Starfish
Title:
Watts, Peter. 2008. Starfish. Tor Books.
Rating:
6/10
Review:
The plot of the book is quite complicated and left in large part to the reader to figure out. Here’s my interpretation of what happens: The book takes place at an unspecified point in the not too distant future. At this unspecified time, human technology is highly advanced, corporations are extremely powerful, governments are weak and have factioned into disparate geographical entities, and, most importantly, the demand for power has risen exponentially (in order to maintain order in the face of entropy). To meet these demands, a company, the Grid Authority (GA), uses new technology to begin harvesting thermal energy from ocean vents thousands of meters below sea level. While the ultimate goal of the GA for these power generating plants is that they be fully automated, technology is not sufficiently developed to allow that. Instead, the GA recruits individuals to work on the rift stations (variously called “rifters” or “vampires”). Unlike, say, the movie Abyss where humans require deep sea suits and extensive gear to survive at this depth, the technology of the time is sufficiently advanced to literally alter the rifters physically such that they can breathe underwater and have no pockets of air inside them, meaning they don’t have to worry about sea pressure outside the deep sea stations. Additionally, they have highly advanced suits that protect them from temperature variations and most other threats of the deep and eye lenses that allow them to see in the murky depths 3000 meters under water.
The book begins with two rifters getting settled upon the focal rift station, Beebe, at the Channer Vent (a vent on the Axial Volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean; actual place, by the way). One of them, Lenie Clarke, is the focal character of the book. Lenie has a very troubled history of physical and sexual abuse and was recruited precisely because of that history, as one of the chief scientists involved in the rifter project, Yves Scanlon, believes that psychologically disturbed people may do better as rifters than psychologically healthy people. Turns out that Scanlon is correct – living as a rifter somehow fits Lenie and her problems. She quickly adjusts to life on the bottom of the sea and becomes so comfortable she doesn’t want to leave. Once the scientists realize that disturbed people tend to do better on the rift than do healthy people, they send down five more rifters to Lenie’s station.
Life as a rifter doesn’t suit all of the rifters and some lose it. But one, Ken Acton, who becomes Lenie’s lover for a short while, discovers something interesting about being on the bottom of the sea: slight modifications to the enhancements GA made to the rifters actually give them heightened senses, allowing the rifters to basically develop a mild form of telepathy; they can sense the presence, emotions, and intentions of those around them.
It’s unclear if the next plot point is related to the telepathic powers, but it seems like it might be. After sending Scanlon down to observe the rifters, GA scientists discover he is infected with a primitive form of RNA (?ehemoth) that exists only at this rift location and nowhere else. The GA scientists who examine this alternative form of RNA aren’t sure what it does, but they do believe it has the potential to wipe out all life that exists with the RNA and DNA we know and with which we are familiar. They call this newly discovered form ?ehemoth (the key being the ?); the familiar life is called Alpha. This is derived based on the fact that ?ehemoth out competes Alpha in the standard biosphere in which humans and most life exist on the earth; ?ehemoth just never made it there as it doesn’t thrive in the cold, which kept it on the rift where it evolved for billions of years. Once the GA scientists realize this RNA exists, they realize that they have to destroy it to prevent its spread. Unfortunately, that includes killing all the crew of Beebe station as it is assumed they are infected (which may also explain their new powers). However, the crew of Beebe realize something is up and, for the most part, escape. They do so just in time as the GA sets off a massive nuke near Beebe not longer after they abandon the station. The book ends with the woman who gave the order to set off the nuke, Patricia Rowan, feeling regret and Lenie finally, for once in her life, wanting to get revenge for being victimized.
The book is engaging and, almost unbelievably, based on actual science (obviously some of it is not, but much of it is). As other reviews have suggested, this is hard core science fiction as it aims to envision the future direction of science.
I enjoyed the book, but it is not without its problems. The primary problem is that the book is simply short on detail. Perhaps this is a new writing style where details areleft to the imagination. Additionally, readers are left to guess who the new narrator is when the book jumps points-of-view, which it does frequently. If this is a new style, I’m not a huge fan. The result of the spartan descriptions and jumping POVs means the reader is left to figure out large parts of what is happening. I certainly am not opposed to figuring out parts of the plot on my own; in fact, that’s usually a good thing. But in all honesty, I’m just guessing when it comes to about 25% of the plot I outlined above. So, the book could use more detailed descriptions and better transitions when it jumps POV.
I should note, however, that some of the deeper plot points that only begin to surface in the last third of the book are likely explored in greater depth in the sequels. I didn’t realize it when I picked this book to read (my new pleasure on flights), but this book is the first in a trilogy (actually 4 books, but the last two are supposed to be just one volume). Now that I know it’s a trilogy I’m going to have to read the rest. I will return and report (probably in a year or so, when I can find the time to read some more fiction).
Fun Quotes:
To describe the Channer Vent where the Beebe Station is located, Watts uses the term “Here There Be Dragons,” which is a historical reference to danger.
In talking about a small shrimp that falls to the bottom of the ocean and is spasming in death throes just before a rifter smashes it, Lenie says, “How do you know it wasn’t dancing for fucking joy?”