the creatures – anglerfish, viperfish, giant squid, the hydrothermal vents, the tectonic movement of Juan de Fuca plate, and so on.
The plot is pretty weak actually and it won’t get revealed until after the second half of the book, so I won’t say anything about it; the story isn’t about that, anyway. It’s all about the Rifters, who are corporate workers sent into the abyss, at Beebe Station, to keep the geothermal vents clear.
They are modified humans, able to survive in that high-pressure environment and all have something else in common: they are either victims of abuse or the abusers themselves: pedophiles, rapists, killers, psychotics, some with suicidal tendencies, others addicts on something. No problem if casualties appear; they are not welcome to live among normal people and nobody would miss them anyway, so who else is more fit to work in such a high risk environment?
Doesn’t sound pleasant and it isn’t, but somehow Watts plays his card masterfully: it may startle you at first as a story on dehumanization, but amazingly, it is a story on humanity. And above all, his writing style is somehow poetic at times:
" "You know, when they first sent me down here I thought this place would be a real shithole. I figured I'd just knuckle down and do my time and get out. But it's not like that. You know what I mean, Lenie?"
I know. But she doesn't answer.
"I thought so," he says, as though she has. "It's really kind of...well, beautiful, in a way. Even the monsters, once you get to know 'em. We're all beautiful."
He seems almost gentle.”
Is not a comforting reading, it really gets you at some point. You can feel all those atmospheres pressing on you. You choke due to lack of air. You crave for a ray of sunlight in those black waters and a bit of warm too. The alternate points of view between conversations and repetitive inner thoughts, almost mantras, are hypnotic, to say the least.
It almost lacks action, so it won’t be on everyone’s taste. However, it is highly compelling. It raises so many questions, not only about the characters and what they’ll do next, but also on how you feel about them. Is it possible to sympathize a pedophile and a killer? I didn’t think I would ever say this but, yes, I did. Sort of…
And why Starfish? Starting from the premise that these creatures can regenerate lost limbs, there is a beautiful metaphor and connection between it and the main character Lenie Clarke. But you’ll have to discover that.
Anyway, it’s one hell of a book. Both literally and figuratively speaking. The combination between those wackos and so many interesting facts about deep sea environment was a hit for me. An irresistible Twilight Zone.
P.S. If you’re interested in this series, it can be downloaded legally from the author' site, along with his other works: http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm
And if you feel like it, you can also feed the cats – check the bottom of the above page 😉
LE 05.01.2019: I just found out about William Beebe and therefore I think that the Beebe station here is an homage to him. Good thing I read Underwater to Get Out of the Rain: A Love Affair With the Sea by Trevor Norton, otherwise I might have never learn this.
Monsters, human and abyss(m)al alike. This is Peter Watts’ world inhabitants. This is their story.
“Take a dozen children, any children. Beat and mix thoroughly until some lumps remain. Simmer for two to three decades; bring to a slow, rolling boil. Skim off the full-blown psychotics, the schizoaffectives, the multiple personalities, and discard. […]
Let cool. Serve with dopamine garnish.
What do you get? Something bent, not broken. Something that fits into cracks too twisted for the rest of us.”
The book is brimming with info on geology, biology and genetics. As the author says at the end, there is very little he made up in this book. Almost all details about the environment (3000 km under the surface of Pacific Ocean) are facts: the creatures – anglerfish, viperfish, giant squid, the hydrothermal vents, the tectonic movement of Juan de Fuca plate, and so on.
The plot is pretty weak actually and it won’t get revealed until after the second half of the book, so I won’t say anything about it; the story isn’t about that, anyway. It’s all about the Rifters, who are corporate workers sent into the abyss, at Beebe Station, to keep the geothermal vents clear.
They are modified humans, able to survive in that high-pressure environment and all have something else in common: they are either victims of abuse or the abusers themselves: pedophiles, rapists, killers, psychotics, some with suicidal tendencies, others addicts on something. No problem if casualties appear; they are not welcome to live among normal people and nobody would miss them anyway, so who else is more fit to work in such a high risk environment?
Doesn’t sound pleasant and it isn’t, but somehow Watts plays his card masterfully: it may startle you at first as a story on dehumanization, but amazingly, it is a story on humanity. And above all, his writing style is somehow poetic at times:
" "You know, when they first sent me down here I thought this place would be a real shithole. I figured I'd just knuckle down and do my time and get out. But it's not like that. You know what I mean, Lenie?"
I know. But she doesn't answer.
"I thought so," he says, as though she has. "It's really kind of...well, beautiful, in a way. Even the monsters, once you get to know 'em. We're all beautiful."
He seems almost gentle.”
Is not a comforting reading, it really gets you at some point. You can feel all those atmospheres pressing on you. You choke due to lack of air. You crave for a ray of sunlight in those black waters and a bit of warm too. The alternate points of view between conversations and repetitive inner thoughts, almost mantras, are hypnotic, to say the least.
It almost lacks action, so it won’t be on everyone’s taste. However, it is highly compelling. It raises so many questions, not only about the characters and what they’ll do next, but also on how you feel about them. Is it possible to sympathize a pedophile and a killer? I didn’t think I would ever say this but, yes, I did. Sort of…
And why Starfish? Starting from the premise that these creatures can regenerate lost limbs, there is a beautiful metaphor and connection between it and the main character Lenie Clarke. But you’ll have to discover that.
Anyway, it’s one hell of a book. Both literally and figuratively speaking. The combination between those wackos and so many interesting facts about deep sea environment was a hit for me. An irresistible Twilight Zone.
P.S. If you’re interested in this series, it can be downloaded legally from the author' site, along with his other works: http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm
And if you feel like it, you can also feed the cats – check the bottom of the above page 😉
LE 05.01.2019: I just found out about William Beebe and therefore I think that the Beebe station here is an homage to him. Good thing I read Underwater to Get Out of the Rain: A Love Affair With the Sea by Trevor Norton, otherwise I might have never learn this.
July 30, 2015
Some "science-fiction" writers have an excellent understanding of science. The science and technology employed in their stories is gritty and realistic, even when the story itself is thin and uninteresting. Others write great story. Their science is flaky and their characters often one dimensional but their novels are jam-packed with high stakes, high action and high adventure from start to finish. Others still are strong on character. Their characters are fully-developed, well-rounded individuals who would no doubt be fascinating if their stories weren't so flat and soap-opera-ish. Once in a while, however, that rare gem comes along amidst the ranks of SF writers who can integrate science, story and character. Peter Watts is one such writer.
The characters of Starfish are society's detritus. Child molesters, murderers and other violent offenders, along with the victims addicted to their abuse. Society cannot help them. There is no rehabilitation for the criminals - none that works. They rape and beat and murder again. As for the victims, there is no help for them either. They seem to seek out abusive situations again and again. They are unable to integrate into "normal", "healthy" society. These are humanity's lost children. There is no place for them in the world. At least, there is no place for them on the world.
When humanity's ever growing needs for energy entice giant corporations to build facilities along the Earth's deep ocean rifts where energy from the Earth's core spews out of sea-bottom vents ripe for harvesting, humans are needed to live down on the rifts to babysit the operations. Life on the rift is a strange enterprise; dark, isolated, claustrophobic, and bereft of many sensory stimuli which humans living on the Earth's surface enjoy. It also requires bio-mechanical and electro-chemical modifications to the body. "Rifters" sacrifice one of their air-breathing lungs to make room in their chests for machinery which allows them to electrolyze oxygen from their aqueous environment. They also bear other implants which regulate chemicals and internal pressure; modifications necessary to allow the Rifters to survive in their high-pressure, high-saline, ocean-floor homes. The Rifters aren't entirely human.
It turns out, however, that bio-tech alone cannot create a Rifter. There are psychological considerations which science has not yet learned to overcome. Most people crack when exposed long-term to the distorted life imposed by the rift environment. Most, but not all.
Society's lost ones; both the abused and the abusers; prove to be the only ones able to adapt to the Rifter lifestyle. They not only survive on the rift; they thrive there. Sociopaths and psychopaths all, they find on the rift what they were never able to find on land: friendship, peace, belonging.
Peter Watts' Starfish is an expert weaving of the lives of seven such Rifters and their interactions with each other, their environment and the world above. It is a fascinating and thoughtful study of how an environment shapes both the individuals and the society which inhabit it.
Starfish is far more than merely an excellent psychological exploration, however. There is plenty of intrigue and plenty of danger within the pages of this novel to keep them turning. The Rifters' adventures are not merely psychological but also physical - in extreme ways - as the Rifters are forced to fight for their lives, both with the monsters of the deep and the monsters from above and within.
Starfish examines what it means to be human by stretching its characters to the very limits of existence. How do people behave when faced with the threat of extinction - both that of their own lives and of the entire human species? When survival is on the line, do the psychopaths on the ocean's bottom behave any differently than the so-called "normal" "drybacks" on land? How does evil manifest in a human? In a machine?
Starfish is an example of science fiction at its best: great science, great story, and, ultimately, profound humanity.
The characters of Starfish are society's detritus. Child molesters, murderers and other violent offenders, along with the victims addicted to their abuse. Society cannot help them. There is no rehabilitation for the criminals - none that works. They rape and beat and murder again. As for the victims, there is no help for them either. They seem to seek out abusive situations again and again. They are unable to integrate into "normal", "healthy" society. These are humanity's lost children. There is no place for them in the world. At least, there is no place for them on the world.
When humanity's ever growing needs for energy entice giant corporations to build facilities along the Earth's deep ocean rifts where energy from the Earth's core spews out of sea-bottom vents ripe for harvesting, humans are needed to live down on the rifts to babysit the operations. Life on the rift is a strange enterprise; dark, isolated, claustrophobic, and bereft of many sensory stimuli which humans living on the Earth's surface enjoy. It also requires bio-mechanical and electro-chemical modifications to the body. "Rifters" sacrifice one of their air-breathing lungs to make room in their chests for machinery which allows them to electrolyze oxygen from their aqueous environment. They also bear other implants which regulate chemicals and internal pressure; modifications necessary to allow the Rifters to survive in their high-pressure, high-saline, ocean-floor homes. The Rifters aren't entirely human.
It turns out, however, that bio-tech alone cannot create a Rifter. There are psychological considerations which science has not yet learned to overcome. Most people crack when exposed long-term to the distorted life imposed by the rift environment. Most, but not all.
Society's lost ones; both the abused and the abusers; prove to be the only ones able to adapt to the Rifter lifestyle. They not only survive on the rift; they thrive there. Sociopaths and psychopaths all, they find on the rift what they were never able to find on land: friendship, peace, belonging.
Peter Watts' Starfish is an expert weaving of the lives of seven such Rifters and their interactions with each other, their environment and the world above. It is a fascinating and thoughtful study of how an environment shapes both the individuals and the society which inhabit it.
Starfish is far more than merely an excellent psychological exploration, however. There is plenty of intrigue and plenty of danger within the pages of this novel to keep them turning. The Rifters' adventures are not merely psychological but also physical - in extreme ways - as the Rifters are forced to fight for their lives, both with the monsters of the deep and the monsters from above and within.
Starfish examines what it means to be human by stretching its characters to the very limits of existence. How do people behave when faced with the threat of extinction - both that of their own lives and of the entire human species? When survival is on the line, do the psychopaths on the ocean's bottom behave any differently than the so-called "normal" "drybacks" on land? How does evil manifest in a human? In a machine?
Starfish is an example of science fiction at its best: great science, great story, and, ultimately, profound humanity.
August 15, 2023
4.25 ���️
Trudne to było…
Ultra dobry początek, fajne portrety bohaterów i budowanie hierarchii. W połowie nie mam zielonego pojęcia coś się działo, ale zostałam wessana i ciężko było mi się oderwać. Końcówka była ultra dynamiczna i liczę na kolejny tom jak najszybciej.
Trudne to było…
Ultra dobry początek, fajne portrety bohaterów i budowanie hierarchii. W połowie nie mam zielonego pojęcia coś się działo, ale zostałam wessana i ciężko było mi się oderwać. Końcówka była ultra dynamiczna i liczę na kolejny tom jak najszybciej.
February 3, 2022
You've heard of Hard Science Fiction but let me introduce you to Hard Pseudoscience Fiction:
The characters in Starfish are supposedly best suited for dangerous work in a highly stressful environment because they are survivors of trauma, those sexually and/or physically abused, and abusers themselves. Because, get this, they are "addicted to trauma." Bro, what? While it's true that survivors of trauma will sometimes, unknowingly or knowingly, seek out situations that recreate their trauma, and it's absolutely possible to become addicted to trauma, this is a decidedly self-destructive tendency. Survivors of trauma are in no way better suited to stressful situations, and are in fact way less likely to be able to handle stressful, traumatic situations.
The book heavily implies that these characters didn't actually experience their trauma real-time, but had false memories implanted in order to traumatize them, so that they would be better suited for this work. Doubling down on the pseudoscience here, and also literally bringing up in the text and giving credence to those who worked hard in the past to discredit victims of childhood sexual abuse as having their memories implanted by psychologists.
Is Peter Watts a closet Scientologist or something? He definitely misunderstands psychology. Maybe there was a niche psychological study that had some ass-backward results regarding PTSD that he read and worked into the text here?
Beyond this dumb as hell pseudo-psychological concept, the story is incredibly original and exciting. Parallel evolution at the bottom of the ocean is such a rich concept, but it's continually being detracted from by this bad science.
The writing is particularly bad as well. Every thought that every character has is written out, something that particularly annoys me. SHOW me what they're thinking, don't tell me exactly what they're thinking. It's incredibly lazy.
If it weren't for the killer idea of parallel aquatic evolution, some fascinating biology, and amazing body horror type stuff this would be a zero star book.
The characters in Starfish are supposedly best suited for dangerous work in a highly stressful environment because they are survivors of trauma, those sexually and/or physically abused, and abusers themselves. Because, get this, they are "addicted to trauma." Bro, what? While it's true that survivors of trauma will sometimes, unknowingly or knowingly, seek out situations that recreate their trauma, and it's absolutely possible to become addicted to trauma, this is a decidedly self-destructive tendency. Survivors of trauma are in no way better suited to stressful situations, and are in fact way less likely to be able to handle stressful, traumatic situations.
The book heavily implies that these characters didn't actually experience their trauma real-time, but had false memories implanted in order to traumatize them, so that they would be better suited for this work. Doubling down on the pseudoscience here, and also literally bringing up in the text and giving credence to those who worked hard in the past to discredit victims of childhood sexual abuse as having their memories implanted by psychologists.
Is Peter Watts a closet Scientologist or something? He definitely misunderstands psychology. Maybe there was a niche psychological study that had some ass-backward results regarding PTSD that he read and worked into the text here?
Beyond this dumb as hell pseudo-psychological concept, the story is incredibly original and exciting. Parallel evolution at the bottom of the ocean is such a rich concept, but it's continually being detracted from by this bad science.
The writing is particularly bad as well. Every thought that every character has is written out, something that particularly annoys me. SHOW me what they're thinking, don't tell me exactly what they're thinking. It's incredibly lazy.
If it weren't for the killer idea of parallel aquatic evolution, some fascinating biology, and amazing body horror type stuff this would be a zero star book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2010
So you've established a facility to harness geothermal power at the bottom of the ocean, in an incredibly scary, claustrophobic, dangerous environment, and you man it with the Right Stuff, yes? Like astronauts. You send down a group of smart, fit, psychologically stable people equipped to deal with the stress.
Or maybe not. In this book, management has apparently decided that instead of ruining perfectly good personnel, they'll send down a bunch of pre-damaged individuals instead. People already "preadapted" for stressful situations: the criminally violent, the perverted, and the emotionally traumatized. It's kind of an interesting idea, but I was never convinced that this set of people could refrain from killing each other, much less do a single meaningful day's work.
That's most of the problem I had with this novel: it's well-written, with a fascinating setting and some cool technology, but the author doesn't take the time to convince me of anything. He presents ideas rapid-fire. I didn't have time to become attached to any of the characters or to buy into the plot before it was over. This kind of storytelling doesn't appeal to me. There are sequels which undoubtedly flesh out this world a little more, but I'm not interested enough to read them.
If you're a fan of hard science fiction, and if you enjoy cool concept exploration more than character development, then you may like this book more than I did.
Huh. I've been reading other reviews, and some people think he spends too much time on characterization and not enough time on plot. I agree that the plot is thin (and by the way, any civilization that hands over the fate of humanity to an ill-tested A.I. deserves what it gets) but I found the time spent exploring the characters also very unsatisfying.
I enjoyed the author's 2006 novel Blindsight, which has many of the same elements and the same bleak style as Starfish, but for whatever reason Blindsight worked better for me.
Or maybe not. In this book, management has apparently decided that instead of ruining perfectly good personnel, they'll send down a bunch of pre-damaged individuals instead. People already "preadapted" for stressful situations: the criminally violent, the perverted, and the emotionally traumatized. It's kind of an interesting idea, but I was never convinced that this set of people could refrain from killing each other, much less do a single meaningful day's work.
That's most of the problem I had with this novel: it's well-written, with a fascinating setting and some cool technology, but the author doesn't take the time to convince me of anything. He presents ideas rapid-fire. I didn't have time to become attached to any of the characters or to buy into the plot before it was over. This kind of storytelling doesn't appeal to me. There are sequels which undoubtedly flesh out this world a little more, but I'm not interested enough to read them.
If you're a fan of hard science fiction, and if you enjoy cool concept exploration more than character development, then you may like this book more than I did.
Huh. I've been reading other reviews, and some people think he spends too much time on characterization and not enough time on plot. I agree that the plot is thin (and by the way, any civilization that hands over the fate of humanity to an ill-tested A.I. deserves what it gets) but I found the time spent exploring the characters also very unsatisfying.
I enjoyed the author's 2006 novel Blindsight, which has many of the same elements and the same bleak style as Starfish, but for whatever reason Blindsight worked better for me.
July 27, 2018
I am a sucker for books set underwater. So keep the recommendations coming!
When this one was recommended to me quite a while ago, I was hesitant. It sounded pretty strange, potentially filled with really unlikeable and twisted characters. Well, they were, mostly. But the supposedly healthy and normal people topside were not necessarily a lot saner or nicer in the long run.
I ended up liking this quite a lot and I already downloaded the sequel. Kudos, Peter Watts! So, the book...
Nice introduction in the prelude. Makes you anxious for whoever is going to end up living down there.
Chapter 1 gives us a tour of black smokers, gulper eels and other weird deep sea fish...
Our main character, Lenie, is as odd as expected. Not quite sure how things work with other people. Afraid to go outside at first. But by chapter 2 already more comfortable out there in the dark than inside the station, with another person.
Outside it‘s apparently only dark when you have the lights on...
While I read the opening chapters, the soundtrack of Jaws was playing in an endless loop, by the way...
In part two we met all of Lenie‘s weird and dysfunctional colleagues. Things got stranger and tenser. And stranger still in the following parts. But somehow these pretty horrible characters started to grow on me.
I ended up rooting for the rapists, pedophiles, borderline psychotics, and victims of same. I guess you will either like this book a lot or hate it fiercely.
The reference books mentioned at the beginning sound really interesting. I was tempted to look up some of his sources, but the likelihood that I would actually read any of these books is slim.
Here is an old and partly defunct website for the book, I would suggest reading it after you‘ve read Starfish, as it gives away some background information:
http://www.rifters.com/starfish/s_mai...
About the author: http://www.rifters.com/real/author.htm
5 smoking, monstrous, bio-luminescent stars.
When this one was recommended to me quite a while ago, I was hesitant. It sounded pretty strange, potentially filled with really unlikeable and twisted characters. Well, they were, mostly. But the supposedly healthy and normal people topside were not necessarily a lot saner or nicer in the long run.
I ended up liking this quite a lot and I already downloaded the sequel. Kudos, Peter Watts! So, the book...
Welcome to Beebe Station.
You're three kilometers below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. You're perched on the shoulder of an active volcano. The local fauna is very large and very nasty. If it doesn't kill you, a mudslide or an erupting smoker probably will.
Your fellow employees are rapists, pedophiles, borderline psychotics, and victims of same.
You feel very lucky to be here.
This is a damn sight better than the life you left behind.
Nice introduction in the prelude. Makes you anxious for whoever is going to end up living down there.
Chapter 1 gives us a tour of black smokers, gulper eels and other weird deep sea fish...
Our main character, Lenie, is as odd as expected. Not quite sure how things work with other people. Afraid to go outside at first. But by chapter 2 already more comfortable out there in the dark than inside the station, with another person.
Outside it‘s apparently only dark when you have the lights on...
While I read the opening chapters, the soundtrack of Jaws was playing in an endless loop, by the way...
In part two we met all of Lenie‘s weird and dysfunctional colleagues. Things got stranger and tenser. And stranger still in the following parts. But somehow these pretty horrible characters started to grow on me.
I ended up rooting for the rapists, pedophiles, borderline psychotics, and victims of same. I guess you will either like this book a lot or hate it fiercely.
The reference books mentioned at the beginning sound really interesting. I was tempted to look up some of his sources, but the likelihood that I would actually read any of these books is slim.
Here is an old and partly defunct website for the book, I would suggest reading it after you‘ve read Starfish, as it gives away some background information:
http://www.rifters.com/starfish/s_mai...
About the author: http://www.rifters.com/real/author.htm
5 smoking, monstrous, bio-luminescent stars.
May 9, 2021
Starfish is Watts first novel and it shows to no small degree; while most of his work would benefit from a good editor, this one desperately needs one! That stated, this started off with a bang and for the first half of the book it I was enthralled, thinking this was going to be 5 stars all the way. Then, while it definitely did not fall completely apart, it did really lose focus and started to incorporate/add in/mix in/ a wide range of news ideas and plot strands that served (imo) to divert it from its original focus. It did end with a bang however!
The main story is centered upon 'rifters' and the company that made them. Starfish takes place sometime in the relatively near future and humanity has devised a way to tap the thermal energy in the ocean's rift valleys into usable energy. The only problem is that people need to tend to the works and the rift valleys are found in the deepest parts of the oceans. GA corporation found the solution by making a wide range of adaptions to people, including a mechanical lung that derives oxygen from salt water, that allows for people to survive the crushing water pressure down there and still work on the generation machinery. Then, they encountered another problem, namely, that the small crews isolated deep in the rifts had to be a certain type of person if they were not to go crazy down there. What GA needed were 'survivors', or people that could deal with adversity, or even thrive on it. In effect, that opened the door to a wide range of people with 'issues' to put it mildly. For instance, one of our female leads was sexually abused by her father (among other forms of abuse); we also have a pedophile. This is bound to trigger a few people. This seems to be, however, almost a Watts trademark-- his characters tend to be really damaged goods, although he does give some of them redeeming features occasionally.
Anyway, the first half of the book we are treated to a crew of rifters and their interactions in such a hostile environment. Watts drops tech-ideas like a spring rain here, but so far it fits with the plot and characters. The detailed discussion of the physical modifications made to the rifters was amazing and plausible at the same time for example. It gets even better when one of the rifters figures out a way to 'modify' the tech that allows for subtle but cool changes in the person, such as an almost telepathic abilities to sense each other underwater and what they need/desire/fear. Watts had me hooked for sure! His reflections on consciousness found in his later works are definitely in the making here as well.
Then, things started to go off the rail a bit. Watts takes us further from the rifters and into the larger world and what a dystopia that is. This could be ok; Watts is great at this, with is less than optimistic vision of future humanity/society, but then he starts adding a range of plot lines that, while of concern to the rifters, really muddies the water regarding the plot in general. I will not go into detail here regarding this, but to me, it felt as if he changed gears or re-envisioned the plot half way through. In the end (in his always helpful endnotes section), he notes that Starfish started as a short story; my guess would be that that was the first half of the novel.
While I liked the book, I ultimately found it lacking in cohesion and plot. Watts does dystopia very well, however, and what a bleak future he always seems to envision. Strong on tech and ideas as usual as well. 3.5 stars rounding down.
The main story is centered upon 'rifters' and the company that made them. Starfish takes place sometime in the relatively near future and humanity has devised a way to tap the thermal energy in the ocean's rift valleys into usable energy. The only problem is that people need to tend to the works and the rift valleys are found in the deepest parts of the oceans. GA corporation found the solution by making a wide range of adaptions to people, including a mechanical lung that derives oxygen from salt water, that allows for people to survive the crushing water pressure down there and still work on the generation machinery. Then, they encountered another problem, namely, that the small crews isolated deep in the rifts had to be a certain type of person if they were not to go crazy down there. What GA needed were 'survivors', or people that could deal with adversity, or even thrive on it. In effect, that opened the door to a wide range of people with 'issues' to put it mildly. For instance, one of our female leads was sexually abused by her father (among other forms of abuse); we also have a pedophile. This is bound to trigger a few people. This seems to be, however, almost a Watts trademark-- his characters tend to be really damaged goods, although he does give some of them redeeming features occasionally.
Anyway, the first half of the book we are treated to a crew of rifters and their interactions in such a hostile environment. Watts drops tech-ideas like a spring rain here, but so far it fits with the plot and characters. The detailed discussion of the physical modifications made to the rifters was amazing and plausible at the same time for example. It gets even better when one of the rifters figures out a way to 'modify' the tech that allows for subtle but cool changes in the person, such as an almost telepathic abilities to sense each other underwater and what they need/desire/fear. Watts had me hooked for sure! His reflections on consciousness found in his later works are definitely in the making here as well.
Then, things started to go off the rail a bit. Watts takes us further from the rifters and into the larger world and what a dystopia that is. This could be ok; Watts is great at this, with is less than optimistic vision of future humanity/society, but then he starts adding a range of plot lines that, while of concern to the rifters, really muddies the water regarding the plot in general. I will not go into detail here regarding this, but to me, it felt as if he changed gears or re-envisioned the plot half way through. In the end (in his always helpful endnotes section), he notes that Starfish started as a short story; my guess would be that that was the first half of the novel.
While I liked the book, I ultimately found it lacking in cohesion and plot. Watts does dystopia very well, however, and what a bleak future he always seems to envision. Strong on tech and ideas as usual as well. 3.5 stars rounding down.
August 10, 2020
Peter Watts is just damn good.
Dark, psychological, claustrophobic and very clever. A deep delve (see what i did there?) in the psyche of abuse and victim-hood, wrapped up in a dark undersea mystery adventure.
It wasn't quite Blindsight, but few things will ever be. But it was excellent, and thoroughly enjoyable, if a little slow.
I'll read the sequel before too long, but first, something a little lighter.
Dark, psychological, claustrophobic and very clever. A deep delve (see what i did there?) in the psyche of abuse and victim-hood, wrapped up in a dark undersea mystery adventure.
It wasn't quite Blindsight, but few things will ever be. But it was excellent, and thoroughly enjoyable, if a little slow.
I'll read the sequel before too long, but first, something a little lighter.
September 23, 2022
3 Stars for Starfish (audiobook) by Peter Watts read by Gabriel Vaughn.
I didn’t realize that this was the first book in a trilogy when I started listening. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but the ending just didn’t work for me and I don’t think I’ll be reading the next book in the series.
I didn’t realize that this was the first book in a trilogy when I started listening. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but the ending just didn’t work for me and I don’t think I’ll be reading the next book in the series.
February 15, 2020
That was some fun hard sci-fi! My second Watts book and it definitely lived up to the first. Watts' hard science is definitely founded in the biological due obviously to his PHD and subsequent training. It is a perspective not commonly found in sci-fi and refreshing because of that.
Body mods to the extreme, mysteries, explorations into psychosis and an entirely believable take on "alien" life. Most of the story was fantastic with a few parts somewhat hard to follow. The two I have read now, this and Blindsight, both have a very dark feel to them. Dark as in absence of light not subject matter although that can be pretty dark to. It is an interesting way to go through Watts' worlds, almost as if he wants you to do it with your eyes closed, relying on other senses to enjoy the story.
Body mods to the extreme, mysteries, explorations into psychosis and an entirely believable take on "alien" life. Most of the story was fantastic with a few parts somewhat hard to follow. The two I have read now, this and Blindsight, both have a very dark feel to them. Dark as in absence of light not subject matter although that can be pretty dark to. It is an interesting way to go through Watts' worlds, almost as if he wants you to do it with your eyes closed, relying on other senses to enjoy the story.
August 14, 2018
I didn’t particularly like this book. I also didn’t hate it, which is perhaps worse. The sum total of my emotions after turning the last page? Indifference.
3 kilometers below sea level, Beebe Station maintains geo-power for (at least a portion of) the world. The personnel are cyborgs, chosen specifically for their traumatic backgrounds to live on the ocean floor. But the rift has secrets of its own.
Starfish is filled with elements that I expected to like: hazardous environment, isolation, interpersonal pressures, maybe a little cyberpunk splashed in there. But while the opening was interesting enough, my enjoyment withered quickly.
The first problem is the world. Beebe Station may be an isolated setting, but the context of its existence is frustratingly opaque. It’s run by the Grid Authority (GA), which may or may not be a multinational corporation. The political, social, and environmental situation seems bad, but exactly what’s gone wrong is hard to say.
Now, I’m a sucker for immersive environments, so normally I’d just roll with this. Unfortunately, the ‘surface details,’ so to speak, are plot relevant, and the way Watts withholds them is more irritating than suspenseful. By the time the reader is permitted to see what’s going on (in the last pages of the book) it’s too little, too late. Instead of leading to an organic resolution for the plot, the sudden information reveals come across as both clumsy and rushed.
Pacing overall is a weak point, and it’s weaker as the book goes on. From the abrupt reintroduction of minor characters to the odd turns of psychological development among the Rifters, it’s both jarring and somewhat unconvincing.
Which brings me to my final grievance: Watts’ approach to abnormal psychology, particularly that resulting from prolonged childhood abuse. Many of the psychological aspects of the book revolve around the concept of trauma--particularly sexual trauma--as an addictive stimulus. (I don’t consider this a spoiler, as it’s introduced very early and serves as a foundational theme.) The resulting character portrayals are flat, and while they start distinct they rapidly blur together into a general abnormal-psych soup. At no point does he draw a distinction between addiction and habituation to traumatic circumstances. His understanding of his subject matter is imperfect, and the way he’s filled it in is at best emo caricature and at worst victim-blaming.
“But, Samantha,” you’re thinking, “you gave this two stars. Surely there was something you liked?”
Well yes, actually. I like the deep-sea descriptions, and the time that the Rifters spend outside Beebe. I like the marine life they encounter. I even kind of like the smart gels. Taken in isolation, Watts’ prose is pretty good. It’s just all the rest of it that I didn’t care for. Taken on balance, it still comes out to indifference.
So, yes, it gets 2* from me. It’s okay, I suppose. Certainly lots of other people like it; I’m just not one of them. I don’t think I’ll lose sleep for skipping the other two books.
3 kilometers below sea level, Beebe Station maintains geo-power for (at least a portion of) the world. The personnel are cyborgs, chosen specifically for their traumatic backgrounds to live on the ocean floor. But the rift has secrets of its own.
Starfish is filled with elements that I expected to like: hazardous environment, isolation, interpersonal pressures, maybe a little cyberpunk splashed in there. But while the opening was interesting enough, my enjoyment withered quickly.
The first problem is the world. Beebe Station may be an isolated setting, but the context of its existence is frustratingly opaque. It’s run by the Grid Authority (GA), which may or may not be a multinational corporation. The political, social, and environmental situation seems bad, but exactly what’s gone wrong is hard to say.
Now, I’m a sucker for immersive environments, so normally I’d just roll with this. Unfortunately, the ‘surface details,’ so to speak, are plot relevant, and the way Watts withholds them is more irritating than suspenseful. By the time the reader is permitted to see what’s going on (in the last pages of the book) it’s too little, too late. Instead of leading to an organic resolution for the plot, the sudden information reveals come across as both clumsy and rushed.
Pacing overall is a weak point, and it’s weaker as the book goes on. From the abrupt reintroduction of minor characters to the odd turns of psychological development among the Rifters, it’s both jarring and somewhat unconvincing.
Which brings me to my final grievance: Watts’ approach to abnormal psychology, particularly that resulting from prolonged childhood abuse. Many of the psychological aspects of the book revolve around the concept of trauma--particularly sexual trauma--as an addictive stimulus. (I don’t consider this a spoiler, as it’s introduced very early and serves as a foundational theme.) The resulting character portrayals are flat, and while they start distinct they rapidly blur together into a general abnormal-psych soup. At no point does he draw a distinction between addiction and habituation to traumatic circumstances. His understanding of his subject matter is imperfect, and the way he’s filled it in is at best emo caricature and at worst victim-blaming.
“But, Samantha,” you’re thinking, “you gave this two stars. Surely there was something you liked?”
Well yes, actually. I like the deep-sea descriptions, and the time that the Rifters spend outside Beebe. I like the marine life they encounter. I even kind of like the smart gels. Taken in isolation, Watts’ prose is pretty good. It’s just all the rest of it that I didn’t care for. Taken on balance, it still comes out to indifference.
So, yes, it gets 2* from me. It’s okay, I suppose. Certainly lots of other people like it; I’m just not one of them. I don’t think I’ll lose sleep for skipping the other two books.
October 3, 2016
Velika međunarodna korporacija napravi postrojenje za izvlačenje geotermalne energije uz Juan de Fuca litosfernu ploču. Održavanje povjere grupi biološki modificiranih ljudi koji mogu podnijeti velike atmosferske, ali i psihološke pritiske. Psiholozi pretpostavljaju da su najbolji kandidati za taj posao žrtve zlostavljanja i psihopati.
Neki kritiziraju kako je neuvjerljivo da su korporacije tako odgovoran posao dali u ruke emocionalno nestabilnim osobama, umjesto obučenim stručnjacima*. Opisani postupak priprema za posao koji između ostalog uključuje i vađenje jednog plućnog krila, ubacivanje metalnog mehanizma koji omogućuje izvlačenje kisika iz morske vode, modificiranje genetskog koda, krvi, ubacivanje virusa i raznih enzima drugih organizama, mislim da bi odvratio većinu stručnjaka.
Ipak, razumijem tu kritiku, ali ovako je Watts imao priliku pisati o puno zanimljivijim temama. Kao na primjer, što zlostavljanje učini od psihe; da li se mozak fizički promijeni; i da li je uopće moguć povratak na normalno funkcioniranje.
Zanimljivo je prikazao i istraživanje oceanskih dubina koje su, kako neki znanstvenici kažu, manje istražene nego svemir. Radnju je smjestio na originalno mjesto i uspio stvoriti napetu i klaustrofobičnu atmosferu, a nije išao u nepotrebne opise i detalje o održavanju podvodne elektrane. Uložio je mnogo truda u istraživanje i trudio se pokazati što više tog misterioznog podvodnog svijeta, o kojemu ponešto i zna kao bivši biolog specijaliziran za morske sisavce.
Kraj je dobar, završava veći dio priče i postavlja pozornicu za veće konflikte u idućoj.
Ovo je Wattsov prvi roman i odlično se snašao, na ovih 350-tak stranica pisao je o mnogim temama, a sve ih je uspio povezati u smislenu i zanimljivu priču.
* - priča se da korporacije već godinama kod prijava za posao traže da se ispuni i psihološki test da bi se otkrilo potencijalne psihopate, ne da ih eliminiraju nego da iz zaposle. Te glasine podupire jedno nedavno provedeno istraživanje:
"Research conducted by forensic psychologist Nathan Brooks from Bond University found 21 per cent of 261 corporated professionals had clinically significant psychopathic traits."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wor...
Neki kritiziraju kako je neuvjerljivo da su korporacije tako odgovoran posao dali u ruke emocionalno nestabilnim osobama, umjesto obučenim stručnjacima*. Opisani postupak priprema za posao koji između ostalog uključuje i vađenje jednog plućnog krila, ubacivanje metalnog mehanizma koji omogućuje izvlačenje kisika iz morske vode, modificiranje genetskog koda, krvi, ubacivanje virusa i raznih enzima drugih organizama, mislim da bi odvratio većinu stručnjaka.
Ipak, razumijem tu kritiku, ali ovako je Watts imao priliku pisati o puno zanimljivijim temama. Kao na primjer, što zlostavljanje učini od psihe; da li se mozak fizički promijeni; i da li je uopće moguć povratak na normalno funkcioniranje.
Zanimljivo je prikazao i istraživanje oceanskih dubina koje su, kako neki znanstvenici kažu, manje istražene nego svemir. Radnju je smjestio na originalno mjesto i uspio stvoriti napetu i klaustrofobičnu atmosferu, a nije išao u nepotrebne opise i detalje o održavanju podvodne elektrane. Uložio je mnogo truda u istraživanje i trudio se pokazati što više tog misterioznog podvodnog svijeta, o kojemu ponešto i zna kao bivši biolog specijaliziran za morske sisavce.
Kraj je dobar, završava veći dio priče i postavlja pozornicu za veće konflikte u idućoj.
Ovo je Wattsov prvi roman i odlično se snašao, na ovih 350-tak stranica pisao je o mnogim temama, a sve ih je uspio povezati u smislenu i zanimljivu priču.
* - priča se da korporacije već godinama kod prijava za posao traže da se ispuni i psihološki test da bi se otkrilo potencijalne psihopate, ne da ih eliminiraju nego da iz zaposle. Te glasine podupire jedno nedavno provedeno istraživanje:
"Research conducted by forensic psychologist Nathan Brooks from Bond University found 21 per cent of 261 corporated professionals had clinically significant psychopathic traits."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wor...
September 17, 2017
If you want hard sci-fi with horror elements, you're probably looking for this guy. I preferred Blindsight but this book was still damn good.
I can't think of a single author to compare this one. It's unique ride.
I can't think of a single author to compare this one. It's unique ride.
September 25, 2021
As a kid I loved old soviet sci-fi movie called Amphibian Man, made after the book by the same name authored by Alexander Belyaev, where "Argentinean doctor Salvator, a scientist and a maverick surgeon, gives his son, Ichthyander (Russian: Ихтиандр, Ikhtiandr) (Greek etymology: "Fish"+ "Man") a life-saving transplant - a set of shark gills. The experiment is a success but it limits the young man's ability to interact with the world outside his ocean environment. He has to spend much of his time in water. Pedro Zurita, a local pearl gatherer, learns about Ichthyander and tries to exploit the boy's superhuman diving abilities. Similar to other works by Beliaev, the book investigates the possibilities of physical survival under extreme conditions, as well as the moral integrity of scientific experiments. It also touches on socialist ideas of improving living conditions for the world's poor. " (source: wikipedia)
I guess Ichthyander was a transhuman before it was cool.
For me the best part was when Ichthyander was diving in the depths of the ocean in his shiny blingy fish scale costume that no drag queen show would be ashamed of having in their wardrobe and I wasn't really that concerned about improving all kinds of working class' conditions or pleasing fishermen's daughters - I only cared about underwater stuff.
Same here - if Starfish didn't touch any social or political subjects and was only a sci-fi story about bunch of transhumans cleaning pipelines somewhere beyond the sea - that would be all right with me. My tastes are quite simple, you know.
But Watts seems to always pack his stories heavily with so much of everything - for him transhumans and complicated body altering operations are just not enough. The dream team that's off to work in the abyss is prone to BPD problems, in some cases to aggression, uncontrolled anger and more - the deep ocean has its own mysteries and surprises that await for them - the corporation that sent them there does seem to have some extra plans off the work schedule for everyone as well... So the cuckoo doesn't postpone her visit in the underwater station for too long, if you know what I mean.
The action is maybe not the fastest in the beginning but later it gets better and doesn't stop. Like I said it's much idea packed and maybe even over-packed and sometimes feels too incredible (for example the psychological/physiological theories author used here as a base for team building I find a tad questionable to say the least).
But the underwater parts, the mystery, the AI parts - it all pays off in the long range as a whole.
I'll be trying to read the next part, although good people of GR tell me it's much less underwater based, which makes me a bit less optimistic towards proceeding the reading.
I guess Ichthyander was a transhuman before it was cool.
For me the best part was when Ichthyander was diving in the depths of the ocean in his shiny blingy fish scale costume that no drag queen show would be ashamed of having in their wardrobe and I wasn't really that concerned about improving all kinds of working class' conditions or pleasing fishermen's daughters - I only cared about underwater stuff.
Same here - if Starfish didn't touch any social or political subjects and was only a sci-fi story about bunch of transhumans cleaning pipelines somewhere beyond the sea - that would be all right with me. My tastes are quite simple, you know.
But Watts seems to always pack his stories heavily with so much of everything - for him transhumans and complicated body altering operations are just not enough. The dream team that's off to work in the abyss is prone to BPD problems, in some cases to aggression, uncontrolled anger and more - the deep ocean has its own mysteries and surprises that await for them - the corporation that sent them there does seem to have some extra plans off the work schedule for everyone as well... So the cuckoo doesn't postpone her visit in the underwater station for too long, if you know what I mean.
The action is maybe not the fastest in the beginning but later it gets better and doesn't stop. Like I said it's much idea packed and maybe even over-packed and sometimes feels too incredible (for example the psychological/physiological theories author used here as a base for team building I find a tad questionable to say the least).
But the underwater parts, the mystery, the AI parts - it all pays off in the long range as a whole.
I'll be trying to read the next part, although good people of GR tell me it's much less underwater based, which makes me a bit less optimistic towards proceeding the reading.
June 16, 2016
FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Oh my god.
Oh my GOD!
I don't even know what to tell you about this book except it's gorgeous. I mean, it's really depressing and scary and gross and unhappy and never-ending levels of crazy but it's also gorgeously done. Just...perfect? Is that possible? I even liked the characters though they are pedophiles, wife beaters and victims of abuse. They're so human even as the author explores just how depraved we are.
FUCK!
Oh my god.
Oh my GOD!
I don't even know what to tell you about this book except it's gorgeous. I mean, it's really depressing and scary and gross and unhappy and never-ending levels of crazy but it's also gorgeously done. Just...perfect? Is that possible? I even liked the characters though they are pedophiles, wife beaters and victims of abuse. They're so human even as the author explores just how depraved we are.
FUCK!
June 20, 2023
One Swam Over the Cuckoo's Rift
August 3, 2013
3.5 Stars
"Welcome to Beebe Station.
You're three kilometers below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
You're perched on the shoulder of an active volcano. The local fauna is very large and very nasty. If it doesn't kill you, a mudslide or an erupting smoker probably will.
Your fellow employees are rapists, pedophiles, borderline psychotics, and victims of same.
You feel very lucky to be here.
This is a damn sight better than the life you left behind"
Starfish takes place in the year 2050 and centers around a small station located on the Juan de Fuca Ridge at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (just west of Vancouver and Seattle). The ridge is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, so needless to say, it is a very active and perilous location to drop a facility on - unless there's good reason to. The crew of Beebe Station is comprised of "rifters" which are physically modified humans that are able and/or willing to survive and work in that high stress environment. Rifters can breathe underwater, see in the dark, and thrive under the incredible pressure living three kilometers underwater, due to their cutting edge bio-modifications. This isn't Arthur C Clarke with the well oiled crew of good natured scientists working towards a common goal, (ala Rendezvous with Rama) this this is a crew of broken people- both victims and agressors kept in the dark both literally and figuratively about just what the hell is going on.
It's amazing that this is Peter Watt's debut novel because with the exception of some pacing issues, it really doesn't feel like it. The dialogue is fantastic. The prose can be almost poetic at times:
"You know, when they first sent me down here I thought this place would be a real shithole. I figured I'd just knuckle down and do my time and get out. But it's not like that. You know what I mean Lenie?"
I know. But she doesn't answer.
"I thought so," he says, as though she has. "It's really kind of.. well, beautiful, in a way. Even the monsters. once you get to know'em. We're all beautiful (Watts, 114)."
The pacing is the only reason I can't give it 4 stars. Two thirds of this book appears to be one thing, and really centers around the crew and the station and then it really takes off in another direction in the last third. It can meander a little bit in the beginning, although I really enjoyed getting to know that dysfunctional crew a lot. Despite the meandering issues, It was never boring and I was always happy to go with it.
Then it really kicked into another gear. The stakes become ridiculously high, and that's the kind of drama I want in my science fiction. We went from playing for quarters to playing for the continuation of life itself as we know it in this poker game. At that point, I couldn't put it down.
It should be noted that this is book 1 of a trilogy and it really ends on a cliffhanger. That may turn some people off, but this novel is only about 318 pages, so its not an enormous investment of time to read. I really enjoyed it and am hooked on for the rest of the ride.
Peter Watt's 4 novels (The Rifters Trilogy and Blindsight) as well as his short stories are all available on his website http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm under the Creative Commons license. So you can LEGALLY go and check it out.
August 2, 2013
Peter Watts is writing the darkest and bleakest Science Fiction that I have come accross. His ability to render the alien world of the ocean floor is incredible and leaves you with this sickening, claustrophobic feel. As with Blindsight Watt's uses the outcast and mental nature of his characters to expound on his bleak vision of the future. Not recommended if you enjoy reading about sunshine and rainbows and flowers and pink unicorns basking in the delight of eternal love for the earth and humanity. Or something like that.
December 3, 2008
I have now concluded that Watts simply writes the kind of fiction that I like to read. I just wish he'd write MORE. It appears he does have two more on the way, one of which is a "sidequel" to Blindsight, so this makes me happy. I also, of course, have the rest of the Rifters series to read.
A very engaging read, this is an edgy story with some very real characters, with both the hard and soft sciences playing a major role. Starfish is set in the not too distant future, with the Earth being in a downward spiral due to population and energy problems. They've begun to tap into the Earth's vast energy supply found in the geothermal vents at the bottom of the oceans. At the same time, the world is beginning to integrate "gels" (a sort of intelligent organic computer) into society. The story mainly revolves around the "rifters", which are the people who have been modified to be able to work at the bottom of the ocean. They run into something no one expected down there...and basically things get out of control.
By the way, all of Watts's books are available for free at rifters.com under the Creative Commons license.
A very engaging read, this is an edgy story with some very real characters, with both the hard and soft sciences playing a major role. Starfish is set in the not too distant future, with the Earth being in a downward spiral due to population and energy problems. They've begun to tap into the Earth's vast energy supply found in the geothermal vents at the bottom of the oceans. At the same time, the world is beginning to integrate "gels" (a sort of intelligent organic computer) into society. The story mainly revolves around the "rifters", which are the people who have been modified to be able to work at the bottom of the ocean. They run into something no one expected down there...and basically things get out of control.
By the way, all of Watts's books are available for free at rifters.com under the Creative Commons license.
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