Maelstrom
- 384
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Maelstrom” carries Peter Watts’s “Rifters” trilogy out of the ocean and onto a devastated Pacific coast, in a gripping, morally charged sequel. Picking up straight after “Starfish”, it follows Lenie Clarke as she walks ashore after a tidal wave has killed thousands, a figure who may be monster or goddess. Some readers find it more action-driven and less claustrophobic than the first book yet still engaging, though not every part of Lenie’s portrayal convinces them.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
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 all hell is breaking loose.
Reading order · Rifters
Full order & progress →- StarfishStart here
7.97.9 / 10 - MaelstromThis book
7.87.8 / 10 - Behemoth
–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 60 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 29% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 7.8 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 9 | 15% |
| Hardcover | 7.7 | 51 | 85% |
Frequently asked
How long is Maelstrom?
It has 384 pages — shorter than 65% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Science fiction — and a score of 7.8, the closest to this book.
