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Summary: Taught, original science fiction
Review: "Starfish" is an outstanding work of dystopian fiction taking place in the not too distant future. As the demand for energy grows exponentially, mankind turns to the thermal energy from deep-sea vents as a solution. Of course, the ocean floor is the least hospitable environment on Earth, and it takes a special breed to man these remote outposts...literally.People who represent the dregs of society (child abusers, violent criminals, sociopaths) are genetically, psychologically and "mechanically" altered to survive in this harsh climate. However, what no one counts on is what will happen when these same people fulfill their need for danger just by staying alive, and become, if not friends, then certainly allies. Furthermore, no one considers what they might encounter in that ancient habitat, and what it will mean for the rest of the planet. That's about all I can say about the plot without spoiling it, but this is definitely a book you will want to pick up, for several reasons. First of all, the writing is absolutely breathless; Watts has perfectly translated the mind numbing pressure found at the ocean bottom into a palpable sense of tension that permeates the novel. Secondly, his characters are brilliantly conceived and realized. The reader never exactly feels sympathy for them, but they are incredibly complex and evolve in unexpected, but realistic, ways. Finally, although this novel is classified as "science-fiction" that really does it something of a disservice. It's not that there's anything wrong with SF, but this novel is much more; it's about our insatiable demand for convenience, and what it's doing to our planet (both geo-politically and environmentally) and what it is doing to those who get left behind by the pace of change. "Starfish" is a great read and a novel that will leave you thinking. With an engaging plot, excellent characters and relentless pacing, it is a superb first novel. In particular, if you are at all in interested in marine biology, or even biology in general, then this is a must read for you.
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Summary: Fascinating main female character & supporting cast.
Review: I admit it. I pulled it off the shelf based on the cover art. What's under the cover is a fantastic read, filled with characters that are twisted, but somehow sympathetic. They are the unwanted of society, doing a job no one else wants. But, what to do with them once the job is over.... This book explores the characters that mind the underwater rift, a big vent in the deep sea. They have all been modified to live and work under the intense pressure of the ocean. With time, some of them feel more comfortable in the cool embrace of the water than with their own kind, with one even "going native." Lenie Clarke is the main protaganist, and she is likable, despite her many faults. You just feel for her when she's lying on the ocean floor, falling asleep alone in the dark rather than going back to the dismal station environment. No one in the "Company" anticipated the profound impact this environment would have on these outcasts from society. It's really a fast read with compelling dialogue and motivations. An excellent read. Take it to a beach or poolside. It works well next to water. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Scifi With Depth
Review: I confess that, based of the cover description, I was expecting some sort of deep-sea adventure populated by weird creatures and who knows what else. That's not what this is. Instead, it is a two-part tale populated by weird human creatures "modified" to live in a deep-sea environment so they can monitor geothermal power plants built on the San Juan de Fuca Rift. Forget all the documentaries you've seen showing strange, glowing deep-sea creatures. They're here, but they're mentioned only in passing and play almost no role in the story. The first part of this tale focuses on the "misfit" crew that has been "modified" to live in the depths of the ocean. Lenie Clarke is the de facto crew leader, but she is as troubled as the rest. There is plenty of tension here but not much real action. Psychological tension builds, however. As time goes on, these people become stranger and stranger as they adapt to their environment and each other in unanticipated ways. The second part of the story exposes what is going on above the surface. Here, the reader discovers the hidden agendas that drive the experiment in human adaptation going on at the ocean floor, as well as the unforeseen threat that has changed everything, making the crew itself a danger that must be either contained or destroyed. This is an interesting tale, full of novel ideas and off-beat characters. But, despite the different environment, the humans and their creations are the strangest creatures here. And the most dangerous. If you're looking for fast-paced adventure, this isn't it. But if you want scifi with some "depth", something thought-provoking, STARFISH might do the trick for you. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had reading scifi, but it was better than average. Give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: A hard, boring, and ultimately pointless slog
Review: I was astounded to find that this mediocre effort had spawned a sequel and even more astounded to find that it had this many supporters. Setting aside the unrelentingly dystopic theme (which is fine if you like that sort of thing) this is still a first novel that needs a lot of work. The characterization is haphazard at best and truly awful at worst. We get characters who are introduced early on, then ignored again until the last few pages. We get characters with poorly-fleshed backgrounds that hint of detail, but never deliver. We get characters with dark secrets that are hinted at...and then ignored. Some of the plot devices were laughably bad, like the background character who steps forward at the climax to suddenly reveal that he's some sort of super secret agent with detailed knowledge of the exact machinery that's causing the crisis. This is never explored, the rationale for this character is poorly explained and then he's completely ignored for the rest of the book. This is supposed to make sense?
Frankly, there's not a single character that holds the reader's interest. Most of them are unlikeable to start with and the author never makes them interesting enough for us to care about. A perfect example is the climax which is almost completely seen through the eyes of a minor character who was introduced in the last 20 pages of the book and then only as a stereotypical evil corporate executive.
The real pity is that there's some potential here. The future is dark place with a variety of interesting things to come - except we never see anything but brief glimpses. Instead we spend all our time on the bottom of the ocean in unrelenting blackness with either the broken, damaged head-cases who live there or the petty, two-dimensionally evil beaurocrats who sent them there. At the end we're supposed to feel something when the world is threatened, but why should we care? We've been told almost nothing about this future and can't tell if it should continue or be destroyed! We simply don't have any reason to care about the characters or the world they inhabit.
The tone is also problematic. After far too many pages exploring the dark and dangerous sea bed and the dark and dangerous psyches of the nutjobs sent to live in it (yes, we got the symbolism the first ten time, thank you) we're suddenly faced with a completly new threat that will destroy the entire human race. How's that for a shift in detail? We're suddenly expected to go from caring about a couple of unpleasant characters and their personal demons to caring about the fate of the entire planet! This sort of hackneyed plotting should never have made it past the first round of editing.
The details of deep-ocean life and exploration are well researched and well described, if in far too much detail. If you like your science delivered in Tom Clancy-like chunks of detail you'll find this familiar, but it's not particulary fun to read. That's enough to lift this item up to two stars, but I certainly wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Go read some non-fiction on deep-sea exploration and your time will be much better spent.
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Summary: Dark, Misanthropic, and highly Nihilistic, one of the best.
Review: I've never read a book quite like this. No author has been able to write out a fiction book that caught my eye quite like this one. The pain and sorrow is sort of over-rated in books, they give the books no taste, and throw them off a bit, but this book is quite a bit better than that. Expressing dark, misanthropic, and nihilistic themes is all this author is about, and I love every minute of it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sci-Fi read
Review: I've searched long and far for a science fiction book with an intrigueing concepts as well as excellent characters and all of the other good stuff, and I've found it. Never before have i read a book with so many fascinating characters. Put a bunch of psychotic people in an enclosed space, each with their own multitude of problems and discrepencies, and get a great book. I read that Peter Watts is working on a sequel called "Hydra" and I can't wait. I think, for a fairly new writer ( at least with fictional novels) Watts has done exceptional job. Bringing to life a fairly unexplored world with a sense of great style, It couldnt have been done better. Basically if you like science fiction in any way, shape or form, read this book! Matt
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling and plausible: a must
Review: It's probably no coincidence that the first characters introduced in Peter Watts' deep-sea psycho-thriller are named Clarke and Ballard; "Starfish," Watts' debut novel, shares the speculative edge of Arthur C. Clarke as well as the environmental tension explored by J.G. Ballard's science fiction. In "Starfish," Watts develops a gritty, dysfunctional near-future where surgically adapted misfits are sent to tend geothermal power generators deep below the Pacific. With taut, charged prose and a cyberpunkish attention to technological extrapolation, Watts weaves familar SF concepts into a harrowing tale of dark psychology, artificial intelligence, and the future of the human species. "Starfish" succeeds on multiple levels. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Starfish-cold-as-ice-so-are-the-people
Review: Lots of original elements to the book, a great story and a good dose of technical detail. Watt peoples his book with a fascinating and repulsive collection of antiheroes who operate in a setting that is described with perfect, illuminating detail. The most notable flaw of the book is the heavy-handed, fanciful ending that was jarring in its contrast with the subtly of the rest of the story. Also, Watts seems to be one who likes his science but the "psychological science" aspects of the novel came across as unsophisticated and folklore-ish relative to the other technological bits. Minor points, I'll be reading his other books.
Rating: 
Summary: How's your tolerance for misanthropy?
Review: One of the bleakest views of humanity I've read in a while. Watts compares humanity (not just the pre-adapted rifters) to organic computers and to an ancient biochemistry from the ocean floor, and humanity comes out lacking. All life runs on pure conditioned reflex in Watts' world. The prose does an excellent job of describing life near a volcanic rift. The science is well-supported in most places, but sketchy in others, such as the speed-learning that turns a pedophile into a competent deep ocean engineer. The complete lack of *hope* in this book is what I found most off-putting about this book.
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Summary: Realistic near-future sci-fi
Review: The potential reader should have already gathered from the other reviews that this is not the book for you if you want some feel-good escapist fiction. In case you haven't, let me repeat the point. _Starfish_ is a lot of things, but uplifting isn't one of them. It's a disturbing realistic look that plays on the notion of what we reap when we create survivors. Someone said here that the book features a world where criminals are sent to the bottom of the sea to work-- but the criminality of the people is incidental. The conceit of the book is that all of these people are survivors of horrific abuse, and as such have developed the ability to live in environments that are less than nurturing. In the end, that ability to survive is exactly what works against the government that can no longer control its project. What's good about the book?
The diction is crisp and the writing style is clean and biting. The characters and politics underwater are well-formed and believable. It avoids unnecessary drama while still keeping the reader's interest. Whý not five stars, then?
The plotting (particularly around Behemoth) feels a little bit like a first novel. I was much less interested in the Great Threat To Humanity than I was in the lesser issues. I'd also argue that it is hard to keep unrelenting bleakness from feeling a bit flat at times-- a little bit of sweetness by way of contrast now and again would have gone a long way. Despite any reservations, I'll definitely read the next book in the series & will look forward to doing so.
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