by Peter Watts
First published 2004
Five years after unleashing an apocalyptic microbe called ßehemoth, Lenie Clarke hides at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The amphibious cyborg once served corporate masters who exploited her addiction to dangerous environments. She emerged from a nuclear blast seeking revenge and released an ancient organism that devoured the biosphere from below. North America crumbles under a psychopath's rule. Digital monsters bearing her name terrorize the broken internet. Governments collapse while warlords and suicide cults worship the Meltdown Madonna. Clarke now knows she destroyed civilization for a lie. She cowers with other rifters and the corporate technicians who created them on the Midatlantic Ridge. Something hunts them in the lightless depths. The past reaches toward them with deadly intent. Clarke must confront the devastation she caused. Redemption proves difficult with a world's blood on her hands. After five years in this underwater purgatory, she remains unchanged. Anyone blocking her path will face harsh consequences.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, cyberpunk, apocalyptic
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: redemption, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Atlantic Ocean, North America
Period: 5 years after apocalyptic event
304 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books
Content warnings: death, violence