Starfish (Rifters Trilogy Book 1)

I wasn't sure what this novel wanted to be. It starts out with a character study of our protagonist, Lenie Clarke, as she adjusts to her surgically altered body and living on the ocean floor near a hydrothermal vent. Then it starts to turn into a bit of a soap opera as other damaged individuals are sent down to Beebe Station to work alongside her. Their personalities clash, people pair up, they argue over their treatment by "drybacks" with their jobs playing a background role. Finally, about 70% of the way through, the plot (the "worldwide disaster" referred to in the blurb) takes shape from a collection of scientific reports covering synthetic minds and ancient life.Watts throws different POVs at us throughout the novel to advance the story. Unlike Clarke, who's there from beginning to end, these other characters come and go. I was surprised at first when the next character POV was introduced one-sixth of the way into the book. Thinking that he was going to be the counterpoint or pivotal in his relationship to Clarke, I was equally surprised when he was shuffled into the background at the one-third point. At first, I wondered what the point was in even having him in the first place, but reasons later revealed themselves in the story. And some of these other characters revealed elements of the overall story that Clarke wasn't privy to.Can't say that I liked the post-climax ending. While I knew when I started this book that there were other books in the series, there was just a bit too much that was left unresolved. Viewed as a standalone, I don't believe it works. If Starfish is intended to be about Clarke's personal growth as she comes to work through the issues of her past (she's an abuse survivor), then I suppose that the worldwide disaster could be considered secondary. But her recovery is put on the backburner for the last third of the book while the plot is developed. Her dynamic change near the end is just too sudden. It almost seems like an afterthought. "Hmmm, gonna need more books to get the plot resolved. Better give Clarke an epiphany so I can end this phase of her story."Still, I liked that Watts tackled several subjects and roped them together. Despite being twenty years old, the ideas presented here are still fresh. The real world internet could still wind up like the one postulated here. His radical approach to AI is untested and plausible. And given his background in biology, much of that aspect of the book is quite believable. The world-building is great. The descriptions of living at the bottom of the ocean splendid. Yes, it's a bleak story with little offered in the way of hope. Maybe that works for you; maybe it doesn't. If anything, it does a good job humanizing those whom society deems incorrigible or expendable.3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I liked it more than my review suggests.

depressing and bleak and I want to go there. This is not candy cane sci-fi or comic book fiction, which seems to dominate the genre now (it should even be included in the genre). Can we please stop with the comic book movies? Enough already. Rest assured, Peter Watts' characters don zero unnecessary glittery garments like capes and belts. More importantly, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief and imagine the world I am visiting through his words. But, he sparse with them at times... OK... all the time. When I read my first Watts' novel Blindsight, I was having to reread sentences to make sure I didn't miss something. I have come to realize that Watts wants the reader to work it for it a little. It's all in there. You will never see Forced Exposition / Info Dumps in his writing.Watts creates these incredible future worlds where I wonder, but they are bleak and dark. Why do people continue on in this bleak future? I think it has to do with an inherent self-preservation as a species and a duty to exist and to learn and explore. Like Blindsight, the Rifter's series explores what it means to be conscious as a species and as an individual. This series' atmosphere setting reminds me of the most recent Blade Runner film which, in my opinion, is better than the first one.The characters are castaways from society, bioengineered to survive and work in the cold and dark Pacific Ocean. They evolve and to everyone's surprise, they become dependent on their new world; and when they discover their overlords up top are not being entirely honest, they begin to revolt.It kills me when I see a couple thousand reviews for Peter Hamilton's work and so few for Watts'. I have read several of Hamilton's books, and while he creates fun and imaginitive worlds, he always relies on including wormhole technology which makes interstellar travel eaiser than walking to your mailbox. Peter Watts does not write Space Opera; he is a speculative hard science fiction writer, and in my humble opinion, he is the best at it.

It took me a while to get into this book; the beginning is monotonous and lacks pace and plot but this, (I think) is intentional, allowing the author to construct a deeply dark & claustrophobic backdrop to the slowly unfolding plot. The crew of Beebe station hate themselves & each other most of the time and there is deliberately no attempt to engender empathy with the reader, the only solace for both crew and reader alike are their excursions into the thoroughly alien deep ocean environment.Watts has plainly put a great deal of thought into the rigours of deep-sea living and there are some lovely original ideas both in the science (I like the smart gel concept) and in overcoming the inevitable physiological difficulties. However, the splendidly gloomy atmosphere and the science totally overwhelm the linear narrative and somewhat weak plot.Despites its failings, I still enjoyed this book and would be tempted to read the second in the trilogy (Maelstrom) if it weren't for the fact that, bizarrely, the third book is out of print. I'll probably give Blindsight a go though.

I just finished reading this book for the second time and I think it might have been even better than the first time I read it. I will be definitely be tagging this book for a third read and that is rare for me.It's dark and honest with fasinating new tech that seems very plausible for the nearish future.Lenie Clarke is someone you will get to know and its odd cause she is messed up twisted from her past but at the same time I find her absolutely captivating. As this was my second read when I read the sentence that was something like 'Lenie Clarke has been activated' a shiver went down my spine as I could just about remember what that would mean for world in the next two books!

It’s twenty years old but you wouldn’t be able to tell. Still feels futuristic even by 2020’s standards. Cameron should make it into a movie.

A very interesting book. Like most of Watts’ work it isn’t the easiest of reads - you may need to read it twice to fully understand everything that is going on.

Great opportunity to explore "inner space" with rock solid science. Let down by slightly ambivalent characters but a great read none the less.