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Starfish
High-pressure living on the ocean floor
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Starfish
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By Peter Watts
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Tor Books
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$23.95/$34.95 Canada
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Hardcover, July, 1999
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ISBN 0-312-86855-3
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Review by A.M. Dellamonica
 enie Clarke has been turned--by crude scientific processes--into an
amphibian. One of her lungs has been removed, replaced with a device that
filters oxygen out of salt water. And her DNA has been tweaked so that her body
produces the enzymes of a deepwater fish. With her diveskin on and white
corneal caps over her eyes, she is barely recognizable as human.
Thus adapted, Lenie can swim in the deep waters of the Juan de Fuca
Strait, performing maintenance on a power plant that steals the abundant
geothermal energy of the seabed. But no amount of scientific tinkering can
adapt a rifter's mind to the pressures of deep-sea living, with its constant
threat of sudden death. The Juan de Fuca Strait is particularly dangerous,
because along with the usual hazards--water pressure, industrial accidents
and earthquakes--the sea life has grown to gigantic proportions. Fish that
are less than a centimeter long elsewhere in the ocean grow as large as Lenie
herself near the Fuca Strait, and the behemoths survive by devouring everything that moves.
As Lenie and her work partner prepare the power station, it
becomes clear that they are experimental test subjects. The company that hired
them is willing to risk their sanity to answer a critical question: what sort of
person can best deal with the dangers and loneliness of life on the rift?
Lenie, with a long history of abuse and an intense dislike of human contact,
would seem to be the perfect candidate for a crack-up. In fact, she is just
what the company is looking for.
Crushing reality
Starfish is a first novel by Canadian writer Peter Watts, and it's
a pleasing combination of hard SF and solid storytelling. A marine
biologist, Watts knows the Pacific seacoast well, and he brings readers
right into the eerie world of the Beebe power station, with its giant fish and
psychotic staff. His characters are trapped in many ways--by the tons of
water above them, by their psychological limitations, and by the arbitrary
and menacing actions of the company that created them. This creates a dark
and intensely claustrophobic atmosphere, which is very nearly the novel's
true protagonist.
Among the rifters, Lenie's character is the most sympathetic, hardly a
surprise considering that her peers are child molesters and failed suicides.
Her development from an utterly passive victim into the de facto leader of
the rifters is well handled and intriguing. Another treat in Starfish
is the lack of narrative trustworthiness--as the rifters become paranoid
about the company's plans for them, readers are left wondering if this is a
justified reaction or merely a new manifestation of the group's psychosis.
Watts runs into trouble, though, when he brings the surface world into
play. Integrating the deeply self-focused milieu of the rifters with a
melodramatic save-the-world storyline, he bleeds off much of the novel's
power when he provides a break from the crushing day-to-day reality of the
seabed. He also weakens the book's hold on readers by revealing the nefarious plans of the company. By the time attention returns to the rifters,
it is too late. There is considerably less impact in watching them play out
the endgame once the seabed's mystery has been clarified.
Despite these flaws, Starfish is a worthwhile choice
for readers interested in oceanography or who enjoy science-oriented SF.
More than anything, Starfish is like the Alien films, but
without any truly likable characters.
-- A.M.
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Way of the Pilgrim
No weapon can force the aliens to leave. Maybe there's another way...
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Way of the Pilgrim
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By Gordon R. Dickson
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Tor Books
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$15.95/$21.95 Canada
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Trade Paperback, July 1999
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ISBN 0-312-86662-3
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Review by Susan Dunman
ife on Earth has changed radically since alien invaders conquered the
planet. During their three years of rule, the Aalaag have subjugated the human
race by enforcing harsh laws designed to "tame" the unruly Homo sapiens, whom they
refer to as their "cattle." The awe-inspiring extraterrestrials stand nine feet tall
and wear medieval-type armor that harkens back to the intruders' own
ancient history as a warrior world. The aliens consider themselves
superior in every way to the human "beasts" they own, but it is the Aalaag's
incredibly advanced technology that gives them absolute power over their
Earthly subjects.
Shane Evert was a linguistics student before the Aalaag arrived, but just
like everyone else, his life has since changed dramatically. Shane now belongs to
Lyt Ahn, First Captain and commander of the occupying force. As the most
talented member of a small group of humans who can speak the alien language,
Shane serves as a personal courier for his master, though he must hide his identity from
other humans by wearing a popular sign of repentance, the pilgrim's cloak
and hood.
Although the aliens have eliminated disease and crime, humanity suffers
in many other ways. Most humans work long hours for
subsistence pay to meet the production quotas imposed by their taskmasters.
Failure to obey any order results in immediate retribution, and the
unwavering justice of alien law often means the death penalty. Forced to
watch the senseless execution of a husband and wife, Shane is provoked to
commit a small act of defiance that has repercussions for the entire
world.
Never trust a beast
In this reprint edition of Gordon R. Dickson's 1987 novel (which
is an expanded version of his 1980 short story "The Cloak and the Staff"), alien
occupation carries the double weight of hopelessness and despair
for all who have witnessed their resistance crumble under the power of
military might. Because Earth is only one of countless worlds the Aalaag
have captured, there is a dismal certainty that humans
are destined to serve a superior race from the stars, and Dickson
uses his protagonist, Shane Evert, to convey these empty emotions. Yet
underneath the fear and submission is an unquenchable desire for rebellion,
despite certain defeat and annihilation.
Shane's duties as courier require him to traverse both human and Aalaag
worlds, and it is also through his eyes that readers catch glimpses of a
remarkable alien culture. Based on military traditions handed down through
the ages, Aalaag society is structured by its chain of command. Every
individual has a designated rank and assigned duty. Honesty and obedience
are expected of everyone, master and servant alike. Human beasts who fail
to meet expectations are considered "unwell," sick cattle who must be removed
from the herd.
There are multiple levels of conflict within this story, which keeps the
plot moving at a fast clip and generates plenty of tension. One complaint
is that some scenes feel as if they were contrived to intentionally steer readers toward
wrong conclusions. There's nothing wrong with using this technique to
maintain suspense, but it shouldn't hinder story credibility. Fortunately,
appealing characters and universal ideals round out this exciting tale of
survival, while a gentle twist at the end gives added punch to a
thought-provoking story.
I know I should root for the home team, but sometimes it's easier to respect
the aliens.
-- Susan
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