Does Blake Crouch ever disappoint? I think not! This was a fascinating look at time travel, memory loss and retention, neuroscience, love and loss, and everything in between! Barry is the cop, Helena is the neuroscientist. Enough said. Seriously, I can't even begin to explain even a little of the plot because you won't really understand it until the very end. And isn't that what we love about Crouch's books? Be prepared to have your mind blown and don't plan to read this one in a single sitting as it takes some pondering and processing. But it will be well worth your time! Enjoy!

I am convinced that Blake Crouch is a genius!

After reading Dark Matter last year, I was worried that whatever he came out with next wouldn't compare. I was straight up mind blown by Dark Matter and in awe of the brain power it took to develop such a complex story with so many different outcomes and scenarios. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Recursion is one of the top 5 books I've been dying to read this year, but I was slightly terrified that it was going to let me down. Well, let me tell you, it lived up to my expectations and definitely did not disappoint. In my opinion, it was just as amazing as Dark Matter.

Recursion is a total mind f*ck! When people start coming down with a mysterious illness deemed FMS (False Memory Syndrome), nobody is quite sure what is happening. Those inflicted with FMS suddenly have memories from a life they never lived, driving many of them to madness. NYC Barry Sutton finds himself investigating the suicide of an FMS victim which leads him to Helena Smith, a scientist working to preserve the memories of Alzheimer's patients. What follows will literally blow your mind.

I could not love this book more. It had all of the elements I love in a sci fi thriller. It had a unique concept, kept me on the edge of my seat, had me guessing from start to finish, and had a satisfying conclusion. Blake Crouch did a fantastic job thinking through all the potential pitfalls or holes in the story. I wish I could see a storyboard of his thought process while developing the various story lines in an attempt to make the pieces fit together perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. So impressive!

I cannot recommend this book enough! If you're even remotely interested in science fiction or just want to be taken on a wild ride that bends your brain over and over, this is the book for you! I hope he continues to write original stories that restore my belief in uniquely constructed thrillers!

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Blake Crouch, and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

Blake Crouch again draws me into a page turner that upon first glance I wasn't sure I would even enjoy.

For the first quarter of the book, I thought about giving up on the story a few times. There were a lot of long descriptions about characters I hadn't come to care about, and the story seemed to have no real plot. However, from about 25% on, I was hooked (I finished the remaining 3/4 of the book in less than 24 hours!) Like Dark Matter, I don't wan to say much for fear of spoiling even the smallest detail because the plot revolves so much around them. However, the middle and end of this story definitely make up for the slow start. This is one definitely not to give up on.

Received a copy from NetGalley
4.5 stars - Kind of a cross between Dark Matter and "Gone World" - or a more beach read version of Gone World - and that is meant in a good way. Blake Crouch is able to grab you from the start and keep this very readable and entertaining - no small feat with time loops and shifting narrators. The cause/effects of all the time travel probably wouldn't hold up to very close scrutiny, but the fact that it works and is fun to read is impressive. I also appreciate the darker turn in the last act.

5 stars

Blake Crouch has become the master of mind-bendy mainstream science fiction. First he blew my mind with Dark Matter, then just when I thought my mind couldn’t be forked with any more, he bent it a thousand different ways with Recursion.

I am still reeling from this one. It was everything. An exciting thriller? Check. Intense suspense? Check. Emotional family drama? Yup, check. Sci-Fi done in a way that makes even those of us non-science people understand? Check, check, check. Plus, a bonus check for bordering on time travel, which is by far, my favorite sci-fi topic.

Here’s what you need to know. Get this book right now. I am not going to bore you with a synopsis; the blurb tells you everything you need to know about the plot. But I will tell you that this book was on my mind all of the hours that I wasn’t reading it. I never wanted to put this book down and wish I could have read this straight through.

It is addictive, thrilling and mind bending. And I loved every minute of it.

Thank you to Crown Publishing for my copy of this book via NetGalley

I sincerely loved this book. Blake Crouch never fails to impress; I would read anything by him at this point!

Hats off to Blake Crouch for another amazing book! His stories are mind-blowing. This one is time travel like no one has imagined, so suspend your beliefs and travel into this nightmare time travel scenario where Helena Smith, in attempting to create a device to allow us to preserve our memories, accidentally develops something totally different and unfortunately, through no fault of her own, it is a threat to all humanity.

I really liked Helena and couldn't believe what was happening to her - things that would haunt her through many lifetimes over and over again. She is a genius trying to help with Alzheimer's because her mother is a victim. Barry, a NYPD officer, gets involved when he tries to prevent a woman suffering from FMS (False Memory Syndrome) from jumping off a skyscraper. Helena's and Barry's worlds collide and they begin working together.

Hold onto your seat because you are going for one harrowing, mind-bending ride! Pssst - I hear there's going to be a movie...

Thanks to Blake Crouch and Crown Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy. I loved it!

Odds are, you’ve seen that picture of an iceberg online a thousand times — the one that shows 10% of the ice breaking above the water, while that enormous remaining 90% lies hidden beneath arctic waters (just google “iceberg meme” if you’re unfamiliar). That’s what reading Blake Crouch reminds me of. There’s that small surface idea you can latch onto, but the intelligence, concepts, and flat-out craziness of its execution have so much depth lurking beneath the initial premise. You never quite know what you’re getting into regardless of how simplistic the 10% pitch sounds, beyond knowing full well that things are going to get slippery in short order, because Crouch is going to take you into an incredibly deep dive through the other 90% and show you just how complex and rocky the rest of that iceberg really is.

If you read Crouch’s previous outing, Dark Matter, then you have a fair idea of what to expect with Recursion. While the former dealt with alternate realities, the latter tackles the issue of False Memory Syndrome…or at least that’s where things begin. As Crouch plumbs the fallibility and flexibility of memories and a startlingly bright premise of how and where such false memories could originate from, this sucker takes on more wrinkles than Einstein’s brain.

The bulk of Recursion is told through the perspective of two central characters, Detective Barry Sutton and Dr. Helena Smith. Smith is a neuroscientist seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s in the hope of curing her’s mother terminal descent into dementia. Her plan is construct a machine that can record a person’s most valued memories for posterity. Sutton, meanwhile, is investigating the devastating rise of False Memory reports following his failure to prevent a woman’s suicide. The woman, Ann Voss Peters, couldn’t handle the mental rewiring of her memories as she was forced to reconcile the life she thought she knew with the radically different life she suddenly remembers. The deeper Sutton’s investigation goes, the more he learns…and the more questions he uncovers. It potent, heady stuff, and then Crouch, as he’s wont to do, turns it all sideways, upside down, and shakes the ever-loving hell out of it.

Now, I have to tell you, flat-out, that discussing anything more about Recursion would have me wading up to my neck in spoiler territory so I’m going to avoid discussing any of the plot’s specifics. I will say, though, that what Sutton and Smith get up to and the forces they confront are every bit as twisty and turny as the cover image’s infinite loop and the maze etched inside that figure-eight.

Crouch is a master at delivering a bonkers, high-concept story that’s easily accessible, but which also mocks the entire idea of being simple. Tackling a subject like False Memory Syndrome is a storytelling mine filled with diamond-encrusted potential, but Crouch takes it into next-gen territory, leveling up his premise with each successive chapter. There’s a heavy load of physics at play here, and the author utilizes Newton’s third law regarding action/reaction magnificently. Consequences build and build and build before erupting with glorious devastation in a climax that cranks things up to eleven. And then twelve. And then thirteen. And then, amidst so much rich, chewy brain-candy, he delivers a tear-jerker denouement that goes straight for the heart.

Recursion is high on action and moves along with the speed of a bullet train, but all its most potent brawn comes straight from the brain. I don’t know what Crouch’s background is, but having read several of his prior novels I’m now pretty damn well convinced the dude is a diabolical genius. Crouch is smart, damn smart, and he knows how to leverage all those hugely cerebral ideas into rapid-fire page-turners of science fiction gold. His are the types of books I don’t just read, but devour and am immediately left hungry for more. Whatever he’s cooking up next, I am more than ready for it.

Wow oh wow! Where do I start? This book was beyond amazing! What is time? What would you do if you created something that could destroy or make the world a better place?

The beginning of the book had me "flipping through pages" (more like clicking lol) cause I just wanted more. You are thrown into this amazing book right away no lagging about. How do you hold onto human feelings that are the only things tethering you to this earth all while bending time, traveling through time, trying to fix time, and trying to fix things that would fix time. Living a different life each time as you try to destroy your greatest accomplishment yet the worlds biggest downfall. While the sanity of you and others are wrecked each time time is messed with. The weight of the world on your shoulders to fix what could become the end of the world.

I would absolutely recommend this book! You will be on the edge of your seat while also trying to figure out if that is really what time is like in reality.

Thanks Netgalley for a electronic ARC of this book I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be keeping my eye out for more by this amazing author Black Crouch.

A very convoluted story of time travel (or something like that). A machine is invented that can take people back to a certain point in their memory where they can live their life all over again. The machine accidently becomes public and the world goes crazy. The continually changing history of memories and events ultimately leads to the world’s destruction . The inventor, Helena Smith, keeps going back in time to try to prevent it all from happening. An interesting premise but so very confusing. The only way to read it is to just go with the flow and not try to make sense of it.

I am a huge Blake Crouch fan and Recursion did not disappoint! I had planned to read it over Memorial Day weekend and started it on the Tuesday before- I was immediately hooked and ended up finishing it by Thursday. Crouch does a great job of making sense of high-concept science fiction, in this case memory and time travel. I never get bogged down in the science of it and I appreciate that Crouch develops characters that I care about and can understand their motivations. This was a page turner and I definitely recommend!

Blake Crouch writes such fascinating, compelling, and thought-provoking science fiction. His are books I would give to friends who love a good thriller and nonfiction, but think they don't like the unreality or fantastical element of sci-fi.

I have loved every Blake Crouch book I have read and this was no exception. Pines, Warward, and the Last Town were phenomenal, and then I read Dark Matter, and WOOO, that was EPIC!

And then I read Recursion.

Man, this guy can write a seriously un-put-down-able book. Could. Not. Stop. Reading. If you love sci-fi mysteries, then ANYTHING by Blake Crouch is your ticket!

This is such a smart book but it’s hard to describe. A sci-fi tale. A love story. A brilliant exploration of the importance of memory and memories. How our history defines our life. But it’s not a boring philosophical treatise but a very suspenseful story that kept me at the edge of my seat. Full of twists and surprises, and peopled with real characters that we really - really! - get to know. It’s hard to talk about the plot without spoiling it, let’s just say that it’s better not to know anything about it. After turning the last page, my brain kept thinking and rethinking parts of the plot. A very good friend of mine died a long time ago and I kept thinking how I’d take the opportunity to go back and change that without even considering the consequences. I imagine a lot of people would feel the same and the way that the author handles the aftermath of said consequences is very smart. This is the rare deep novel that is written in such a way that reads like a summer thriller. One of the best of the year.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Crown Publishing!

Blake Crouch has written another spectacular book Dark Matters swept me away and so did Recursion.Time travel memories mystery sci-fi combines for an unputdownable book.#netgalley #crownbooks

A new phenomenon has started throughout the world – False Memory Syndrome. Victims have memories of a whole other life they’ve led and it’s driving many of them completely mad. One of those victims is Ann Voss Peters and she’s sitting on the edge of a high rise building ready to jump. Detective Barry Sutton tries to talk her off of the edge but he isn’t able to save her. Barry understands despair as he lost his 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, in a hit and run accident. Barry begins to look into this False Memory Syndrome and is unwillingly pulled into a life-altering experience.

Eleven years before, neuroscientist Helena Smith is working on a memory chair that she hopes will help her mother who has Alzheimer’s as well as others with this disease. When she’s approached by Marcus Slade with an irresistible offer of full funding for her research, she readily accepts. She lives to regret this decision when Slade’s concept of her memory chair differs greatly from hers and she may have to destroy her dream to save the world.

You always know that when you pick up a book by Blake Crouch, you’ll be in for a unique experience. This is his best work yet. My fascination with this thrilling story never lagged at any time. This book has a beauty to it that I didn’t expect. This is an in depth study of grief and time and memory and is so much more than a thriller. The love story is an emotional one. Crouch never fails to make his readers look at the world in a whole new way.

Most highly recommended.

Blake Crouch is still a favorite but this one got a bit lost for me. I felt like it totally changed gears about halfway through and never quite got the pacing right again.

Recursion by Blake Crouch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have no problems in announcing that this book ought to be a multi-multi-billion-dollar bestseller.

Maybe I'm biased, too, but damn, this guy can write a great novel that tickles all my SF bones and reminds me how much I love well-crafted thrillers. Does this remind you of his Dark Matter? It should.

And if you loved the ideas behind The Butterfly Effect, Flatliners, and Groundhog Day, I'm certain you're going to fall head-over-heels for this novel.

Am I giving too much away? No. Probably not. The novel goes well beyond the initial premises of memory replacement and mystery and a bit of the oddball secret conspiracy bits and dives straight into the heart of some really messed-up emotional family stuff, the implications of which flatlined me.

And if anyone is worried that novels like these usually stop long before the full ramifications are revealed, rest assured. Crouch goes DEEP into the aftermath, aftermath, aftermath, aftermath. What we get afterward is not just a great mystery/thriller or an extremely solid SF novel, but one that is full of deeply emotional resonance and quality that will last long after the tale has finished.

I call this a home run. And I like it even more than Dark Matter. :) I'm reminded of the quality I read in another's book, The Gone World. High praise, I think. :)

"Recursion" offers a fast-paced, emotional thriller for any fan of time travel fiction. Being one of said fans, I generally enjoyed Blake Crouch's most recent. Crouch clearly took time to think through the science and mechanics of "the chair," and drew careful histories for Barry and Helena that made it easy to connect to them. But much like Crouch's "Dark Matter," I had a hard time letting go of some skepticism at the convenience and sometimes illogical turns in the plot. Action scenes, especially, seemed written with a TV or movie scene in mind, rather than for a reader of a novel. The dialogue, especially concerning science or moral conundrums of "the right thing to do," was sometimes stilted and characters' voices seemed to blend together. Part Four in particular seemed to suffer from these issues, and I found my interest flagging before the story picked up again. For all his effort in trying to craft a scientific explanation for the story, Crouch sometimes seemed to handwave away any explanation for his characters' actions, particularly the supporting characters. Thankfully, I found the emotional thread in the story again in the end, and I finished generally satisfied. There is more to "Recursion" than just its science fiction, which makes it a decent read for anyone looking for a good blend of time travel and some meditation on the meaning of memory.

I can’t say enough about recursion! Dark matter was one of my top 10 for 2018 and this new release is definitely a contender for this year. Recursion has same feel and original writing as Dark Matter and yet the story is new and the addiction is real! I read far too late into the night trying to finish. I need to go back into Blake Crouch’s backlist and read them all! I have a feeling I will love them all as much as I loved these two titles. ⁣
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If you love science and an authentic love story look no further. This story has everything you need.