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91st out of 102 books
—
4 voters
Maelstrom (Rifters #2)
by
Peter Watts (Goodreads Author)
An enormous tidal wave on the west coast of North America has just killed thousands. Lenie Clarke, in a black wetsuit, walks out of the ocean onto a Pacific Northwest beach filled with the oppressed and drugged homeless of the Asian world who have gotten only this far in their attempt to reach America. Is she a monster, or a goddess? One thing is for sure: all hell is brea...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
November 18th 2002
by Tor Science Fiction
(first published 2001)
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The book of Revelations written by a bad tempered unholy lovechild of Brunner, Triptree Jr., and Bester (and to continue this horrible metaphor, foster cared for by Gibson and Egan). These are truly the end times. At least for anything human. But, then most of the cast barely is, so they continue on. This is bleak stuff. Primeval microbes, climate refugees, malevolent dolphins, phosphorescent cancerous seals, quarantines with flamethrowers, invented personalities, internet nasties, and smart gel...more
After the cliff-hanger ending to Starfish, I was really excited about starting Maelstrom. That excitement steadily drained away over the course of this dreary book, until by the end I had precisely zero interest in the series.
Why is that? One factor is that while Starfish had a developing plot line and unraveling mysteries, in Maelstrom things just fall apart. The entire book is about people trying and failing to contain viruses, mostly because the world's author has decided he doesn't like peop...more
Why is that? One factor is that while Starfish had a developing plot line and unraveling mysteries, in Maelstrom things just fall apart. The entire book is about people trying and failing to contain viruses, mostly because the world's author has decided he doesn't like peop...more
Dec 18, 2008
Bill Purdy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Hard, bleak sci-fi fans
Recommended to Bill by:
Tor.com
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This one I didn't read on my phone, this one I had a real hard paper copy of, so quaint and real, an artifact of a forgotten age. I ALSO had it on my phone, though, and I did read a few chapters that way, torn between the ancient and the modern! What will become of me!
Nothing nice, according to Peter Watts. If we thought things were dark on the bottom of the ocean, we had no idea how inky-black things were going to get back on the surface.
In an effort to destroy a planet-threatening microbe, a n...more
Nothing nice, according to Peter Watts. If we thought things were dark on the bottom of the ocean, we had no idea how inky-black things were going to get back on the surface.
In an effort to destroy a planet-threatening microbe, a n...more
Maelstrom follows several characters through the near future on the brink of apocalypse. Due to environmental degradation and technological proliferation, America and most of the world seems to be spiraling out of control. We follow Lenie Clarke, a deep rift diver who barely survived treachery to make her way ashore on the besieged beaches of California, as she looks for answers and justice. We watch her progress through the eyes of Sou-Han, a security computer operator grappling with a personal...more
Her deep ocean home has been destroyed, but Lenie Clarke lives. Now she has returned to dryland, a mythic mermaid washed ashore, tortured by the overwhelming desire to go home yet unable to return to the only home she has ever known.
To some, Lenie Clarke is an avenging angel, come to bring justice to the world and free the slaves from oppression. To others, she is the agent of the apocalypse, a monster from the depths, intent on destroying the world. To all, Lenie Clarke is a means to an end. Sa...more
To some, Lenie Clarke is an avenging angel, come to bring justice to the world and free the slaves from oppression. To others, she is the agent of the apocalypse, a monster from the depths, intent on destroying the world. To all, Lenie Clarke is a means to an end. Sa...more
Jun 03, 2009
Alan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Metaphorical extremophiles
Recommended to Alan by:
Powell's Hawthorne
Turn Charles Stross' gleefully hyperkinetic Accelerando upside-down, and Maelstrom is what shakes out. Still supernaturally accelerated, Maelstrom's bleak future starts with a nuclear bomb dropped into a deep-sea vent, and resulting earthquakes that destroy much of the Pacific Northwest. It gets bleaker from there, piling disaster upon disaster in a series of grim revelations that just keep getting more and more frightful.
Which is a good thing. Watts' talent keeps Maelstrom riding just on the ri...more
Which is a good thing. Watts' talent keeps Maelstrom riding just on the ri...more
A worth successor to Starfish and (for me anyway) a great page-turner. I was a bit disappointed at first to see that Lenie would again be our protagonist, or whatever Watts thinks passes for a protagonist. I've enjoyed these two books of his that I've read so far because I appreciate an author not pushing me to automatically root for their version of the "good guy". I could complain that Watts pushes a little hard on the "see how complex this character is?" - having a traumatic back-story doesn'...more
Larger in scope than its predecessor, Maelstrom is nowhere near as effective. More open-world in its ambitions, there are more peripheral characters, locations and events... and this is probably its downfall. Gone is the slow-burning tension of Starfish, replaced with a faster narrative pace and a lot more explosive action sequences. The novel seems to strain under its own ambition... the various character arcs/threads do not always coalesce, and the exposition gets way out of hand at numerous p...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book, for me, was exactly what I wanted. I was not certain it would work for me until letting it sit, but this complimented the first installment of the series perfectly. Some of it I suspected and saw coming, all of it I loved. I don't typically write all positive reviews, or rate five-stars, but in the time it took me to read this novel I am reconsidering a five-star rating for Starfish as well. It still has its flaws, but they fade in time with the focus of the character.
There still are...more
There still are...more
Maelstrom by Peter Watts is the second book in the Rifters series, continuing the story of Lennie Clark, a deeply psychotic woman, part machine, who is the unwitting victim of psychological manipulation and a plague-carrier.
While the first book, Starfish, proved innovative and incisively written, that innovation and incisive writing failed in Maelstrom. There are pages and pages of technical exposition which slows the narrative, angst and violence which for the most part seems gratuitous and wi...more
While the first book, Starfish, proved innovative and incisively written, that innovation and incisive writing failed in Maelstrom. There are pages and pages of technical exposition which slows the narrative, angst and violence which for the most part seems gratuitous and wi...more
Strange and fascinating. Big points to Watts for writing a 'series' in which the books are totally different. Some characters and the history carry through, but the jumps between books are so major that the individual stories fall into very different contexts and the stories are very different, rather than larger chapters of a single tale.
Specifically, this one explores a curiously undirected war in an evolution of cyberspace, with little of the action underwater; additionally the human canvas f...more
Specifically, this one explores a curiously undirected war in an evolution of cyberspace, with little of the action underwater; additionally the human canvas f...more
Mainly, this book went too far into hard sci fi for my taste. It was pretty technical in some parts, especially with the computer viruses. I was able to muddle my way through and basically understand what was going on, but it did take away the pleasure of reading when I got to one of the computer chapters and I just knew I was going to only understand about a third of it.
The other thing I didn't like was that there were too many characters that were not developed enough for me to tell them apart...more
The other thing I didn't like was that there were too many characters that were not developed enough for me to tell them apart...more
The story started in Starfish is continued, but not ended as there is a third book (split in two parts). The book is well researched again and fun to read, but less focused than the first deep sea pressure cooker of a book. The various subjects and most of the characters are interesting, just not as intense as the characters are spread out and the story jumps between them. The best part is the wildlife of Maelstrom and how it evolves... A clever ride and still full of fist clenched anger – just...more
Reading should not be a chore, yet I'm starting to realize those brief interludes in my life in which I'm "too busy to read" just mean one thing: that I'm forcing myself to read something I'm not really into. I got through Starfish because Watt's deep sea descriptions were fascinating, but I don't think I'm going to force myself to read any more of Maelstrom than I already have. Nothing wrong with bleak dystopia, apocalypse, viruses, violence- only that for those things to matter to me, the auth...more
Pierwszy tom bardziej mi się podobał, chyba ze względu na miejsce akcji. Po wyjściu na ląd już nie jest tak ciekawie. Kilka fajnych pomysłów (jak wirusy (zwierzyna) ewoluujące w Wirze (Internecie)), ale ogólnie książka pozostawia jakiś taki nijaki posmak. Warsztatowo jest dobrze, nie jest też zbyt długa, więc czyta się ją nieźle, z tym że jak dla mnie za mało akcji i za dużo biologii. Wiem, że jest to fantastyka naukowa, autor naprawdę się przygotował i w dodatku ma podstawy, aby rozwijać takie...more
What if you did something horrible to save the world? Horrible in the sense of nuclear explosions that cause tsunamis, killing countless people and displacing others? Would you be able to live with yourself and the knowledge of those sacrifices you made, and of the lives you crushed for the greater good?
Worse: what if your plan didn't work?
It's a horrible, horrifying question, and it's at the heart of Maelstrom, which picks up right were Starfish (Watts' previous book) left off. As in the first...more
Worse: what if your plan didn't work?
It's a horrible, horrifying question, and it's at the heart of Maelstrom, which picks up right were Starfish (Watts' previous book) left off. As in the first...more
Maelstrom is the second book in Peter "Blindsight" Watts' Rifters trilogy.
Straight out of the door I took issue with it because I really thought that Starfish was good enough to be left where it was at the conclusion. The character arcs had progressed nicely, the plot had come to a satisfying conclusion and you were left with the feeling that things could be taken forward, but were better left up to you for how you think they'd go.
That said, he does make a very honourable stab at convincing you...more
Straight out of the door I took issue with it because I really thought that Starfish was good enough to be left where it was at the conclusion. The character arcs had progressed nicely, the plot had come to a satisfying conclusion and you were left with the feeling that things could be taken forward, but were better left up to you for how you think they'd go.
That said, he does make a very honourable stab at convincing you...more
Aug 26, 2012
Marta
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
speculative-fiction,
my-bookshelf
W pierwszym tomie trylogii o ryfterach, „Rozgwieździe”, Peter Watts ustawił poprzeczkę niezwykle wysoko. Książka przytłaczała klaustrofobicznym klimatem, zachwycała psychologią postaci i fascynowała nieznanym światem podmorskich głębin. Gradacja napięcia w końcowym fragmencie powieści i pozostawiające czytelnika z wieloma pytaniami zakończenie budziły natychmiastową chęć sięgnięcia po kontynuację – „Wir”. Na szczęście, kolejne dzieło Kanadyjczyka, choć różne od swojego poprzednika, nie zawodzi.
K...more
K...more
Niestety drugi tom trylogii ryfterów nie porywa, jest zdecydowanie za bardzo poszatkowany i wielowątkowy, przez co misternie budowany nastrój "Rozgwiazdy" zostaje szybko zapomniany. Zbyt dużo mamy tu postaci drugoplanowych i szybkiej, dosyć prostej narracji, która sztucznie podkręca tempo.
Za to tym razem możemy lepiej poznać świat i system, który wysłał ryfterów na dno oceanu. Przepełniony psychotycznymi, zmodyfikowanymi ludźmi, zniszczonym środowiskiem, władzą należącą do garstki uprzywilejowan...more
Za to tym razem możemy lepiej poznać świat i system, który wysłał ryfterów na dno oceanu. Przepełniony psychotycznymi, zmodyfikowanymi ludźmi, zniszczonym środowiskiem, władzą należącą do garstki uprzywilejowan...more
Maelstrom, de Peter Watts, chapitre deux sur une vingtaine (sur internet).
Je connaissais Watts par ses nouvelles en francais, nottamment NIMBUS, que j,ai lu dans la revue Solaris, traduite par Élisabeth Vonarburg.
Le 8 décembre 2009, l’auteur de SF fait arrêter par le Homeland security, puis malmené (pour faire un euphémisme poli) par ces agents qui cherchent avant tout des terroristes, alors qu’il retournait au Canada. Son blog ici. Je suis allée voir son site et contribué à sa défense légale....more
Je connaissais Watts par ses nouvelles en francais, nottamment NIMBUS, que j,ai lu dans la revue Solaris, traduite par Élisabeth Vonarburg.
Le 8 décembre 2009, l’auteur de SF fait arrêter par le Homeland security, puis malmené (pour faire un euphémisme poli) par ces agents qui cherchent avant tout des terroristes, alors qu’il retournait au Canada. Son blog ici. Je suis allée voir son site et contribué à sa défense légale....more
Like the first book in this series, Starfish, this book was good. It is a very dark look at a future society where energy is a very expensive commodity. Where people are bio engineered for better performance. Where regular citizens are drugged into submission and treated like cattle. Where the Internet has become an alien world where new lifeforms are evolving constantly.
I plan to find and read the next two in this series because it is quite a compelling story. This book was a bit disjointed li...more
I plan to find and read the next two in this series because it is quite a compelling story. This book was a bit disjointed li...more
Usually the second book in the series is the weakest, but I think it was one of the strongest. It expands the world from Starfish, taking away the very cramped and isolated feel of the first book, and shows a dynamic multifaceted world. It is still dark (the whole series is) in that the main character is trying to cause the Apocalypse, but it doesn't get bogged down or trapped in unrealistic events.
If you don't like depressing or serious books then you should give this one a wide margin. There i...more
If you don't like depressing or serious books then you should give this one a wide margin. There i...more
Maelstrom is a bleak exploration of the apocalypse, which is wearing the face of an all-powerful virus who just might end all life on Earth. It's also getting a little help from Maelstrom (read:internet of the future)'s wildlife.
First of all, you really should read Starfish first. It's a better book in itself and also Maelstrom sometimes refers to events of the first book and I thought this second book could be confusing as a stand-alone read. I don't really see this as a negative thing though....more
First of all, you really should read Starfish first. It's a better book in itself and also Maelstrom sometimes refers to events of the first book and I thought this second book could be confusing as a stand-alone read. I don't really see this as a negative thing though....more
Follow-up to Starfish continues the end of the world as we know it via destructive, sulphur-eating microbes abetted by the maelstrom that the WWW has become. Lenie Clarke, the meltdown Madonna, continues on her mission to spread the plague that will annihilate humanity, is pursued, discovers terrible secrets about her past, and generally has a bad time as only peter Watts can imagine. Very good, very grim, very open to a sequel (and there is one!).
This is an excellent novel! It is so well-researched with hard science, I am surprised it was not serialized in the journal Science. I thought Starfish was pretty good, but this one was even better! I liked the author's deft handling of many plot threads -- sort of reminiscent of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Imagine if you will Botticelli's Venus emerging from the ocean, not on the half-shell, but dripping wet with rage and revenge.
A faster paced sequel with a little nagging cliffhanger ending. This was a faster read than Starfish, but the characters were not as interesting this time around. But I suppose this was not intended so much to be a character driven novel. I'm less eager to read the next installment after this one, but I'll give it a shot whenever I have some free time (and have finished a few more of the mustreads on my list).
I'm giving up on this series. Am I supposed to be on the side of the protagonist here? She (view spoiler) How can you feel any compassion for her, even if she was (view spoiler) And it turns out THAT wasn't even true! So what am I supposed to feel here? That her entire story/travail was a waste of time? Mission accomplished.
There was *just* enough interesting bits in this book for me to make it through but it was a chore unlike the first book. I got bogged down in the middle section of the book.
The book basically picks up exactly where the first one ended. It's hard to give a synopsis without spoiling the ending for the first book.
I've got Behemoth sitting at home but I haven't decided if I should pick it up or not.
The book basically picks up exactly where the first one ended. It's hard to give a synopsis without spoiling the ending for the first book.
I've got Behemoth sitting at home but I haven't decided if I should pick it up or not.
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“But only part of him was listening. Another part, even if it hadn't read Chomsky or Jung or Sheldrake—who had time for dead guys anyway?— at least had a basic understanding of what those guys had gone on about. Quantum nonlocality, quantum consciousness—Desjardins had seen too many cases of mass coincidence to dismiss the idea that nine billion human minds could be imperceptibly interconnected somehow. He’d never really thought about it much, but on some level he’d believed in the Collective Unconscious for years.
He just hadn’t realized that the fucking thing had a death wish.”
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5 people liked it
He just hadn’t realized that the fucking thing had a death wish.”
“Nine days after Perreault first saw the woman in black, an Indonesian mother of four came out of her tent long enough to claim that the mermaid had risen, fully-formed, from the very center of the quake.
One of her boys, hearing this, said that he'd heard it was the other way around.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
One of her boys, hearing this, said that he'd heard it was the other way around.”
Dec 19, 2008 08:26am