RECURSION is awesome! This is fact in both senses: the contemporary version, and as in awe-inspiring. Blake Crouch takes consensus reality and twists it "every which way but loose," as he deals an unstoppable hand of Quantum Physics dealt by a megalomaniac multibillionaire and powered by the sharpest research intellect currently alive, who are not entirely on the same path, one being motivated by sociopathy beyond normal ken; the other by compassion for suffering humans.


RECURSION is engrossing, riveting, fascinating. Fans of Neal Stephenson will find it enlightening. I highly recommend it!

I just LOVE Blake Crouch, he has the most amazing imagination and manages to find innovative ways to explore time, tech, and science in each book (at least the ones I've read)... The memory chair is a fantastic concept, reminiscent of Fringe or Counterpart but with an utterly original slant and marvelous characterization. The pacing is - as always - spot-on and the writing crisp and clear while still painting vivid pictures that draw the reader on completely. It's a fabulous thing, knowing that any title I pick up wll be an entertaining, thought provoking, wholly immersive read - there aren't many authors I can say that about with confidence, and the fact that he's prolific on top of that makes him one of my favorite contemporary authors.

This review will run on my blog (www.Jill-Elizabeth.com) on June 14, 2019.

Blake Crouch’s newest novel, Recursion, is the second novel I’ve read from him. This sci-fi thriller follows NYC Detective Barry Sutton who is investigating a mysterious disease called False memory Syndrome which drives victims to insanity with memories of a life that they never lived. As Barry learns more about the mysterious disease, he ultimately faces Helena Smith, a neuroscientist who invented the device which changed the world. I don’t typically read sci-fi books, but I loved Dark Matter so I had to get my hands on this one. Blake Crouch blew it out of the water with Recursion. Not only is the premise intriguing, but you are kept on the edge of seat throughout the story. I loved the alternating perspectives of Barry Sutton and Helena Smith. Blake Crouch did an amazing job shifting through the times without making it too confusing, but also crafting it in a way which made sense and kept the reader wondering what would happen next. Themes of memories, happiness, difficult choices, and society can be found in this sci-fi thriller. I really found the perspectives of the power of memory to be quite fascinating in this novel. This is definitely one of those books where after you’re done reading, you’ll think about the subject matter for a while. I highly recommend reading this novel if you loved Dark Matter and/or if you love thrillers. You won’t regret it!

It's official: I will read anything Blake Crouch writes. He has an incredible knack of mixing thrillers with science, and I'm always eager to see how the books end. I really enjoyed Recursion. It wasn't quite five stars for me because it got a little tedious towards the end (though it was still close to five stars). The concept was fascinating and really made me think. I already can't wait for his next book!

Helena is a gifted neuroscientist trying to develop a way to preserve memories. It’s personal for her. Her mother has Alzheimer’s. Helen is quickly running out of both time and funding. But at what price is she willing to move ahead?

Barry is a New York City policeman. He’s called to help talk down a woman threatening to jump from a building as she suffers from False Memory Syndrome.
So little is known about this condition. Is it contagious? Is he willing to put his own life at risk to save her?

I loved the first half of this book. I was all in and able to follow along easily! Couldn’t wait to see where Blake Crouch's imagination and talent would take me! But about midway the complexity of the timelines and false memories got the best of me and I could barely keep up. By the end my mind was spinning and I was hopelessly lost. My brain actually hurt!🤕

There are some fantastic reviews for this book from readers who were able to keep up with this brain bending science fiction thriller. So please don’t let this review sway you! I am definitely in the minority here.

A mind twisting buddy read with Susanne

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and Blake Crouch for an ARC to read and review.

Thank you so much @crownpublishing for my free copy via @netgalley for review.
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Happy pub day to Recursion! This book is blowing up on the Gram right now and it’s for good reason! I devoured this book. My husband will tell you, I cannot stop talking about it. It was amazing. @blakecrouch1 is officially an auto buy author for me. I don’t even like sci-fi, but he writes it in such a way that it’s addictive.
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Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this book and I could sit here and gush about it forever. I highly recommend you pick it up. It’s definitely going to be one of my top favorites of the year!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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If you’re familiar with his work, buckle up for another non-stop ride of mind-blowing entertainment. If this is your first go, buckle up for a non-stop ride of mind-blowing entertainment, and then go read the Wayward Pines series and Dark Matter! A colleague of mine who reads even more than I do said this is probably her favorite book of 2019 so far.

On a random evening, New York City cop Barry Sutton is called to a potential jumper situation. The patient suffers from False Memory Syndrome. Those who suffer often travel in the same social circles and it’s often thought of as catching. He’s willing to risk it, though, to save a life. As he gets deeper into his investigation, he’ll find that memory is reality, and if memory can be changed, reality may be able to shift as well.

Neuroscientist Helena Smith’s moth suffers from Alzheimer’s and when she is offered unlimited funding for her project to help implant memories in the brains of those who are at risk of losing them, she doesn’t ask too many questions. She and Barry will cross paths in his investigation and her research, and they’ll have to work together to save the thread of human memory (and sanity).

I think that more or less describes it without giving too much away. All I can say is read it. It’s a mind fuck (pardon my cursing). It confused me at times, but Crouch brought it all around together so that eventually, everything fell into place. It did get a tad daunting near the end where the story needed to wrap up but still had a bit of developing to do in order to tie it all together for us, but it was more than worth it, and that’s a minor complaint.

Once the plot got going, I couldn’t put it down, and I was very much invested in both Barry and Helena. The villain is devious. The supporting characters are human, and we get to know everyone through many lenses. The heart of this story is one of my favorite troupes and is often a big mess, but Crouch expertly handles the science and the science fiction to make a compelling story that makes you think. Don’t miss out on this trip!

What makes a woman leap to her death from a Manhattan rooftop? Something called False Memory Syndrome. Law officer Barry Sutton begins to investigate her suicide and this mysterious disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they actually never lived.

Meanwhile, neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing technology that allows people to relive memories and possibly remake them. If all goes well, her mother and other patients will be able to remember a time before dementia and Alzheimer's. Imagine if we could go back in time and re-do moments of our lives. Make different decisions. Accept offers. Avoid bad choices. Decline a path taken. Spend more or less time with people. Just imagine! Well through the narration of Barry and Helena's alternate chapters, readers get a glimpse at what could be.

"Fearlessly genre-bending, consistently surprising" is a blurb by Karin Slaughter used to describe Blake Crouch's new novel, Recursion. Truer words were never spoken about this new book. It cannot fit into a genre box. It's a little bit of realism in a fiction setting with a science fiction base and moments of suspense. Most of all, it is downright unputdownable!

I thought Blake Crouch was at his best with Dark Matter, which still holds a place in my mind. But Recursion took me for an inescapable loop. It is the kind of book I carried and broke out reading everywhere! Any lull in my day for a solid week was filled with reading about Helena and Barry. Oh, how I wish we get to see these characters again. Especially after that ending that left me flipping invisible pages for more!

Need I say more, bookhearts? Add Recursion to your TBR with an open mind. Be prepared to throw away your concept of time, memory and reality.

Happy Pub Day, Blake Crouch! Recursion is available today.

I still can’t figure out what happened? I’m not a sci-fi fan. I checked and then double checked my library and I’m the proud owner of none sci-fi books in my collection…till now, of course. Recursion by Blake Crouch, published on June 7th, is taking the publishing world by a storm, rightfully so, may I gallantly add. I’m not sure what drew me first to the book, the bright yellow book cover, screaming for my attention or the bald synopsis. Perhaps a combination of both.

NYC cop, Barry Sutton, is on the case, investigating what the media calls a phenomenon False Memory Syndrome which infiltrates its victims with memories not their own. Scary? Realistic? But possible? I’m hooked line and sinker.

The book gave me a pause, and I reflected on my bank of memories, which one was more precious than the other which one if given the opportunity would I go back and relive. I couldn’t narrow it down because they are many I wish to experience again. The power of memory is a force not to be tempered with, a notion, Helena Smith, a neuroscientist who’s devoted her life to inventing technology that will let us relive our memories, understands.

Barry and Helena are working together to stand up against a mighty adversary who wishes to undo reality.

The book written from a POV of both Barry and Helena was a smart approach by Crouch. It allowed me to see through both of their eyes.

At the end, Recursion, is too good to pass up. It’s eccentric, innovative, and yes plenty of sci-fi elements which I didn’t mind but embraced!

Okay, so if you read Dark Matter, I'm wondering if you struggled with the beginning like I did. Honestly, for the first 30 pages, I thought I knew what was going on and it stalled me on finishing this book. Then, I picked it back up, mostly to fulfill my review commitment and was so shocked at the turn it took. This was absolutely a thriller and it makes you think about reality and time and memories in a new way. However, there are elements similar to Dark Matter, but not quite the same. I know, I'm being vague, but I'm being vague on purpose.

Overall, I'm a huge fan of themes about alternative universes and time travel and all that. And this book did have some of those elements. I liked the characters Helena Smith and Barry Sutton. Both were strongly developed.

My issue? Darn this book was dark. I mean seriously, if you aren't in a great mood or place in your life right now, put this one on your TBR for a sunnier time in your life. I mean, I'll give one thing away - the book does end a tad more positively than you might think. Another aspect I struggled with was how complicated it was. Yikes. I mean this is no beach read unless you like complicated books for the beach (no judgment if you do).

If I was going to compare the two, I would say that I enjoyed Dark Matter more. It was more enjoyable and less complicated and less doom and gloom. Yet, once I got past the first 30 pages, I was roped in and couldn't let go. So it is a very exciting, captivating thriller that challenged me a lot.

Four out of five stars for me!

Just a Few Words:  This author turns my brain into mush.  He makes me think.  He makes me question.  He makes me crave his next  book.  Okay, let's begin...



Recursion by Blake Crouch is a Science Fiction novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Crown Publishing, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Neuroscientist Dr. Helena Smith has a dream that may help her mother, and so many others. She wants to find a way to help those with Alzheimers to capture, preserve and regain their memories. When Marcus Slade approaches her with unlimited funding, Helena jumps at the chance to build the chair she is sure will work. She is more successful than she could have hoped for. Unfortunately, her original ideas and design have been expanded upon until the end result does so much more than it should ever do. In the wrong hands...

Barry Sutton is a New York City police detective, who could not prevent the suicide of a woman named Ann Voss Peters. Before jumping to her death, she told Barry that she had False Memory Syndrome (FMS), and was sure that in another life she had been married to Joe Behrmann, and had a 9 year old son. She said she had just come from visiting Joe, and he denied knowing her, but she is sure he recognized her. She came to the place where Joe’s first wife Franny had committed suicide, in hopes that Joe may show up. He did not. She jumped. From other things she said, Barry decides to visit Joe Behrmann, and his wife Franny. He is about to find out more than he should.

False Memory Syndrome is on the rise. People are suddenly dealing with memories of two different lives, and they aren’t handling this well. Which memory is right? Suicides are up, mental illness is sky-rocketing, and no one knows who to blame.

When the chair falls into the wrong hands (again), and then into the hands of many, the whole world is in trouble. Helena and Barry are going to have to work together to stop what Helena has created, before the world destroys itself. But they will have to try again and again, as time keeps re-setting itself, as do their memories.



My Opinions:
I continue to enjoy Blake Crouch’s books. I never know where his imagination will take me, and although he often delves into science, he always explains it in such a way that the novice (me) can understand. I am not saying I didn’t have to pay close attention, but in the end, I got it.

This was one Hell of a ride. At times it was a little confusing as the story is told in different and repeating timelines. The characters were engaging, the plot amazing, and the outcome a little unexpected.

The plot had me wondering….if I could go back and change something in my life but know that the change would affect others….would I? Would you? Would you be able to help yourself? Would you think twice? Would I? A dilemma…

Then, what if you invented something that could benefit people, and someone came along and said it could be used for other purposes, maybe not as ethical, what would you do? Pull the plug? Go forward anyway? Another dilemma….

Am I rambling?  Okay, I’ll be thinking about this book for a while…

This was one of those books that was really hard to put down, partly because I was afraid I’d lose my spot in the timeline. Mostly, however, because it was just so addicting. I loved it!

This book made my brain hurt! But hurt in a good way! I couldn't just accept the story presented and had to think Mr. Crouch's plot points through. Someone with a more scientific mind than mine might be able to find holes, but for me it was a frightening look at yet another possible dystopian world where we can be unknowingly manipulated and attacked through the use of what is simplistically considered time travel. But it isn't time travel! And that is what makes this book so good! I suggest you stop reading prior to 60% or plan to lose sleep staying up to finish the book. I believe Mr. Crouch owes me a coffee: I'll take another outstanding story like this in lieu.

Wow, what a doozy! This book definitely makes you think. It's a cross between The Butterfly Effect and Groundhog's Day. Brilliant writing, plot and characters. Definitely a crazy, action-packed, mind-bending ride. Perfect ending.

Highly recommend this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a copy of Blake Crouch's "Recursion" in exchange of an honest review.

For those who have read and enjoyed Blake Crouch’s previous work, namely the Pines trilogy, or, more recently, Dark Matter, you will once again be taken on a journey with vivid characters and a eerily convincing plot.

As the book begins we meet two characters, Barry, a New York City detective, in November 2018, and Helena, a neuroscientist in California whose specialty is memory retrieval, in October 2007. One evening Barry responds to a suicide attempt with the woman claiming she is suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a spreading medical conundrum where patients are adamant in their claims of having hyper-detailed memories of another life – years of being married to a different person, living in a different house, having a different job, giving birth to children. And then one day the person awakes, as if from a dream, and their present is entirely different from the other life they vividly remember.

The word recursion is defined as “the process of defining a function or calculating a number by the repeated application of an algorithm,” and this definition comes to life as Barry’s suicide case and Helena’s memory research begin to intertwine. There’s a bit of “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey” that takes place throughout the book, but Crouch excels in taking head-scratching concepts like these, applying them to characters for whom you’re rooting, then bringing everything into an understandable context, with a satisfying conclusion.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for access to the digital ARC.

If you loved Dark Matter you’re going to LOVE Recursion!! Blake Crouch is going to blow your mind!! He has become the master of all things mind twist in Sci-Fi!

This book was fast paced, full of twist and a lot of fun to read!!

**Arc kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. **

What a page turner. This is my first book of Crouch and boy he won a fan
Theres so much to tell about this book but at the same I can't because of course I would spoil it and is definitely something to be experienced by each reader.

A disease starts affecting people's minds and giving this memories of a life that they have ever lived. Enteres Detective Barry Sutton who happens to meet one of the victims of the weird disease and their encounter push him to investigated more about the False Memory Syndrome and how is spreading all over. This investigation will make him cross paths with Helena Smith and scientistt who invented a device that would change everything.

On that premise this a fast pace book, it alterns between Barry & Helena point of view and I must say it took me a while to warm up to the book, and the characters it was really not slow but it takes it times getting to the good stuff and when it does BOOM hold on tight, you would go on for a ride. A very dark ride and though I'm a romance girl this was GOOD. This year has been a delight for me since I have come out of my comfort zone and it has been worthed.

I will definitely read Dark Matter now, and totally recommend this one.

I was given a Digital ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A 4.50 of 5 stars read!

Summary: Helena Smith, a neuroscience researcher, feels disheartened. Her project is about to run out of money and she’s nowhere near a solution. Driven by her desire to help her mother who is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, Helena is trying to discover a way to preserve and restore memories. She’s on the verge of giving up when a mysterious man offers to fund her project beyond her wildest dreams.

Barry Sutton, an NYPD detective tries to talk a despondent woman, Ann Voss Peters, down off the ledge of a high-rise. After a brief conversation with her, he realizes she is a victim of false memory syndrome. In her mind, Ann lives two lives. In one set of memories–her real memories–she lives single life in New York. In another, she remembers a husband and young son. Her second set of memories are in black and white, yet the emotions associated with them are completely real. After listening to her story, he tries to talk her out of suicide, but fails.

In alternating chapters, Helena and Barry narrate their stories, unaware that they are destined to meet and change the world–over and over.

Comments: Recursion is a genre jumping look into the repercussions of fear and power. In a book that blurs the lines between science fiction, apocalyptic fiction and thrillers, it has potential to appeal to a broad audience. There is even a G rated love story tossed in for good measure. I can envision this book translating well to film.

Highly recommended for readers of sci-fi, speculative fiction, apocalyptic fiction, thrillers and anyone who likes general fiction with a twist.

Thank you to @netgalley and @crownpublishing for a free e copy of Recursion by @blakecrouch1.
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When I say this book blew my mind, I mean it like BLEW MY MIND. I could not and did not stop reading it: during breakfast (pictured lol), while brushing me teeth, while folding laundry, which was a new one for me lol. I could not put this book down. From start to finish, it intrigued me, confused me, and had me on the edge of every chair, bed, and couch I planted myself on in the 24 hours it took me to read it (stupid work getting in the way of reading time). I am picking up a hard copy today and I WILL BE REREADING it, which is essentially never happens. Get this book. If you enjoyed Dark Matter, you will enjoy this book.

Rating: ★★★★★+

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.

“An action-packed, brilliantly unique ride that had me up late and shirking responsibilities until I had devoured the last page . . . a fantastic read.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian

Memory makes reality. That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

Neuroscientist Helena Smith already understands the power of memory. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

Review

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advanced reading copy of Recursion in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

Every now and then, there is a book you come across that unreservedly blows your mind to smithereens. You think that, with so many books being published today and having been published over the years, you have read every book conceivable that has to deal with time travel, reality shifts, paradoxes, etc.

Well, you thought wrong. Forget everything you knew about time travel and pick up this book. Just when I thought Crouch couldn’t get any better after reading his fantastic novel (and my #1 read of 2016) Dark Matter, he goes and does this.

Recursion is Crouch’s Mona Lisa. It will be the best known, most talked about, and most envied novel of his career in my honest opinion. It is simply brilliant beyond all standards and kept me entranced the entire way through. Though I have said a few, there are literally no words I can come up with or Google better synonyms for that will properly portray how much I loved this freaking book. I apologize to any authors and their works that have come before and will come after my reading of Recursion this year: it is officially my #1 read of 2019. You can take it to the bank (but don’t, like, travel back in time and take a detour to your local delicatessen and then forget to go to the bank because you were going to miss your favorite show or whatever).

This book is non-stop in every conceivable way. It is emotionally devastating, intensely gripping, and immensely innovative. Crouch has a way of attracting his characters to readers that I just don’t see enough of in today’s thrillers. These characters are just normal people (albeit, a couple of them are geniuses) with the same flaws we ourselves deal with in our own lives. They aren’t superheroes with invincibility or catlike reflexes. They can’t have 5 double bourbons and then drive a car into a building, killing all the baddies and saving the hostages. They are believable characters that just want things to go differently for them and their loved ones. To nix grief and anguish and to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, college graduations and the like. To love someone with such conviction to risk it all, over and over again, knowing the consequences and repercussions. This book tore me up emotionally and that is a rare thing. Kudos.

If you enjoyed Crouch’s last novel, Dark Matter, or anything Michael Crichton produced, this will be the easiest purchase you make all year summer. The perfect beach read that will have you reapplying suntan lotion at a consistent rate. Or if you’re like me, you’ll sit under the canopy all day and read while listening to the waves crash against the shore.

Published by Crown on June 11, 2019

Recursion begins with a phenomenon called False Memory Syndrome (FMS). People who are afflicted with FMS develop full memories of having lived a different life. Some falsely remembered lives are better and others are worse than the life the FMS sufferer has actually lived. The afflicted retain their actual memories, overlaid by months, years, or decades of finely detailed false memories. Medical researchers have not identified a cause and do not know whether FMS is contagious, although outbreaks have been concentrated in the Northeast. In many instances, people are linked by shared memories of events that never happened.

Later — and maybe this is a spoiler, although the premise is established fairly early in the novel [continue reading at your peril] — the plot begins to build on theories of time derived from quantum mechanics, which nobody understands, allowing a central character to assert that time is a meaningless function of our limited perceptions. The book posits that time travel can be facilitated by memory travel. Characters therefore come to experience multiple timelines by perceiving one, traveling back to an earlier memory, and creating a new timeline that follows that memory. In fact, the story makes the interesting point that Alzheimer’s is a form of time travel, casting sufferers adrift in time, tricking them into believing they are living in the past except for moments we define as “clarity” because they perceive the present as we do.

The story proceeds on two fronts. Barry Sutton is an NYPD detective. He is haunted by memories of his dead daughter. When he fails to prevent the suicide of a woman who suffers from FMS, he senses that there’s more to the story than an unexplained disease, and begins an investigation that takes him to the Hotel Memory. Like the Hotel California, it is easier to check in than to leave. Much of Barry’s story takes place in two timelines, one that starts in 2018 and one that seems to start over in 2007.

The second plot thread involves Helena Smith, a researcher who studies memory formation and storage. Her goal is not to prevent memory deterioration caused by dementia, but to preserve core memories that can then be accessed by patients. One of the world’s wealthiest tech wizards gives her a lab and unlimited funding for her research, which allows her to make rapid progress. Her financial benefactor, however, seems to have an agenda of his own that make Helena wonder whether an isolated laboratory on a converted oil rig in the ocean is the safest place to be.

The novel has a “do-over” theme that is popular in science fiction novels and movies (the story is vaguely reminiscent of the movie Edge of Tomorrow with a little bit of Minority Report; maybe Blake Crouch is a fan of Tom Cruise movies?) — if you could live your life again, with knowledge of how you screwed it up the first time, would you make something better of it on the second go-around? But this novel adds several twists to the time travel theme. What if, to return to an earlier point in your life, you need to die? What if, when you change your own life, you change everyone’s?

There is a love story in Recursion that is touching, in part because it deals with the reality of love rather than the gushiness that romance fans seem to crave. There is also an action story that keeps the plot moving, but the story stands out for the intelligent way it resolves the paradoxes that are inherent in time travel stories. Helena and Barry are sympathetic characters, and they are in conflict with an unlikable nemesis who fails to understand that any technology capable of changing reality will inevitably change it for the worse. The story builds suspense with every page. In the realm of time travel stories, Recursion is fairly regarded as an instant classic.

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