Bedtime Stories

More about me, I’m afraid.  Given the current prospects for this gig I can’t really get motivated to invest the necessary time and effort for a proper science posting— but when other folks talk about me, I can talk about them in turn with minimal effort.

Today the guy that’s talking about me writes something called GeekDad Review over at Wired.com, and he’s been kind enough to post a glowing review of Starfish almost ten years after the book first came out1.  (Ten years. Oh Noodly One, ten fucking years.  Am I rich yet?) And while such front-and-center attention from so high-profile a site is a very pleasant surprise in and of itself, what I find most fun is the subsequent reader comments falling over themselves to warn Mr Baichtal that the subsequent rifters books (which he has not read) are full of rape and the ol’ ultraviolence, and should probably not be read to youngsters at bedtime.

Of course.  GeekDad.  I guess this column’s mandate is to recommend bedtime reading for the geeklets.  Which would make Starfish a piece of children’s literature.

Well, okay, I guess.  Anything to boost the hit count…


1Less than a year after the trade-paper reissue, though.



This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 3:03 pm and is filed under ink on art, reviews, rifters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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user1234
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user1234
15 years ago

Huh? 4-book trilogy? Is Blindsight related to Rifters in a way that eluded me?

Jeff
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Jeff
15 years ago

Behemoth was split into two books for print, because it was “too long” ostensibly, but I’m fairly certain it was just the publisher being a dickbag. I think there’s probably something in the archives of the ‘crawl about it.

J.R.
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J.R.
15 years ago

I’m not sure I’d’ve thought of ‘Starfish’ as a bedtime story, but I’m glad someone’s still talking about it. I only read the books in the last year, but I found them very enjoyable.

user1234
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user1234
15 years ago

@ Jeff: didn’t know. Thanks.

Phil
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Phil
15 years ago

I would absolutely read the Rifters books to my kids. If I had any. Which I don’t.

London
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London
15 years ago

I’m still sulking about waiting for the day Behemoth (in however many books they deem necessary) is printed in paperback. I really love owning books, but I really hate hard covers. I tried to email Tor, but I was thwarted.

rayp
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rayp
15 years ago

Tom Disch did describe SF as a form of children’s literature.

But then, he did blow his brains out, what did he know.

keanani
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keanani
15 years ago

Well, it seems quite the good thing that a book written 10 years ago is resurrected in a positive book review. I happened upon “Blindsight”, and thank goodness for my science-“pre-med” biology background, altough I ended up a fine art major but a writer and resercher instead.

I have to read “Blindsight” again for some of the hard science was a little hard for my rusty brain cells made mush by reading nature and spirituality, art and epic fantasy books.

Blindsight was a most excellent read that spanned across several nights of reading a bit at a time in order to meanigfully absorb, and attempt to understand and visualize just what you were painting with your words. I look forward to reading the ten year old book Starfish, then.

By the way, I also like Elizabeth Bear too.

Madeline
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15 years ago

I’m not sure he intended it as bedtime reading, judging from the other blog posts. Watchmen isn’t exactly kid-friendly, either, but he mentions it a bunch. Although the Squid-esque bedtime story would pose an interesting creative challenge. “Once upon a time, there was a lonely piece of head-cheese…”

Alehkhs
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15 years ago

… sometimes he played games. He REALLY liked to play simple games. That’s all he ever wanted to do…

Jeff2
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Jeff2
15 years ago

Greetings, Peter:
Unfortunately, you’re not well know here in the US (I first heard of “Blindsight” on Richard Morgan’s website; both my wife and I liked it so much we read the rest of your books successively), which is probably why it took ten years. Maybe your publisher needs a new marketing person. Great books – all of them. I’m working on getting my co-workers, naval architects/marine engineers with a heavy hand n the research community, to read your stuff. Doesn’t take much effort.
I noted some folks have trouble with the technical biology parts, but we have found you write in such a way that we (kinda) understand what you’re talking about without dragging out the scientific encyclopedia. The work flows.
Keep it up, and thanks for the books, so far.

daniel
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daniel
15 years ago

Peter, not exactly to do with your Wired article, but I am reading Neal Asher’s Shadow of the Scorpion, and during one of Ian Cormac’s flashbacks to childhood, he mentions a “Watts Aquarium, which is named after an old Science Fiction Writer” (I will have to go back and get the specific quote).

I can only assume it is you. Perhaps you know of this reference already? Anyways, everyone I have ever met could always use an ego boost. You are welcome.

Wendy
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Wendy
15 years ago

Long time lurker, first time commenting. First and foremost, thank you Mr Watts. I picked up Starfish shortly after it first came out. I read 15 pages, called and cancelled a dinner invite and took my phone off the hook. I havent been that captivated by any other book in my life. I avidly awaited the next book, then the next. I bought them all in hardcover, hot off the presses. Thank you for taking me out of our world for a time. Your stories are dark, innovative, challenging, thought provoking and intense. Someday I will encourage my children to read them all but not until both kids are a bit older 🙂

Wendy
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Wendy
15 years ago

damn…do smilies count as cutsey fucking icons? If so, I do apologize.

Theo
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Theo
15 years ago

Peter, your novels are simultaneously bleak and depressing and they read well. You mentioned above that there has to be demand for your novels; I’m pretty sure there is. There will always be people who like your kind of writing style. It may not be millions, but it will be many thousands. I suspect your biggest problem has always been visibility (hahaha, nice pun). Getting mentioned on boingboing would do you the world of good and get your sales climbing, methinks.