Maelstrom: 2 (Rifters Trilogy) - Softcover

"Watts moves from the relentless pressure of Starfish to the frantic speed of chaos in action, never losing the tight focus on his fascinating characters in this excellent sequel to his debut novel." - BOOKLIST (STARRED REVIEW)"

An enormous tidal wave on the west coast of North America has just killed millions. 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 sure: all hell is breaking loose.This dark, fast-paced SF novel returns to the story begun in "Starfish": all human life is threatened by a disease (actually a primeval form of life) from the distant pre-human past. It survived only in the deep ocean rift where Clarke and her companions were stationed before the corporation that employed them tried to sterilize the threat with a secret underwater nuclear strike. But Clarke was far enough away that she was able to survive and tough enough to walk home, three hundred kilometers across the ocean floor. She arrives carrying with her the potential death of the human race, and is possessed by a desire for revenge.