I read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch back in April (late to the party, I know) and can't stop thinking about it. When I saw that Crouch has a new book out soon, I had to read it. I was not disappointed!

When a mysterious disease starts affecting people's memory around the world, NYPD detective Barry Sutton investigates the growing phenomenon of False Memory Syndrome. Nobody knows how it starts, how it spreads, or how to stop it. He's joined by Helena Smith, a neuroscientist whos background may hold the truth.

If you're a fan of Dark Matter (and honestly, how could you not be?), you'll enjoy this book. Crouch explores memory, time, and what it means, and costs, to get a second chance. You'll want to read this one, again and again, not only to fully grasp the science but because it's honestly that good.

This is the first Blake Crouch book that I’ve read and the first adult science fiction novel that I’ve been able to get through. When I picked the book up, I couldn’t put it down. My mind was blown away, with how good it was. I think he might go to my favorite author list!! I’m telling everyone to read this book. I can only say good things about it. I never read the synopsis of a book, so I had no idea what this book was about. I’m not going to give anything away. Thanks so much NetGalley and Crown Publishing, for allowing me to early review the book. I’m about to start his older book, Dark Matter.

How did it take me this long to discover Blake Crouch. This is an incredible rumination on memory time and what it means to be a person. Incredible!

I might be a little biased but I love all Blake Crouch books. It started with Wayward Pines and continues with Recursion. This book is like Groundhog's Day but a lot more serious. What would you do if you designed something that would eventually lead to the destruction of the world? That's what Helena and Barry have to figure out. Over and over until they get it right. A must read!

I’m only a few pages in but already I can tell Blake Crouch is a skilled author. Maybe I’m the last person on earth to read a book by Blake Crouch? I don’t know why I haven’t read anything by this author sooner but Recursion is a great story to start with.

Here’s the plot:

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?

I typically do not like anything remotely science-fictionish, so I’m not sure if I’m going to love the technology aspect but since one of my friends raved about it, I’m going to give it a whirl. All of my book blogging friends gave it four and five stars so I look forward to continuing the story later!

Due out this week, order here.

I enjoyed how dark the story got, it really made you stop and think. I couldn't put this book down and just flew through it. It really makes you reflect on your past and choices you've made in your past as well.

If you enjoyed Dark Matter you are going to LOVE Recursion! I'm pretty sure I am now a Blake Crouch fangirl for life and cannot wait to back read his other works and anticipate his future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel.

re·cur·sion /rəˈkərZHən/
noun
MATHEMATICS•LINGUISTICS
1. the repeated application of a recursive procedure or definition.

I think it's fair to say, even if a reader perused every single review of this book, they would not have a clear picture of what's to come. Recursion is so utterly complex and mind-bending, it can't be described except by saying in frustration, "Just read it!"

This book is exactly what I have been waiting all year for -- wholly unique, in-depth, and properly executed. My attention was captured from the first chapter and my mind did not wander. I was fully immersed as a reader should be, anxious to find out what was to come, only to be angry when I would meet an interruption or could not read fast enough. I think Blake Crouch did an incredible job of slowly feeding this story to his readers. The complexity of the plot could have easily been lost in translation, but Blake's intellect and prowess as a writer shines through in the pacing. With touches of romance, suspense, sci-fi, and dystopian stirred together to create one spectacular story, this book will be one to satisfy readers of all genres. As someone who finds conspiracy theories interesting, the subtle expansion on the Mandala Effect as the clear inspiration for this story made me excited. It was fun to get into Blake Crouch's mind for this ride through time and memory. This was time-travel on crack!

Recursion held every facet I seek in every book I pick up. It was literally unputdownable and fully consumed my mind, as I'm sure it will continue to do in the days to come. I rarely hope for books to become movies, because I think it ruins the experience for readers. However, I could clearly see this book becoming a fascinating movie or tv series I would run to see at a moment's notice.

As I rave about this novel, I have to say, there were a few minor issues for me as a reader. To say there is a repetitive nature to this novel would be an understatement. Toward the latter half of the book, I was wishing things could have been sped up a bit or edited down to get to the conclusion. By that point, I understood the intent of the story and was ready to see the characters do something different. These repetitive moments we not boring by any means, but I'm impatient. I also wished I had a chair to go back and make Blake Crouch rewrite the last sentence of this book. Nonetheless, this was a top-notch read and I'm shook (I've never used this word before, but this review requires it).

Another winner from Blake Crouch. I was a huge fan of the Pines trilogy and Dark Matter, so anxiously anticipated Recursion. As usual, his writing style is excellent. He’s the master of keeping you guessing, and a little bit confused, but in a good way. Recursion explores altering memories, changing the future, and coming to terms with the consequences of those actions.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy for my honest opinion.

First, thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy of RECURSION. This is Blake Crouch's follow-up to DARK MATTER, one of my favorites in the past 5 years. I didn't think it was possible, but this story was as good or better. Barry Sutton is a policeman investigating an unusual suicide by someone with False Memory Syndrome, and Helena Smith a neuroscientist who finds funding for her dream project, a chair that allows her to record and play back memories. From that beginning, Crouch weaves an intricate and complex story involving memories, alternate timelines, and true love. Another home run from one of my new favorite authors.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. —SØREN KIERKEGAARD

Blake Crouch is one of my favorite authors and has been since I read DESERT PLACES years ago. Since that time, I believe I've read all his novels and short stories/novellas including ones he's co-written. I've always said that RUN was my favorite book of his, one of the reasons being that it takes place in Colorado, my favorite state. But this book is mind boggling. And Crouch has a very real talent in explaining heavy-duty subjects in a way that most people will understand them.

RECURSION deals with the concepts of time and memory (which brings the Mandela Effect to mind to me). Barry Sutton and Helena Smith play integral roles in this story. Helena is a brilliant physicist trying to create a way to capture her mother's fading memories before they all disappear because of Alzheimer's Disease. But she ends up creating something different. Barry is a detective who lost his teen daughter to an accident that he regrets every minute of every day.

Wormholes, quantum physics, and all kinds of weighty subjects are discussed in this sci fi thriller but I felt challenged rather than overwhelmed when reading it. There are also a good portion of non-sciencey portions of the book.

I'm going off to re-read RUN now just to see where it stacks up in my favorites list of Crouch's now, many years after I first read it.

I received this book from Crown Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Wow. Blake Crouch consistently blows my mind with the complexity and ingenuity of his plots! I could not stop reading this book! I finished it in an afternoon. It’s been a long time since a book grabbed me and didn’t let go!! I love that this book started with a kernel of truth at its heart and then went insanely off the rails in the best way possible. The book is meticulously plotted and thought out. I found myself explaining to my husband that time isn’t linear and then we debated physics and Einstein. If that isn’t the sign of a good science fiction book, I’m not sure what is!

4.5 stars. Blake Crouch can melt my brain like no one else. I didn't love this one quite as much as Dark Matter, but it was excellent. Completely mind-blowing and hard to wrap my head around. I won't say much about the plot, because I think this is a good one to go in blind, but it's a brilliant combination of science fiction, thrills, and a lot of heart, and I'd highly recommend it to just about everyone.

I'm looking forward to reading more books by Blake Crouch because I enjoyed Recursion so much. We follow NYPD Barry Sutton and neuroscientist Helena Smith through decades and decades and decades of memories. They know the world is being destroyed due to Helena's invention and they try over and over to stop the destruction, with heartbreaking results, each time.

Helena invented a "memory" chair that was intended to allow a person to save memories for later when they might be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer disease. But Helena is running out of time and funding, to complete the project, until she is contacted by a secret benefactor, who is willing to give her everything she needs to finish her project. At the same time, Barry is encountering suicides due to False Memory Syndrome and his investigations set him on a path that collides with Helena's invention.

I didn't let the technical and scientific talk hold me back from enjoying this book. I trusted the scientists and the characters, who studied the phenomena that was taking place, to provide the details I needed to carry the plot forward. What I really liked about the book were the characters of Helena, a woman so focused on her work that she rarely looked up, and Barry, father of a dead girl, who was never going to get over the heartache of losing his daughter. As these two characters come together, more than once, their concern for the welfare of others and their relationship with each other, kept me reading to the very end.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Holy crap, y'all. I really enjoyed Blake Crouch's last book, [book:Dark Matter|27833670], and this takes the way that plays with parallel universes and applies it to time travel, flipping it on its head over and over again in the process. I couldn't tell where the plot was going to head on this one, but I needed to keep finding out, staying up until 2 AM in the process. This is sharp sci-fi that retains a human heart.

The other reviewers were right. "Unputdownable" I could not stop reading this book until it was done. Wow. I am blown away. What an amazing ride. This is a must read. Outstanding in every way.

I have so many thoughts and yet, I can't seem to express them. I loved it!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When you start a Blake Crouch novel, you know you’re in for a wild ride that will alter the way you think about time, space, memory, etc. Recursion is no exception. I read the synopsis and requested it immediately.

Recursion follows Helena and Barry as they embark on a life altering mission that will change time and memory. Readers should go into Crouch’s book with little to no information to feel the full effects of Crouch’s writing.

What makes Recursion work as a novel rooted in science is that the science featured is believable. Crouch’s writing leads readers to believe what is being said without question. There wasn’t a moment I questioned the validity of what was being presented or felt the need to fact check.

Recursion’s pace for the beginning of the novel is on the slower side as Crouch sets up the various pieces that will come into play later in the novel. Though the pace is slower, the story doesn’t suffer. It’s interesting and intriguing as it starts to prod your understanding of memory and time. The second half of the novel is explosive in its revelations and action sequences.

And, one final note, I cannot wait to see the Netflix adaptation of this by Shonda Rhimes and others!

Overall, Recursion is another incredible Crouch novel that I’d recommend to anyone. With great characters and a mind-bending plot, Recursion should shoot to the top of your TBR.

“We are homesick most for the places we have never known.”
-Carson McCullers

Review: Recursion by Blake Crouch

I wish to thank Crown Publishing (via NetGalley) for this ARC of Recursion.

I am so happy that Recursion is scheduled for general release June 11, 2019 (just four days from the date of this review). You are in for a treat! This novel has been classified as both Mystery & Thrillers and SciFi & Fantasy. It is all four of these genres, and I loved every word of it. I enjoyed every character. It is fun at the end of the book to read the list provided by Mr. Crouch in the Acknowledgments of who each character was based on irl (in real life). This was like dessert after a very satisfying meal.

Recursion is a word taken from the disciplines of mathematics and computers meaning (according to dictionary.com) the process of defining a function or calculating a number by the repeated application of an algorithm. This title is spot on. As a retired mathematics professor, I was intrigued from the get-go. Wait! Math-phobes and science-phobes...do not let this scare you away. Recursion is a wonderful combination of science fiction and a love story for the ages (literally). I won’t lie. There are bits of mind-boggling physics narratives. I know math. I do not know physics, so I read the words, took in what I could, and did not let this distract me from the story.

Honestly, there was a point in the story that I desperately wanted the ideas in this book to be true. I would love to choose a memory from my past, go back in time to that point, and live life over again hopefully doing a better job of it the next time around. I think you will feel that way, too. After all, whose life is perfect? Doesn’t everyone want a redo at some point? But...be careful what you ask for. By the end, fair points are made and many many lessons are learned.

Be patient and enjoy the separate stories of Blake and Helena throughout Book One (out of five). By the time you reach Book Two, you will understand how these lives are on a collision course. I read Recursion in two days. There aren’t many books that could make me forget to watch the release of one of my favorite streaming shows, forget to eat, read while eating (not all that unusual actually), lose sleep...basically, ignoring life until finishing this book. Recursion is one of only a handful of books that I have felt this way about. I hope you do, too.

I am excited that another of Mr. Crouch’s books (Dark Matter) is sitting beside me on the lamp table just waiting for me to post this review. I have huuuuuge expectations! 😁

Blake Crouch, what have you done to my mind?!

I want to say so much about this book, but my chatter would bring unwanted spoilers. Instead I sit here, staring wide-eyed, wondering if my memories are real, if reality has shifted, if I'm even here at all.

Crouch is a master at posing these ridiculously complex, mind-bending questions, and then immersing us in the resulting chaos. While this story takes us into the realm of science fiction, it's never too much of a stretch to believe. In fact, I'm kind of terrified at how plausible this story is, and how easily it could become our future.

Now I have to go to bed, pull the covers over my head, and recover from this madness.

Recursion
by Blake Crouch 

Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: June 11th 2019 by Crown Publishing Group (NY)



Goodreads synopsis:
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? 


***

5 Stars

Wow, that is one mind-bending book! It’s kinda screwed up but definitely amazing.

Time travel books are always tedious and convoluted just due to the basic nature of the quantum theories alone. But this book puts a spin on the whole time travel thing. The people in aren’t physically going back in time. They are going back to a specific memory on a specific time line of one person’s life.

Is this book confusing? Heck yeah. I mean, consider the topic and just know that going in. I have read other books by Crouch (the Wayward Pines series) and you know just based on his past titles that this one is going to be mega and over the top.

We follow Helena Smith, a neuroscientist who has found a way to save memories and jump back into them. She trusts a not so reliable man who offers her the moon funding-wise and ends up screwing her over. Result? The whole world goes to hell in a hand basket.

We also follow Barry, a NYPD detective who had lost his daughter eleven years earlier. He is one of the first guinea pigs and they send him back to minutes before his daughter’s death.

This is a book you are just going to have to experience. If I tried to explain it all, this review would be ten pages long. Take my word for it. This book is excellent. I am fascinated by the memory chair and how it had such rippling effects in not only the main character’s lives but in society and the world as a whole. This is like the memory version of the Butterfly Effect. Once you cause those ripples, it is gonna take an act of God to set it right again.

I am excited to read another Crouch book. I think I have another in my Kindle Library and I will definitely be picking that up sometime soon. Even though this book is convoluted, don’t think it is a hard read. It isn’t. It is very smooth. It flows. Crouch does an amazing job of explaining all the complex problems they come across. And believe me, like I said in the beginning, this is a mind-bender. My mind is blown!

My highest rating.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I need someone I know to read this so we can discuss the ending!!

I loved Dark Matter by the same author. This one wasn't quite as good, but I still enjoyed it for it's creativity (Crouch really has some unique ideas floating around in his brain), and it's general plot. It's a page-turner, but not because of non-stop action. It's more like you want to keep reading to understand what the heck is going on. In the same way that Dark Matter was an original take on the classic "alternate universe" plot in sci-fi, I found Recursion to be a totally original take on the oft-written topic of time travel. I had to go back and reread parts explaining false memories and timelines and all that stuff, but that was to be expected - it's never easy to wrap your mind around time travel-y things. Barry and Helena are easy to root for, and through Crouch's writing you feel their pain and exhaustion as they fight to save the world while also hanging on to their own lives and memories.