This was an excellent title and I'm appreciative of having the opportunity to read it. The plot was unique, fast paced, exciting, and I found myself caring for the characters. The latter is something a lot of books lack for me so this was very much appreciated.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this title!

It's very rare that I cannot easily finish a book, this was a bit of a struggle. Although I'm glad I read it all the way through.

What got me interested in this book mainly was the little blurb about this book being good for fans of sleeping giants and dark matter, two of my favorite books that I read last year. Now while it doesn't quite reach those lofty expectations it is still a pretty enjoyable book. This is a great book for people like me who believe in the theory of the multiverse which this book has something similar called probability streams. i give this book a 4/5 mainly because I really wasn't feeling the ending. It felt kind of tacked on to add some length. but overall i really did enjoy the premise of this book.

The Chaos Function is an expertly crafted journey through the apocalypse, barreling down a winding road of terrifyingly real possibilities. What starts as a typical war reporter story becomes so much more, revealing a technology with a long and questionable history that defies understanding. Skillingstead presents us with a protagonist who is an expert at questioning the world, creating a sharp canvas for this compelling sci-fi tale. I was entranced from the start by the writing and by the brilliant plot twists that lead to a number of startling advances. It’s science fiction meets alternate history meets apocalypse, and you won’t be able to put it down until you’ve followed the explosive revelations to the end.

Spoilers beyond this point, so beware!

Skillingstead pulls from a number of sub-genres including time travel, high-tech, alternate history, and apocalyptic sci-fi. Everything is crafted in a way that’s extremely believable, creating a sense of unease that continues after each dive into the alternate realm of probabilities. We watch the world go from bad to worse to unimaginable, an apocalypse where the world might actually end. It’s easy to see through apocalypse fiction, but The Chaos Function is structured in a way that makes it feel real. We’re seeing everything unfold from a reporter’s perspective, filled as it is with little details and an abundance of sources. It’s easy to imagine yourself trying to outrun the chaos.

Beyond the world collapse is a discussion about the choices we make and how impactful our tiniest action can be. Changing a person’s decision can result in the entire world falling apart. Altering who drives a car for a pickup can mean destruction, or the diversion of a crisis. Giving world-altering power to anyone is begging for corruption, and that power struggle for control provides another compelling plot line throughout.

The Chaos Function is the kind of book you won’t be able to stop talking about. Get ready to spend loads of time imagining how history and all of its atrocities or triumphs could have been altered by a single change.

I won't summarize this novel, others have done it before me. I'll only give my impressions. This is not the first time travel or apocalyptic novel I read, far from it. We can say that I have some bases on which to build my expectations.

We could say that this novel is more a road book (literary equivalent of a "road movie"), because the story takes place mainly on the road. I don't understand the usefulness of all this travelling, given that Olivia (or Liv for his friends), the main character, can use her power, inherited by accident from the previous shepherd (kind of leader of the machine's guardians), to change the story from afar, i.e. she doen't need to be near the time machine. She could have found a good hiding place and caused all the damages described in this novel from there. Moreover, I found several descriptive parts of her travels a little too long. I didn't especially need to know that they had to go and buy something to eat in the chaotic world provoked by Liv's good intentions.

All in all, it's still a entertaining novel that will please all lovers of mystery and apocalyptic stories.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an electronic copy of this good novel.

A good thriller with sci-fi elements as well as a love story. Based upon all the elements, however, doesn't succeed in either of the categories.

Olivia is a hardened journalist in Aleppo, Syria when something earth shattering happens. She’s not exactly sure WHAT happened, but it literally changed reality. What follows is a gripping novel that is part thriller, part science fiction. Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter.