Starfish
Starfish by Peter Wattsby Peter Watts
Shares rank 33 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as a dark, prescient near-future novel that feels close to current events, with a hopeful ending. Caveat: it is very dark and hard on the reader.
Recommended as a dark, prescient near-future novel that feels close to current events, with a hopeful ending. Caveat: it is very dark and hard on the reader.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Prescient, feels close to current events
“The central thesis, consciousness not being necessary for intelligence, is very relevant today.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)” “that book rhymes a lot with current events”
Comment from 29 Jul 2026 in “Document-borne AI worms can self-propagate through Copilot for Word” “Watts was really uncomfortably prescient.”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “Underwater Suit-Wearing Cyborg Insect Capable of Diving and Terra-Aqua Travel” Dark themes with earned hope
“His books stare directly into the abyss. I think it's what makes the hope you feel at the end seem earned.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)” “The dark themes that seem so close to being possible help boost my cynicism and level me out.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)” Great read worth the time
“It'd say Starfish is a great read but it doesn't quite get to mind blowing.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)” “well worth the read, IMHO”
Comment from 22 Oct 2026 in “Startup taps underwater volcano as energy source in “proof point” test”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Very dark and emotionally hard going
“It's very good bit also very hard on the reader very devastating”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)” “This is also very good but man it is dark.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “Starfish by Peter Watts (1999)”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Starfishby Peter WattsThis page | 15 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“well worth the read, IMHO”
“give plenty of good reasons why this might not be the best idea”
“that book rhymes a lot with current events”
“Watts was really uncomfortably prescient.”
“It'd say Starfish is a great read but it doesn't quite get to mind blowing.”
“This is also very good but man it is dark.”
“The central thesis, consciousness not being necessary for intelligence, is very relevant today.”
“The dark themes that seem so close to being possible help boost my cynicism and level me out.”
“Deepwater biology in the Rifters trilogy (Starfish, Maelstrom, βehemoth) is interesting.”
“His books stare directly into the abyss. I think it's what makes the hope you feel at the end seem earned.”
“Watts manages to conjure this feeling of future shock I've only previously felt with Charles Stross' work.”
“It's very good bit also very hard on the reader very devastating”
“Amazing ambiance, creeping horror, in such incredible backdrops.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.